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𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞
...🏀...
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋
𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, feeling nothing. The numbness had settled in deep, like a thick fog in my mind that I couldn't shake. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to. It was easier this way—easier than facing the memories that kept rushing back faster than I could push them down. Andrew's voice. His hands. The pain.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block it out, but it was useless. I could still feel him. Still hear the harsh sound of his voice. The dull ache of every bruise he'd inflicted, the ones no one would ever know was there but me. My mind kept replaying it, over and over, like a movie I was trapped in, and there was no way to turn it off.
The alarm on my nightstand buzzed, snapping me out of the loop, at least for a second. I reached over without thinking, fumbling for the button, and pressed it until the sound stopped. Silence filled the room again, and I sank back into the bed, pulling the covers tighter around me.
Across the room, I could see Leila still asleep in her crib, her tiny chest rising and falling peacefully. She was the only reason I hadn't completely unraveled. But even her presence wasn't enough to pull me out of this hole today.
Not when everything felt so heavy.
A knock at the door. I didn't move; I just stared at the ceiling again, willing whoever it was to go away.
"Mylah?" My mom's voice, soft but firm, broke the silence. The door creaked open, and I could hear her footsteps as she entered the room. "Are you going to school today?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her. I could feel the weight of her eyes on me, but still, I didn't move.
"Mylah," she said again, this time closer. The bed dipped as she sat beside me, her hand gently reaching out to rub my back. "You can't stay in bed forever."
I finally turned my head to look at her, my voice coming out flat. "Watch me."
She sighed, the sound heavy with concern. Her hand kept moving in slow, soothing circles on my back, but I could feel the frustration beneath her calm. "I know it's hard, honey, but you can't let this—"
"I'm not letting anything," I interrupted, the words sharper than I intended. "I just...I just can't today, okay?"
Her hand stilled for a moment, and then she leaned in closer, her voice softer now. "You're stronger than this, Mylah. You've been through so much already, and you're still here."
