Without You

Chapter 1

[DREAM]

** The flickering candles illuminated the grand hall as I stood there, a little princess in my pristine white frock, surrounded by the warmth of love and celebration. It was my 5th birthday, a day I had dreamt of for what felt like an eternity. My father, took my tiny hand, guiding me through the sea of people to the grand hall where my mother stood, her eyes beaming with pride. The applause was music to my ears, and my little brother lay peacefully in her arms, unaware of the world around him.

Everyone wished me the happiest birthday, their voices a chorus of joy. I felt like the center of the universe, the beloved princess in her fairy-tale kingdom.

But then, as if a dark curtain fell, the dream turned black. The once vibrant colors faded into a haunting void, and the cheerful voices became distant echoes. The grand hall dissolved into shadows, and the joyous atmosphere morphed into an unsettling silence.

I found myself in a different scene, a scene I never wanted to witness. The air crackled with tension as an argument unfolded between my parents. Their voices clashed, harsh and unforgiving, shattering the illusion of my perfect world. The love that had enveloped me just moments ago now hung in the air like a fragile thread on the verge of snapping.

I stood there, a helpless spectator to the disintegration of my dreams. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to comprehend the sudden chaos that had replaced the harmony.

Desperation clawed at my chest as I shouted and cried, pleading for the nightmare to end. The echoes of my pleas bounced off the walls, unheard and ignored. My small hands covered my ears in a feeble attempt to block out the discord, but the tumultuous voices seeped through, leaving me trapped in the cacophony of my parents' strife.

In the midst of the chaos, my father, the once regal figure who held my hand with pride, began to distance himself. The dream led me through the dark outdoors of our home as I followed him, my pleas for him to stay echoing in the emptiness.**

And then, as abruptly as it began, the dream ended. I woke up, my heart pounding, my eyes stinging from the tears that lingered in the corners. The pristine white frock was replaced by the cold reality of my room, and the echoes of the argument faded into the silence of the daylight.

The dream shattered into pieces, leaving me with a poignant sense of loss that lingered even as I awakened to the present day. "Good morning, Em, and a very Happy Birthday to you, Darling" my mother's voice tenderly graced my ears, dissolving the remnants of the dream and anchoring me firmly in reality. I realized that today is the 2nd of September, and it is my 20th birthday.

I blinked my eyes open, and my gaze met my mother's warming smile. The ache from the dream still resonated within me, a faint echo of a past I couldn't entirely grasp. I managed a weary smile in return, my fingers brushing through my disheveled hair.