Amongst the silence (2 of 3)

-Loss and Panic- Stepfather gone, a week of silence, and my brother returned, shadowed and unwelcome. Panic clawed at my throat, and hospital walls became a cage for trembling hands. A note, simple and desperate, asking him to leave me alone, betrayed when my mother gave it to him. He packed, left, yet I was forced into a family meeting his apologies spilled like water, but I could not forgive. His absence was still presence, a day later, a text: “Because of you, your brother is homeless." Pain twisted into my skin, and I carved again to keep the agony inside, hospital walls embracing me like old friends. -Broken Doors, Fragile Shelter- Returning home, he was back, my door removed, privacy stripped away. I left, prepared for homelessness, but ex’s family extended hands, gave me a place where I could breathe. Love turned sour in the household I thought safe, verbal abuse echoing through empty halls. Cousins I trusted lied, playing games with truth, and I learned that survival meant cutting ties even with blood, even with family. Now I live with a friend, the air lighter, but still heavy with caution.