Part one: Pain

Pain is not always loud. Sometimes, it’s a quiet ache that crawls into your chest and makes a home there. It isn’t just about tears or screams it’s waking up and wishing you hadn’t. It’s feeling heavy even in an empty room. It's forgetting the sound of your own laughter. Pain becomes a language only your soul understands, but your mouth never speaks. It starts with sadness, then grows into a shadow that follows you everywhere. Days blend into nights, and sleep either refuses to come or becomes the only escape. You stop finding joy in the things you once loved. Music sounds hollow. Conversations feel like noise. Life moves around you, but you feel stuck in one place tired, numb, and quietly falling apart. People ask if you’re okay, and you say “I’m fine.” Not because you are, but because it’s easier than trying to explain a pain you can’t fully name. You laugh at jokes, but your smile never reaches your eyes. You get dressed, go out, maybe even post a picture online and yet, deep inside, you're drowning. And then sometimes, the pain gets louder. The ache becomes unbearable. And you begin to think maybe, just maybe, if you hurt yourself physically, it will release the ... to be continued