The night was still, and the city outside the apartment hummed with the soft murmur of life continuing without them. Inside, the air felt heavier—charged with the weight of a decision that loomed larger than anything Malia had ever faced. She stood by the large window, looking out over the city skyline, lost in thought. The lights of the buildings flickered like distant stars, and the quiet hum of traffic below felt both reassuring and distant, like she was on the edge of something, about to leap into the unknown.
Malia had come so far. She had fought for her freedom, her independence, her place in a world that had often sought to tear her down. And yet, in this moment, none of those battles seemed as important as the one she was fighting within herself.
