Aria's childhood was a patchwork of memories – some bright and joyful, others shrouded in darkness. She was born into a world that promised love and safety, but as she grew older, she discovered that those promises were nothing more than fragile illusions.

In the beginning, there were whispers of love – fleeting moments of tenderness and affection that warmed Aria's heart and filled her with hope.

Her parents would hold her close, their arms a sanctuary against the chaos of the outside world.

But beneath the surface, there were cracks, fractures that threatened to tear their fragile family apart.

As Aria grew older, she became acutely aware of the tension that simmered beneath the surface of her home. Her parents fought often, their voices raised in anger and frustration. Aria would huddle in her room, her hands pressed tightly against her ears, trying to block out the sound of their arguments.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the truth – that her home was not the safe haven she had once believed it to be.

There were secrets hidden behind closed doors, shadows lurking in the corners of her mind.

And then, one day, the facade shattered, revealing the ugly truth that lay beneath. Aria's father came home late at night, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol.

He stumbled through the door, his footsteps unsteady, his eyes filled with a rage that sent shivers down Aria's spine.

Aria tried helping her dad to his feet but he was too heavy for her fragile stature,

At first, it was just a word, a sharp retort flung in anger. But then, without warning, her father's hand lashed out, striking Aria cross the face with a force that left her reeling. She stumbled backward, the sting of his blow echoing through the room like a gunshot.

In that moment, everything changed. tho her mother came to the scene before it escalated it was too late, Aria's ear hurt like shattered glass, leaving behind nothing but jagged shards that cut into her soul.

She realized with a sinking heart that her father was not the hero she had once believed him to be,

–

he was a monster, a shadow that threatened to consume her whole.From that day forward, Aria learned to tread carefully

, to keep her head down and her voice soft tho she was not entirely safe, She became adept at hiding the bruises that marred her skin, terrified of what would happen if anyone found out the truth.

She plastered on a smile, pretending that everything was fine, even as her world crumbled around her.But deep down, she knew that she was living a lie. She longed for someone to see past the facade she had constructed, to reach out and offer her a lifeline in the darkness. Little did she know that she had to fight her way through this life on her own.

As the abuse in Aria's home continued to escalate , she found herself retreating further and further into herself,

she learned how to put make up on, so she could hide all the dark eyes on her face constructing a mask of silence to hide the pain that gnawed at her from the inside out. She became skilled at plastering on a smile.

pretending that everything was fine, even as her world crumbled around her.

At school, Aria tried to maintain a facade of normalcy, burying herself in her studies and avoiding drawing attention to herself.

She kept her head down, avoided eye contact, and prayed that no one would see the bruises that marred her skin like a roadmap of her torment.

But despite her best efforts, Aria couldn't escape the whispers and stares that followed her wherever she went.

The other students sensed that something was wrong, that there was a darkness lurking beneath the surface of Aria's quiet demeanor.

They whispered behind her back, casting judgemental glances in her direction, as if she were somehow to blame for the abuse she endured.

Aria felt the weight of their stares like a physical burden, pressing down on her shoulders and suffocating her with their silent accusations.

She wanted to scream, to lash out at the injustice of it all, but she knew that it would only make things worse.

So she kept her mouth shut, her pain locked away behind a mask of silence that grew thicker with each passing day.

At home, Aria's father continued to unleash his fury upon her with increasing frequency, only her mother could fight back, that is after so many struggle, leaving her feeling like a prisoner in her own home.

She longed for someone to see past the facade she had constructed, to reach out and offer her a lifeline in the darkness.

But she couldn't bring herself to speak up, to shatter the illusion of normalcy that she had spent so long crafting.

And so, Aria suffered in silence, her pain a constant companion that followed her wherever she went. She knew that she couldn't continue to live like this forever, but the thought of speaking up, of breaking the silence that had become her only defense, filled her with a terror unlike anything she had ever known.