Good things kept happening.
For months, the buzz in my ear eventually faded completely.
And I lived a peaceful, fulfilling life ..
surrounded by a loving family,
and a novel that had turned me into a globally recognized author.
That success ..
it felt like a gift.
A gift I made the most of.
And for once…
I was truly, deeply content with both myself—
and the life I had been given.
The smile never left my face.
Not even when I walked the streets at night.
I was truly grateful—
grateful for the life I had been given.
That was what I was thinking…
as I made my way home late at night,
after spending time with friends I'd known for what felt like forever.
Quietly ..so as not to wake my parents, who usually slept early—
I opened the front door and slipped inside.
I expected to find my younger brother awake,
as he often stayed up late playing games.
But tonight,
he wasn't in his usual spot.
"Did he go to bed early?"
I wondered, climbing the stairs to check.
