My breathing turned shallow.
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.
Each one faster than the last until it didn't feel like breathing anymore — just choking on air.
The weight on my chest swelled until it felt like the whole world had decided to sit there, pressing down, daring me to move.
My nails dug into my palms so hard I could feel skin tear, but it wasn't enough to anchor me.
Something inside me snapped.
The thoughts started spilling out — too fast to catch.
'You're not ready. You're not strong enough. You're just pretending. She's still watching you. She'll take it all away. You'll fail. You'll break. You'll—'
"Shut up," I hissed, gripping my head.
But the voices didn't stop. They multiplied. Twisting my own tone into something crueler.
They rang louder. More certain.
'You can't run from me. I wrote you this way.'
I stumbled backward, knocking into the chair. My vision blurred, the edges burning like someone had poured liquid light into my skull.
"Shut. Up."
