BENEATH THEIR MASKSSome families break you. Others teach you to smile while they do it.Eliana never asked to be born into a family that could barely afford to survive.The first of nine children, she grew up watching her parents struggle to provide for a family they had neither the means nor the wisdom to raise. Their marriage had been opposed from the beginning, but they had chosen love over reason, unaware that their decisions would leave innocent children paying the price.Her father was easily influenced. Her mother believed every beautiful lie she was told. And between their poor decisions, endless sacrifices, and desperate attempts to keep their family together, Eliana slowly became the child nobody remembered to protect.She learned to go hungry without complaining, to cry without making a sound, and to smile when her heart was breaking. While her siblings looked to their parents for comfort, Eliana became her own source of strength.But when life at home becomes unbearable, she is sent to live with her uncle's family, where everyone promises that things will be different.For the first time, Eliana dares to hope.She is wrong.Behind the beautiful house, warm smiles, and carefully rehearsed kindness lies a world of cruelty, favouritism, humiliation, and secrets. In a home where love is given like a reward and withdrawn like punishment, Eliana discovers that being related to someone does not mean they will treat you like family.Yet, as she struggles to survive, one question haunts her.Why does everyone seem determined to make her believe she is the problem?Her uncle appears heartless. Her cousins treat her like an unwanted stranger. And the person who seems to understand her pain becomes the only light in her darkest days.But appearances can be deceiving.Because sometimes, the person everyone calls a monster is hiding a truth no one is ready to hear.And sometimes, the person who saves you in public is the very reason you are suffering in private.As buried secrets begin to surface, Eliana must confront a truth that threatens to destroy everything she thought she knew about her family, her past, and the people she loves.Will she finally discover who has been protecting her all along?Or will the truth break her in ways that even years of suffering never could?In a world where kindness can be a disguise, blood does not always mean loyalty, and love can become the cruelest weapon of all, Eliana must find the courage to keep believing that her life can become more than the pain she has endured.Because somewhere beneath the lies, the betrayal, and the tears, there must be a reason she has survived it all.Her name is Eliana.And perhaps, when her story finally reaches its end, she will understand why.Because sometimes, the longest unanswered prayers lead to the most beautiful answers.Welcome to Eliana's world.Welcome to BENEATH THEIR MASKS.