The world had shifted once more, quietly, like the tide retreating from the shore. Alliah felt it in her bones: a strange blend of fragility and strength, as though her soul had been rebuilt from broken glass into stained windows—fragile, yes, but radiant when touched by light. The annulment was behind her, the garden bloomed with hope, and Jamiro’s love remained a steadfast flame. Yet beneath all that gentleness stirred a quiet truth: the journey was far from over.
The Return to Routine
The following Monday, Alliah returned to her classroom. The children’s laughter echoed through the corridors like music she had missed. Little arms wrapped around her waist, small voices calling, “Ma’am Alliah, you’re back!” Their innocence disarmed her completely.
Her illness had been an invisible stor
