The morning light filtered through the thin curtains of Alliah’s room, painting the walls in soft gold. For a moment, she lingered between sleep and wakefulness, her body still remembering the heaviness of last night’s emotions. She had stood on that stage, heart trembling, voice uncertain at first, but by the end… she had felt the strength of her own spirit. The applause still echoed faintly in her ears, like waves touching the shore of her memory.
She opened her eyes slowly, half-expecting the morning to return her to old realities—the burden of her scar, the ache of disappointments, the shadow of yesterday. But no. Today felt different. There was a lightness within her chest, as though some invisible lock had been broken open, releasing the part of her that had been caged for far too l
