THE LOVE BEHIND MY SCARS

THE LOVE BEHIND MY SCARS Chapter One: A Reason to Keep Going The rain had been falling since midnight, but Miracle was still awake. He sat quietly beside his window, staring at the rain sliding down the glass. The whole house was silent, yet his mind was louder than ever. In his hands was a piece of paper. His examination result. He had failed. Miracle stared at the marks again, hoping that somehow they would change if he looked at them long enough. They didn't. His chest felt heavy. He had imagined a different ending. He had imagined walking home proudly, showing his result to his mother, and hearing her say that she was proud of him. Instead, he was sitting alone in the darkness, afraid to even leave his room. “What went wrong?” he whispered. He had studied. He had sacrificed sleep. He had tried. But sometimes, trying your best still doesn't give you the result you want. A tear slowly rolled down his cheek. Miracle wiped it away immediately. He hated crying. He believed he was supposed to be strong. But deep inside, he was tired. Tired of struggling. Tired of worrying about his future. Tired of wondering whether his dreams were too big for him. He looked at the small piece of paper hanging on his wall. NEVER GIVE UP. He had written those words months ago. Tonight, they seemed almost impossible to believe. “What if I can't do it?” he whispered. Before he could answer himself, there was a knock on his door. “Miracle?” His mother's voice. He quickly wiped his face. “Yes, Mum.” The door opened. His mother, Grace, walked in and immediately noticed the paper in his hand. She didn't ask what happened. She already knew. She sat beside him. For a few seconds, they remained silent. Then she asked softly, “Are you disappointed?” Miracle nodded. “Very.” “Are you angry?” “Yes.” “Are you tired?” He looked down. “Yes.” His mother took his hand. “Then it's okay.” Miracle looked at her. “What is okay?” “To feel disappointed.” He said nothing. She continued. “You worked hard. You expected something better. It didn't happen. You're allowed to feel hurt.” A tear escaped his eye. “But don't stay there.” Miracle looked at her. “Failure is not the opposite of success,” she said. “Sometimes failure is the road that teaches you how to reach success.” Miracle swallowed hard. “What if I fail again?” His mother smiled. “Then you try again.” “What if people laugh at me?” “Let them.” “What if they call me a failure?” She squeezed his hand. “People can call you whatever they want. They don't get to decide who you become.” Miracle stared at her. “And what if I disappoint you?” His mother's eyes softened. “You could never disappoint me because of one examination.” She stood up. “Your result is a piece of paper, Miracle. It is not your destiny.” Then she walked toward the door. Before leaving, she turned around. “Remember something.” “What?” “Never allow one bad chapter to make you throw away the entire book.” The door closed. Miracle remained still. Her words repeated inside his mind. One bad chapter. Not the whole book. He looked at the result again. For the first time that night, he didn't see the end. He saw another beginning. He picked up his notebook and opened a fresh page. At the top, he wrote: I FAILED, BUT I AM NOT A FAILURE. He stared at the sentence. Then he added: I WILL TRY AGAIN. He closed the notebook and finally went to sleep. The next morning, Miracle woke before his alarm. The rain had stopped. Sunlight entered through the window, touching the floor. He sat on his bed and looked at his notebook. He knew everything wouldn't suddenly become easy. But he also knew that giving up would make things worse. So he got dressed and went to school. At the school gate, his best friend Daniel was waiting. Daniel looked at him. “You're early.” Miracle smiled. “I didn't sleep much.” Daniel studied his face. “What happened?” Miracle sighed. “Results.” Daniel's expression changed. “You failed?” Miracle nodded. Daniel was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “So?” Miracle looked at him. “So?” “Yes. You failed. What are you going to do now?” “I don't know.” Daniel shook his head. “Then figure it out.” Miracle laughed. “You make it sound easy.” “No. I make it sound possible.” Miracle smiled. That was Daniel. He never allowed Miracle to feel sorry for himself for too long. They walked into the school together. Inside the classroom, students were discussing their results. Some were celebrating. Others were complaining. Miracle sat quietly. He didn't want to hear anyone. Then the teacher entered with a new student. The classroom became quiet. “This is Amara,” the teacher said. “She recently transferred to this school. Please make her feel welcome.” Amara smiled. “Good morning.” Miracle looked at her. There was something different about her. She wasn't trying to impress anyone. She simply looked calm and confident. The teacher pointed to an empty seat. “Amara, you can sit there.” The empty seat happened to be close to Miracle. She walked over and sat down. “Hi,” she whispered. Miracle smiled. “Hi.” “I'm Amara.” “Miracle.” “I know.” He raised an eyebrow. “You know me?” She smiled. “I heard your name during the morning assembly.” “Oh.” For some reason, Miracle felt shy. Daniel noticed and smiled from across the classroom. Miracle ignored him. The lesson began. But during the class, Amara noticed Miracle's notebook. “You write a lot,” she whispered. Miracle looked down. “Sometimes.” “What do you write?” “Things I want to remember.” “Like what?” Miracle hesitated. “Dreams.” Amara smiled. “I like that.” During lunch, Miracle sat beneath a large tree behind the classroom. He opened his notebook again. He was writing his goals. Study harder. Believe in myself. Help my family. Become successful. Never give up. Suddenly, someone spoke behind him. “You forgot something.” Miracle turned. Amara stood there. “What?” She pointed at the notebook. “Rest.” Miracle laughed. “Rest isn't a goal.” “It should be.” She sat beside him. “You can't spend your whole life chasing success and forget to enjoy the journey.” Miracle looked at her. “What do you know about success?” Amara smiled. “Probably less than you.” “Then why are you giving me advice?” “Because sometimes strangers can see what people close to you can't.” Miracle became quiet. He looked at her. She wasn't wrong. “What do you want to become?” he asked. Amara looked toward the sky. “I want to become someone my younger self would be proud of.” Miracle smiled. “That's a good answer.” “What about you?” “I want to become successful.” “Why?” Miracle thought about it. “To help my family. To prove that my struggles don't control my future. To become somebody.” Amara looked at him seriously. “You already are somebody.” Miracle didn't know what to say. Those words touched him more than she could understand. He had spent so much time believing that he needed success before he could feel valuable. But Amara had reminded him that his worth wasn't waiting at the end of his journey. Maybe he was already enough. Maybe success was something he was building, not something that would suddenly give him value. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “For what?” “For saying that.” She smiled. “You're welcome.” The bell rang. They stood up. As they walked back toward the classroom, Miracle looked at Amara. He didn't know why, but something about her presence made him feel lighter. He had met her only that day. Yet somehow, talking to her felt easy. Neither of them knew what was coming. Neither knew that their friendship would grow. Neither knew that friendship would become love. Neither knew that love would eventually lead them toward marriage. And neither knew how many storms they would have to survive before they understood what love truly meant. For now, they were simply two young people with dreams. Two hearts unaware of the future. That evening, Miracle returned home. He entered his room and looked at the paper on the wall. NEVER GIVE UP. He picked up a pen and added another sentence beneath it. I MAY FALL, BUT I WILL ALWAYS RISE. He stepped back. The words looked simple. But they meant everything to him. Miracle knew he still had a long road ahead. There would be failures. There would be disappointment. There would be moments when he would question himself. There would be love. There would be heartbreak. There would be days when he would want to walk away from everything. But he didn't know any of that yet. All he knew was that he had another chance. Another day. Another reason to keep going. And sometimes, that is all a person needs. A reason. A little hope. And someone who reminds them that their story isn't over. Miracle smiled. Then he whispered to himself, “My story is just beginning.” And somewhere in the future, without knowing it, Amara was already becoming part of that story.