The Day Destiny Smiled

Chapter 1: The Life I Never Chose My name is Preeti, and I am 26 years old. I live in Patna, Bihar, in a small middle-class family home. From the outside, my life may look normal, but only I know how many battles I have fought silently. I lost my mother when I was young. After she left, something inside our home changed forever. There was a silence that no one could fill. I missed having someone who would ask me if I was tired, someone who would understand my pain without me saying a word. My elder sister is married now and lives with her own family. My brother works hard, and my father has always tried his best to keep our family together. I completed my graduation with many dreams in my heart. Like many young people in India, I dreamed of getting a government job. I believed that if I worked hard enough, my life would change. I studied for hours, prepared for exams, and kept telling myself that my time would come. But every time the results came... My dreams broke a little more. Not Selected. Those two words became familiar to me. I would hide my disappointment, smile in front of everyone, and start preparing again. People around me often told me to take a private job. They said I should move forward and stop waiting for something that might never happen. But I still had hope. I wanted to achieve the dream I had worked so hard for. Until then, my world was my home. Every morning, I woke up early. I cleaned the house. I cooked food for my family. I washed dishes. I took care of every small responsibility. By the time I finished everything, the day was already half gone. Sometimes I wondered... Was this all my life was going to be? Cooking, cleaning, waiting, and watching my dreams slowly disappear? I also tried to become a YouTuber. For a short time, I felt like maybe this could be my new beginning. I recorded videos, edited them, and uploaded them with hope in my heart. Every notification gave me a little excitement. Maybe someone had noticed me. Maybe something was finally changing. But nothing changed. The views stayed low. My dream stayed far away. And once again, I accepted another disappointment. At night, when everyone slept, I would sit alone and think about my life. I didn't want a luxurious life. I didn't want to be famous. I only wanted one chance. One chance to prove that my efforts mattered. Sometimes I looked at my own reflection and wondered... "Why does happiness always feel so far away from me?" I kept going because giving up was never an option. But deep inside, I was tired. Tired of waiting. Tired of failing. Tired of pretending that everything was okay. I didn't know what tomorrow would bring. I didn't know that life could change in ways I had never imagined. For now, I was just Preeti... A girl fighting her silent battles every day.