Leila’s POV
I woke before dawn, as I always did, but this time there was no ache in my chest. No tightness of fear. No tears waiting to spill. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I did not cry myself to sleep last night. And this morning, I did not dread the day.
I lay still, listening to the soft sigh of the wind through my window. The moon had faded, and the first hints of sunrise painted the sky in pale pink and gold. My heart felt light, almost as if it were floating above my ribs. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, savoring the calm that settled around me.
It wasn’t a miracle. It was the product of small changes, quiet, gentle shifts that had crept into my life until I barely noticed them. I traced them back, piece by piece, beginning with my mornings on the trai
