In a world filled with silence and memories that refuse to rest, a man continues to live in the shadow of a past he can never truly escape. Every memory he tried to bury eventually finds its way back. The moments he wished to forget return without warning, haunting the quiet corners of his mind and following him into the life he desperately tried to rebuild. No matter how far he runs, the past always seems to find him. Behind his cold expression lies a wound that has remained open for far too long. Years of pain have shaped the person he has become. Trauma taught him to build walls, to hide his emotions, and to keep everyone at a safe distance. What once made him feel alive slowly became something he learned to fear. He stopped believing that happiness could last. He stopped believing that people could stay. Most importantly, he stopped believing that love could exist without taking something from him. To him, love was never gentle. It was never something he could simply accept without hesitation. Love came with pain, loss, betrayal, and consequences he could never control. So he chose distance. He chose silence. He chose to become someone who could no longer be easily hurt.

book #1 | completed in between duology they call them universal truths, the things everyone seems to know, the lessons the world repeats until they sound like gospel. but what if the world is wrong? what if courage, love, and healing look different on each of us? "they say,... but what ifs?" is a collection of quiet rebellions, whispered doubts, and gentle reflections -- poems that question what's been said, and redefine what it means to feel, to break, and to become. HIGHEST RANKING: #1 - Reflective