Paper-Thin Smiles

She was the middle child-the forgotten one, the mistake, the burden. No matter what she did, it was never enough. In a house where love felt conditional and approval was a distant dream, she learned to smile, even when it hurt.

Outside, she was the quiet girl, the one who faded into the background, afraid to speak, afraid to exist. Every crush ended in heartbreak, every friendship felt temporary-until she met her best friend. The only person who made her feel seen. But even that, like everything else in her life, was built on fragile trust.

When betrayal shatters the last piece of hope she clung to, she realizes something-staying means drowning. For years, she has lived a lie, pretending to be okay, pretending to belong. But now, she is done pretending.

With nothing left to hold her back, she makes a choice for the first time in her life. To leave. To start over. To find out if there is more to life than paper-thin smiles.

But is escaping the past truly possible? Or will the ghosts of yesterday follow her wherever she goes?