A WASTE OF 7 MONTHS

A Whole Waste of 7 Months...

Zarie had always been careful with her heart. She knew what it meant to trust too easily, to give pieces of herself that she might never get back. But seven months ago, she had let someone in-someone who smiled the right way, said the right things, and made her believe she mattered more than anyone else had before.

It felt like falling into a warmth she had only imagined, like the world had finally aligned for her. She believed in it, truly, and for a while, she let herself dream. Every message, every laugh, every stolen moment seemed to build a world just for her.

But reality has a way of creeping in quietly, slowly unravelling what we want to believe. Words that once felt like promises became vague. Actions that once felt caring became absent, or worse, misleading. Zarie realized too late that the person she trusted so completely had not been honest-not with her, not with himself, and certainly not with the moments they shared.

Seven months. That's how long she gave herself to believe, to hope, to try. Seven months that now felt like a fragile illusion, shattered into pieces she wasn't sure she could gather. People around her noticed the change: the quiet, the withdrawal, the way she sometimes stared into space as though she were somewhere else entirely.

She doesn't talk about what happened. Not to friends, not to family, not even to herself. Some nights, she relives the memories in fragments: a smile, a word, a silence that cut deeper than any confession could. But she keeps it locked away, like a room with a door she refuses to open.

Now, Zary moves through the world carrying that weight-subtle, unseen, yet ever-present. And as much as she tries to hide it, the past lingers, waiting for a moment when she might have to confront it.