And all of a sudden, after what felt like an eternity of beautiful silence and nothingness, light began to return.

For a brief moment, she thought, Maybe this is heaven.

Everything was white—calm, peaceful, and still.

But as she slowly tried to open her eyes, she heard her mother's voice.

"Princess! My princess... Oh, how are you, my baby?"

The sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air, and only then did she realize she was in a hospital.

She had truly believed she had finally found a way to escape this world and all the hurt, darkness, and pain that came with it.

But I guess that's the irony of life.

After everything she had been through, just when she thought it was finally over, life wasn't going to let her go that easily.

So there she was, back in life's cruel game, with no choice but to play.

As she lay there, her mother sat beside her bed, making promises—promises that she would always be there for her, that she would never allow anyone to hurt her again.

She had heard promises before.

Right then and there, she made one of her own.

If she could never rely on anyone else to protect her, then she would protect herself.

She would bury the naive, emotional, and loving little girl she once was and become someone... or something... that no one could ever hurt again.

She would learn to see every wound before it was inflicted and hurt others before they ever had the chance to hurt her.

From that day on, life became a chessboard. ♟️

She would show no emotion.

She would sacrifice connection for control.

And she would see people as nothing more than pieces waiting to be played.