The night was heavy with the weight of unspoken words. The kind that lingered in the silence, wrapping themselves around your chest and making it hard to breathe. I stood by the window of my room, staring out into the dark expanse, watching the shadows play across the lawn. The lights from the street outside flickered, casting long, eerie streaks of pale light on the floor. But no amount of light could chase away the darkness that had settled over me.

The scholarship, my father, the future I ...