We live in a society where a girl is often expected to accept whatever her family decides for her. If her parents say, “You must marry him,” she is supposed to agree no questions asked. One day, I asked my girlfriend, “What are the things you face being a girl in this society?” She took a deep breath and said something that really made me think. “I don’t feel free. I might look like an independent, working girl living in a city away from home but I’m not free. My father calls me every day and asks, ‘Have you left for the office?’ or ‘Are you at your room right now?’ For the world, I’m independent. But in reality, I still need permission for everything. My parents always ask, ‘Where are you?’ or ‘Why are you there?’ even though I’ve proved that I can manage my life on my own.” She continued, “My brother and I both live away from home, but my parents only question me not him. They don’t ask how I’m surviving here, whether I’m fine or not. They just...
There’s a kind of pain that doesn’t show in bruises or scars, it lives quietly inside you, where only your heart can feel it. It’s the pain of loving someone who’s slowly letting go while you’re still holding on, still hoping things will work, still believing that love is enough to fix everything. At first, you keep telling yourself that this is just a phase. You believe that if you stay kind, if you show patience, if you cry less and love more, maybe, just maybe, they’ll start to care again. But slowly, you realize that no matter how much love you pour in, the other person has stopped trying. They don’t want to talk. They don’t want to meet. They don’t want to save what’s breaking. And yet, when they see your tears, they say soft things like “Don’t cry, I’ll talk to you” little words that give you momentary hope. You believe again. You wait again. You hurt again. It’s a painful cycle that drains your soul a little more each time. ...