Zayan started going home late at night. His clothes were always soaked in the smell of smoke, and alcohol burned his throat every time he drank. He went to bars again and again, lighting cigarette after cigarette, hoping that maybe one day these things would finally give him peace. He believed that if he numbed himself enough, the pain would stop hurting.
But it never did.
Smoking and drinking didn't heal him — they slowly destroyed him. Instead of making things better, they made him feel even more empty. The more he tried to escape his thoughts, the more lonely he became. Silence followed him everywhere, even in crowded places. Even when people surrounded him, he felt completely alone.
Slowly, everyone around Zayan began to disappear. One by one, the people who once stood near him faded out of his life. Even the rented room he lived in was taken away from him. The owner didn't want to give shelter to a boy who smoked and drank, so without a second thought, he forced Zayan to leave. Just like that, Zayan lost the only place he could call home.
With nowhere else to go, Zayan slept on the streets. Some nights he lay outside shops, using cardboard as his bed. Some nights he slept near bars, surrounded by noise that never truly reached him. And some nights, he didn't sleep at all. He walked endlessly, his feet aching, his mind numb, until one night he stopped and wondered how long this life was going to last.
He looked up at the sky.
The stars stared back at him — distant and cold. As he stood there, memories rushed into his mind. He remembered what his grandmother used to tell him, her voice gentle but strong. He remembered the warmth he once felt, the safety he once had. He remembered that he was never meant to live like this.
He was never supposed to become this person.
He had never imagined himself like this — broken, lost, and wandering through the night with nothing to hold on to. This wasn't what he wanted. This was never the life he dreamed of.
All he ever wanted was a simple, happy family and a good future. A life where he could feel loved and safe. But no matter how hard he tried, every night the past returned. His memories chased him through the darkness, reminding him of everything he had lost and everything he had failed to protect.
And no matter how far he walked, no matter where he went, he couldn't escape them.
The past always found him.
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