In the quiet of my new home, I often found myself by the window, watching the world go by. The city’s pulse was a constant reminder of the life I was carving out, decision by decision, moment by moment. I had finally stepped out of the shadows and into the light of my own making, and it was invigorating.

I was no longer an invisible sister or a pawn in someone else’s game. I was Bella—seen, heard, and free.