Silence still lingered like a ghost when Celina opened her eyes. Hot tears slid down her cheeks, but there were no more sobs—only the bitter taste of humiliation, pain, and injustice. Her body, crumpled on the floor, no longer felt like her own—as if she had stopped being a victim and had begun to become something new, something still being forged.

With a sudden motion, she pushed herself up. Her knees trembled, but she did not falter. She wiped her face with both hands, scrubbing the tears awa