Mira's days became darker after that. The weight she carried became unbearable. She attended classes mechanically, her mind a fog of self-loathing and despair.

Nights were the worst. She would lie awake in bed, her thoughts spiraling into a deep abyss.

Her parents, sensing something was wrong, urged her to focus harder on her studies. "You can't afford distractions now," her mother said, misinterpreting her silence for laziness.

Mira wanted to scream, to tell them she couldn't breathe under the pressure they placed on her. But she remained silent. They wouldn't understand.

She stopped eating regularly, her once-bright eyes now sunken and tired. Her grades slipped slightly, which only invited more criticism.

"What's wrong with you?" her father asked one evening. The words echoed in her head for hours.

One night, Mira opened her laptop and began writing a letter. It wasn't addressed to anyone specific, but it was filled with all the things she could never say aloud.

She wrote about her feelings of inadequacy, her loneliness, and the betrayal that had broken her spirit.

She wrote about her exhaustion, the crushing realization that she had been fighting for a life that didn't feel worth living.

The letter ended with a simple sentence:

"I just want to rest."

***

The song played in the background:

DARKSIDE - ALAN WALKER

We're not in love
We share no stories
Just something in your eyes
Don't be afraid
The shadows know me
Let's leave the world behind

Take me through the night
Fall into the dark side
We don't need the light
We'll live on the dark side
I see it, let's feel it
While we're still young and fearless
Let go of the light
Fall into the dark side

Fall into the dark side
Give into the dark side
Let go of the light
Fall into the dark side

Beneath the sky
As black as diamonds
We're running out of time

Don't wait for truth
To come and blind us
Let's just believe their lies

Believe it, I see it
I know that you can feel it
No secrets worth keeping
So fool me like I'm dreaming

Take me through the night
Fall into the dark side
We don't need the light
We'll live on the dark side
I see it, let's feel it
While we're still young and fearless
Let go of the light
Fall into the dark side

Fall into the dark side
Give into the dark side
Let go of the light
Fall into the dark side

Take me through the night
Fall into the dark side
We don't need the light
We'll live on the dark side
I see it, let's feel it
While we're still young and fearless
Let go of the light
Fall into the dark side