The Enemy Within

Aliya grew up in a house that was neither grand nor loving where silence weighed heavier than words. She believed her aunt was her mother never questioning the coldness hidden in small gestures—the absent gaze the missing kiss the quiet neglect. At school she pretended to understand the warmth of a mother’s hug while secretly aching for answers about her father. With only her best friend Mehak as her light Aliya’s life held secrets waiting to shatter her world.