It was an ordinary evening. Aria had gone to sell flowers with her mother, just like they always did on weekends. The streets were cold and empty, and the winter wind made her cheeks red.
When they returned, the building looked different. Police cars were parked outside. Neighbors whispered in small groups. Aria ran upstairs, her mother holding her hand tightly.
Then she saw them.
White sheets covering two bodies on the hallway floor. One of them… was Siya.
Aria froze. Her stomach felt like it was turning inside out. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
Her mother held her tightly, tears streaming down her face.
Siya’s father had been drunk. He had… killed her mother. And Siya… Aria could not believe it.
Her little best friend, gone.
For the first time, Aria understood real fear, real grief. Her heart felt broken, and nothing could fix it.
That night, she cried herself to sleep, holding her pillow, thinking of Siya.
“I am sorry,” she whispered. “I should have been there…”
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