Shattered echoes

he other side. Lily got into her car and took a deep breath, she really didn't want to go back to her home, but she didn't have a friend to stay at their place so she didn't have a c

tuary, but also her prison, a place where walls closed in, echoing her loneliness. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, the darkness of night settling in around her. She had to move, to escape the clutches of her thoughts that threatened to drown her, But how...she didn't know. With trembling hands, she turned off the engine and stepped out of the car, the cool night air hitting her like a wave. The gravel crunched beneath her feet as she made her way up the path, each step a reminder of the battles she had fought and the ones still lingering in the shadows. Inside, the mansion was eerily quiet, the silence wrapping around her like a shroud. She flicked on the light, illuminating the grand foyer where dust danced in the air, swirling like the remnants of a long-lost dream. The photographs on the walls looked down at her, frozen moments of a life that felt more like a distant memory than her reality. She paused in front of one, a snapshot of her family at the beach, their faces radiant with joy, carefree and untouched by the darkness that would soon invade their lives. Lily turned away, unable to bear the weight of their smiles, the haunting reminder of what she had lost. She made her way through the house, each room a ghost of happiness, a testament to the life she once knew. The living room, with its plush couches and the fireplace that had once crackled with warmth, felt foreign to her now. She could almost hear her mother's voice, soft and soothing, telling her that everything would be alright. But that voice had long since faded, leaving only echoes of hope that felt like cruel taunts. In the kitchen, she poured herself a