She cradled her heart, the bruises still tender, as she stepped out of the wreckage of what once was. The echoes of his voice whispered lies she'd believed for far too long – that she wasn't enough, that she was the problem. But the truth was written in the scars she wore on her heart.

As she sifted through the ashes, she found fragments of herself he'd tried to bury – the spark that danced in her eyes, the laugh that filled rooms, the heartbeat that pulsed with love. With every piece, she began to rebuild, piecing together a new self.

The weight of what she'd endured lingered, but she let the pain become her fuel. She remembered the love she'd poured into him, the family they'd built, and the cost she'd paid. And in that reckoning, she found a fierce resolve. It was time to heal, to love herself vicariously, and to move forward unapologetic, untamed, and utterly hers.

This piece is apart of the 2026 International Women's Day Exhibition 'Her Voice: Stories of Strength & Identity'.