Winter had settled deep over the small town, muffling every sound with a thick layer of snow. Fifteen-year-old Elena trudged home from school, her footsteps echoing in the quiet streets as the pale, fading light cast long shadows across the icy sidewalks. The air was sharp and cold, but it didn’t bother her—she was used to feeling numb. She walked slowly, knowing exactly what waited behind the door of their cramped apartment: the stale stench of beer, her father’s biting words, and the suffocating emptiness that hung in every corner.

But tonight, something felt different, a heaviness pressing on her chest, stirring a quiet defiance she hadn't felt in years.