WISHES

The first thing Mia noticed when she woke up was the silence.

Not peaceful silence.

The kind that made a house feel empty, even when it was filled with people.

She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom, surrounded by everything money could buy. Crystal chandeliers hung above her, designer bags lined the shelves, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the enormous gardens outside.

It was beautiful.

Perfect, even.

So why did she feel like she couldn't breathe?

“Mia!” her mother called from downstairs. “We're leaving in twenty minutes!”

Mia sighed and slowly sat up.

Another dinner.

Another room full of people pretending to care.

Another night of smiling for photographs beside a husband she barely recognized anymore.

She walked toward her mirror and stared at her reflection.

Everyone thought she was lucky.

Everyone thought she had the perfect life.

Maybe that was the problem.

Mia had spent years pretending to be happy because admitting she wasn't would ruin everything her family had worked so hard to build.

She picked up her phone and looked at the time.

8:41 PM.

Her eyes drifted toward the window.

For a moment, she wondered what it would feel like to disappear.

Not forever.

Just long enough to become someone nobody knew.

Someone without a family name.

Someone without expectations.

Someone who could finally choose what she wanted.

Mia closed her eyes.

And without thinking, she whispered the words she had been too afraid to say out loud.

“I wish…”

She stopped.

Her heart suddenly began to race.

Maybe some wishes were better left unfinished.

But somewhere in the darkness outside her window, something moved.