Everyone sees her as okay now.
But she's quietly fading.
She smiles on cue..
Laughs when expected.
Says "I'm fine" like it's her name now.
No one looks close enough to notice—
her eyes don't shine anymore.
her hugs feel empty.
her voice has lost its color.
her presence feels like a shadow of the girl she used to be.
Time moved on.
People moved on.
And so they assumed… she did too.
She sits in the group. Nods. Responds.
But her mind isn't here—
it's still stuck in that one night no one mentions anymore.
Still haunted by a goodbye that never came.
Still waiting on a message she knows will never arrive.
She hears his name in songs.
Sees him in strangers.
Talks to him in her head…
because that's the only place he still exists now.
And when she gets home,
she drops the mask.
She sits in the silence.
She forgets how to breathe.
No one checks in anymore.
They think she's healed.
They think she's strong.
They think she made it.
But she's not even here.
She shows up, but never really arrives.
She laughs, but never really feels.
She's fading… and nobody sees it.
Because somewhere between the smiles and the silence…
People forgot she was still missing.