Meanwhile, back in the restroom, panic surged through Anna when the door refused to open.
Her eyes widened, lashes fluttering before her fist slammed frantically against the door.
"HELP… CAN SOMEBODY HEAR ME? HELP!!" she shouted, but her pleas were swallowed by silence.
No one knew Anna carried the invisible weight of an anxiety disorder—a secret she had kept for years. Not her parents, not even her husband back then. The battle had begun in middle school, and it never truly ended.
"PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP ME!" Her fists hammered harder, each slam echoing her desperation. Her breathing grew erratic, chest heaving in short, sharp gasps until dizziness clouded her head and her vision blurred. Still, she didn't stop.
She couldn't stop.Not only because she feared the four walls closing in, but because she had a mock test waiting for her. A chance she couldn't afford to miss. Yet now, another fear crept in—what if she wasn't ready for it at all?
