Life won't always be fair to you neither the people closest to you. Even if you weren't yourself for years, no one would ask if you were okay, even when they noticed something was wrong. And you don't hold it against them. Perhaps they thought your truth would be too heavy to bear, or that it would stir up their own discomfort. They couldn't be there for you-because they didn't even know how to be there for themselves. You tried to open up about your feelings, truly. But each attempt only led to them feeling attacked or slipping into the role of the victim. The guilt-tripping that followed made you retreat further. So you taught yourself to smile through it all, to show up as the happiest person anyone could meet, hiding the hollow ache beneath. Hiding the fact that your anxiety kept you teetering on the edge, that you lived in a world where dread lingered in every moment. You are not okay. Some days, you want to disappear. Other days, you just want to run. And you wonder if anyone truly noticed or if they even wanted to.