Happiness can feel terrifying when you first catch a glimpse of it after what feels like a lifetime of suffering. You've forgotten what it's like to feel joy, to feel truly alive. So when something good finally arrives, it doesn't feel real. It feels fragile, like it could all crumble in an instant. You never thought this feeling was possible for someone like you. Someone who lost faith so many times, who nearly gave up, who watched their dreams shatter and their heart break into a million pieces. After dwelling in darkness for so long, even a little light can feel disorienting. People might tell you to stop overthinking, to stop being paranoid. But you can't help it. You've learnt to associate happiness with loss, and joy with an impending sense of doom. You feel like you don't deserve it. That good things never last. That they always get snatched away just when you begin to hold on. But this fear? It's valid. You're afraid because it matters to you. Because for the first time, you have something you want to protect. And how beautiful is that? To finally care. To want to cherish something, rather than sink into that familiar dark void.