Silence was her safe haven, a place where Freen could retreat, shielded from the chaotic world around her. The walls she had built were impenetrable, known only to herself and the comforting hum of her books. To outsiders, she was a puzzle—a reserved, fiercely intelligent girl who spoke in clipped sentences and kept her emotions locked away. But Freen didn’t care what they thought. They could puzzle over her guarded demeanor all they wanted, as long as they stayed on the other side of those walls.
Her mother remembered a different Freen—an adventurous, spirited child who used to chase butterflies in the garden and laugh so hard her cheeks hurt. There had been a time when Freen loved to dance in the rain and dream about magical worlds where anything was possible. Her mother clung to those memories, desperately trying to revive the spark that had dimmed. Late-night heart-to-hearts, surprise outings, and attempts to bond over baking—every effort fizzled like rain on parched soil. Freen remained distant, her face a mask that gave away nothing, a fortress fortified with stone-like resolve.
What no one could see were the battles raging inside her. Anger would flare like an uncontrollable fire, igniting sharp words and slamming doors, only to extinguish into the cold grip of anxiety. Freen’s panic attacks were her tightly kept secret, episodes she faced alone in a world of silent suffering. She knew better than to let anyone in—not her classmates, not even her family. To them, Freen was the girl who buried herself in textbooks, the one whose brilliance earned top marks but came with an invisible wall no one could cross.
Her family’s constant relocation didn’t help matters. Her father’s job uprooted them year after year, yanking Freen out of friendships just as she began to feel comfortable. She had stopped trying to hold on, learning instead to channel all her energy into one unwavering goal: escape. If she could earn a scholarship for medicine, she could break free from her family’s shadow and carve a life of her own. Bangkok, her current home, was supposed to be another temporary stop, another school where she would keep her head down and push toward her dream.
But Bangkok was different. Freen could feel it in the air—the bustling streets, the vibrant colors, the energy that pulsed through the city. She didn’t like it, of course; it was too loud, too chaotic, too much. Yet she knew deep down that something about this place would be unforgettable. And she was right.
She didn’t know it yet, but this city would deliver someone who could break through her walls. Someone who could coax laughter from her lips and spark warmth in her guarded heart. Someone who would rewrite her story in ways she couldn’t yet imagine.
The first chapter of Freen’s life in Bangkok was about to begin—and nothing would ever be the same.