They were told they could be anything. That the world was theirs if they worked hard enough, stayed in school, smiled during interviews, and never stopped improving themselves. They were told they were the future. And yet now, these same young people lie awake at three in the morning, scrolling endlessly on phones they can’t… Continue reading
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Chapter 3: The Unwanted Child
She was fifteen when she found out she was pregnant. The father was a boy from her school, a boy who vanished as soon as the rumors started. She carried the secret in her belly for months, tying her school uniform tighter, swallowing her fear every time her mother looked at her. At night she… Continue reading
Chapter 2: When Love is a Transaction
In many cultures, the idea of marriage is not a question—it is a destiny. In Vietnam, parents measure a daughter’s worth by how quickly she can secure a husband with a steady job and a house to his name. From the moment a girl hits puberty, the reminders start like a soft drumbeat: “When will… Continue reading
Chapter 1: The Silence Within Walls
In every corner of the world, the walls of a family home are more than just bricks and plaster. They are witnesses to a kind of violence that leaves no visible scars: the violence of silence. In the dim kitchen of a Vietnamese household, the mother stirs a pot of soup without speaking. The clinking… Continue reading