Prologue: The Girl Who Believed

It all started when I was fourteen—and hopelessly gullible. I believed the world was as kind as I was. I trusted easily. I loved openly. And for that, I was discarded and betrayed like I meant nothing. Tossed aside like a ragged doll.

That day in class, I saw my crush glancing at me with a kind of focus that made my heart stutter. When he passed me a folded note asking me to meet him after school, I smiled so wide I thought my cheeks would split. I was elated—convinced that my time had come.

As soon as the final bell rang, I dashed home, completed my chores in record time, and took a long bath, scrubbing and smoothing myself until I felt beautiful and smelled like vanilla soap and coconut oil. I was light on my feet, giddy with excitement, practically floating to our meeting place.

He was already there when I arrived—cool, confident, and radiant in the golden hour sun. One of the most sought-after boys in school had noticed me, and I was basking in his attention like it was sunlight.

He bought us drinks and snacks, and I devoured them with the joy of someone who believed she was living a dream. With every bite, every glance, I thought: This is it. This is what they talk about in books and movies. This is what I’ve been waiting for.

But I didn’t know yet—that dreams, when trusted too quickly, can become nightmares.

Halfway through the snacks and drink, something shifted. A strange heaviness settled in my stomach, and my head began to spin. I felt queasy, uneasy—like the room was tilting on its side. My vision blurred. My body no longer felt like mine.

And then—nothing.

When I opened my eyes, everything was a haze. My head throbbed like a drumbeat, disoriented and sharp. Confusion filled every part of me as I tried to sit up. Where am I? What’s happening? Why is my dress torn? My mind spun with questions I couldn’t answer.

Then I heard laughter—mocking, cruel.

“The princess is finally awake,” one of them sneered. “So glad you could be joining us today.”

And there he was—my crush—and his friends. Their eyes held no shame, only amusement. The horror of what had happened crashed into me like a tidal wave. I had been raped. My body violated. My trust shattered.

He leaned in and whispered, “You can go, as long as you promise to be a good girl. Don’t tell your parents. No one will believe you anyway. You act like a saint, but we all know what you really are.”

I was frozen. Silent. Terrified. My voice lodged deep inside my throat. I was too ashamed to scream, too broken to cry. The threats etched themselves into my skin like scars: No one will want you. You’re damaged. You’re soiled.

In that moment, something inside me died.

My virtue—gone. My self-respect—crushed. My esteem—torn beyond recognition. I wished for death, pleaded silently for it, but it didn’t come. Instead, I had to gather what little dignity I had left and walk away from that room, carrying a weight no child should ever bear.

I don’t remember the walk home.

My feet moved, but everything else was numb—my heart, my skin, my soul. I could still feel them on me, their laughter echoing in my head like a sick chorus. Every step felt like I was dragging the broken pieces of a girl who no longer existed.

When I reached the front door, I stood outside for a long time, staring at it, unsure how to go in and pretend everything was normal. My body trembled as I adjusted my torn dress, trying to smooth out the wrinkles like it could hide what had been done. My hands still smelled faintly of the drink he gave me. I scrubbed them on my skirt, as if I could rub away the shame.

Inside, the house was quiet. My parents weren’t home yet. Relief and fear flooded me at once.

I ran to the bathroom, locked the door, and turned on the shower. The water was scorching, but I didn’t care. I scrubbed my skin until it was red and raw, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t wash them off me. I couldn't wash me off me—the girl who trusted too easily, smiled too brightly.

I stared at my reflection afterward. My eyes looked hollow. My lips were trembling, but no sound came out. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t. I couldn’t.

I had already been silenced.