CHAPTER 1 - THE INVISIBLE GIRL
Everyone called Zahra the Golden Child. The only daughter of the wealthiest couple in the world—Mr. and Mrs. Bashir—people imagined she had everything at her fingertips.
But everything was far from perfect. Zahra had fame, yes—but fame couldn't fill the silence echoing inside her. She craved love and attention, but all she got were parents who replaced affection with material things.
At school, things were no better. Zahra was in Grade 9, but she had never made a single friend. People tried to talk to her, but she didn't know how to let them in.
During classes, she was always zoning out, lost in thought. Her grades were terrible—she always placed last—but her parents didn't care. They just kept throwing money at her, as if it could fix everything.
Zahra was suffering in silence.
The pain and emptiness were eating her alive. She had no caring parents, no friends—no one she could lean on. She felt utterly alone.
Her parents only made things worse. Of course, it wasn't intentional—not entirely—but their actions only deepened the ache inside her.
One day, a conversation she overheard made everything worse.
She had been walking past their study when raised voices caught her attention. Curious—and slightly afraid—she paused to listen.
"Have you seen how poorly your daughter is performing?" Mr. Bashir snapped.
"I'm aware," Mrs. Bashir replied calmly. "We'll hire a private tutor. She'll be fine."
"I'm tired of wasting money on a child who doesn't want to improve!" he shouted. "If only you had given me a son, I wouldn't be throwing away money like this."
Zahra stood frozen. Those words cut deeper than anything before. A son. That's what he wanted—not her.
"Why would you say such a thing about our only child?" Mrs. Bashir asked, pain thick in her voice.
"Don't you know I'm telling the truth?" he replied coldly. "It doesn't matter. Once she's old enough, I'll marry her off and forget about her."
Mrs. Bashir stared at him, stunned—too shocked to speak.
Zahra had heard more than enough. Her heart shattered.
She turned and ran to her room, the tears already blurring her vision. She cried. Like never before. Anger. Frustration. Confusion. But mostly? Hurt.
That night, she cried herself to sleep. But the words wouldn't leave her. They echoed in her mind, sharp as knives.
"I'll marry her off and forget about her."
It felt like a stab to the heart.
The next morning, everything looked the same. But Zahra wasn't.
Zahra's silence grew deeper. Her eyes duller. She didn't know how to express what she was feeling... or who to express it to.