Silent Battles - Chapter 1 - The Weight of Empathy

"Everything would change soon," Liv told herself.

She had started working in a new position despite her fear of change. She fought, tried to help everyone, but couldn’t thank everyone. The pressure of constantly meeting expectations weighed on her, but she didn’t want to disappoint anyone. Liv was always the one to lend a helping hand, even when she was struggling herself.

After a while, she began to feel strange, especially around others. Liv had a gift for helping, but it came with a burden. She could feel other people’s pain as if it were her own, a deep empathy that left her exhausted. Every problem directed at her hit with an intensity that left her breathless. It wasn’t just understanding; it was absorbing.

Liv wanted change—she fought for it—but the pain wouldn’t let her move forward. The weight of feeling everything, every hurt, and every disappointment kept her rooted in place, unable to break free. She didn’t know what to do and felt an overwhelming urge to escape.

One day, she couldn’t bear it anymore. Liv shut herself off, stopped talking to everyone, and sat in the corner of her room, crying. The tears weren’t just for herself but for the collective sorrow of all those she had tried to help. In that corner, Liv wondered where the girl full of ambition had gone, replaced by someone who could barely function.

She started going to work out of necessity—just so people wouldn’t talk. Money was needed, after all. But even that became too much. Her mental state forced her to stay home, and eventually, she quit. Liv couldn’t handle it anymore. Her condition stirred up something that everyone had been trying to ignore—the onset of panic.

Liv became terrified of many things—closed doors, dark rooms, or darkness. But nothing frightened her more than people yelling at her. Even a raised voice made her tremble, struggle to breathe, cry, and feel on the verge of collapse. Panic gripped her tightly, and she had no idea how to fight it.

However, her friends never gave up. They tried to bring her back to herself, offering comfort, reminding her that she wasn’t alone. Even though Liv didn’t know where life would take her, she wasn’t entirely lost, thanks to them.

One day, the doorbell rang. Liv hesitated. “Who’s there?” she asked in a nervous, shaky voice. There was no answer. The doorbell rang again. Her heart pounded as she opened the door. Standing there was her most loyal friend, holding a small gift bag and smiling softly. He had planned a surprise for her birthday, wanting to take her to a place where her closest friends and family were waiting. But Liv couldn’t move—frozen in shock and fear. Her friend, noticing her condition, decided to take her to the vet, where she often felt more at ease around the animals.

Liv is still receiving treatment, trying to understand what’s happening within her. She has stopped eating and barely communicates. If someone approaches, she gently touches their hand, offers a faint smile, and looks as if to say thank you before staring off again, lost in her thoughts.