For the Ones Who Never Asked to Be Here
PART III How healing begins where fear once lived. Healing rarely announces itself with trumpets. Sometimes, it begins with a whisper... a moment of peace where panic used to live. Amara wasn't looking for love when she met Joel. In fact, she was avoiding it—keeping her heart in a box she'd labeled, "Too complicated. Too broken. Not now." They met at a community legal awareness event in Jinja. Joel wasn't a lawyer. He was a teacher—humble, observant, and quiet in a way that felt calming. Not pushy. Not polished. Just present. He didn't chase her. He walked beside her. When they exchanged contacts, it wasn't fireworks. It was... light. Gentle. Safe. And for weeks, that's all it was. Light. He texted her , "I hope today was kind to you." She'd reply, "I survived it." And he'd say, "Survival counts. But I'm praying for peace next." Joel didn't ask for her secrets. He didn't try to "fix" her. He...