Title: The Weight of the Stone For as long as she could remember, Amina carried a stone in her backpack. Not a literal stone—but something far heavier. Guilt. Regret. Shame. All tightly packed and worn close, hidden behind smiles and nods. Ever since the accident that took her brother's life five years ago, she blamed herself. She was driving. The rain was heavy. The argument had distracted her. And then, silence. Everyone told her it wasn’t her fault. But their words couldn’t match the voice in her head that screamed otherwise. She carried that voice everywhere—into work, into friendships, into the dead silence of sleepless nights. Amina stopped living and started performing. She excelled at her job, always helped others, but avoided any real connection. The stone was too big, and no one would understand. One Saturday, she found herself at a grief support group. She didn’t plan to speak. Just sit. Observe. Maybe learn how others dealt with their own stones. Then, a woman across th...
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