Have you eaten yet? Have you slept yet? Are you okay? Do you need a hug? These questions echo in my mind as I sit on the balcony, watching the sunrise over the unfamiliar city. Three months ago, I wasn't sure I'd see another dawn, let alone be sitting in a foreign country surrounded by new possibilities. The warm breeze carries the scent of blooming flowers from the garden below, a stark contrast to the cold emptiness I felt for so long.

The notepad in my lap has become my confidant - pages filled with half-formed thoughts and resolutions. "Become better," I wrote yesterday. Simple words, but the weight of their meaning presses against my chest like a physical force. My phone buzzes with a message from her, the one who sees me beyond the scars and the silence.

"Morning, champion," it reads. The nickname makes me smile despite myself. In the mirror across the room, I see someone I barely recognize - older, yes, but there's a light in my eyes that wasn't there before. The sound of my friends laughing in the next room reminds me I'm not alone in this anymore. Today marks the first day of the rest of my life, and for the first time in a long time, that thought doesn't terrify me.