Our candlelight

Our living room is empty and quiet, yet somehow it's filled with an incredible warmth. There's nothing here but a simple inflatable mattress on the floor where we sit close, laughing and playing—just a mother and her daughter with a story that words can hardly capture. The walls are bare, no pictures to hang on them, the cupboards are empty, and on the table, only a single candle flickers softly beside the remnants of a modest dinner. That little bit, that quiet and warmth, is everything we have right now.

For months, maybe years, I carried fear and uncertainty inside me. I left everything behind that once felt like home—my family, my friends, my job, the safety and comfort I once knew. I did it all for you, my little girl. For you, so you would never have to live in fear again, so you would feel safe. Every single day was a battle to survive, enduring endless harassment and the weight of bureaucracy that threatened to suffocate me. But I didn't give in. I refused to let darkness touch your life.

Now here we are, wrapped up in a blanket, watching a story together, and tears roll down my cheeks. But these tears aren't from fear or pain—they are tears of relief, long-awaited and deeply deserved. Every drop carries the weight of all those sleepless nights and struggles. These tears mark the quiet celebration of a fresh start, of safety, and of hope.

We don't need possessions or comforts because what we truly want is a simple, peaceful life. A life where laughter means more than any treasure, where the candle's glow wraps us in warmth, and where stories lull us into dreams of a better tomorrow.

Every sacrifice I made, every tear I shed, every exhausted moment—it all makes sense now. I did it. I fought for you, for us, and now we are here—we're alive, breathing, loving.

This is the moment when all the hardships of the past fade away, replaced by a new chapter filled with promise and peace. The certainty that we're not alone, that our love is strong enough to overcome any darkness.

This is our candlelight that will never go out.