Chapter 1: Life Inside the Cage
BELLA POV
Life isn't fair. I've known that for as long as I can remember.
My name is Anabella Jane Goodchild. People call me Bella. I'm 5'6", chubby, and… well, let's just say I'm not the type of girl anyone notices. Maybe that's why I've learned to stay quiet. Invisible.
Twelve years ago, I lost my parents in a car accident. One day they were here, the next… gone. After that, I was sent to live with my uncle. And let me tell you "home" has never felt like home.
My uncle and his family… they think I'm a burden. A fat, useless girl who takes up too much space. I've learned to disappear. To smile when I'm hurt. To swallow every insult like it's medicine I never asked for.
"You eat too much."
"You'll never get a boyfriend."
"Look at you… no man would want you."
Every word is a knife. But I've stopped flinching.
I'm a medicine and surgery student, in my final year. A future doctor, they say. But my life doesn't feel like that. Between college, shifts at the bar, and surviving in a house that hates me, I barely have time to breathe.
And yet… I keep going.
Because dreams don't pay the bills. Dreams don't protect you from bullies in your own home. Dreams don't stop the nightmares at night.
Right now, I'm standing in front of the mirror, pulling on my old blue jeans and a loose shirt. My cap hides my face a little, like a shield. White sneakers, messy hair, tired eyes. This is me the girl everyone overlooks. The girl who survives because she has no choice.
The bar tonight will be busy. I know it. Classes take my mornings, work takes my nights, and somewhere in between, I try not to break.
I sigh. Life outside might be a soup, and people call me the fork. But my life inside… it's a prison I can't escape.
And yet… even in the darkness, I can't stop dreaming. Maybe someday, someone will see me. Not just the fat girl everyone ignores. But me.
Someone who deserves more than survival. Someone who deserves a life of her own.
But for now… I put on my mask, grab my bag, and step out into the night.
Because even when life feels impossible, I've learned one thing: a girl like me doesn't quit. She survives.