UNTOLD

                         ~emotions which remained unsaid

As a girl born into a middle-class Indian household, with dreams bigger than the sky and a heart full of hope, I learned to normalize pain... to tolerate insults, even from those I love the most — my own family. Once, I was lively. Funny. Charming. Now, I’m quiet. Numb. Unseen.

I'm Riya Sharma — a final-year student in Artificial Intelligence. Ironically, I’m learning how to build intelligent systems while losing the pieces of myself.

Since childhood, all I ever wanted was to work hard, achieve my dreams, and make my parents proud. But as I grew older, I realized something heart-breaking — my dreams don’t make them proud. So, I buried them. And chose the path they wanted me to walk.

Only to realize… I was still never enough.

No matter how much I gave, how hard I tried — I was always blamed. If I didn’t do something, I was scolded. If I did something, I was still scolded. Either way, I was wrong. Always.

From the moment I opened my eyes in the morning to the moment I closed them at night — blame followed me like a shadow.

Eventually, I lost myself trying to become the “perfect daughter” — a role I now know was never mine to play, because perfection in their eyes was never truly about me.

I stayed silent. Even when I wasn’t wrong. But the day I finally gathered the courage to speak up, suddenly — I became arrogant. Disrespectful.

How? When did standing up for myself become rebellion?

I thought I was loved. But then I realized — I wasn’t loved. I was raised.

Raised to never speak up for myself. To never question — even when I knew I wasn’t wrong. To always understand others… While silently begging to be understood. To love everyone — But never be loved back.

And now, after years of enduring the pain of being unloved, misunderstood, unheard… A question rises:

Just because my parents provide me with a place to live, food to eat, and education to survive — does that give them the right to hurt me with words so cruel that I no longer want to live in the future they're building for me?

That question started a war. Between my heart and my brain — One filled with emotions. The other ruled by logic.

They never knew their words were killing me from the inside. They stabbed my heart with their words and called it care and guidance for the future. They took away my freedom and wrapped it in the name of protection. They made all the choices — and then asked me to choose from things I never wanted. They made everything look perfect from the outside, While inside, it killed my inner child… And burned my dreams alive.

I never realized that in the process of being “the best daughter,” I had already lost the girl I was meant to be.

As a girl who was brought up in a household that made me fear loud sounds, arguments, and the absence of love, I began seeking love in every place and every person I could find.

And that... That led to nothing but brokenness.

How foolish of me to think that love could be found in empty hands just because mine were always reaching.

Even now, when someone asks me, “What do you want to be?” I pause.

Should I say a fashion designer? A writer? A dancer?

Or should I just tell the truth? That I was born to be real… But ended up becoming just another intelligent system?

I was not lucky in anything — not in family, in friendships, nowhere. But after years, today I realized someone actually deserves all of myself... And it's me. No one else.

I almost gave up. I almost died in the process of making people understand me. I was buried alive while I was dreaming that someone would love me right.

Right now, I am totally done with everything and everyone. I can’t tolerate this anymore.

I know every story has an end — mine too. But like every story, I can’t let death be the hero saving me. I want life to win this one.

So I choose to live. Live like I never experienced any of this. Live like I am the happiest person in this world. Let people doubt, judge, do whatever they want — now I DON’T CARE!!!

I am not born to impress everyone. I am born to live, not just survive.

And I will definitely show what it truly means to live, To be loved, And let people burn in their nazar.

I know it will be hard. I know I will want to give up and make death the hero. But I won’t give up.

I can, and I will do it. Not just for me — For others who couldn’t do it. For everyone. And for no one to ever become like this.

After all this, today I slowly started to become someone whom I can call me.

This is not “The End” — this is where her story begins.

Sometimes I wish that Riya is just a fictional character, But my heart knows she is never fiction — She’s a part of not only me, But of every girl around me, Or in any part of this world.

This story is dedicated to all of you.

Remember — you are strong. You deserve to be loved. You can do anything.

Lots of love and virtual hugs…!! – Pranu 💌