SADE

I woke up the next day and decided I would remember my mom by making a scent for her, not because anyone told me to do it or because it felt brave, but because the silence inside me had grown too loud and I needed somewhere to put the pain before it swallowed me whole.

I didn’t eat breakfast that morning, and I didn’t check my phone. I didn’t even open the curtains fully. I just moved through the morning like someone underwater, my chest aching with every breath like my body already knew what my mind was about to put it through.

When I got to my workspace,...