By Gowher Bhat

In the soft morning light of Larnoo, a small village near Kokernag, Hina Khan believed life was exactly as she had planned it.

The architect's home rang with her son's laughter, her sketchbooks filled with clean lines and balance. At work, her designs earned praise. Her husband spoke proudly of her strength.

In those days, she felt steady, certain, surrounded by the small, familiar joys that make a life feel complete.

Then, one rain-soaked morning, a phone call changed everything.

Her younger brother had died in a road accident near Anantnag. The sky that day, she says,“looked tired, like it already knew.”

Grief came in waves she didn't know how to swim through.

For weeks she stayed composed for her parents, family, and everyone who looked to her for strength. Then, when the condolences stopped and the house turned still, she began to break from within.

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