The Question You Asked

You asked me who I would be if nobody was watching. The terrifying truth is, I do not know. I have spent my whole life performing for an audience, sculpting my personality to match what they desire. If the world closed its eyes, I would be a blank canvas. I am a collection of mirrors reflecting what people want to see. Without their expectations, I am just an echo in an empty room, standing in the dark, entirely unfamiliar to myself. I have worn the mask so long it has become my skin. Now the stage is empty, and I am lost in the quiet. I grieve for the person I never got the chance to meet, buried alive beneath decades of trying to be perfect.