There are people who don't belong at home.
And others who don't belong at work.
But some of us... belong nowhere.
We carry our office badge like a bruise and our house keys like a weight.

This book was born in those silent in-betweens—the office washroom stall you hide in during lunch, the quiet bedroom you return to with dread, the car rides that feel like freedom only because nobody is talking.

I wrote these stories for the ones who are high-functioning but hollow.
For those who cry without tears.
For those who smile out of habit but feel like a ghost in their own life.

These pages are stitched with both fiction and truth. With characters that feel too real because they carry wounds that we've all hidden. Each chapter is a whisper that says: You're not the only one floating. You're not the only one exhausted. You're not the only one trying to come home—to yourself.

This book won't fix everything.
But maybe it will make you feel seen.

And sometimes, that's the beginning.

— Fazal Abubakkar Esaf