Like an onion, we grow layers and build a façade that we want the world to see. But is the façade genuine or just a construct to meet societal expectations? This story peels back the layers to expose what’s behind the façade. Carla shares her story using traditional narrative and integrated poetry. The manuscript takes readers by the hand and guides them along the path she has walked from childhood up until the present day. The early years set the foundations on which the façade was built. As the years passed, the façade grew larger and stronger, fueled by an inner subconscious war. Carla’s story rounds a corner, revealing a different world. A world that included a PhD, marriage, and children.  But not all is as it would seem. Behind the façade, the inner war continued, and the foundations were shaken by the black dog. Following a family holiday, the story takes a turn. Carla realises that the hyper-masculine façade she portrayed was not genuine. Carla is a woman. As the story unfolds, readers get an insight into Carla’s journey of discovery and subsequent transition to the woman she is today.