Alina's Despair
The days that followed Aariz's departure were an endless cycle of numbness and suffocating pain. Every morning, Alina would wake up to the cold, empty side of the bed where Aariz once lay. The bed seemed so much bigger now, a constant reminder of the absence she felt more with every passing hour. The routine she had once shared with Aariz was broken, leaving behind an eerie silence that echoed through their once lively home.
In an attempt to hold herself together, Alina buried herself in work, taking on extra projects, sitting through meetings that drained her, just to avoid the moments when she had to face her own brokenness. Her colleagues noticed the change in her—the way she was quieter, her smiles never reaching her eyes—but no one dared to ask. They knew her to be strong, and perhaps that's what made them hesitant to confront her vulnerability.
The nights, though, were her undoing. When darkness settled in, so did the weight of everything she had lost. Alina would sit by the window of their apartment, staring into the city's glittering skyline, wondering where Aariz was and why he had chosen to abandon her without a proper explanation. She longed to scream, to demand answers, but her pride kept her silent.
Her family had sensed something was wrong when she stopped calling regularly. They knew she needed space, but their concern grew with each unanswered message. Alina avoided them, unsure of how to even begin explaining the unraveling of her life. How could she tell them that Aariz—the man they had seen as her perfect match—had simply left?
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Zain Reappears
It was on a particularly dreary evening when Zain's voice came unexpectedly through her phone. Alina had been sitting in the dark, thinking of Aariz, when the call snapped her back to reality. Zain's warm, familiar voice brought a brief moment of comfort, pulling her away from her spiraling thoughts.
"Alina," he said, his tone soft but steady, "it's been ages. How are you holding up?"
Alina swallowed hard, her voice cracking as she replied, "I'm managing."
Zain, always perceptive, didn't press further but knew she was far from fine. "I'm coming over," he said decisively, leaving no room for objection. Before Alina could protest, the call ended.
It wasn't long before Zain was at her door, his presence as grounding as ever. Zain had been a constant in her life before Aariz had entered the picture, her closest friend and, unbeknownst to her, someone who had loved her deeply during their college years. Though Zain had stepped back when it became clear Alina's heart belonged to Aariz, his loyalty to her never wavered.
When he entered the apartment, the tension in Alina's body relaxed slightly. Zain's familiarity, his calm demeanor, felt like a balm to her frayed nerves. They sat in silence at first, until Zain spoke quietly, "I'm worried about you. What's going on?"
For a moment, Alina didn't know where to start. But in Zain's presence, she felt safe, and soon the floodgates opened. She told him everything—about Aariz's sudden coldness, the distance that had crept in, and ultimately, his decision to leave.
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The Unfolding Truth
"I don't understand it, Zain," Alina said, her voice filled with hurt and confusion. "We were happy. Or at least I thought we were. Then, out of nowhere, he wants space, and now he's gone."
Zain's expression darkened as he listened. "And you don't think this has anything to do with Layla?"
Alina hesitated. "He swears it doesn't. But I can't help but feel like something changed after she started working with him. He says he needs to figure things out, but what about me? What am I supposed to do while he 'figures things out?'"
Zain clenched his jaw, anger simmering just below the surface. "You deserve so much more than this, Alina. Aariz had no right to leave you like this, to throw away everything you two built together without even a real explanation."
Alina's eyes filled with tears as she shook her head. "I thought we were stronger than this. I thought our love was enough."
Zain reached for her hand, his touch gentle but firm. "Your love was enough, Alina. Don't doubt that. He's the one who's confused, not you."
---
A Growing Support
As days turned into weeks, Zain's role in Alina's life became more prominent. He was there whenever she needed him, offering a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, or simply someone to be with during her loneliest hours. Together, they revisited old memories, laughing at their college days and the carefree moments that seemed so distant now. But beneath the surface, there was an unspoken tension—Zain's long-buried feelings for Alina, and her heartache over Aariz.
Despite Zain's unwavering support, Alina struggled to move on. Her mind constantly wandered back to Aariz. She couldn't understand how someone who once claimed to love her so deeply could walk away so easily. It gnawed at her, the unanswered questions keeping her awake at night.
Though Zain never voiced his lingering affection, it was clear in the way he looked at her, in the way his hand would linger just a little longer when he touched her arm. But Alina wasn't ready to see it—her heart was still wrapped up in Aariz, no matter how much Zain tried to be her anchor.
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Aariz's Silent Struggle
What Alina didn't know was that Aariz was battling his own demons. Though he had left, his heart had never truly abandoned her. He thought about her constantly—the way she smiled, the warmth of her laugh, the life they had shared. But he had felt trapped by circumstances beyond his control.
The pressure from his family had been suffocating. Layla's presence had complicated things further, but it wasn't love that pulled him away from Alina—it was fear. Fear of failing her, of not being enough, of letting down his family, who had begun to push him toward Layla as the "better" choice. Aariz couldn't bring himself to explain all of this to Alina, and so he had left, hoping that space would somehow make things clearer. But as the days passed, the emptiness in his life without her grew unbearable.