"The weight of his sins had finally crushed him."
The world had lost its color. The air felt heavier, suffocating him with memories he couldn't erase. His hands trembled—whether from exhaustion, guilt, or the storm raging inside him, he didn't know. The city moved around him, people passing by like shadows, unaware of the man who had shattered into a thousand invisible pieces.
He sat on the edge of the worn-out bench, staring at nothing, feeling everything. His chest ached—not in a way that could be healed, but in a way that reminded him that some wounds never truly fade. He had lost himself somewhere along the way, in the lies, in the choices, in the silence. And now, there was nothing left.
"Lost?"
The voice came from beside him. Steady. Knowing. Unafraid.
He didn't respond.
"You look like a man who has nothing left to lose," the stranger said, leaning back, watching him carefully.
A bitter laugh escaped him, hollow and empty. "Because I don't."
The stranger didn't flinch. Didn't offer meaningless words. Just sat there, like an anchor in a storm. And maybe—just maybe—this was the first time in forever that someone saw through the wreckage.
•Ghosts Of Past
The cold night air wrapped around them as Haider and Abrish stood in the dimly lit alley, their breaths visible in the freezing air. The city hummed in the background, oblivious to the storm brewing between them.
The silence stretched, thick with unspoken words. The weight of the past, the secrets buried for years, all clawed their way back to the surface.
"You knew, didn't you?" Abrish's voice was quiet but sharp, cutting through the night like a blade.
Haider met her gaze, his jaw tightening. "Knew what?"
She took a shaky breath. "That your father... that he destroyed mine."
There it was. The truth that had been lurking in the shadows, waiting to consume them both.
•Three Years Ago
The university corridors echoed with laughter and hurried footsteps. It was a world of youthful dreams, of possibilities—until it wasn't.
Zayan had never believed in destiny. But if it existed, it was cruel.
He had found himself drawn to Abrish like a moth to a flame. Their friendship had been unexpected, effortless even. She was light where he was darkness. She was warmth where he was cold.
But then came the secret. The one that shattered everything.
A diary.
A single book that changed everything.
Zayan had never meant to betray her. He had never meant for the truth to come out this way. But when the choice came—his father's legacy or her trust—he had chosen wrong.
And he had paid the price.
Abrish had looked at him that night with a kind of heartbreak that couldn't be undone. "You were the only person I trusted, Zayan. And you destroyed that."
She had walked away. And Zayan had let her.
•Present Day – The Hunt for Truth
Haider exhaled, his breath fogging in the cold air. "I didn't know the whole truth back then, Abrish. I only found out later."
She scoffed. "And yet, you still kept quiet."
The bitterness in her voice stung, but he couldn't deny it.
Before he could respond, a sharp noise cut through the night—a metal shutter slamming shut in the distance.
Abrish tensed. "We're being watched."
Haider's eyes flickered to the shadows. The mystery they had been chasing was no longer just about the past. It was unfolding in the present. And someone didn't want them uncovering the truth.
The game wasn't over.
It was just beginning.
•The Night He Lost Himself
The sound of distant laughter echoed through the dimly lit hallway of the university dorms. Zayan stood near the window, his hands clenched into fists, his jaw tight. The cold night breeze did nothing to cool the storm raging inside him.
Tonight was supposed to be a victory. But why did it feel like he had lost something?
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
Aliyar "Did you do it?"
Zayan hesitated before typing back.
Zayan: "Yes."
A dull ache spread in his chest as he hit send. He had done it. He had won the bet. He had gotten her to trust him.
Abrish Pasha.
The girl who never let anyone in, who never believed in meaningless words. And yet, she had believed him. Trusted him. Maybe even—
No.
Zayan squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn't supposed to feel guilty. It was just a game. Just a stupid, meaningless challenge to prove that he could have anything he wanted. That he wasn't weak. That he was in control.
But why did her eyes haunt him?
"I trust you, Zayan."
Her voice replayed in his head like a curse. He could still remember the way she had smiled at him, completely unaware of the knife he was about to twist in her back.
He turned, his reflection catching in the glass. For a moment, he didn't recognize himself.
"What have I done?"
The sound of his phone vibrating snapped him out of it.
Aliyar : "Good. Now disappear. We don't need her anymore."
Zayan's heart pounded. He knew what was coming next. The moment the truth came out, Abrish would hate him. She would never forgive him.
And maybe... maybe he didn't deserve to be forgiven.
He shoved his phone in his pocket and walked out into the night.
He had already crossed the line.
There was no turning back now.
To Be Continued...