𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬

37

Arsalan POV:

I stare at the sun in the distance, its golden rays casting a warm glow over everything it touches. I know she doesn't want this. I know she's afraid that I'll break her heart, that I'll be the same as Aasim. I know because that's what her eyes tell me. The raw fear. My mom always used to say that eyes are the windows to one's soul. One glance at someone's eyes and you know what their soul is suffering through. I didn't understand it at the time, no matter how much I looked into someone's eyes. But now I do. Because this is raw. Her eyes are indeed the most beautiful, the most gorgeous, and the window to her soul.

I inhale deeply and hold her hands in mine, feeling the warmth and the slight tremble in her fingers. "Once Ziya and Hiba are married, I'll sign the papers," I begin, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. "We'll both go our separate ways. You go yours, and I'll go mine. And I won't pressure you or anything, because the choice has always been yours. You once said you wanted to live for yourself, so do. Though we'll—"

"Stop." Her voice cuts through my words, and I look at her face, seeing a streak of tears there.

"I hate these," I say, wiping her tears away with the pad of my thumb.

"Then don't say such things," she replies, leaning into my touch.

"Alright, I'll ask again." I step closer to her, closing the distance between us. "Do you still want the divorce? Are you willing to ignore the feelings in your chest?"

She stares at me for a second longer, her eyes searching mine. Then, the corners of her lips pull up in the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. She shakes her head, holding our hands between us.

"Now it's your turn," I say. She looks down at our joined hands, then back up at me. "Do you want the divorce?"

Her voice is a whisper, carrying all the weight of her fears and hopes. I shake my head, my gaze locked with hers, and I reach out to gently wipe away a tear that escapes down her cheek.

"You challenged me in ways no one else ever has," I begin, my voice thick with emotion. "You pushed every button, bringing out sides of me I didn’t know existed. I used to think it was hate. I told myself it was just you being you, always trying to get under my skin. But somewhere along the way, you became the person I wanted to impress, the person I wanted to prove myself to, even if it meant butting heads every single day. And now, the thought of a day without you is unbearable. I don’t know when it changed, when you went from being my biggest rival to the person I can’t stop thinking about. But it did. And now, standing here, I can’t pretend anymore. I can’t pretend that you don’t mean everything to me."

I smile at her, feeling the depth of my words sinking in. "I want something beyond words. I want to wake up every day knowing you're by my side, not because of a marriage certificate, but because of the love we choose every single day."

"I may not fit the mold of the heroes in your romance books," I continue, a hint of self-doubt in my tone. "But I promise you this, Airah: I will love you more deeply than any of them could. I know I don't deserve you, but I want to become the person who does."

"The word 'love' isn't enough to describe what I feel for you," I confess softly, my voice trembling with the intensity of my emotions. "But I want to spend my life proving to you that you're worth loving every single day. Till death do us part. But even after that, I won't leave you. Insha'Allah, I'll meet you in paradise and make you all mine once again."

"So, my love," I say softly, my voice filled with quiet intensity. "Tell me, will you continue to stay with me through life? Will you be my partner, my confidante, my everything?"