Eternity

Chapter 30

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu

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Gently pushing the door open, Ayzal saw her mother-in-law seated at the dining table, finishing up setting the table for dinner. Her mother-in-law looked up, her face showing a mix of surprise and concern.

"Ayzal, are you feeling okay now?" she asked, setting a plate down.

Ayzal felt her cheeks heat up, memories of the earlier events flooding her mind. “Yes, I am. Why are you asking this?” she inquired, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Zayan said you were feeling sick and needed to rest for a bit," her mother-in-law explained.

Ayzal took a deep breath and nodded, feeling a pang of confusion. “Where is Zayan? He wasn’t in the room when I woke up. I thought I might find him here.”

Her mother-in-law’s expression softened with understanding. “Zayan has been wandering around the house, needing some time to himself.”

"I see," Ayzal replied softly, bowing her head down.

Her mother-in-law reached out and placed a comforting hand on Ayzal’s. “You are doing your best, Ayzal. Relationships take work, and sometimes people need space to sort through their emotions. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

"Yes, Mother," Ayzal replied, appreciating the warmth and understanding in her mother-in-law’s voice.

Her mother-in-law offered a gentle smile. “It takes time. Keep communicating with each other, and be patient.”

Ayzal nodded, feeling a bit reassured. “Thank you, Mother. It helps to talk about it.”

Dinner was served, and everyone was present at the table except for Zayan. He had arrived earlier but had gone directly to his study and locked himself in. Seeing this, Ayzal felt a mix of concern and confusion. She decided to bring dinner to his study, hoping to bridge the gap between them.

Knocking gently on the door, she waited for him to let her in. A few seconds later, his voice came, sounding gruff and distant. “Come in.”

Ayzal entered the study room with a plate in her hand and set it on the table. “Why didn’t you come downstairs?” she questioned lightly, trying to gauge his mood.

Zayan, who had been looking at her every movement keenly, replied curtly, “I don’t have any appetite right now. Take it back.”

Ayzal’s heart sank at his dismissive tone, but she remained composed. “You need to eat. Skipping dinner is not good for your health.”

He glanced at her, his eyes hard and unyielding. “I said I am not hungry. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

Ayzal’s patience wavered, but she took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm. “I am trying to help, Zayan.”

Zayan stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. “Help? You think this is helping? All you are doing is making things worse.”

His words cut deep, but Ayzal refused to back down. “How am I making things worse? Do you not remember what we talked about earlier and what happened?”

Zayan’s expression darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. “Everything that happened was a mistake. Get over it.”

Ayzal’s eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. “How can you say that? What we shared… it wasn’t a mistake. It meant something to me.”

Zayan turned away, his voice cold and dismissive. “Well, it didn’t mean anything to me. It was just a moment of weakness. Forget about it.”

Ayzal’s heart broke at his words, the finality of his tone crushing her hopes. “You don’t mean that, Zayan. I know you don’t.”

He clenched his fists, his back still turned to her. “You don’t know anything, Ayzal. Just leave me alone. I can’t deal with this right now.”

Ayzal’s voice wavered, a mix of desperation and determination. “You can't do this. We need to talk about it, to understand what is going on between us.”

Zayan whirled around, his eyes blazing with anger. “There is nothing to understand. It was a mistake. A moment of weakness. End of discussion.”

Ayzal took a step back, the force of his anger pushing her away. “I don’t believe you. I can’t believe what we shared meant nothing to you.”

Zayan’s expression hardened, his voice cutting. “Believe what you want, Ayzal. But I am telling you, it was a mistake. And the sooner you accept that, the better.”

Ayzal’s tears spilled over, her voice breaking. “How can you be so cruel? How can you just dismiss everything like it is nothing?”

He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his every movement. “Because it is nothing. We are nothing. Just two people trapped in a marriage that is going nowhere.”

Ayzal’s breath hitched, the pain in her chest almost unbearable. “I refuse to believe that. We can work through this, Zayan. You told me not to lea—”

Zayan shook his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow. “There is nothing to work through.”

Ayzal stood there, her world crashing down around her. She wanted to scream, to fight back, but the weight of his words left her speechless. She turned and walked out of the study, her heart heavy with the realization that their love, their bond, was shattering before her eyes.

As she left the study, she felt a crushing sense of hopelessness. Her mind swirled with confusion and pain, struggling to understand how things had come to this. The memory of their lovemaking, once a cherished moment, now felt tainted and hollow.

Back in their bedroom, Ayzal sank onto the bed, tears streaming down her face. She clutched at the sheets, trying to hold onto the remnants of her strength. She knew she couldn’t give up, but the fight seemed increasingly impossible with each passing moment.

Her mother-in-law’s comforting words echoed in her mind, but they felt distant and unreachable now. Ayzal had tried, she had fought, but Zayan's words had finally broken her spirit. The walls he had built around his heart seemed impenetrable, and she realized that she could no longer bear the burden of their fractured marriage alone.

Ayzal knew that the road ahead would be impossible. She had given everything she had, but it was not enough. She couldn't continue to fight for a marriage that seemed destined to remain a painful memory.

With a heavy heart, Ayzal decided it was time to let go. She couldn't let, whatever happened between them, be reduced to a mistake, but she also couldn't let it destroy her any longer.