Bound By The Night

The Unexpected Savior

Sun stood at the threshold of despair, the weight of her situation pressing down on her like a crushing force. Her life in London had unraveled in a matter of days, and the world she had once believed in now felt like a distant dream. Returning to Iran was out of the question—her conversion to Christianity had made her a target in a country where such a decision could cost her life. The thought of facing her family, friends, and the authorities back home filled her with dread. They would never understand, and worse, they might condemn her to death.

Seeking refuge in another European country was also impossible, at least for now. Her former boss, it seemed, had more power than she had ever imagined. His reach extended beyond the UK, making sure her name was blacklisted far and wide. Every door seemed closed, every avenue blocked. Sun had never felt so alone.

Desperation gnawed at her, consuming every thought, every breath. She needed to escape, even if only for a night, and she wanted to do it in a place where the walls wouldn’t close in on her. She checked into one of London’s most luxurious hotels, a place where only the wealthy and elite could afford to stay. It was an act of defiance, a final attempt to find solace in the only way she knew how. Sun had barely enough money for a single night, but she didn’t care. This was her goodbye—to the city, to her dreams, to everything.

But sleep eluded her. The silence of the opulent room was suffocating, amplifying the chaos in her mind. Hours passed, and the torment inside her grew unbearable. Finally, she decided to go to the hotel’s gym, hoping that physical exhaustion might drown out the turmoil.

The gym was nearly empty, dimly lit and silent except for the hum of the machines. Sun threw herself into her workout with a ferocity that bordered on self-destruction. She pushed herself harder and harder, lifting weights, running on the treadmill, her body moving through the motions as if trying to outrun her own despair. She could feel her muscles burning, her breath coming in ragged gasps, but she welcomed the pain. It was a distraction from the darkness closing in around her.

And then, through the haze of her exertion, she heard a voice—soft, concerned, and achingly familiar. “Who hurt you, darling?”

The question cut through her like a knife, piercing the fragile wall she had built around her emotions. Sun stopped, her body trembling, her breath hitching as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t hold back any longer. The weight of everything she had been holding inside—the fear, the hopelessness, the overwhelming sense of loss—came crashing down on her. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath as the sobs tore through her.

A pair of gentle hands touched her, and Sun felt someone kneel beside her. The woman’s touch was comforting, and her voice was filled with genuine concern. “What is it? You can tell me.”

Through her tears, Sun managed to look up, and the sight that met her eyes made her heart stop. It was Adele, the woman whose voice had comforted her through so many sleepless nights, whose songs had been her refuge during the darkest times. But Adele was more than just a singer to Sun—she was her first love, the only person who had ever made her feel truly understood, even if only from afar.

For a moment, Sun forgot how to breathe. The world seemed to narrow to this single moment, to the familiar face of the woman she had admired for so long. Sun had never met Adele in person before, but in this instant, it felt as though fate had brought them together at the very moment when Sun needed her the most.

Tears streamed down Sun’s face as she poured out her story—the harassment, the blacklisting, the fear of returning to a country that would kill her for her beliefs. She spoke of the hopelessness that had driven her to this point, to the brink of giving up on everything.

Adele listened without interruption, her expression softening with each word. When Sun finally finished, Adele’s hand tightened reassuringly on her arm. “I can help you, dear,” she said, her voice gentle yet firm.

Sun looked up into Adele’s eyes, her own wide with disbelief. Was this real? Could it be possible that the woman she had idolized for so long was here, offering her help in her darkest hour?

Adele’s presence felt like a lifeline in a stormy sea. In that moment, Sun knew that she wasn’t alone anymore. And for the first time in what felt like forever, a glimmer of hope sparked in her heart. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way out of this nightmare after all.