Eternity

Chapter 37

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu

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Ayzal lay on the hospital bed, her gaze fixed on the window. The pale sunlight streamed in, casting a faint glow on her face. She could see the tips of the trees swaying gently in the breeze, their leaves dancing like whispers of a life she once knew. Her heart felt heavy, burdened by an overwhelming emptiness. She barely registered the steady beeping of the machines around her, the sterile scent of the hospital room, or the soft murmur of voices outside the door. It was as if she had detached herself from the world, drifting somewhere far away, unreachable.

The door creaked open, but Ayzal didn’t turn her head. She knew who it was—Zayan’s presence was unmistakable. There was a weight to it, an unspoken tension that seemed to fill the room whenever he was near. He moved quietly, his footsteps barely audible on the cold, tiled floor, and took a seat beside her bed. The chair scraped softly against the floor as he settled down, but Ayzal didn’t react. She kept her eyes on the window, as though it held the answers to the questions that had been plaguing her heart.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was thick, almost suffocating. Zayan, who usually carried an air of cold detachment, seemed oddly out of place in this setting. He wasn’t sure what to say or do. The sight of Ayzal lying there, so fragile and distant, tugged at something deep inside him.

The silence stretched on, broken only by the occasional beep from the monitors and the rustle of the wind outside. Zayan glanced at Ayzal, noting the way her face was turned away from him, her eyes still focused on the view beyond the window. She looked so different from the fiery woman he had married—now, she seemed lost, almost defeated. The usual sharpness in her eyes was gone, replaced by a dullness that Zayan found unsettling.

“I want to talk to my mother,” Ayzal’s voice finally broke the silence, soft but firm. She didn’t look at him when she spoke, her gaze never leaving the window.

Zayan’s heart skipped a beat at her words. He hadn’t expected that. He wasn’t sure how to respond, but he knew better than to deny her request outright. “Your mother?” he repeated, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“Yes.” Her tone was clipped, leaving no room for further questions. There was an edge to her voice that Zayan recognized all too well.

He hesitated, unsure of what to say next. There was a time when he would have dismissed her request without a second thought, using his usual coldness as a shield. But now, seeing her like this, he couldn’t bring himself to be so indifferent.

“I will arrange it,” he said finally, his voice betraying a hint of reluctance. He could see the subtle tightening of her jaw, the way her fingers curled slightly around the edge of the bedsheet. He wondered what was going through her mind, but he knew better than to ask. Ayzal had always been a closed book, and Zayan was painfully aware that he was not the one she would open up to.

The minutes ticked by, each one dragging on longer than the last. Zayan wanted to say something, anything, to bridge the gap between them, but the words wouldn’t come. He watched her, searching for some sign, some indication that she might be willing to talk to him. But all he saw was the cold, unwavering distance in her eyes.

Ayzal’s thoughts drifted back to her mother. Memories of her childhood flooded her mind—her mother’s gentle smile, the warmth of her embrace, the way she had always been there, a steady presence in her life. But those memories were tainted now, stained by the revelation that had turned her world upside down. The woman she had trusted most in the world had been the very one to destroy her happiness. And yet, despite everything, there was a part of her that longed to see her mother, to hear her voice, to understand why she had done what she had done.

The weight of the past pressed down on her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Ayzal clenched her fists, trying to suppress the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t afford to break down now, not in front of Zayan. She had to stay strong, to keep the pieces of herself together, even as everything around her seemed to be falling apart.

Zayan watched her, feeling a strange mix of emotions that he couldn’t quite decipher. He had always prided himself on his ability to remain detached, to keep his emotions in check. But with Ayzal, it was different. She had a way of getting under his skin, of making him feel things he didn’t want to feel. And now, seeing her like this, so vulnerable and yet so distant, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was losing her, that maybe he had already lost her.

He thought about the letter, the words that had haunted him since the day he found it. Murad’s last words, his final condemnation, had been etched into his mind, fueling the anger and resentment that had defined his relationship with Ayzal. But now, as he sat there, watching her from across the room, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had been wrong. Had he misjudged her? Had he let his anger blind him to the truth?

The questions gnawed at him, but he pushed them aside. This wasn’t the time for self-reflection. Ayzal needed her mother, and it was his responsibility to make that happen. No matter how he felt about it, he owed her that much.

“I will call her,” he said quietly, standing up from the chair. “She will be here soon.”

Ayzal didn’t respond, didn’t even acknowledge his words. She remained as she was, her eyes fixed on the window, lost in a world of her own. Zayan felt a pang of frustration, but he forced it down. This wasn’t about him. It was about her, about giving her what she needed, even if it meant putting his own feelings aside.

He lingered for a moment longer, unsure if he should say more, do more. But the coldness in the room, the distance between them, made it clear that there was nothing more to be said. With a heavy heart, he turned and left the room, the door clicking shut behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Ayzal let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. The tension in her body slowly began to dissipate, replaced by a deep, aching sadness. She had wanted to tell him so much, to share the pain and confusion that had been eating away at her for so long. But she couldn’t. Not yet. There was too much between them, too much hurt and anger that needed to be resolved.

A single tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another, and then another. She made no move to wipe them away. For now, she allowed herself to feel, to grieve for the life she had lost, for the trust that had been shattered, for the love that had never been hers.

Outside, the wind picked up, causing the leaves to dance more frantically. The sunlight dimmed as clouds began to gather, casting shadows over the room. Ayzal watched the changing scene with a heavy heart, knowing that the storm was far from over.