" 𝐼𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑑."
───※ ·❆· ※───
Aisha , her name alone melts the coldest hearts, and her bright smile brightens their days. The cheery, bright, and sometimes...
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The quiet of Saad's study was suffocating. Aisha sat rigidly in her chair, her hands gripping the armrests as if letting go would make her crumble. Across from her, Saad leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk, his fingers intertwined.
"Care to explain where you got those pills?" His voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge to it.
Aisha averted her gaze, staring at the bookshelves lined with perfectly arranged spines. "Shouldn't we talk about last night first?" she deflected, her voice low.
Saad's jaw tightened, his expression hardening. "You love dodging questions, don't you?" He leaned back slightly, his lips curving into a humorless smile. "Fine. Let's talk about your punishment instead."
Her head shot up, panic flashing in her eyes. "Punishment?"
"You heard me," Saad said, his tone dangerously casual. "You're cleaning the cell in the warehouse." Her stomach dropped.
His smirk widening just enough to make her dread sink deeper. "And since I know that alone won't teach you a lesson—no chocolate. None of it, in any form, for a month."
Aisha's mouth fell open, her mind reeling. Cleaning the cell was bad enough—the mere thought of it made her nauseous—but no chocolate? No chocolate was a death sentence. Her voice shook as she managed, "You're joking."
Saad raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
She slumped in her chair, a groan escaping her lips. "You're a sadist," she muttered.
Saad ignored the remark, his demeanor turning serious again. "Now, answer my question. Where did you get the pills? The truth this time."
Her shoulders sagged as she exhaled heavily, the fight draining from her. "Fine," she said, her voice quiet. "When I was in Delhi for therapy, I went to another doctor. I was desperate. My nerves were always shot, I couldn't stop panicking, and I just... I just wanted to feel normal." She paused, her gaze fixed on the desk between them. "She told me to take the smallest dose and work through the rest in therapy, but it didn't work. Therapy never works for me."
Saad's stern expression faltered, his eyes softening as her words sank in. He hadn't realized how deep her struggles went—how much she craved normalcy, how broken she felt inside.
"Aisha..." His voice was softer now, but she didn't look up. He sighed, regaining his composure. "Do you know why it didn't work?". She avoiding his gaze.
"Because you don't open up," he said firmly. "You keep everything locked inside, like you're carrying the weight of the world on your own. But you can't keep doing this. If you don't let it out, Aisha, we can't help you. We can't save you."
Her breathing quickened, her chest rising and falling unevenly. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't, bhai. I don't want to burden anyone with this... mess. It's too much."
