LOVE WITHOUT DESTINY

part 24

Amal walked into the house with heavy steps, her heart sinking under the weight of unspoken emotions. As soon as she entered her room, she slammed the door shut behind her, locking it firmly. Her breath hitched as she stumbled toward the bed, collapsing onto it as though the world had drained every ounce of strength from her.

Tears began to stream down her face, hot and relentless. She clutched the bedsheet beneath her fingers, her body trembling with sobs she could no longer suppress. Her mind, desperate for answers, dragged her back to the moment in the mall when Zain’s words had caught her off guard.

"These pale colors don’t suit you," Zain had said, his voice calm but direct. The memory stung more than it should have, not because of Zain's words, but because they mirrored something she had heard before.

Sam’s voice echoed in her mind, almost hauntingly. "Amal, these pale colors don’t suit you. You should wear something brighter, more alive, just like you." The words that once felt like care now pierced her like thorns, tearing at the fragile remnants of her trust.

Her sobs grew louder as the truth struck her again, raw and unforgiving. She whispered to herself through her tears, “Sam… why? Why did you do this? Why did you betray me like this? I trusted you with everything. What was my fault? Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

Amal sat up abruptly, her tear-streaked face hardened with resolve. She grabbed her phone with trembling hands and unlocked it, navigating to the photo gallery. Her eyes fell on a folder full of Sam’s pictures—snapshots of moments she once held dear.

Her finger hovered over the screen as she scrolled through the images. For a second, she paused, her gaze fixed on a photo of Sam smiling at her. Memories flooded back—his laughter, his touch, the way he used to look at her as if she were the center of his world. It all felt so real then, so true.
But the weight of his betrayal crushed any lingering emotions. Her jaw clenched as she pressed down firmly, selecting every photo in the folder. Without hesitation, she hit "delete." The screen asked for confirmation, and she didn’t waver. In an instant, the images were gone, erased like the trust she once had in him.

She threw the phone onto the bed, her chest heaving with a mix of anguish and relief. But the tears didn’t stop. Instead, they came back with renewed force, and she buried her face into the pillow, crying as if her soul were breaking apart.

“Sam,” she whispered through her sobs, her voice barely audible. “You’ve left me with nothing… nothing but pain.”

Her cries filled the silent room, the walls bearing witness to the agony of a heart shattered by betrayal.

Zain walked up to Amal's door, sensing something was off. He knocked gently at first, but when there was no response, his concern grew. He tried the doorknob, but it was locked.

“Amal? Are you inside?” he called out, his voice steady but laced with curiosity. He knocked again, this time more firmly. “Amal, open the door.”

Inside, Amal froze for a moment, hastily wiping her tears with the back of her hands. Her heart raced as she tried to compose herself. Her voice, though shaky, came out just loud enough for Zain to hear. “I’m… I’m changing my clothes.”

Zain paused on the other side of the door, his brows furrowing slightly. “Oh, alright,” he said after a moment. “I’ll have the servant put your clothes in the wardrobe. And by the way, I’m heading out to pick up Noah from the hospital.”

Amal took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling voice. “Okay, fine,” she replied, her tone as neutral as she could muster.

“Alright then,” Zain added, his voice softening a little. “Don’t take too long.” He lingered for a second, as if waiting for a sign that everything was alright, but when there was none, he turned and walked away, the faint sound of his footsteps fading down the hall.