The veil of hearts

In the city of Elmira-where cobbled streets met sleek storefronts and cafés buzzed with student chatter-Dr. Joshua Bennett lived a life of quiet order. At just twenty-five, freshly graduated from medical school, he had returned to Almira University as a lecturer. Young, poised, and sharp beyond his years, Joshua carried the kind of effortless magnetism that rarely went unnoticed.

His students admired him-some openly, others with subtle glances and lingering questions. But not her.

Aina Yilmaz was different.

She entered his microbiology class with quiet grace, a soft-toned hijab framing her face, her wide brown eyes calm and unreadable. While others sought his attention, Aina remained focused, composed, distant. She asked the right questions, took diligent notes, and never lingered after class. Always professional. Always precise.

And that fascinated him.

He told himself it was her intellect that drew him in-but he knew better. There was a weight to her silence, a hidden story in the way she moved-like someone caught between two worlds.

Miles away, in another city, Felix Caldwell stirred.

Once a soldier. Once a protector. Now a man searching for someone he lost-someone whose face he could never forget. The memory of her eyes-brown and full of unspoken truths-still haunted him.

As Joshua's quiet obsession grew, and Felix followed whispers of the past, the city of Elmira held its secrets close.

The veil hadn't lifted yet.
But it would.