The night was still, the quiet punctuated only by the soft rustle of leaves and the distant hum of the city. Fariya sat alone on the terrace, her mind spinning, but for the first time in hours, she felt a strange sense of clarity. The tension from the evening had subsided somewhat, replaced by an uneasy calm. She had made up her mind, or at least she thought she had. The weight of everything—the proposal, her future, Dayyan’s bizarre behavior—hung over her, but she felt more in control now
Her knees pulled to her chest, her mind racing after hours of thinking. The fresh air had helped clear her head, but the weight on her heart remained heavy. Ever since the evening, when Dayyan had stormed out of the house, his anger barely contained, she hadn’t been able to rest.
She glanced toward his
