Obscured Affection (Slow Updates)

"You haven’t left yet? I mean, Sara might have been discharged by now, right?" Alex replied, making Safoora wipe her tears and look at him.

"Yes, but what about you? And your health? I mean… because of me…" Safoora trailed off, unable to complete her question.

"I'm perfectly fine, sweetheart! See, by everyone's prayers, I’m totally okay now," Alex assured her.

"Then what are you still doing in the hospital? Does that mean your wound hasn’t healed yet?" Safoora asked with concern.

"I'm completely fine now, but my uncle… he's unwell, and I’ve been staying here with him for his treatment," Alex explained.

"Your uncle? He’s here? What happened to him?" Safoora asked again.

"His health suddenly deteriorated, and the doctors said he’s in the last stage of cancer. The chances of his recovery are very slim," Alex said, trying to control his tears.

Safoora didn’t know what to say, so she decided to meet his uncle and ask him about his health. At Safoora's request, Alex took her to meet his uncle.

"Assalamualaikum!" Alex greeted as he entered, and Safoora also greeted him.

"Walekum Assalam!" came the response from the man in front of them.

"Nasıl hissediyorsun?" Alex spoke in a foreign language that Safoora didn’t understand. (How are you feeling?)

"Öncekinden daha iyi hissediyorum." The man replied in the same language, and Safoora just looked at the two, unable to comprehend anything. (Feeling better than before.)

"Ama bu kız kim?" (But who is this girl?)

"O... Benim sevgilim... Sana ondan bahsettiğimi hatırlıyor musun..." (She’s… my sweetheart… Do you remember I told you about her?)

"Evet... Sevdiğin kız, değil mi?" (Yes… the girl you love, right?)

Alex blushed at his uncle’s words and looked at Safoora, who was watching them questioningly, unable to understand their conversation in the unfamiliar language. They both laughed as they talked, leaving her completely clueless. Suddenly, her phone rang, and she stepped outside to take the call. Sara had called, asking her to come upstairs, so she quickly hung up and returned to Alex.

"Actually, I’m in a hurry today, so I’ll come back to meet Uncle another time," Safoora said with a smile, and Alex nodded in agreement.

Alex looked at the man once more before following Safoora outside. Safoora turned back to glance at Alex once and then rushed upstairs.

Alex went back into the room, sat beside the man, and asked with a smile, "Peki, gelinini nasıl buldun?" (So, how did you find your daughter-in-law?)

"Oğlum, onun burada olduğunu bana hiç söylemedin!" (Son, you never told me she’s here!)

"Sana bir sürpriz yapmak istedim!" (I wanted to surprise you!)

"Çok güzel ve onu neden bu kadar sevdiğini anlayabiliyorum!" (She’s beautiful, and now I understand why you love her so much!)

"Amca... O benim için çok değerli ve onu asla kaybetmeyeceğim... Biliyorsun, o benim tek sevdiğim kişi... Hayatımda sevdiğim tek kız..." (Uncle... She’s very precious to me, and I can never lose her... You know, she’s the only person I love... The only girl I’ve ever loved....)