Unspoken But Not Broken

Aiyaz stood there, watching Humera’s retreating figure, his chest aching with the weight of words left unspoken. The frustration in his veins boiled, but he forced himself to remain still. Chasing her now would only push her further away.

Humera, on the other hand, walked aimlessly through the corridors of the building, her mind clouded with thoughts of the past few days. The whispers, the accusations, the piercing gazes—everything was suffocating her.

She thought back to the night of the attack, how the hands had gripped her, the masked figures surrounding her, and the sheer terror that had coursed through her veins. And now, instead of justice, all she received were rumors and judgments.

Her feet carried her to the empty common area on the ground floor, where she leaned against the cold wall, breathing heavily. The words she had thrown at Aiyaz replayed in her mind, the way he had looked at her—pained, confused, desperate. She didn’t mean to hurt him, but every time he came too close, fear took over, twisting her emotions into a mess she couldn’t untangle.

A distant horn blared from the bustling streets outside, the faint sound of a hawker shouting, "Idli vangi! Dosa vangi!" blending into the familiar hum of Chennai’s early morning rush. The air carried the scent of freshly brewed filter coffee, mingling with the salty breeze drifting in from the Marina. But none of it soothed her.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Vanya sat in her apartment with Manar, Ayzal, Daggu, and Prasanna. The atmosphere was tense, Vanya’s nails digging into her palm as she replayed her conversation with Aiyaz in her head. He had humiliated her—again—for Humera. Her expression hardened.

“She’s weak right now,” Vanya murmured, her eyes gleaming with something sinister. “This is the perfect time to make her fall.”

Manar scoffed. “And how do you plan to do that? The girl barely talks to anyone anymore.”

Vanya smirked. “That’s exactly why it’ll be easy. We don’t need her to break—we just need Arhaan to believe she’s beyond saving.”

Ayzal leaned forward. “What are you planning?”

Vanya picked up her phone, scrolling through something before looking up. “We spread something worse. If people already think she was raped… why not make Arhaan doubt her too? Twist the story, make it seem like she’s hiding something, maybe even… that she’s lying.”

Daggu whistled. “Damn. That’s cold.”

Vanya smirked. “Cold is what we need right now.”

That night, as Humera made her way back upstairs, she noticed the stares had changed. The judgment was sharper, the whispers now had an edge of disgust.

“She’s been acting all innocent, but you know what they’re saying now?” One woman muttered as she passed by.

“They’re saying she wasn’t just attacked… they’re saying she knew those guys. That she was involved with them.”

“Maybe it wasn’t even an attack,” another voice chimed in. “Maybe it was all a cover-up for something else. That’s why she won’t talk about it.”

Humera’s breath hitched. Her fingers curled into fists.

Lies.

Pure, disgusting lies.

Before she could react, she felt a strong grip on her wrist.

She turned sharply, her eyes meeting Aiyaz’s intense gaze. "Humu, aao mere saath" (Humu, come with me) he ordered, his voice firm but not unkind, the Dakhni lilt unmistakable.

“Aiyaz, let go.”

“No.” His grip remained, though gentle. "Na jaane kya kya bakwas ho rahi hai, Humu. Baat Karo mujhse, sach batao." (Dont know what kind of gossips are ongoing. Talk to me, tell me the truth)

Her eyes widened. “You think I’m lying too?”

Aiyaz’s jaw tightened. "Mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha, Humu. Ek taraf tum sabse door bhaagti ho, doosri taraf yeh log tumhe mitti mein mila rahe hain. Bas ek baar keh do, tum kispe shak karti hai?” (I don't understand anything , Humu. One side you run away from everyone and the other side everyone's ruining you, tell me once, whom do you suspect?)

Humera hesitated. The images of the masked men flashed in her mind. Sam. Adi.

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

Aiyaz ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You like to play it hard, I'll let you know what hard is"

And for the first time in days, she saw a flicker of something dangerous in Aiyaz’s eyes.

For a fleeting moment, Humera felt a strange warmth in his reassurance, but she quickly buried it beneath layers of fear and distrust. As Aiyaz turned away, his mind raced—not just with thoughts of revenge, but with the undeniable pull he felt towards her. He had seen her strength beneath the fear, her resilience beneath the hurt.

And that night, as the city of Chennai hummed outside, something shifted between them. A fragile thread of trust had been woven—delicate, but unbroken.

But neither of them knew how easily threads could snap.