Obscured Affection (ON HOLD)

Ishaq was sitting on the balcony of his room, staring at the chair in front of him—the same one Mahnoor had sat on last night. He kept staring at it as if she were still sitting there.

"Was I smiling? Me?" he said through gritted teeth.

Last night's moments replayed in his mind—how he sat with Mahnoor and saw concern for him on her face, and how that made him happy. Then, he remembered something his father just said:

"You’re smiling so much… I thought maybe you’re about to win a big case. What else, other than work, can make you smile like this?"

That line kept echoing in Ishaq’s head. He always thought work was his everything—that nothing besides work could bring him peace or happiness anymore. But now, everything was beginning to change.

"If I let someone get close again… and the same thing happens? I can’t lose someone else again!" he said to himself, recalling that painful moment. His eyes turned red. No matter how hard he tried to stay composed, his tears wouldn’t stop.

The accident… the flowing blood… and the lifeless body lying before his eyes.

He had screamed for help, cried out, but no one came. He still heard the echo of his own cries. He had sat next to that girl's lifeless body, helplessly watching her take her last breath, unable to do anything. It was all his fault—she was no longer alive.

That was the day he decided: Love? Never again. He would push away every emotion—love, hate, attachment—anything that could weaken him. If he had no feelings, he wouldn’t feel pain.

He had decided if he ever loved someone, they would be taken away from him. Even though he loved Safoora deeply, yet in front of the world, he kept as much distance from her as possible—so that he wouldn’t have to go through everything he once endured all over again.

But now… this girl… Mahnoor… unknowingly, she had knocked on the door to his heart.

He stood up, holding his head in his hands, pacing restlessly around his room.

"She loves me… for years! She considers me her husband, and I always thought she had been forced into this marriage too." He looked down at a notebook in his hand. He pulled out a page that read:

I Love My Husband!
Ishaq ♡ Mahnoor

As he read those words, it suddenly felt like his heart had stopped. He traced the writing with his fingers, and a tear from his eye fell onto the paper. Wiping his tears, he stepped back and threw the notebook on the bed, collapsing to the ground.

(Not me crying while writing this scene and then laughing while imagining him as a princess dramatically falling while crying... Sorry 🤐)

He didn’t want to hurt Mahnoor by rejecting her love, but if he stayed close to her, he feared the past would repeat itself.

"What if something happens to Noor too? What if she leaves me the same way?"

The same old fear. He stood before the mirror, trying to face himself.

His eyes were slightly red. Tear stains marked his face. He looked at himself with a cold expression—but now his eyes had turned to ice, hiding deep sorrow. He took a deep breath, wiped his face, and stepped back.

"No… I can’t love Noor!" he said softly, yet firmly.

"If I stay with Noor, she’ll be destroyed… I can’t make her mine, because I don’t want to lose anyone again."

Ishaq picked up his coat from the bed and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Sabeena called out to him, but he ignored her, got into the car, and drove off quickly.