🌧️ The sky was overcast, as if reflecting the sorrow in their hearts.
Rima could no longer bear the weight of her feelings. The growing bond between Saif and Layan was clear, and jealousy silently tore at her soul.
But what she feared more than losing Saif… was losing Layan.
⸻
🏠 At Layan's house – Afternoon
Soft knocks broke the silence of the house.
Layan opened the door to find Rima standing there, pale and trembling.
Rima spoke in a faint voice:
"Can I talk to you… not as a student, but as a sister?"
Layan nodded gently and let her in. They sat together in a heavy silence.
Rima looked down, then lifted her eyes, her voice shaking:
"When my sister died… I felt shattered. I was young, scared, and weak… darkness swallowed me every day."
"And then you came… You were everything I had left of warmth in this world."
She placed her hand on Layan's and continued, her eyes welling up with tears:
"You were more than a teacher… you were safety, you were love, you were the sister I no longer had."
"That's why… it hurts to say what I'm about to say."
She hesitated, then exhaled deeply:
"I love Saif… I loved him unintentionally, without permission. And every time I tried to deny it, the truth screamed within me."
"But I also know… you love him too. I see it in your eyes."
"I don't want to lose you, and I never want to hurt you… but I can't keep this love inside me anymore."
Then she burst into tears and whispered:
"My heart is no longer mine alone… it's torn between you and him."
⸻
💔 Layan sat silently…
Then, with a voice warm yet full of sorrow, she said:
"I knew… from the beginning, I felt it. I saw it in your eyes, I heard it in your silence."
"I wanted to pull away… but I couldn't. Because I love him too."
"He was the first to see me as Layan… not as a teacher, not as a sister, but as a woman."
"And now he stands between us… and it feels like we're standing on the edge of a cliff."
They both fell silent… the only sound in the room was that of their tears falling quietly.
⸻
👂 Outside – Saif behind the door
Neither of them knew that Saif had just arrived.
He was about to knock—
But he heard everything.
He stood frozen in place, eyes wide with shock, his breath shallow and slow.
He didn't know what to do. After a few moments, he silently turned and walked away, leaving nothing behind… not even a sound.
His heart was screaming, but he chose silence.