Safar e Meraki

“ May I come in? ” A male voice asked after a few seconds.

“ Yes, please.” Zuni replied and looked up from her computer screen.

She froze.

“ Hi, Doctor…” Her eyes met the brown orbs identical to the ones she loves. He was standing next to his 6-year-old son.

“Ma'am, my son has a mild cough, and he complains of earache more often now…” Alzan said, sitting across from her. He was using formal language. No sense of familiarity in his eyes.

“ What’s your name, son?” Zuni asked, controlling her emotions. 

‘Act professional, Zuni.’ She scolded herself.

“ My name is Zuhan. I’m 6 years old. Soon to be 7. ”

“ Wow! What a beautiful name.” Zuni replied, avoiding the gaze of his father.

“ May I check your mouth and ear to know what is causing pain and making such a sweet boy suffer? ” Zuni asked sweetly with a smile, comforting Zuhan.

“ Yes, please.”

Zuni smiled and asked Zuhan to lie on the examination table. Zuni checked his ears and then his mouth before diagnosing otitis media.

“ It’s common in children of his age. Please take care of his health. I have prescribed medicines. It will help him relieve pain in a few hours. Other symptoms may subside by 4-5 days. Kindly remember, no cold food or drinks, no going out in cold weather, no AC in his room. Monitor his temperature….” Zunirah kept explaining and advising Alzan like any other patient’s father. 

Zunirah passed the prescription to Alzan and said to Zuhan,

“ You will get better soon. Do as your parents say. I’ll meet you in a week. Contact me earlier if you don't feel well. Okay?”

“ Yes, Doctor Ma’am.” 

Zuni smiled, waving a bye as Zuhan turned to leave. Her eyes fell on Alzan, who stood up to leave but paused to hand out an envelope. It looked old and worn at the edges.

What caught her eye was the familiar handwriting.

‘ No… it can’t be… I threw it away…how did he? ’ She looked at him with wide eyes.

“ You left this behind years ago at Rukhsana Khala’s house.” He gulped and met her eyes.

“ I found this last month when she moved out.”

Zuni grabbed the letter with a trembling hand.

Zuni was looking at him, waiting for an explanation.

‘ Will he? ’ She thought.

Zuni waited for him to speak more, but couldn't ask. She controlled her tears and aching heart. She looked down to control herself from saying something, waiting for him to leave.

‘ Maybe he’ll say goodbye? ’ 

‘ Maybe he’s here to apologize? ’

‘ Maybe more? Like he had his reasons… Like silence was all he had left…’

Zuni sat straight and looked at him, who was looking at her with red eyes. Eyes that looked tired with dark circles around, no sign of happiness, pale skin, weight loss… 

‘ I never saw him like this before. Is everything okay? Can I ask that question? I can ask that as a doctor. What if he didn't say anything?’

‘ I didn't have any option, Zuni. I was tricked. You were my shield back then. I was safe with you around. But now, I don't want you and your future to suffer because of me. I have planned something. I hope your blessings stay with me, as you said in the letter. I wish I had known you came to see me that day, unlike last month. You are the beautiful chapter of my life. I am afraid to close that chapter. I cannot say goodbye to you…I wish I could tell you all this…’ Alzan just kept looking, hoping she could read those unspoken words through his eyes. He never meant to cheat and break her heart. He hoped the truth was visible to her.

They talked through their eyes and shared emotions.

‘ Is this the final goodbye? ’

‘ Are we not going to say anything? ’

‘ What is it, Alzan? Please tell me everything… Please, for once… Let's talk heart to heart… ’

She craved to hear his voice more.

She expected him to speak, but he turned away, carried Zuhan in his arms, and left.

Zuni sat still, a letter clutched in her hand, and threw it into the drawer of the table. No more words, no more promises. Just silence. 

‘ Is that how our bonding will be from now on? Awkward? Even when our eyes and hearts crave, we stay away without saying goodbye. No final ending? No closure? ’

Unknowingly, tears fell through her eyes, as they did years ago.

Fione walked in after a knock and saw Zuni devastated.

“ I saw Alzan out in the corridor…” Fione wanted to ask what happened. Zuni ran to her arms and cried out loud.

“ Fione, he didn't even say goodbye to me. ”

……

That night, Zuni walked home alone. The world moved on…cars passed, couples laughed, someone played music across the street. But inside her, everything paused, once again.

The heartbreak didn’t roar. It settled. Just like dust on an old diary, like a letter returned unread.

After getting freshened up, Zuni opened her diary and started writing as a habit each day.

‘

They say silence is peaceful. But they never tell you how heavy it can be. Alzan walked out of my clinic today. No apology. No explanation. Just the return of a letter that once carried everything I never dared to say. A letter he never replied to. A letter he returned like an old book with no pages worth rereading. And yet… It felt like it was a wound reopened, not healed. He looked at me the way people look at homes they no longer live in, nostalgic, but not enough to stay. Maybe we could’ve had a lifetime. Or maybe we were only meant to be almost. A gentle heartbreak dressed in warm memories. I won’t write another letter because some stories end not with a goodbye, but with a silence that lingers. Mine ends in a quiet room, with a six-year-old's voice echoing a farewell his father never voiced. I still carry love like a scar, faded but tender. And maybe… that’s enough.

’

Outside, the sky remained unchanged. People passed by. Life continued.

Inside her, everything paused. Not broken. Not healed. Just still.

She didn’t cry. Not anymore. Some heartbreaks are so quiet, even the soul forgets how to scream. She went back to work. She greeted her next patient. She smiled when needed. And never spoke of him again. Because some love stories don’t end in fire or tears, they end in silence. In unsent letters returned. And in the goodbyes... that was never said…

……

It was past noon on a summer day. Zunirah was back in town for a conference. Her phone was in her handbag, and she handed it to the receptionist for full concentration. 

Zunirah and her teammates, Fione, Aman, Umair, Kriti, and James, were discussing the project at the conference with details of their study and clinical observation when the receptionist called Zunirah outside.

“ What?”

“ Sorry, Ma'am, but this is urgent. Someone named Qizra has been calling you for half an hour. I even told her you were busy, yet she kept forcing me to contact you.”

“ Okay, I'll deal with it.”

‘ She may have gotten to know I’m in town and wants to meet me, probably.’ That's what Zuni guessed.

“ Hello? ” Zuni asked as the call was not clear.

“ Zuni, come home fast… Alzan… Alzan…” Qizra started crying. Unknowingly, Zuni ran towards the mansion that was 7 km from the hospital. In the summer afternoon, Zuni was running on the streets with teary eyes, an emotional heart, and an overthinking mind.

“ No!!! No!!! No!!! ”

“ He is ill, not that!!! He’s anything but that…” She shouted as she took a turn on the streets with a heavy heart.

Just when she entered the mansion, she saw a body wrapped in white clothing being taken by men.

Qizra saw her and pulled her inside.

“ Where is Alzan? ” Zuni asked breathlessly.

“ You just walked past him, Zuni. He passed away… A heart attack…” Qizra informed her while crying.

Zuni couldn't believe her ears.

“ No. Don't say that. He can never have a heart attack at this young age. He is health-conscious and…” Zuni broke down as Qizra said, “ But he was unhappy…” 

Zuni turned and ran outside to get one last glimpse of him, even though he was covered. Her heart pounded in a terrible rhythm. Was it the run for 7 km or her heart crying for losing her love once again? She didn't know. She stood still on the street as they took the turn. All she could see was the empty road. She felt she couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. Her mother, Rukhsana, and Qizra came behind her to help, but before they could reach her, Zunirah collapsed to the ground.

“ Zunirah!!!! ”

……

The noises from downstairs stirred Zunirah in sleep. She opened her eyes. She felt distorted. She looked around at the familiar room where she once lived years ago. The guest room. She stood up but stumbled, feeling weak. It's been hours since she ate or drank anything. It was 3 days after he left the world forever. She couldn't even mourn his death. 

She somehow managed to walk downstairs, confused, not knowing her whereabouts. But then she saw him. Zuhan. With the same brown orbs as his father. 

“ You are not my mother!! ” Zuhan screamed, which awakened Zunirah.

‘Wait, what?’

“ What is going on here? ” Zunirah managed to ask, blinking twice or thrice. 

“ Doctor Mam…” Zuhan ran towards her and hugged her legs with tears in his eyes.

“ Hey!!” Zuni knelt to his level and asked, 

“ What happened? ” She wiped the tears on his face while asking again. He looked behind and then to her. Zuni looked behind him to see an old lady, Gulnaz, a man in a suit with files, probably a lawyer, and Kaiz, Alzan’s PA, standing with different expressions on each face.

“ She’s not my real mom,” Zuhan choked, pointing to the woman behind him. 

“ She only wants me because I’m the heir. ” 

Kaiz continued,

“ Zuhan is Gulnaz’s cousin’s son. Not Alzan’s. She wanted the money.” 

The reality hit Zunira hard. She thought of this earlier. She wanted to ask, she wanted to speak, she wanted to slap Gulnaz, but a small trembling hand grabbed hers.

“ I want to go with you,” He pleaded. “ I want to be with you. Not her. Please...”

Zunirah wiped his tears, holding his small hands in her own. The boy had been through so much already.

“ Okay, Zuhan,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Okay, I’ll take you. You’re safe now.”

Zuni carried Zuhan in her arms when the lawyer came forward.

“ Are you Dr. Zunirah? ”

“ Yes. ” Zuni replied.

“ Mr. Alzan found out 2 years ago about this. ” The lawyer informed.

“ How? ” Zuni asked in confusion.

“ Alzan Sir submitted a sample for a fertility check years ago. Gulnaz illegally accessed it to use for her cousin’s surrogacy and forced Alzan to agree to marriage…”

“ Wait, what?? ” Zuni was shocked. 

“ She did what? ” Zuni couldn't believe what she heard.

“ It's true, Mam. To clear his doubts, Sir asked for the DNA report, which came back positive, but he couldn't understand how it was possible. To prevent the scandals that would have destroyed his parents…”

“ So he married her? Just like that? ” Zuni asked, infuriated.

“ He said that was his only option. To stay silent. To protect his family, including you…”

Zuni took a step back. 

‘He did that for me, too?’

“ He did everything to prevent misuse of his name and assets. They fought for years. He did play his duty well. After the divorce, he agreed for her to meet Zuhan as they were relatives. Zuhan was under Alzan’s care until one day, he was diagnosed with Atherosclerosis due to his bad routine and stressful days, as the business was affected by their divorce. That's when he asked me to check your whereabouts and name you as Zuhan’s guardian if anything happened to him. He never wanted surgery. He was on meds, and today, early morning, he passed away. May his soul rest in peace. ”

Zuni gulped and looked around. 

‘ He suffered so much. ’

“ The envelope Sir gave you about a week ago has all the information he told you, Ma'am. ” Kaiz said.

Zunirah was taken aback. Her eyes filled with tears. 

‘ He was ill when he visited me. Uff, Alzan!! ’

Anger developed inside her as she saw Gulnaz standing behind her.

Wiping her tears, Zuni passed Zuhan in Kaiz’s arms and ran to slap Gulnaz.

“ You destroyed what was left of him. ” Zuni shouted, pulling Gulnaz’s hair.

“ He never smiled again because of you…” She slapped hard wherever she could with all her anger and force until Gulnaz fainted and collapsed.

“ Mam, please stop.” Kaiz and the lawyer stopped Zuni.

“ Mam…” The lawyer passed the papers and made her sign the documents.

“ You may take him now.” The lawyer said, and she nodded.

Zunirah walked to Zuhan and knelt at his level. She looked at him. A younger version of him. 

“ Alzan loves you so much, and so does Zuni.” Said Zuni with a comforting smile. He smiled.

“ I’ll take you with me now, Zuhan. ” Zunirah said softly, brushing away the tears that had begun to fall down her face. “ You don’t have to stay here anymore.”

Zuhan’s eyes filled with hope as he threw his arms around her neck.

“ Thank you… ” He whispered, clinging to her tightly.  

Zuni grabbed him tightly in her arms as they walked out of the mansion. Zunirah felt the weight of her grief start to shift. It was no longer just about the love she had lost or the love that had never come to fruition. It was about this child: this precious boy who carried Alzan’s legacy in his blood, his heart.

She had lost Alzan, but in a way, she had found a new purpose. She would take care of Zuhan, and in doing so, she would always carry Alzan’s memory with her. Zuni felt a strange sense of peace. The world outside seemed quieter now, as if the universe had shifted, aligning her with the one thing she could still hold on to: Alzan’s last piece of earth.

She has Zuhan.

……

‘

I am sorry, Zuni.

Just remember, I never stopped loving you.

I just stopped believing I deserved you.

I never wanted to hurt you, but somehow my choices hurt us both.

After gifting you the watch, suddenly everything was a mess. Our business dropped out of the billionaire ranks. Baba was unwell and was admitted to the hospital. And on top of all that stress, Gulnaz approached me with a fake pregnancy. I came for you one day to tell you everything. I even texted you to meet me at the cafe, but deleted it after the DNA report came back positive. 

How could I ask you to live with me in this hellish life because of my fault? Not even after I found the truth. 

Maybe we weren't meant to be.

I remember you being my light and shield. I remember you with smiles and laughs.

I am leaving Zuhan under your care. Please take good care of him. He means a lot to me. Be his light and shield, just like you were mine.

I hope your heart remembers me kindly.

Yours,

Alzan

’

The end.