63. AMENDS

"You shouldn't run everywhere you see a road," Taliya scolded Haroon, her voice sharp but laced with concern. She was kneeling beside him on the gravel road, her small hands gently blowing on the bloodied scratches that marred his skin. The stones had torn at his flesh, and he glared at the ground as if it was to blame for his pain. The heat from the gravel made the wounds sting even more, a searing reminder of his recklessness.

Flashback ends.

Murad’s eyes were heavy with unshed tears as he carefully folded the letter, his hands trembling. He could no longer bear the words written by Taliya. The letter read like a chronicle of a life marked by relentless suffering and desperation, a life that had been woven into the fabric of his own existence. Each sentence seemed to sear into his soul, revealing the hidden agony and relentless struggle that Taliya had faced. The pain she had endured, the secrets she had buried, all came crashing down upon him.

He sat at the small, wooden desk, the letter clutched tightly in his hand, as if it were a lifeline. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest, a relentless drumbeat that matched the sorrow coursing through him. His mind reeled with the revelations. Taliya had tried to escape, to run away from a life that had bound her with invisible chains. The depth of her suffering was now glaringly apparent, and he felt a profound sense of guilt and shame for having been oblivious to her plight. He could see now why she had been driven to the edge, why her actions had seemed so desperate. But one question remained unanswered, gnawing at him like an insistent itch: What had she sought to avenge? What was the force that had driven her to such lengths? The ambiguity of her motives left him in turmoil. He had been blind to her pain, deaf to her silent cries, and now he was left grappling with the weight of his own ignorance.

"I am sorry," he muttered to no one in particular, his voice cracking under the strain of his emotions. His tears fell freely now, mingling with the sweat that had dried on his skin. He crouched near the table, feeling the cold surface beneath him as a stark contrast to the heat of his anguish. His fists clenched in his hair, pulling at the strands in a futile attempt to rid himself of the overwhelming guilt and sorrow.

The knock on the door was a harsh intrusion into his solitude. Murad hastily hid the letter, his movements sharp and unsteady. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, trying to compose himself before responding.

"What?" His voice came out rough, hoarse from the tears and the rawness of his emotions.

"Now that you have your memory back, what will you do?" Fahad’s voice came through the door, calm and steady but carrying an undercurrent of concern.

Murad sighed deeply, his gaze drifting to the window. He could see the world outside, a world that seemed to move on, indifferent to his internal struggle. He felt a profound sense of disconnection, as though he were standing on the edge of an abyss, staring into the void of his own making. The weight of the letter’s contents pressed heavily on him, a burden he was not sure he could bear.

"I will go back to being me," Murad replied, his voice empty and hollow. The words felt like a declaration of defeat, a resignation to the person he had been before he had uncovered the painful truths. His shoulders slumped as he stood up, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. He moved towards the bathroom, his steps slow and deliberate, as though he were walking through a fog of despair.

As the shower's water cascaded over him, he stood there, letting the warmth wash over his body, but it did little to soothe the turmoil within. The steam enveloped him, blurring the lines of his reflection in the mirror. He tried to lose himself in the sensation, to escape the relentless thoughts that plagued his mind. The water seemed to amplify his emotions, the sound of it crashing down a metaphor for the storm inside him.

He thought about Taliya, about her pain and her anger. He thought about the letter, the way it had unveiled the layers of her suffering. Each word had been like a dagger, piercing through his heart, revealing the raw, unhealed wounds of her past. He felt as though he had been given a glimpse into a world he had never understood, a world that had been hidden from him by his own ignorance.

The silence of the room was punctuated by the sound of the water, a constant reminder of the weight of his revelations. He had spent so long running from the truth, avoiding the reality of Taliya's pain, and now he was left to grapple with the aftermath. His decisions, his actions, all seemed meaningless in the face of the suffering he had uncovered. The guilt he felt was overwhelming, a crushing weight that threatened to suffocate him.

As he emerged from the shower, he wrapped a towel around himself, feeling the dampness cling to his skin. He moved back to the small desk, where the letter still lay, a silent testament to the pain he had yet to fully comprehend. He stared at it, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. The past, with all its harsh truths, was now an inescapable reality, and he was left to face it head-on.

The thought of going back to being himself seemed like a hollow promise, a facade that would do little to address the deeper issues at play. He knew that he had to confront his own failings, to come to terms with the reality of Taliya’s pain and his own role in it. The journey ahead would be fraught with challenges, but it was a path he had to walk if he hoped to find any semblance of redemption.

As he prepared to leave, he took one last look at the letter, the words etched into his memory. He understood now that he could no longer ignore the truth, no longer shield himself from the reality of Taliya’s suffering. The journey ahead would be difficult, but it was a journey he had to undertake. For in facing the truth, he hoped to find a way to make amends, to seek forgiveness, and to ultimately find a path forward from the darkness that had enveloped him.

With a final, resolute glance at the letter, Murad steeled himself for the days to come, knowing that the road ahead would be fraught with challenges but also holding the promise of understanding and, perhaps, redemption.

He promised himself, to make amends with Taliya.