Chapter 14: Bitter Reckonings

Abyad had arrived in Malaysia, his heart heavy with a mix of determination and trepidation. He knew what he had to do, and that meant confronting Rania before he could get any closer to Aayat. He needed to put an end to the swirling vortex of drama that had engulfed their lives, and he needed to warn Rania about the path she was treading.

He found himself standing outside Rania's apartment building, the weight of his purpose pressing down on him. He took a deep breath, his resolve solidifying, and then he made his way to her door. He knocked, and after a few moments, the door opened to reveal Rania, her expression a mix of surprise and suspicion.

"Abyad? What are you doing here?" Rania's voice held a cautious edge.

Abyad looked at her, his eyes serious. "We need to talk, Rania. It's important.”

Rania hesitated before stepping back and allowing him to enter. They settled in her living room, the air heavy with tension. A silence hung between them for a moment before Abyad spoke.

"I know about your plans, Rania. I know what you're trying to do.”

Rania's eyes flickered with a mix of defiance and something else—regret, perhaps. "And what if I am? What's it to you?”

"It's everything to me, Rania. I won't let you harm Aayat."

Rania let out a bitter laugh. "Harm her? Oh, you have no idea, Abyad. You have no idea what they've taken from me.”

Abyad's brow furrowed. "Taken from you? What are you talking about?”

Rania's gaze turned distant, her voice laced with a deep-seated resentment. "Zubair. They took him from me. He was the one person who saw me, who cared for me, and he chose them over me every single time.”

A revelation struck Abyad like a bolt of lightning. "Zubair? You loved him?”

Rania's eyes welled up with unshed tears, her pain laid bare. "Yes, I loved him. More than anything. But he was always so blinded by his loyalty to Zinat and Aayat. They were his world, and I was just... left behind.”

Abyad felt a pang of sympathy for Rania, her anger suddenly making sense. He leaned forward, his voice gentle. "Rania, I understand that you're hurt, that you feel wronged. But this isn't the way to handle it. Hurting Aayat won't bring Zubair back.”

Rania's gaze met his, a complex mix of emotions swirling in her eyes. "Maybe not, but it'll give me some semblance of justice. It'll make them feel a fraction of the pain I felt.”

Abyad shook his head. "No, Rania. Hurting them won't heal your pain. It'll only perpetuate a cycle of suffering.”

Rania's shoulders sagged, and for a moment, Abyad saw a crack in her armor. "What do you want from me, then?”

"I want you to stop this, Rania. I want you to find a way to heal, to move forward. Revenge won't bring you peace.”

Rania looked down, her fingers tracing patterns on the surface of the coffee table. "And what about me? Who will bring me peace?”

Abyad's voice was soft but unwavering. "You will, Rania. Only you can make that choice. You can choose to let go of this anger, to find a path towards healing. It won't be easy, but it's the only way.”

Rania's gaze hardened once again, her fleeting moment of vulnerability giving way to the familiar flames of resentment. She shook her head, her voice laced with bitterness. "Your words might be convincing, Abyad, but they won't change what has already been set in motion. Aayat's pain is my revenge, and I won't let go of it.”

Abyad's expression remained resolute, his determination unwavering in the face of her stubbornness. "Then I'll be the shield that protects Aayat from your vengeance. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe from your grasp.”

Rania scoffed, a cold smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Do you really think you can stand against me, Abyad? I've already proven how far I'm willing to go.”

A flicker of sorrow passed through Abyad's eyes. "I know the depth of your pain, Rania. I understand your anger, but I also know that there's more to you than this darkness. You were once a friend, someone who cared. Don't let hatred consume every part of you.”

Rania's laughter was void of any humour. "Cared? That's a distant memory now, Abyad. You don't know what it's like to be cast aside, to watch the person you love choose others over you, time and time again.”

Abyad's voice was gentle, laced with empathy. "I may not know your exact pain, Rania, but I know what it's like to lose someone you care about. And I know that letting hatred control you won't bring them back.”

Rania's eyes bore into his, a mixture of defiance and pain. "You're a fool if you think you can save Aayat from the path of misery I've paved for her. She's already too far gone."

Abyad's resolve only deepened, his voice unwavering. "Then I'll walk that path with her. I'll be the light that guides her back. Your hatred won't win, Rania.”

Rania's fists clenched at her sides, her anger boiling over. "We'll see about that, Abyad. But know this—you're stepping into a battle you can't possibly win.”

Abyad met her challenge with a calm determination. "I'll fight for Aayat until the end, Rania. And I'll prove to you that even in the darkest of times, love and compassion can triumph over hatred.”

Their gaze held in an unspoken clash of wills, each refusing to yield. The room seemed to crackle with tension, a battle of emotions and convictions playing out before them.

Abyad closed his eyes, his mind replaying the moments when he had seen the light dim in Aayat's eyes, the laughter that had once filled her now silenced. The weight of guilt settled heavily upon him, an unrelenting ache that seemed to seep into his very soul.

As he walked away from the place where the argument had taken place, his steps were slow and heavy, each one a testament to the burden he carried. He wandered through the quiet streets, the echoes of their words still reverberating in his mind. The cool night air did little to ease the fire of regret that burned within him.

He had thought that by confronting Rania, he could somehow mitigate the damage that had been done, that he could forge a path towards healing for Aayat. But the venomous hatred that had consumed Rania was a force beyond his control, a tempest that threatened to drown everything in its wake.

Abyad's fists clenched at his sides, his frustration and helplessness building like a storm within him. He wished he could rewrite the past, undo the choices that had led them to this point. But he knew that no amount of wishing could turn back time, that the scars of the past would forever shape their present.

*Flashback*

Abyad observed Aayat from a distance, the carefully orchestrated plan playing out as intended. Chemistry class found her orbiting Irshad and Izza, while for physics, she chose Alya, who happened to sit close to him. The proximity was both a torment and an opportunity. His intent was to push her away, to foster disdain in her heart, all for her own safety and his inability to forgive her for leaving him.

As Alya engaged in conversation next to him, Abyad's attention was fixed on Aayat's reactions. He made sure to flirt openly with Alya, his words and actions carefully calculated to wound Aayat's feelings. Yet, no matter how overt his advances, Alya remained immune to his efforts, her gaze invariably drawn to a guy seated in the front row.

Weeks rolled by, and Aayat's initial jealousy seemed to ebb away, replaced by the formation of a new friendship with Jannah. Abyad's strategic presence was causing confusion, a fact he took cold satisfaction in. His emotions often teetered on the brink, at times nearly pushing him to cross the boundaries he had set. But through a series of self-imposed trials, he managed to control his impulses. His demeanour toward her grew frigid, almost robotic. Yet, the subtle conspiracies of his cousin Jannah and best friend Izza continued, intending to bridge the rift between them.

Nonetheless, Aayat remained steadfast in her determination to ignore him, channeling her energy into conversations with Jannah and photo sessions. His attempt to photo bomb one of her pictures only further proved her tenacity, as she not only retained the photo but reposted it on Jannah's birthday, tagging him. A sense of reluctant admiration flared within Abyad; Aayat's determination refused to waver.

Their A-level finals loomed closer, shadows of academic stress darkening the horizon. Aayat's physical state deteriorated, her frame growing increasingly fragile, a manifestation of her emotional turmoil. Illness plagued her, and she rarely attended classes. Then came the day when she reached out to him through a text, acknowledging the mutual indifference that was corroding her life.

Abyad struggled with a mixture of guilt and conviction. He knew his actions had contributed to her condition, but he also believed that this was the only path he could walk, the only way to protect her. The next day, he feigned indifference with the jacket he discarded on his seat, a calculated move that ended up landing on her instead. He watched as she grappled to free herself from its confines, breathless and disheveled. Izza intervened, extricating the jacket from Aayat's face, a gesture that brought a subtle smile to Abyad's lips.

With a paper flower he'd crafted, he disrupted Izza's lecture to Aayat, a small gesture meant to break through her icy wall. The reaction was swift – an annoyed roll of her eyes and an abrupt averted gaze. Izza's smile at the paper flower was proof enough that even Aayat's stoic exterior hadn't gone unnoticed.

Later that day, as he returned home, Abyad discovered that Aayat had blocked him on all fronts. Despite the success of his endeavour, a hollow ache settled in his chest. The victory felt empty, the price too steep. His heart tugged, the truth now undeniable – he had pushed her away, as he'd intended, yet the cost was a weight he had not anticipated.

*Flashback end*