Chapter 6: The Truth Beneath the Rain
The rain fell in sheets, drenching the city in a cold, unrelenting embrace. Zoya stood on the rooftop of the abandoned building, the letter clutched tightly in her hands. The paper was damp, the ink smudged in places, but the words were clear enough. Aarish's words. Words she had read a hundred times, yet still couldn't fully believe.
"If you're reading this, I'm already gone. But before I disappear, you deserve to know the truth."
Her breath hitched as she traced the lines with her fingers, the weight of his confession pressing down on her chest. The truth. The truth she had been chasing, the truth she had been too afraid to face. And now, here it was, staring back at her in black and white.
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The Truth
Aarish hadn't just left. He hadn't abandoned her. He had been forced to vanish. Years ago, long before he met her, he had been part of something dangerous—a network of people who traded in secrets, in lives. He had thought he could leave it behind, thought he could start over. But the past had claws, and it had caught up to him.
They had found him. The people he had tried to escape. And they had given him an ultimatum: disappear, or they would come for Zoya too.
He had chosen to protect her, even if it meant breaking her heart.
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Zoya sank to her knees, the rain soaking through her clothes, her hair plastered to her face. She thought of all the times Aarish had been distant, all the times he had avoided her questions, all the times he had looked at her like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Now she knew why.
He had been running from a life he couldn't outrun, from mistakes he couldn't undo. And when the past finally caught up to him, he had done the only thing he could think of: he had let her go.
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The letter didn't say where he had gone, but Zoya didn't need it to. She knew. He was still in the city, hiding in plain sight, watching her from a distance. He wanted to make sure she was safe, that the people he had run from wouldn't come for her. But he couldn't risk being seen, couldn't risk pulling her back into the darkness he had tried so hard to escape.
She thought of the times she had felt like she was being watched, the times she had turned a corner and thought she saw him, only to find nothing but shadows. He had been there, all along. Watching. Waiting. Protecting her.
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Zoya had her own secrets, her own reasons for wanting to disappear. Her father's debts, the men who came knocking at their door, the life she had been forced to leave behind. She had thought Aarish was her escape, her chance to start over. But now she realized they had both been running from different versions of the same thing: a past that refused to let go.
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Their Past
Aarish had grown up on the streets, learning to survive by any means necessary. He had done things he wasn't proud of, things he couldn't take back. Aarish wasn't just involved with a dangerous group—he was once a key player in a powerful underground network that was piled up in secrets, weapons, and lives. He was young and desperate when he joined, lured by the promise of money and power. But as he climbed the ranks, he realized the cost of his choices. He was forced to do things that still haunt him—things he can't undo.
One night, during an operation, Aarish made a split-second decision that got his best friend killed. The guilt consumed him, and he tried to leave the life behind. But the network doesn't let people walk away. They threatened him, his family, anyone he cared about. That's why he was so guarded, so closed off. He knew that getting close to someone meant putting them in danger. And then, with Zoya, he was terrified that history will repeat itself. He could'nt tell her the truth because he knew it would destroy her—or worse, make her a target.
Zoya's life has been shaped by her father's gambling addiction. He wasn't just in debt—he owed money to dangerous people, and when he couldn't pay, they came after his family. Zoya's mother left when she was young, unable to handle the constant fear and instability. Zoya was left to pick up the pieces, working multiple jobs to keep those people at bay. But it wasn't enough.
One night, when Zoya was 17, her father's debt collectors broke into their home. They trashed the place, threatened her, and left her with a scar above her eyebrow as a "reminder" of what would happen if the money wasn't paid. Her father, overwhelmed by guilt and fear, spiraled further into addiction and eventually abandoned her, leaving her to deal with the fallout alone.
Years later, Zoya learned that her father was living in a rundown part of the city, barely surviving. She tried to help him, but he was too far gone, too consumed by his own demons. The last time she saw him, he didn't even recognize her. It broke her heart, but it also made her realize that she couldn't save him—she could only save herself.
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What It Really Means to Disappear
To disappear isn't just to vanish—it's to erase yourself, to become a ghost in your own life. It's leaving behind the people you love, the places you called home, the person you used to be. It's living in the shadows, always looking over your shoulder, always wondering if you'll ever be free.
For Aarish, disappearing meant sacrificing everything to keep Zoya safe. For Zoya, it meant learning to live without him.
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The Final Goodbye
Zoya folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. The rain was falling harder now, soaking through her clothes, but she didn't care. She looked out at the city, at the lights flickering in the distance, and wondered if he was out there somewhere, watching her.
"Goodbye, Aarish," she whispered, her voice lost in the storm.
And then she turned and walked away, leaving the rooftop—and the past—behind.
Some loves are meant to break us. And some goodbyes last forever.
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Fading Echoes
Beneath the twilight's tender glow,
We walked where whispered winds would blow.
Your laughter danced, a fleeting song,
A melody where I belonged.
Your eyes, they held the stars above,
A universe of endless love.
But time, it plays a cruel, cruel game,
And nothing ever stays the same.
The leaves once green now turn to gold,
A story told, then left untold.
Your touch, a ghost upon my skin,
A haunting warmth that burns within.
You said forever, I believed,
But forever's just a word deceived.
For in the silence, cold and deep,
I find the shadows where you sleep.
The letters fade, the ink runs dry,
The "us" we were now says goodbye.
Your name, a whisper in the air,
A fragile thread beyond repair.
I reach for you, but you're not there,
Just echoes of a love so rare.
The heart you held, it breaks, it bleeds,
A garden choked by thorny weeds.
So here I stand, alone, apart,
With shattered dreams and empty heart.
For love, though sweet, can turn to pain,
And leave the soul out in the rain.
Farewell, my once eternal flame,
Though life goes on, it's not the same.
For in the ruins of our past,
I found my heart, but not my last.
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