“Just one moment…”

#"Just one moment… and everything we were becomes someone we can never be again."🥃🔥

Written By :Af_ofa 

Marwa's hand gently shook Jihan awake. She sat beside her in silence, her face filled with words she couldn't bring herself to say.

Jihan (sleepy and exhausted): "What is it this time? What do you want? I'm so tired… I have no energy for anything right now…"

Marwa looked at her with tear-filled eyes, then whispered with a trembling voice:

Marwa: "I've decided to leave… my sister."

Jihan blinked, confused and not fully grasping what she meant.

Jihan: "Leave? Where are you going?"

Marwa didn't answer. Instead, she leaned in and hugged her tightly.

Marwa: "Be strong… like you've always been. Don't leave Mom and Dad alone… and please, take care of Nihad."

Panic struck Jihan's heart.

Jihan: "Wait—what are you saying? Where are you going?!"

But Marwa had already stood up and walked out of the room without looking back.

Jihan jumped out of bed, still half-asleep, and ran after her.

Jihan: "Where are you going? Wait!"

Then she woke up suddenly—her breathing quick, her heart pounding violently.

It had just been a nightmare.

She turned and found her mother standing at the door, deep worry carved into her face.

Jihan: "Mom?"

Her mother's voice trembled:

Mother: "Your sister… she still hasn't come back. Look at the time… Oh God, she's going to drive me insane!"

Jihan got up quickly and grabbed her phone.

Jihan: "I'll call her right now. I need to find out where she is."

Her mother's voice grew more anxious and frantic:

Mother: "She told your father she was going to the library, but it's been hours… The library is definitely closed by now, and the owner must be asleep. Where could she be? I'm terrified something terrible has happened to her…"

Her phone was off.

Jihan threw on her coat and rushed out of the room.

Mother (calling after her): "Where are you going? Wait—I'm coming with you! I won't let you go out alone at this hour. God help us if your father wakes up… This night will turn into a disaster!"

Her mother quickly got dressed, and the two of them slipped quietly out into the empty streets.

The library was closed.

They visited her friends' houses—none of them had seen her.

They kept walking, searching non-stop, checking every possible place.

By the time they returned home, the sky had begun to glow with the first light of dawn.

Her mother staggered in Jihan's arms, barely able to stand. Jihan helped her into her room and gently closed the door behind them.

Her mother collapsed onto the floor, her voice cracking as she cried:

Mother: "Oh God… where did my daughter go? No… no, something awful must have happened to her…"

Jihan: "Please… just wait a little longer. If she doesn't return by morning, we'll go to the police."

Her mother snapped, her voice rising in desperate anger:

Mother: "Wait?! You want me to wait?! No—I'm waking your father. We're going now!"

She ran out of the room in tears, while Jihan remained where she was, clutching her stomach in fear, whispering from the depths of her soul:

Jihan (softly): "Please, God… bring her back to us safely…"

——————————————-

☀️ Morning came…

It wasn't an ordinary morning—

It felt heavy, dark… as if a shadow had quietly settled over their hearts.

Jihan sat at the police station alongside her parents.

Her father was speaking with the officer,

Her mother was weeping uncontrollably,

And Jihan sat silently beside her, trying to offer a sense of reassurance she didn't truly feel herself.

The officer spoke in a cold, formal tone:

Officer: "We must wait 24 hours from the time of disappearance before filing an official report. The girl is legally an adult—18 years old. She has the right to go wherever she pleases."

Her mother suddenly broke into a fit of sobs, her voice cracking under the weight of fear and anger:

Mother: "Wherever she pleases?! Yes, she's eighteen, but she's not mature! She wouldn't just leave and let us burn in worry like this! She wouldn't!"

Her father turned to Jihan and said quietly:

Father: "Take your mother and wait outside, please."

Jihan helped her mother to her feet, and the two stepped into the hallway in heavy silence.

Moments later, Jihan's phone rang—it was the house number.

Jihan (anxiously): "Did Marwa come back?!"

But the voice on the other end was Nihad's:

Nihad: "No… I just called to ask if there's any news…"

Jihan: "Still nothing. Lock the door and don't open it for anyone. If Marwa comes back, call me immediately—okay?"

Nihad (softly): "Okay… I will."

—————————————

⏳ Days later…

A fisherman returned from the sea after spending several days casting his nets in open waters.

As he pulled his boat toward the shore, something unusual caught his attention—

a strange figure lying on a rock, being relentlessly struck by the crashing waves.

With a trembling voice, he muttered,

"What is that… what am I looking at?"

He leapt from the boat and ran toward the mysterious shape.

The closer he got, the more his steps began to slow—until he suddenly stopped, frozen in place, staring in stunned disbelief, unable to comprehend what his eyes were seeing.

And then… the truth hit him like a violent blow.

It was a decomposed body, lying motionless on the rock.

His hands shook as he reached for his phone.

"Hello? Police? I… I found something…"

—————————————-

At that very moment, Jihan was sitting in the university cafeteria.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and her body felt drained—

emotionally, mentally… completely out of energy.

Shaimaa leaned toward her and asked gently:

Shaimaa: "There's still no news?"

Jihan slowly shook her head, without saying a word.

Shaimaa sighed sadly:

Shaimaa: "God willing, Marwa will be okay… and come back safe."

Jihan lifted her head with difficulty, her voice barely audible:

Jihan: "I don't even know why I came here… I have no desire to study, no focus, no strength… All I want is to know where my sister is. My heart is breaking, and every second, a million dark thoughts are suffocating me."

Shaimaa placed her hand gently over Jihan's:

Shaimaa: "Take a deep breath, and don't let fear take over. Try to stay hopeful…"

Jihan (in a whisper): "I need to leave… I don't have the energy to stay."

As Jihan tried to stand, she suddenly lost her balance—

her knees gave out, and she nearly collapsed… until she felt a hand catch her.

She took a shaky breath and slowly looked up to see who had held her.

Diab (concerned): "Are you okay?"

He stood in front of her, his voice filled with worry, his eyes warm and sincere.

Jihan (stepping back slightly): "I'm fine… I'll be fine."

She met his gaze briefly and whispered:

Jihan: "Thank you…"

Then she turned and walked beside Shaimaa,

leaving Diab standing behind, watching her in silence.

As they walked away, a loud thud echoed behind them—

Diab's hand had slammed against the wall, rage surging through his body.

Jihan got into a taxi, heading home.

Halfway there, her phone rang—it was her mother's number.

Jihan (alarmed): "Mom? Did something happen?!"

But the voice on the other end wasn't her mother's.

It was Nihad—tense, shaken.

Nihad: "Jihan, come to the police station. Now."

Jihan: "Why? Did they find Marwa?!"

Nihad: "I don't know… They called Dad and asked him to come immediately. We're on our way. Mom can't speak… that's why I'm calling."

Jihan: "Alright, I'm on my way."

(She ended the call quickly and turned to the driver.)

Jihan: "Please… I need to change my destination."

—————————————

Jihan arrived within minutes.

Her mother was seated, completely shattered, fear etched deeply into her face.

Her father paced the floor anxiously, while Nihad clung tightly to their mother, trying to keep her from falling apart.

Jihan asked, her voice tight with worry:

Jihan: "What's going on?"

Her father replied, his voice trembling:

Father: "They said… they found a body in the sea this morning. They asked us to come and see if… if it might be Marwa. The description matches."

Her mother shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks:

Mother: "No… it can't be my daughter. Please, let's just go home…"

At that moment, a police officer approached them:

Officer: "Please, come with me."

The family got into the police car.

The ride was silent, weighed down with dread and uncertainty.

He took them to a cold, sterile building.

Even the air carried the scent of death.

Halfway down the hallway, the mother suddenly stopped, her legs trembling beneath her:

Mother: "I… I can't. Please, go in without me…"

A man dressed in white approached and asked softly:

Staff: "Who will be going in?"

They exchanged glances. No one could speak.

Jihan gathered the last bit of strength she had and whispered:

Jihan: "I will."

The man looked at her for a moment, then turned and began walking.

Jihan followed, her steps heavy with fear.

He spoke in a low voice as they walked:

Staff: "Try to be strong… I know this is difficult, but it's necessary."

Jihan nodded and continued walking.

Behind her, her father stayed by her trembling mother's side,

while Nihad cried silently, holding onto her mother's arm.

The mother slowly raised her hands to the sky and whispered a broken prayer:

Mother: "Dear God… please don't let it be my daughter…"

——————————————

Jihan stopped in front of a large metal door.

The doctor entered first, and she followed, her steps hesitant and heavy.

The room was eerily still… cold… lifeless.

At its center stood a metal gurney, fully covered with a white sheet.

Her heart pounded so violently she thought it might burst from her chest.

She was on the verge of collapse.

The doctor (gently): "Are you ready?"

She didn't answer right away. Then, slowly, she nodded.

He reached for the cover,

and in that moment, she shut her eyes tightly and whispered inwardly:

"Please, God… let it not be her…"

She opened her eyes slowly… cautiously…

And when she did, a sharp gasp escaped her lips.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she stumbled backward.

Her back hit the wall, and she sank to the floor, falling to her knees—

as if all strength had left her body.

What she saw was unbearable.

It was her sister, Marwa.

Her skin had turned blue, her face swollen and bruised, barely recognizable.

Lifeless… like stone.

Jihan couldn't speak.

She couldn't even cry.

The doctor, understanding everything from her silence, lowered his gaze and said quietly:

"I… I'm so sorry."

She remained seated there, unmoving—

as if time itself had stopped.

She tried to gather enough strength to rise again.

And finally, she stood and walked slowly out of the room.

Outside, her parents were waiting.

Their eyes searched hers, desperately looking for hope… for denial.

But she said nothing.

Her father stepped toward her, his voice full of fragile desperation:

Father: "Tell me, daughter… it's not her, right?"

Her mother followed, clinging to that final thread of hope:

Mother: "It's not my daughter… it's not her…"

But the tears began to fall from Jihan's eyes—uncontrollably.

Her mother approached her, pleading:

Mother: "Why are you crying? It's not her, is it?!"

Jihan couldn't speak.

Her silence said everything.

Her father collapsed to the floor, breaking into sobs.

Nihad fell beside him, crying uncontrollably.

Her mother looked at them all, refusing to believe:

Mother: "Why are you all crying? I told you—it's not her!"

And Jihan whispered, her voice barely holding together:

Jihan: "It's… it's her."

Her mother screamed—

a scream that tore through the air like shattered glass.

She collapsed into Jihan's arms, clinging to her, hitting her chest in hysteria,

sobbing so violently the entire corridor seemed to tremble with her pain.

Her father pulled her away, holding her tightly as her cries echoed through the hallway.

Everyone had broken.

There was nothing left… except sorrow.

And Jihan…

She began to walk away, step by step, barely able to stand.

Tears streamed down her face. Her knees buckled with every step.

She reached the building's exit…

and suddenly—

She couldn't breathe.

It felt like invisible hands were wrapping around her throat.

She clutched her chest, gasping for air.

From a distance, Diab was watching from his car, eyes fixed on her.

And then—

the world went black.

She collapsed.

Diab rushed from his car, running to her, catching her in his arms.

He held her head up, panic and fear in his voice:

Diab: "Jihan! Jihan!!"

…To be continued [Will Jehan survive… or is this just the beginning of her fall? Stay tuned.]