"The wounds of childhood never heal ..”

#"The wounds of childhood never heal; they merely pretend to be forgotten."🥃🔥

Written By : Afo_fa 

Jihan arrived at the hospital with Diab. He was taken into a room where the nurse stitched up his wound and gave him a painkiller. After she finished, she informed Jihan that she could go in to see him.

She entered the room quietly and asked, concern evident in her voice, "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"

Diab smiled reassuringly. "No, I'm fine."

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what could've happened."

"Thank God everything went well," he replied calmly. "Just… take care of yourself."

Jihan nodded, then added softly, "I'm sorry… this happened to you because of me."

He let out a light laugh. "It's nothing serious. What matters is that you're safe."

They fell into a brief silence, eyes locked for a moment before Jihan looked away, lowering her gaze shyly.

"Thank you again," she whispered.

Diab smiled lightly and teased, "Don't you think a simple 'thank you' isn't enough?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "What do you mean?"

"One day I'll tell you," he said, a mysterious tone in his voice.

Jihan smiled awkwardly. "Hmm… okay. Will you be alright going home alone?"

"I'll be fine," he assured her. "No need to worry about me. You can go if you want."

As she turned to leave, he stopped her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied gently.

"Would you like me to help? I mean, regarding your sister. Maybe if I got involved, things would move faster."

She answered firmly, without hesitation, "No, thank you. I don't want anyone interfering in this matter. The law is taking its course, and I'll do my part from my side… I won't just sit and wait."

Diab respected her stance and nodded. "When are you going back to university?"

She looked at him, surprised, and didn't respond right away.

"I'm starting to get bored," he said with a grin. "No one to argue with me."

She chuckled softly. "I don't know… my mind's a mess. I'll go back when I feel ready."

"I was just joking," he said. "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you again… I'll let you rest."

Jihan left the room, and Diab leaned back on the bed, a quiet smile forming on his lips.

——————————————-

She went straight to Marwa's high school, standing near the gate as she waited. A few moments later, Siham appeared. The moment she saw Jihan, her expression stiffened. She turned her head as if she hadn't seen her, but Jihan approached her directly.

"Siham ? Didn't you see me?"

"I didn't notice," Siham replied, clearly tense.

Jihan : "I need to ask you something."

Siham : "About what?"

Jihan : "That day you were at our house… did you take a picture from Marwa's room?"

"Me?" Siham said quickly. "No!"

Jihan narrowed her eyes, suspicion growing in her voice. "I feel like you're hiding something…"

"I didn't take anything!" Siham snapped. "Do I look like the kind of person who would steal something?"

Jihan smiled faintly, her voice calm. "Fine. Keep hiding whatever you're hiding. The truth always comes out eventually."

Siham walked off quickly, her fear visible. Jihan stood there, watching her carefully, a deep doubt in her eyes.

————————————-

That night, the sky was calm, the stars clear, but Jihan's world had turned into chaos. The family that had once been united, joyful… was falling apart.

She went out to buy a few things, and on her way, she overheard a few neighbors chatting nearby.

"I heard she was pregnant," one woman whispered. "Maybe she got scared and decided to end it all."

"Who knows who the father was," another replied.

Jihan stopped in her tracks and turned toward them with fury in her eyes. "Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? Don't you have daughters? You're talking about a young girl who's gone!"

She walked off, leaving them embarrassed and speechless, and slammed the front door behind her. Her aunt Fatima came out from the kitchen.

"Did you hear?" she said. "Everyone's talking. We're the center of every conversation now."

"Enough, Aunt," Jihan snapped.

"Oh, please," Fatima scoffed. "You think you can hide the sun with a sieve?"

Jihan's mother came out of her room, angry and frustrated. "We're not hiding anything! We just want to know what happened to our daughter. Let people talk — I don't care! And you, stop adding fuel to the fire!"

Fatima threw up her hands. "Kick me out then! That's all that's left to say!"

Jihan's father came out, his voice raised. "What's going on now?"

"Ask them!" Fatima shouted. "Your daughter insulted me yesterday, and today your wife is attacking me. Maybe I should just leave!"

"I don't want to hear another word!" he barked. "The girl is dead — may she rest in peace — and the police are doing their job. That's all."

Jihan stared at him in disbelief. "Dad?! That girl you're talking about… she was your daughter! How can you be angry at her when she's no longer here?"

He didn't respond. He turned and walked into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Jihan stood frozen for a moment, then walked into her room and shut the door. Her mother entered and sat beside her.

"Don't mind what he said, sweetheart," she said softly. "He's grieving. You know how much he loved Marwa… she was the closest to his heart."

Tears streamed silently down Jihan's cheeks. "But Mom… she was my sister. She died in the worst way. They found her body thrown into the sea, and no one knows what happened to her. I can't sleep… the thoughts, the pain—it never stops."

She paused for a moment, then continued with determination. "Whether she was pregnant, or made a mistake, or whatever the truth is… she's still my sister. And I'll fight for her justice until the end."

————————————-

Meanwhile, Diab returned to the villa. Aisha saw him enter.

"Diab?"

"I just want to rest," he said quietly, heading to his room.

She followed him. "What happened to your arm?"

"I got injured," he replied flatly.

"You fought again, didn't you? What if the press saw you? Tomorrow we'll be all over the news!"

He stopped suddenly, turned toward her coldly. "Get out of my room."

She stared at him, stunned. "What?"

He grabbed her by the arm, pulled her out, and shut the door behind her.

"Get out of my life."

Aisha stood behind the door, her voice choked with tears.

"What have you done? I'm your mother!"

But Diab's voice came back, sharp and furious:

"A mother? The kind who never cared when I was sick, or afraid, or needed her the most? You think money can fix everything? Who told you I needed a nanny? I needed a mother. Not a selfish woman who only thinks about herself, her reputation, her wealth, and her company. You never tried to raise your son. You never taught him right from wrong."

He shouted louder, breaking.

"Get out of my life!"

Aisha froze in place, shocked, her eyes brimming with tears, too stunned to speak.

Diab, meanwhile, began throwing whatever he could reach. He slammed things against the wall, rage building in every motion. Eventually, he collapsed to the floor, holding his head in his hands, overwhelmed by silent anguish. He pulled a pill from a stash of illicit substances, tossed it into his mouth, swallowed it, and then laid down on the bed, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

Aisha walked to her room in silence, sobbing, suffocating in regret, haunted by memories she couldn't erase.

💭 Flashback – Years Ago

The nanny rushed into the sitting room, where Aisha was laughing and chatting on the phone.

"Madam, Diab is sick. He's burning up with fever!"

Aisha, waving her hand dismissively, replied coldly,

"Do something for him. I'm busy right now. If it gets worse, call the family doctor."

The nanny hesitated, sighed, then said,

"Yes, Madam…"

And left the room.

Aisha returned to her call, laughing again.

"Now, where were we? Hahaha…"

The nanny stepped quietly into little Diab's room. He was no more than seven years old, lying on his bed, sweating from a high fever.

"Mama… Mama…" he whispered deliriously.

The nanny stood there, looking at him with deep sorrow, silently wishing she were the one who could truly love him.

Back in the present, Aisha was sobbing uncontrollably, the memory slicing through her like a blade. She clutched her chest and whispered, broken:

"I lost my son… I've truly lost him…"

————————————

☀️ A new day had dawned, but for Jihan, nothing felt different. She no longer distinguished between night and day—her life had turned into a black void. Her mind was drowning in thoughts. Sleep had abandoned her, and her head was filled with noise.

She sat in place, lost in thought, unsure where to begin. Everything felt tangled, disconnected. She stared at her phone, recalling the voice of the unknown caller from that day. Why hadn't he called back? Did he really know what happened to her sister?

———————-

At the university, Diab was walking alone when Shaima approached him.

"Diab?"

He stopped and looked at her silently. She came closer, her tone cautious.

"Can we talk for a moment?"

"About what?" he asked.

"I want to ask you something…" she said as she pulled him aside so no one could hear. She whispered:

"Did you know Marwa… Jihan's sister, the one who died? May she rest in peace."

Diab blinked, clearly confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Shaima hesitated.

"I don't know… I just remember seeing you with her before she died. You were in the parking lot… and it looked like you were arguing."

Diab's face instantly darkened. He grabbed her arm tightly and glared.

"Did you say anything about this to Jihan?"

Shaima flinched.

"No… I didn't say anything."

He squeezed her arm harder, his voice low and threatening.

"Listen to me very carefully. You know me. And you know what I'm capable of, right? So shut your mouth. You saw nothing. You heard nothing. Are we clear?"

Shaima's entire body trembled as she nodded.

"O-okay… I saw nothing. I heard nothing…"

He let go of her and pushed her back.

"Now get out of here."

Shaima ran off, terrified, while Diab stood there a moment longer, then followed her into the lecture hall.

Minutes later, as he tried to focus on the lecture, a message popped up on his phone — from an unknown number:

"I have a video of you throwing the body off the cliff. If you don't want me to expose you, be at the abandoned building next to the university in one hour."

Diab's face went pale. His hands began to tremble as he read the words. He looked up slowly, eyes darting between Basem and Shaima, trying to guess who had sent it.

As soon as the lecture ended, he grabbed Basem by the collar and dragged him into a corner.

"Are you trying to mess with me?!"

"What? Mess with you? I don't understand! Let go of me so we can talk!"

Diab snatched Basem's phone from his pocket.

"Unlock it."

Basem did as he was told. Diab opened the messages — nothing. No trace of the text.

"What's going on?" Basem asked, confused and frightened.

Diab shoved him aside and walked away without another word. He got in his car and drove straight to the abandoned building mentioned in the message.

——————————————-

At the same time, Jihan received a call from the same unknown number. As soon as she answered, a deep voice said:

"If you want to know who the culprit is, be at the abandoned building next to your university in thirty minutes."

The line went dead.

She stood frozen, conflicted. Should she go? Was it real? Was this person telling the truth? After a moment of hesitation, she looked at the time. As the moment approached, she got into a taxi and headed toward the location.

Diab had arrived before her and was already pacing the place, searching, agitated.

Jihan's taxi stopped in front of the building. Her heart pounded with fear as she stepped out, standing at the entrance, unsure whether to go in.

But she gathered her courage and took slow, cautious steps forward, eyes scanning every shadow.

Suddenly… she saw someone standing a few meters away, his back to her.

"Who are you?!" she shouted, her voice sharp and commanding.

Diab froze in place. His entire body stiffened. He couldn't turn around.

"I said… who are you?!"

… To be continued ["It feels like the story is shifting… but is it heading toward love, or something far darker? What do you think?"]