Chapter 13: Siya's Confession

The sky was heavy that day.

Clouds hung low like they, too, were waiting for something to break. Siya's hands were cold despite the warmth of summer. Her heart thumped so loudly, it nearly drowned out the thoughts racing in her mind.

She had played this moment in her head a hundred times.

What if he pulls away?

What if he says, "You should've told me earlier"?

What if he leaves?

But this wasn't about comfort anymore.

It was about truth.

She texted him:

"Can we meet? I want to tell you something. Please don't hate me."

And he replied instantly, without hesitation:

"Of course. Come to our spot. I'll wait."

🌥️ A Storm Beneath Her Skin

He was already there when she arrived.

Ruhan, standing in his hoodie near their quiet street corner. One hand in his pocket, the other holding a chilled bottle of water—probably because he knew she'd forget to carry one. That's the kind of boy he was. Thoughtful in ways no one noticed but she always did.

The moment their eyes met, his smile faded a little. He knew.

She wasn't here to flirt today.

She was here to fall apart.

He opened his arms, wordlessly.

She walked straight into them.

And then… she shattered.

"I need to tell you something," she whispered, voice trembling.

And so she did.

Everything.

The little five-year-old girl whose world flipped inside a neighbor's room.

The betrayal of a mother who didn't believe her.

The silence she was forced to live with for years.

The smile she wore like a mask.

The bruises that never left her mind.

The nights she begged God to just… let her vanish.

Her body trembled with every word. Her voice cracked. But she didn't stop. She wanted him to know. All of it. The ugly. The unfair. The terrifying.

When she was done, she didn't look up.

She expected silence. Maybe pity. Maybe fear.

But instead… Ruhan slowly sat down on the sidewalk, pulling her down with him. He took both her hands in his, kissed her knuckles gently, and placed them over his heart.

"Feel this?" he said softly. "It's beating only for you."

🌧️ When a Boy Loves You With His Soul

He looked straight into her teary eyes. Not a blink. Not a flinch.

"I know you think you're ruined, Siya.

But to me, you are divine.

Not despite your past—but because of it."

She broke again.

No one had ever said that to her before. No one had called her brave. No one had honored her pain like it was poetry.

Ruhan pulled her head onto his shoulder. She clung to him, like a little girl lost in a storm.

He didn't rush her.

He didn't say "calm down."

He just let her cry. Silently brushing away every tear. Kissing her forehead again and again.

Then he pulled out a tiny folded note from his wallet and placed it in her hand.

She opened it with trembling fingers.

"One day, I will marry you.

Not to fix you, but to walk beside you.

Not to heal you, but to hold you while you heal yourself.

I love every part of you. Even the ones you hide.

And I promise, you'll never fight alone again."

She couldn't believe what she was reading.

He was real. This wasn't a fantasy.

This boy existed. And he was in love with her. Not just her laughter or her face—but the version of her no one else had ever accepted.

💍 A Promise More Powerful Than Any Vow

He gently tilted her chin and said:

"I don't care how broken you think you are.

You've survived things that would destroy most people.

And you still smile?

Siya… you're the strongest person I know."

She whispered, "You're not scared of what I told you?"

He shook his head, slowly.

"I'm scared of losing you.

That's the only thing I'm scared of."

Then he did something she never expected.

He took off the bracelet he always wore—the one she once said she loved—and tied it around her wrist.

"This is your promise band now.

It means: I'm not going anywhere. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever."

And then, he kissed her.

But not like before.

This time, it wasn't lips touching. It was souls melting.

A kiss that said: "I know you. And I still choose you."

A kiss that healed something deep inside her that even she didn't know was bleeding.

🌅 A Beginning, Not an End

They sat there for what felt like hours. The sky cleared. The sun peeked through the clouds, like even it wanted to bless them.

And as Siya leaned on his shoulder, she thought—

"What did I do to deserve a love like this?"

But deep inside, she already knew.

She didn't have to earn love.

She only had to be seen. Truly seen.

And Ruhan?

He saw her.

Not for her pain.

Not for her past.

But for the fire in her eyes, the softness in her soul, and the kind of heart that still believed in love even after everything.

But now…

She had given him her truth.

Her darkness. Her vulnerability.

The question is…

Can even the brightest love survive all of it?

Or was this just a moment—destined to disappear?