In the Depth of the Heart - Chapter 34: Chapter 34
You are reading In the Depth of the Heart, Chapter 34: Chapter 34. Read more chapters of In the Depth of the Heart.
Zuhra’s House – After Exams
The exams ended with exhaustion, anxiety, and a wave of fear. Despite all the studying she did with Rushna’s help, Zuhra still felt unprepared. Even after giving it her best, her heart swirled with doubt:
"Was it enough?"
"Will my father be satisfied?"
"What if my results get me expelled?"
Brigadier Imran had insisted on delaying his return to Pune. He chose to stay until her results were out — unwilling to trust any move from her until then. This added more pressure on Zuhra. Every time she looked at her phone, she found messages from Kamal — texts, missed calls, even voice notes. But she never responded. She either deleted them or turned off her phone and lay down, feeling like she was back inside a sharper, quieter prison.
She knew her heart still felt Kamal — still called for him. But the fear, the weight of what had happened, stopped her from trusting even herself.
Munir’s House – Hyderabad
Kamal was beginning to physically recover from the beating by Usman and John. Still, he hadn’t returned to the university. He missed every exam. Day after day, he stayed indoors — lying or sitting, holding his phone.
He kept messaging Zuhra, calling her, waiting for a reply like a boy abandoned by love.
> “Zuhra… have you forgotten me?”
“Even if you hate me… just say it. Don’t leave me in silence.”
“Your silence hurts more than any bruise ever could…”
Munir came back from school and saw Zuhra on campus, but he always said to Kamal:
> “I haven’t seen her. Maybe she stopped attending too.”
He knew Kamal couldn’t bear the idea of her being close — yet cold and distant. As a friend, Munir chose to protect Kamal’s heart, even with little lies.
But Kamal remained trapped in an inner fire — one that love had lit, but silence now burned. At night, he stared at messages that never got answered. In the morning, he waited for calls that would never come.
Zuhra – Paralyzed by Fear
Zuhra had no certainty left. She didn’t know her exam results. She didn’t know what would happen when her father saw them. She didn’t even know how to face Kamal anymore.
Still, her heart trembled whenever Kamal’s name lit up on her screen. But she forced herself to treat him like a memory she had no choice but to forget.
The exam was over.
But a new test — one of the heart — had just begun.
The exams ended with exhaustion, anxiety, and a wave of fear. Despite all the studying she did with Rushna’s help, Zuhra still felt unprepared. Even after giving it her best, her heart swirled with doubt:
"Was it enough?"
"Will my father be satisfied?"
"What if my results get me expelled?"
Brigadier Imran had insisted on delaying his return to Pune. He chose to stay until her results were out — unwilling to trust any move from her until then. This added more pressure on Zuhra. Every time she looked at her phone, she found messages from Kamal — texts, missed calls, even voice notes. But she never responded. She either deleted them or turned off her phone and lay down, feeling like she was back inside a sharper, quieter prison.
She knew her heart still felt Kamal — still called for him. But the fear, the weight of what had happened, stopped her from trusting even herself.
Munir’s House – Hyderabad
Kamal was beginning to physically recover from the beating by Usman and John. Still, he hadn’t returned to the university. He missed every exam. Day after day, he stayed indoors — lying or sitting, holding his phone.
He kept messaging Zuhra, calling her, waiting for a reply like a boy abandoned by love.
> “Zuhra… have you forgotten me?”
“Even if you hate me… just say it. Don’t leave me in silence.”
“Your silence hurts more than any bruise ever could…”
Munir came back from school and saw Zuhra on campus, but he always said to Kamal:
> “I haven’t seen her. Maybe she stopped attending too.”
He knew Kamal couldn’t bear the idea of her being close — yet cold and distant. As a friend, Munir chose to protect Kamal’s heart, even with little lies.
But Kamal remained trapped in an inner fire — one that love had lit, but silence now burned. At night, he stared at messages that never got answered. In the morning, he waited for calls that would never come.
Zuhra – Paralyzed by Fear
Zuhra had no certainty left. She didn’t know her exam results. She didn’t know what would happen when her father saw them. She didn’t even know how to face Kamal anymore.
Still, her heart trembled whenever Kamal’s name lit up on her screen. But she forced herself to treat him like a memory she had no choice but to forget.
The exam was over.
But a new test — one of the heart — had just begun.
End of In the Depth of the Heart Chapter 34. Continue reading Chapter 35 or return to In the Depth of the Heart book page.