In the Depth of the Heart - Chapter 41: Chapter 41
You are reading In the Depth of the Heart, Chapter 41: Chapter 41. Read more chapters of In the Depth of the Heart.
Kamal – Voice of the Heart (Part I)
> "Zuhra… I promised I wouldn’t give up on you.
But today… I’m scared I have no strength left.
If loving you ruins me, then I will still carry it with gratitude —
Because you are life… and I am the one dying."
Zuhra’s Home – Evening
The family car pulled up quietly by the gate. Zuhra stepped out slowly, feet moving but her heart resisting. The lights inside the house glowed warmly — laughter rang from Amir and Ruhan, her mother was speaking gently on the phone.
She walked in with controlled calm. Everyone turned and smiled. Brigadier Imran sat on his grand armchair. He glanced at his watch, then said:
> “Welcome back, Doctor Zuhra.”
She froze.
It was the first time he called her that without judgment or command.
Her mother stood with a bright smile, pulled her into a hug:
> “May Allah protect you. I heard Dr. Ragav praised you today.”
Amir and Ruhan cheered: “Doctor Zuhra! Doctor Zuhra!”
Zuhra smiled — but not with her heart. Before she could sit, Brigadier Imran handed her a small package, wrapped in neat white paper. Surprised, she accepted it.
> “A gift – for becoming someone we’re proud of.”
> “Thank you, Baba,” she replied, smiling faintly.
But inside, the word proud stung like salt on a wound.
Dinner passed in laughter. Her father even served her chicken himself.
> “Eat. You’ve had a long day.”
She ate quietly, forcing each bite. Though seated right beside her father, she felt farther than ever from that dinner table.
Zuhra – In Her Room
In her room, she sat at the edge of the bed, pressing a hand to her stomach. Her heart boiled.
She broke.
Not the kind of cry one hides.
But a painful sob — deep and messy.
> “I’ve lost everything… my dream… my freedom… my love…”
Amla’s voice returned to her mind:
> “Binya’s going to London now… Since your dad didn’t let you… they gave her your spot.”
Then her father’s words:
> “You’ve become someone to be proud of.”
And finally, Kamal’s voice — the one her soul refused to forget:
> “Zuhra… did you forget me?”
She dropped to the floor, hands over her head, weeping like someone begging God for breath.
Eventually, she rose, dragged herself to the window. Rain tapped gently on the glass.
> “If this rain could wash away pain,” she whispered, “I’d let it carry all my wounds.”
She opened her diary and wrote:
> “Tonight my heart is tangled in too many threads:
My father’s voice. Kamal’s silence. My family’s joy. My buried dream.
If this is growth — what then is childhood?
If this is success — what is waiting?”
Tears blurred the ink as they hit the page.
Kamal – In the Rain
Elsewhere, Kamal walked through the streets, no umbrella, no boots. His steps were slow, not from weight on his body — but from the weight in his chest.
> “Zuhra… I still can’t forget.
Not after your silence, not after the beating, not after falling.
I hear you in every note of this rain.
But I’ll keep walking —
Until God Himself decides the fate of our hearts.”
He reached Munir’s house and rang the bell.
Munir opened the door, staring in shock.
> “Kamal? Are you healed or just completely lost?”
Kamal didn’t respond. He walked past him, rain dripping, eyes distant.
> “Kamal! Are you okay?”
No answer.
Kamal climbed the stairs quickly, not turning back —
As though he was running from something inside him that might speak
… and destroy him if it did.
> "Zuhra… I promised I wouldn’t give up on you.
But today… I’m scared I have no strength left.
If loving you ruins me, then I will still carry it with gratitude —
Because you are life… and I am the one dying."
Zuhra’s Home – Evening
The family car pulled up quietly by the gate. Zuhra stepped out slowly, feet moving but her heart resisting. The lights inside the house glowed warmly — laughter rang from Amir and Ruhan, her mother was speaking gently on the phone.
She walked in with controlled calm. Everyone turned and smiled. Brigadier Imran sat on his grand armchair. He glanced at his watch, then said:
> “Welcome back, Doctor Zuhra.”
She froze.
It was the first time he called her that without judgment or command.
Her mother stood with a bright smile, pulled her into a hug:
> “May Allah protect you. I heard Dr. Ragav praised you today.”
Amir and Ruhan cheered: “Doctor Zuhra! Doctor Zuhra!”
Zuhra smiled — but not with her heart. Before she could sit, Brigadier Imran handed her a small package, wrapped in neat white paper. Surprised, she accepted it.
> “A gift – for becoming someone we’re proud of.”
> “Thank you, Baba,” she replied, smiling faintly.
But inside, the word proud stung like salt on a wound.
Dinner passed in laughter. Her father even served her chicken himself.
> “Eat. You’ve had a long day.”
She ate quietly, forcing each bite. Though seated right beside her father, she felt farther than ever from that dinner table.
Zuhra – In Her Room
In her room, she sat at the edge of the bed, pressing a hand to her stomach. Her heart boiled.
She broke.
Not the kind of cry one hides.
But a painful sob — deep and messy.
> “I’ve lost everything… my dream… my freedom… my love…”
Amla’s voice returned to her mind:
> “Binya’s going to London now… Since your dad didn’t let you… they gave her your spot.”
Then her father’s words:
> “You’ve become someone to be proud of.”
And finally, Kamal’s voice — the one her soul refused to forget:
> “Zuhra… did you forget me?”
She dropped to the floor, hands over her head, weeping like someone begging God for breath.
Eventually, she rose, dragged herself to the window. Rain tapped gently on the glass.
> “If this rain could wash away pain,” she whispered, “I’d let it carry all my wounds.”
She opened her diary and wrote:
> “Tonight my heart is tangled in too many threads:
My father’s voice. Kamal’s silence. My family’s joy. My buried dream.
If this is growth — what then is childhood?
If this is success — what is waiting?”
Tears blurred the ink as they hit the page.
Kamal – In the Rain
Elsewhere, Kamal walked through the streets, no umbrella, no boots. His steps were slow, not from weight on his body — but from the weight in his chest.
> “Zuhra… I still can’t forget.
Not after your silence, not after the beating, not after falling.
I hear you in every note of this rain.
But I’ll keep walking —
Until God Himself decides the fate of our hearts.”
He reached Munir’s house and rang the bell.
Munir opened the door, staring in shock.
> “Kamal? Are you healed or just completely lost?”
Kamal didn’t respond. He walked past him, rain dripping, eyes distant.
> “Kamal! Are you okay?”
No answer.
Kamal climbed the stairs quickly, not turning back —
As though he was running from something inside him that might speak
… and destroy him if it did.
End of In the Depth of the Heart Chapter 41. Continue reading Chapter 42 or return to In the Depth of the Heart book page.