Chapter 4: A Painful Choice
Rima stood there, unable to say anything.
Everything she believed for so long… was wrong.
Arian never stopped loving her.
He left to protect her.
But still… the pain he caused didn’t disappear so easily.
“Why did you come back now?” Rima finally asked.
Arian looked at her with tired eyes.
“Because I couldn’t stay away anymore… I tried, Rima. I really tried.”
Rima’s heart trembled.
She wanted to believe him… but her pain was still fresh.
“And your family?” she asked.
“Will they accept me now?”
Arian stayed silent.
That silence gave her the answer.
“They won’t… right?” she said, her voice breaking.
Arian slowly shook his head.
“No… they still don’t.”
Tears rolled down Rima’s cheeks.
“Then what’s the point, Arian?” she said.
“Are we going to go through the same pain again?”
Arian stepped closer.
“This time, I won’t leave you.”
Rima looked at him, confused.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m ready to fight for us,” Arian said firmly.
“No matter what it takes.”
For a moment, hope flickered in Rima’s heart.
But then fear took over.
“Fighting your family isn’t easy,” she said.
“And I don’t want to be the reason you lose them.”
“You’re not a reason to lose anything,” Arian replied.
“You’re the reason I want to keep everything.”
Rima closed her eyes.
Her heart was torn between love and fear.
She had already suffered once…
Could she go through it again?
“I need time,” she finally said.
Arian nodded.
“I’ll wait… no matter how long it takes.”
Rima turned away slowly.
As she walked away, tears kept falling from her eyes.
Love was still there…
But so was the pain.
And this time—
She had to choose carefully.
