Umair insisted on spending time with Ayesha.
But something felt… different.
He got jealous easily.He questioned her phone calls.He doubted her messages.
When Ayesha got quiet, Umair snapped:
"Are you thinking about him again?"
Ayesha frowned.
"No, Umair. I'm just tired."
Umair grabbed her wrist.
"Don't lie to me."
Ayesha pulled her hand back harshly.
Her heartbeat raced.
Something dark flickered in Umair's eyes—something she had never seen
before.
For the first time, she felt uncomfortable around Umair.
He wasn't the same boy she remembered.
He was harsher.More controlling.More insecure.
She whispered:
"What happened to you, Umair?"
He looked away.
"Life changed me."
Ayesha wondered:
"Was this the man I left Yasir for?"
Yasir stopped being the soft, shy boy he once was.
He became quieter.More distant.More focused.
He spent nights studying, working, training—anything to distract himself.
His friends noticed:
"Yasir… what happened to you?"
He only said:
"I'm done expecting."
He didn't know that his transformation would soon turn him into someone
Ayesha would never forget
Love in the Shadows
One evening, Ayesha saw an old picture of her and Yasir.
Her breath hitched.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She whispered:
"I broke the wrong heart."
Tears fell.
She messaged Yasir—
then deleted it.
But the regret stayed.
Deep.Sharp.Heavy.
Umair got a call.
Ayesha overheard part of the conversation:
"I told you I will manage her.""No, she doesn't know anything.""Just don't call
me again."
Ayesha froze.
Manage… her?
She stepped back, heart pounding.
When Umair saw her, he forced a smile.
"Ayesha… you're back?"
She didn't smile.
"Umair… who was that?"
He stiffened.
"No one."
Ayesha looked into his eyes—
and saw a lie.
A big one.
A dangerous one.
Ayesha tried ignoring her doubts.But they grew stronger.
Umair was hiding something.Something serious.
Every time she questioned him, he changed the topic.Every time she asked
about his past year, he got defensive.
Her heart felt uneasy.
Love in the Shadows
Her mind whispered:
"You made a mistake."
Her soul whispered:
"Yasir would never have lied to you…"
She pressed her hands to her face, breathing heavily.
She had traded peace for chaos.
That night, she opened Yasir's chat.
She typed:
"Yasir… are you okay?"
Her finger hovered over 'send.'
For a full minute.
Her tears dropped on the screen.
But she didn't send it.
Because she felt she had no right.
She closed the chat.But her heart remained open.
Yasir sat alone in the academy lawn.
A soft breeze brushed past him.
For some reason…he suddenly felt her.
Her presence.Her sadness.Her regret.
His heart whispered:
"Is she thinking about me?""Does she miss me?"
He shut his eyes.
But even then…the memory of her smile haunted him.
Umair's Anger Reveals More
Umair got angry the next day when Ayesha ignored his calls.
He arrived at her place without permission.
"Why weren't you answering?"
Ayesha frowned.
"I needed space."
Umair's jaw clenched.
"Space for whom? For him?"
Ayesha stepped back.
Fear crept into her chest.
There was something dark in Umair.Something possessive.Something
dangerous.
She realized:
This wasn't love.This was obsession.
That night, Ayesha's heart finally admitted the truth:
She missed Yasir.She trusted Yasir.She felt safe with Yasir.She loved Yasir.
And Umair…wasn't who she thought he was.
The episode ends with Ayesha whispering into the night:
"Yasir… I need you."
And far away, Yasir opened his eyes suddenly—as if he heard her heart calling
his name.
The storm was just beginning.
A week had passed since Ayesha walked away.
A week of nights Yasir couldn't sleep…
A week of days he pretended to breathe.
Everyone thought he was fine.He laughed.He studied.He replied "I'm okay."
But no one knew…
Every time his phone buzzed,his heart still whispered her name.
And every time it wasn't her,a piece of him fell apart silently.
He wasn't angry.He wasn't hateful.
He was simply… empty.
Meanwhile, Ayesha wasn't at peace either.
Umair had returned to her life, yes…but something felt wrong.
His presence felt heavier now.Clingier.Strangely possessive.
But the real weight in her heart was something else:
Yasir's silence.
The boy who used to message her first…who used to wait for her good
morning…who used to care too much…
Love in the Shadows
Now didn't message at all.
And this silence…haunted her.
One evening, after hours of hesitation,Ayesha finally typed:
"Yasir… are you okay?"
She stared at the screen…waiting…regretting…shaking.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Then finally…
A single message arrived:
"Yes. Hope you're doing good too."
Formal.Cold.Soft.Polite.But distant.
Ayesha felt a sharp sting in her chest.
This wasn't him.Not her Yasir.Not the boy who once wrote,"Talk to me… I feel
incomplete without your words."
This was a stranger.
A polite stranger.
Yasir read her message at least twenty times.
He wanted to type:
"I'm not okay.""You broke me.""Why did you leave?""I still miss you."
But he typed none of that.
He chose the safest reply.
The most mature reply.
The most heart-shattering reply:
"I'm good."
Because he knew…
If he opened his heart again,even one inch…
he would fall apart completely.
Ayesha's Jealousy Awakens
Ayesha couldn't understand:
Why wasn't he asking about her?Why wasn't he angry?Why wasn't he hurt?
Why… did he sound so normal?
She typed again:
Love in the Shadows
"You changed."
Yasir read the message…
smiled painfully…
and replied:
"People grow."
Ayesha's chest tightened.
She didn't want him to grow away from her.Not like this.Not this fast.
Umair noticed her behavior.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"
Ayesha froze.
Umair's tone was sharp.
Jealous.
Possessive.
"I asked you something."
Ayesha avoided his eyes.
"No… I was just checking a message."
Umair didn't believe her.
His voice dropped lower:
"Stay away from him."
Ayesha felt something dark twist inside her.
Stay away?
From whom?
A boy who treated her with pure love?A boy who never demanded anything?A
boy who never hurt her?
Umair had no right.
But she didn't say it out loud.
Not yet.
Days passed.
Ayesha messaged occasionally.
Yasir replied politely every time:
Short.Simple.Respectful.Neutral.
Never rude.Never bitter.Never desperate.
Just distant enough to protect his heart.
Just warm enough not to look cruel.
Love in the Shadows
Continue.....