Chapter 16
لا
الله
خلف
الحملة
المعالم
الالم
حالك
برقم
الوحا
الوحات
bab
+25 BONUS
Then I launched an internal coup. Honestly, it was the first time I ever touched a gun, and the first time I saw someone die right in front of me. At first, I thought I was clever. I assumed those people, who prided themselves on wielding power through guns, were nothing more than paper tigers.
“But I was wrong. I was betrayed. Their leader caught me and tortured me. They thought I was dead, so they threw me into the river. I wasn’t dead, but I was broken. My mind was shattered, and all I could recall of that time was a blur. They kicked me, called me a fool.
“After who knows how many twists and turns, I somehow ended up back in the country. I was forced to work like an animal, thrown out of stores, beaten by punks. That time… it was probably too painful, so I still can’t remember all of it. Until… until one person showed up.”
He tightened his grip on my hand, and his voice dropped, rougher now, filled with restraint. I could feel him fighting to hold something back.
“She smiled at me, took me home. She cooked for me, bought me new clothes. She gave me a sketchbook ar pens, so I drew her. She’d go to work, and when she was gone, I’d think of her and draw her again.” He swallowed hard. “You have no idea how much I loved her. I waited for Her every single day. But I was a fool. I made her angry. I ruined her home. I… I couldn’t even protect her. And then I forgot her.”
There was a heavy silence. The hum of the air conditioner filled the room, and a sliver of afternoon sunlight crept through the window, bathing the space in warmth.
He hugged me tightly, almost painfully so.
“How could I ever let her go?” His voice was raw. “You don’t understand how much I loved her, how much she meant to me. I’m a scoundrel, and I just can’t move on. I only want her. Even if she rejects me a hundred times, I’ll keep pursuing her. And when we’re both old and gray, I’ll steal her wheelchair. That way, she’ll have to sit in my arms.”
The wind outside howled, the chimes swaying on the porch. He held me close, but the moment I even made a move to leave, he pulled me tighter.
