Yugh and Yusuf had grown up side by side, bound not just by blood but by shared silence and understanding. 💯
From a young age, Yugh had taken on the role of the protector. Their father was distant, absorbed in business, while their mother, Melathi, managed the household with quiet authority. In that space, Yugh became Yusuf's constant,guiding him, defending him, listening when no one else did.
Yusuf, on the other hand, brought light into Yugh's structured world. He was curious, expressive, and unafraid to laugh loudly or speak freely. Where Yugh was calm and composed, Yusuf was warmth and spontaneity. 💡
They shared childhood secrets, late-night conversations, and dreams whispered under dim lights. Even as adults, that bond remained unchanged. No matter how heavy life became, Yusuf was the one person Yugh never had to explain himself to.
That afternoon, as they sat together playing video games, Yusuf glanced sideways at his brother. 🖥
"You know," he said casually, "you don't talk much these days."
Yugh smiled faintly. "I talk enough." 🙂
Yusuf didn't push. He never did. Some things didn't need words.
Elsewhere, in a much smaller and quieter home, Anisa sat alone. 😔
The apartment felt unusually empty without Zayan's presence. The ticking of the clock sounded louder than usual, and the walls seemed to echo with memories she hadn't invited.
She found herself drifting back to the life she had left behind.
Her parents' large house… her mother's strict expectations… her father's proud silence. Family dinners that felt formal rather than warm. And Kirana,her younger sister; who used to follow her everywhere, asking endless questions, clinging to her hand like Anisa was her entire world. 💞
Before marriage, Anisa's life had been controlled, predictable, and safe.
Now, it was uncertain,but chosen. 🧠
She had traded luxury for freedom, obedience for love. And yet, on evenings like this, when she sat alone with her thoughts, doubt crept in quietly. Not regret,never that, but a longing for familiarity, for the people she had left behind.
She wondered how much Kirana had grown.
Whether her mother still spoke her name with disappointment. 💭
Whether her father ever missed her at all.
Anisa hugged her knees to her chest, breathing in slowly. Her life had changed completely after marriage,new responsibilities, new dreams, and a new identity far removed from the daughter she once was. 🙃
She reminded herself why she had chosen this path.
Love. ❤
And love, she believed, was worth every sacrifice.
Yet as night settled in, wrapping both homes in silence, two lives,unaware of each other, were shaped by the same feeling.
Absence. ⛓