---
Zainab stared at the message from Kamal.
The man she was supposed to marry.
The man who was replaced… by Yusuf.
Her heart raced.
He wanted to talk.
To make things right.
But what did right even mean anymore?
---
Later that evening, Yusuf noticed her distracted.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
She looked at him—this man who had shattered her… and now stood there trying to be whole.
"Someone from my past reached out."
He stiffened. "Who?"
"The man I was supposed to marry before you."
Silence.
"Are you thinking about going back?" he asked quietly.
Zainab studied him. "I'm thinking about what I deserve."
---
The next day, Zainab agreed to meet Kamal. At a quiet café.
When she saw him—tall, kind-eyed, familiar—her breath caught.
"You look stronger," he said softly.
"I had to be," she replied.
They talked. About the past. About how her parents forced the switch. About how he had tried to stop it—but was told she agreed.
"I never stopped asking about you," Kamal confessed. "I didn't stop caring."
For a second, Zainab wanted to believe him.
Until he reached across the table and said:
"Leave him. Come with me. I'll make you happy. I'll undo what they did to you."
And in that moment… something inside her snapped.
---
She pulled her hand back.
"No man gets to decide my story anymore. Not you. Not Yusuf."
Kamal looked shocked. "I just want to fix this."
Zainab stood, calm and graceful.
"I don't need to be rescued. I already saved myself."
And with that, she walked away—head high, heart steady.
---
That night, Yusuf was waiting when she got home.
"Did you see him?" he asked.
"Yes."
"And…?"
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"I chose me."
---
Later, Yusuf came to her room again. This time, he didn't ask for forgiveness.
He knelt. And whispered:
"Then let me choose you too. Not for the cameras. Not for the family. Just… for us."
Zainab looked down at him.
For the first time, he meant it.
But could she ever trust him again?