The hope

Amara’s POV

I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. No matter how hard I tried, they just kept streaming down my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them away—I let them flow freely, like the pain in my heart needed an escape.

I felt broken.

Gilan was so cold to me. The way he looked at me, the way he spoke—like I was nothing. He told me, without flinching, that he didn’t love me. That he stopped caring about me a long time ago. All this time, I was the only one holding onto us. The only one dreaming about a future. The only one who waited.

And it hurts. God, it hurts.

I walked out of the palace slowly, my heart heavy and shattered into pieces. The joy I had felt earlier—the excitement, the hope, the butterflies—all of it had died the moment I looked into his eyes and realized he didn’t want me anymore. I was nothing but a memory to him. Maybe not even that.

To him, I was a burden. A mistake.

I took a cab and went straight home. As soon as I stepped inside, I collapsed on my bed, my body shaking as I cried bitterly into my pillow. This wasn’t how I pictured the day going. This wasn’t how our love story was supposed to end.

Everything was ruined. My dreams, my hopes, my heart.

Then I heard a voice.

“When did you get back? I thought you'd spend the whole day at the palace?” Helen’s voice called from the hallway.

I turned my face away from the door, hoping she hadn’t seen the state I was in. I truly thought she had already gone back to her house. I didn’t notice her when I came in.

“Helen… were you here the whole time? I didn’t see you come in,” I replied quickly, trying to steady my voice, hoping it didn’t sound as broken as I felt.

“I just came back. I forgot something and stopped by to get it,” she said, walking toward me. Then she paused, looking concerned. “Why are you lying down like that? Amara… are you crying?”

I panicked inside. She knew me too well. I didn’t want her to see me like this—crying over a man. Crying over him.

“No, I’m not crying,” I lied. “Gilan was really tired, so I decided to come back home and let him rest.”

I avoided her eyes. I knew they were red and swollen, and the moment she looked at me closely, she would know the truth.

“Amara,” Helen said softly, stepping closer. “Please don’t lie to me. This isn’t like you. Something’s wrong, I can feel it. Just tell me what happened at the palace. Please.”

She reached for my hand and looked at me—truly looked at me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I broke down.

The tears returned like a storm and I collapsed into her arms, holding her tightly as I sobbed.

“It hurts, my friend… it hurts so much,” I cried.

“Oh Amara,” she whispered. “Tell me what happened. Why are you in this state? I’ve never seen you like this before.”

“Gilan… he said he doesn’t love me anymore,” I said, choking on my own words. “He broke up with me. He told me to move on… but how can I? I love him, Helen. I love him so deeply and I don’t know how to let go.”

Helen hugged me even tighter, stroking my back gently. “I’m so sorry, my friend. That’s awful. Did you tell the queen? Maybe she can talk to him.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I left the palace right after he ended things. I didn’t have the strength to speak to anyone else. I just needed to get out of there.”

“But why, Amara?” she asked gently. “The queen likes you. She would understand. She could help you.”

“I was too ashamed. If people find out Gilan rejected me, they’ll laugh. They’ll mock me. I’ll become the talk of the town. Everyone thinks we’re still together. I don’t know how to face them if they find out the truth.”

Helen held my face in her hands. “Stop worrying about what people will say. What matters right now is how you feel. You need to stand up for yourself. If the queen knows, she might convince him to rethink things.”

She was right. I hadn’t even considered that option. I was so caught up in the pain that I had forgotten the queen might be on my side. It had been foolish of me to leave the palace without speaking to her.

“Do you think I should call her?” I asked hesitantly.

“Yes. I think you should,” Helen replied firmly. “She deserves to know what her son did. And if she really cares about you—which I believe she does—she’ll talk to him. Maybe even scold him. How dare he hurt my beautiful friend like this.”

Her words gave me the strength I needed.

I sat up, wiped my face with a handkerchief, and picked up my phone. My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed the queen’s number.

She answered almost immediately.

Queen: “Yes, my dear. How are you? I’m sorry I wasn’t at the palace when you came by.”

Me: “It’s okay, Your Majesty. I went to see Gilan… but things didn’t go well.”

Queen: “What happened? Did something go wrong?”

Me: “He ended our relationship. He told me he doesn’t love me anymore. I’m heartbroken.”

There was a short pause on the other end before she spoke.

Queen: “Oh, my dear… I’m truly sorry to hear that. Please don’t cry. I will speak to him. Don’t lose hope. I promise you—everything will be alright.”

She ended the call with those words, and although I still felt hurt, something about her voice comforted me.

Helen leaned in, eager to hear what was said.

“What did she say?” she asked.

“She said she’ll talk to him,” I replied.

“Good. Let’s wait and hope for good news, my friend,” Helen said with a soft smile. “Maybe Gilan will come to his senses and realize he’s made a mistake. I’m praying for that.”

“I hope so too,” I whispered. “Gilan is the only man I’ve ever truly loved. I can’t let him go… not without a fight. He belongs to me, and no other woman will have him. I’ll make sure of it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Helen beamed. “So no more crying, okay? Everything will fall into place. I believe it.”

I smiled through the tears. Her words brought me a little bit of peace.

And deep down, I hoped she was right. I hoped that one day soon, Gilan would look at me again the way I looked at him.