Chapter 1 : A TWIST IN TIME
The baby monitor let out a soft, crackling noise, and I instinctively leaned forward, holding my breath. No cries—just the rustle of tiny limbs adjusting.
“You’re obsessed,” he teased, sipping his coffee.
“Says the guy who spent thirty minutes rearranging the stuffed animals in the crib last night,” I shot back, smirking.
“Fair point,” he admitted, leaning back with a grin. “I just want him to know Mr. Bunny always has his back.”
We laughed, the kind of easy laughter that came from knowing someone too well. But as the sound faded, my mind wandered.
“I still can’t believe we’re here,” I murmured, almost to myself.
He tilted his head. “You’ve been saying that a lot lately. What’s going on in that overthinking head of yours?”
I hesitated, fiddling with the edge of my sleeve. How could I explain the swirl of emotions that always seemed to hit me at quiet moments like this?
“Sometimes I feel like I’ve lived two completely different lives,” I admitted. “The person I was before… all of this? She feels like a stranger.”
He nodded, his expression thoughtful. “You don’t talk about her much. The ‘before’ you.”
I shifted, wrapping my arms around myself. “Because it doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Maybe you should,” he said gently. “It might help you figure out who you are now.”
I didn’t know if I was ready to go down that path. The road that led me here wasn’t simple, wasn’t straight, and certainly wasn’t predictable. But maybe, just maybe, it was time to uncover the parts of myself that I had buried deep.
For a long moment, we sat there in silence, the quiet hum of the monitor filling the space between us. My fingers hovered over the phone on the table. A thought had been nagging me for weeks, and I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to give it life.
“I’m thinking about writing,” I finally said, surprising both of us.
“About what?” he asked, his voice cautious but intrigued.
“My past,” I whispered. “I don’t know… it’s complicated. But I think it might help me understand everything that’s led me to this point.”
He was quiet for a moment, clearly processing. “You’ve always been good with words. You’ve got a story, Amal. Maybe writing it down is exactly what you need.”
The weight of his words settled on me. I’d always kept my past tucked away, hidden in the corners of my mind where it couldn’t touch the present. But what if it was the key to unlocking the future?
I smiled faintly, feeling the first flicker of excitement. “Maybe you’re right.”
And with that, a new chapter of my life was about to begin.
