Orphan of Hearts

It was a summer evening. Hadiya was sitting on her balcony under the open sky, her eyes closed. She looked as if she were lost in another world, completely unaware of her surroundings—as if only her body was present while her soul wandered elsewhere. Suddenly, the alarm broke the chains that connected her to that distant world.

She opened her eyes and glanced to her left, inside the room, where a clock hung lazily on the wall, showing 5:45 PM. Her eyes widened in surprise. Quickly slipping into her slippers, she rushed into her room and headed straight to her cupboard. Her eyes scanned through her clothes, searching for something to wear, until they fell upon her navy blue jeans, a blush pink jacket over a white shirt.

Without wasting a moment, she grabbed them and went to the washroom. After getting ready, she returned to her dressing table, carefully tide her hair in high pony tail, applied a touch of perfume, and stepped outside. But before leaving, she paused, turned back, and looked at her room with a deep sigh. Then she quietly shut the door behind her.

Walking downstairs toward the main door, she stopped briefly in the kitchen, drank a glass of water, grabbed an apple, and then left her house quietly.

After leaving the house, she headed toward the garage. There, she walked straight to her “kitten” — her Suzuki Hayabusa. Slipping on her helmet, she started the engine, and within seconds, she was out on the road.

She sped onto the highway, riding at full speed, overtaking vehicles and pulling off small stunts with effortless control. The wind rushed past her, but her focus remained sharp. Within fifteen minutes, she reached her destination.

As she stopped her bike with a loud, roaring sound, everyone turned to look at her. A group of girls came running toward her, shouting excitedly.

“Hadiya! Hadiya! Hadiya! Yoo—Kitten’s Master finally decided to show herself after six whole months! We really thought you’d never come back… or race again!”

Hadiya looked at them with her usual calm, unreadable expression. It always left people wondering—did she ever laugh? Did she even smile? Many had asked her to smile just once.

“You live a life most people dream of,” they would say, “but you still act so grumpy. Smiling won’t cost you anything.”

As always, she simply narrowed her eyes at them, and that was enough. They immediately fell silent, their chatter fading into an awkward quiet.

The atmosphere shifted until a boy came running toward her, slightly out of breath.

“H-Hadiya… get ready. The race is about to start. You don’t have much time—get to your spot, quick!”

She began putting on her helmet properly when he added,

“And yeah… there’s someone new today. Not one of the regulars. He might be a newbie, but he knows all kinds of racing techniques. So be careful. Oh—and one more thing… no one’s ever seen his face or knows his real name. Everyone just calls him ‘Knight.’”

Hadiya glanced at him, her voice steady and confident.

“I don’t care who he is or what he knows. In the end, I’ll be the one winning—like always. No one can beat my kitten.”

She paused for a second, then added coldly,

“And by the way… thanks for the information—and for wasting my time.”

Saying that, she snapped her helmet shut and rode toward the starting point, leaving everyone stunned by her response. Some began cheering loudly—thrilled that she was finally back—while others exchanged jealous glances.

She turned her head slightly to the left. Her opponent was already there, sitting on his bike, his helmet hiding his face. Hadiya lifted her visor just enough to look at him, then raised two fingers to her eyes and pointed them toward him—a silent warning: I’m watching you.

He chuckled softly and turned his gaze back to the track as the race was about to begin.

The referee stepped forward and raised his flag.

“1… 2… 3!”

The flag dropped.

Both bikes shot forward at the same time, engines roaring as they tore down the track. The Knight stayed focused, his movements precise and controlled. For a while, they rode side by side, perfectly matched.

Then suddenly—he surged ahead.

Hadiya’s eyes narrowed as she fell slightly behind. A wave of shock spread through the crowd. It was the first time anyone had ever seen her being overtaken like this.

Her grip tightened.

“If you love me, kitten… then make me win. Like always.”

With that, she pushed harder, accelerating fiercely. In one swift motion, she lifted the front wheel of her bike, riding it with effortless balance. The crowd erupted in excitement.

The Knight glanced back for a split second, surprised to see her pulling off the stunt so easily—as if it were child’s play. But he quickly turned forward again, refocusing on the race.

Hadiya wasn’t far behind now.

She accelerated once more, her bike roaring louder as she closed the gap—and then, in a sharp burst of speed, she overtook him.

The crowd went wild.

Just like that, Hadiya reclaimed her place. Even after six months away, no one had been able to take her throne.

As she crossed the finish line, she smoothly lifted the rear wheel before bringing the bike to a perfect stop.

Removing her helmet, she glanced at the cheering audience—and then at the Knight, who still seemed frozen in shock.

Without a word, she walked past him toward the stage, where the winner would be announced and the prize was waiting for her.

As she made her way to the stage through the crowd, the Knight moved closer, stopping at the front row where he could see everything clearly.

The host smiled and spoke into the mic, “So, Hadiya—will you take the cheque or the new model of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R?”

Hadiya didn’t even pause. “Cheque.”

The host handed it to her, and a wave of whispers spread through the audience.

“She always chooses money as her prize…”

“What does she even do with it?”

“She’s so private… no one can ever read her.”

“You can’t even tell if she’s happy or not.”

The Knight listened quietly as the murmurs grew louder.

Then another group stepped in, their tone sharper, colder.

“What else would she do with all that money? Probably wastes it on herself… clubbing, parties…”

Their words carried clear bitterness.

Before things could go further, a few girls stepped forward.

“Never judge a book by its cover, Aliza,” one of them said firmly. “You always talk like this about her. Do you have any proof? If you can’t say something good, then don’t say anything at all.”

Aliza scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Don’t tell me what to do or not.”

The Knight remained silent, observing everything.

Just then, the crowd began to quiet down.

Hadiya was walking toward them.

As she approached, holding the cheque in her hand, everyone fell silent. Her presence alone was enough.

“What’s going on here?” she asked calmly.

Aliza stepped forward first. “Why don’t you tell us, Hadiya?”

Hadiya narrowed her eyes slightly. “What do you want to know?”

Aliza smirked. “Why do you always take the cheque instead of the bikes? And where do you spend all that money?”

Hadiya glanced around at the crowd, then fixed her gaze directly on Aliza.

“Why don’t you guess?” she said coolly. “Go on—tell me where you think I spend it.”

Aliza hesitated for a moment before replying nervously, “Umm… maybe on clubbing… or for your own pleasure. I mean, you’re young… you must have desires.”

Hadiya raised an eyebrow at her answer.

But instead of replying, she turned away.

Walking back to her “kitten,” she put on her helmet. Just before starting her bike, she looked over her shoulder—and winked at Aliza.

The crowd was left in confusion.

Without another word, she sped off into the night.

The roads were quieter now as she rode at full speed. The cool air brushed past her, but her thoughts remained unreadable.

After half an hour, she reached home.

She parked her bike in the garage, removed her helmet, and walked toward the house. Taking out her keys, she unlocked the door and stepped inside quietly.

She had barely taken another step—

When suddenly, the lights turned on.

“Where were you till this late?”

Hadiya froze mid-step as the voice echoed through the hall.