Flashback – In the hospital
The father stood scared and tense. Beside him, the child wouldn't stop crying, drowning in guilt.
What made it worse was the way his father looked at him—with eyes full of blame and disbelief.
That look crushed the boy. It came from the closest person to his heart.
The doctor came out.
The father rushed to him. "Is she okay?"
The doctor reassured him, "She's alive. She was very close to death, but thankfully she's stable now. You can go see her."
The father and son entered the room.
The father held her hand and kissed her forehead.
She smiled at him. But when she saw the crying child behind him, her smile turned into fear and she screamed:
"Get him away from me! Get him away!"
Doctors and nurses rushed into the room.
The father, full of anger, yelled:
"Get out of here, you monster!"
The boy cried harder and left the room, heartbroken and confused.
Why do the people who love me see a monster? I'm just a child. I was trying to protect her. Why don't they understand? Why are they being so unfair?
The father turned to the doctor:
"Why did that happen to her?"
Doctor: "We gave her a sedative. But she's in deep psychological shock. Her own son shot her. Maybe it was while trying to protect her, but still… it's painful. Did she experience trauma in her childhood?"
The father was silent for a moment, then said:
"Yes. Her father was accused of murder and sent to prison. From what I heard, he was violent with her and used to hit her."
Doctor: "It's hard to say exactly what she's feeling. Maybe she connected the two events in her mind. Or maybe it was being so close to death. For now, it's better to separate her from the child until she stabilizes."
Father (firmly): "The child will go nowhere. But the mother stays."
---
"Please, Dad. I don't want to go to that place. I'm sorry… I'm really sorry for everything,"
The child cried as they stood outside an orphanage with a boarding school.
The father grabbed the boy's hand tightly and walked him inside.
He completed the paperwork with the director, all while the boy begged him not to leave him alone.
The father began to feel a little sad. He knelt down to be at eye level with his son and said:
"Listen. I'm not abandoning you. Your mother needs time to heal. Once she's better, we'll be back together. So be strong. Show them you're innocent. Be a good person."
Boy: "Then let me stay with my uncle or someone from the family."
Father (with pity): "No one wants you. To everyone else, you're a killer. No one believes a thief broke into the house. Maybe you're telling the truth, but..."
Boy: "Mom knows there was a thief! He threatened her!"
Father: "Believe me... she said she doesn't remember any of that."
The boy was shocked. He cried even harder.
Someone came to take the child to join the others.
The boy, crying heavily, said to his father:
"I don't want to go. Please, Dad. You're everything to me. Please."
But the father turned away and walked off, hiding his own tears.
He had just left his son behind.
Tears poured down the child's face like a waterfall.
---
In the present
Reza woke up crying uncontrollably.
"Why does this crying come back stronger every day?"
"Why, Dad? Why, Mom?"
He tried to hold back his tears, but the more he tried, the more they fell.
He didn't know how to stop this endless flood.
---
Inside Reza's mind
Menna, you're my hope—hope to learn what love means again.
If you can stop my morning sadness… I promise I won't throw away your book. So please, try your best.
---
"Hello, Menna."
"Oh, hi… Rami, right?"
Rami's thoughts: Ha. You're pretending to barely remember me.
Rami (smiling): "Yes. I hope you didn't forget anything this time."
Menna: "No, nothing. Do you need something?"
Rami's thoughts: I'm not sure if you're just not interested or pretending to be hard to get. But from your social media, I know your interests.
Rami: "Yes, I want you to explain a novel to me."
Menna smiled a little: "Do you actually read?"
Rami: "I do. I started recently because someone beautiful I know likes reading too."
Menna blushed: "Okay, what kind of stories do you like?"
Rami: "Romantic ones—where the hero gives up everything for love."
Menna (surprised): "That's exactly what I like! Okay, I have books at home. I'll bring you one tomorrow."
Rami (smiling): "Great. But don't forget," he said playfully, pointing at her.
---
Rami's thoughts: I don't know why I'm watching you… but it doesn't matter.
Rami followed Menna as she walked home. She paused to check something on her phone—maybe for directions—and kept walking until she reached a narrow alley where two men were waiting.
Rami's thoughts: What's going on? Are they tricking her?
The two men tried to grab her. She resisted fiercely.
Rami's thoughts:
Not yet. If I save her when she's lost hope, she might fall for the one who becomes her light.
He waited until Menna was exhausted from fighting and the men were about to succeed.
At that moment—just as hope faded—Rami stepped in and tried to protect her.
But the men grabbed him and started beating him brutally.
Menna lost consciousness.
The men, tired of beating Rami, insulted him and ran away.
Rami smiled through his bloody mouth, picked up Menna, and called a taxi to take her to the hospital.