Another workday, late afternoon. The studio was unusually quiet, projects progressing smoothly. On paper, everything was perfect.
Yugh stepped out of his glass-walled office. Anisa was nearby, inspecting a newly finished mural. đ
"We should expand," Yugh said, the words emerging almost by accident. "A second branch. Zahra's capital makes it possible. That name, again."
Anisa stopped her inspection and slowly turned to face him. "We agreed," she said, her voice low and controlled. "We agreed we wouldn't build decisions on her name." đŁ
Yugh took a deep breath. "We agreed not to hide from it. Not to pretend it doesn't exist."
"Zahra is the reason you're here," Anisa stated, her tone hardening. "I let you stay because the studio needed stability. Don't mistake that for permission." đŁ
"Permission?" Yugh's voice sharpened slightly. "This is a partnership."
Anisa offered a short, hollow laugh. "A partnership built on my husband's infidelity and your wife's betrayal." đ
Yugh's eyes darkened. "Zayan made his choices. Zahra made hers. Why else would she have poured money into this studio?"
"Because she loved Zayan," Anisa said, taking a step closer. "And every time you say her name here, you're dragging both of them back into this room."
The silence that followed was long and heavy. đ€
When Yugh finally spoke again, his voice was softer. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was thinking of the business."
"Then let's research it properly," Anisa said, turning back to the mural. "For now, this way is fine." đ
Yugh took a step back. "Then perhaps," he said quietly, "we're not building the same future here after all."
Anisa nodded slowly, a gesture of profound weariness rather than agreement. "Perhaps we never were." đ
They stood there, two people bound by a shared truth and a shared wound, still unable to find a way past the damage.
The studio lights remained on, bright and clinical. đĄ
So did the partnership.
But something invisible between them had just torn a little further. đŹ