THE BOY WHO FORGOT LOVE

— PRESENT DAY—

The room was too bright for comfort. Fluorescent light hummed above Inspector Khalid Musa’s head as he leaned back in his chair, reading through another witness report. The file was already thick photographs, transcripts, blood analysis, press clippings, but something still didn’t fit.

Across from him sat Sergeant Ameen, younger, restless, eyes red from sleepless nights.

“Sir,” Ameen said quietly, “social media’s killing her. They’re calling her a predator now. Saying she bewitched him.”

Khalid didn’t look up. “Nazneen Mansur?”

“Yes. They said she ruined his life. That she was too old, too desperate. That the boy lost his way because of her.”

Khalid closed the file and rubbed his temples. “People love building monsters from things they don’t understand.”

Ameen exhaled sharply. “But the evidence… the hotel, the blood, Sofia’s death… even the family’s turned on her.”

“That’s exactly why we don’t trust what people say,” Khalid replied. “We trust what we can prove.”

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard covered in photographs, the hotel room circled in red, Sofia’s lifeless body sprawled on the carpet, Nazneen and Ajeed in separate cuffs.

He pointed to Ajeed’s picture, taken the night of the arrest. “You see that look? That’s not guilt. That’s confusion.”

“So… you think he didn’t remember?”

Khalid nodded. “The reports said he lost pieces of his past after the accident. But I want to know how a man forgets everything except the woman he shouldn’t love.”

Ameen frowned. “Then how did it all begin?”

Khalid turned slowly, his eyes narrowing. “That’s what I need you to find out. Start from after his accident. When the boy who forgot love began to remember again.”

— Flashback — Months After the Accident —

The morning light spilled across the marble floors of the Abdur-Rauf mansion. Birds chirped somewhere in the garden, but inside, the house felt like a hospital too clean, too silent.

Ajeed sat by the window in his wheelchair, his hands motionless on his lap. A faint scar traced the side of his forehead, disappearing into his hairline.

A physiotherapist knelt beside him, adjusting the brace around his leg. “We’re doing good progress today,” she said kindly. “Try to stand again.”

He nodded, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself up. The muscles burned, his breath quickened, but he stayed upright.

“Good,” she smiled. “You’re getting stronger.”

Rakiya stood at the doorway, watching, her hands clasped. “That’s enough for today.”

The therapist turned. “Just a few more steps...”

“I said enough.” Her voice left no room for argument.

After the woman left, Rakiya walked to her son, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. “You don’t have to push yourself so hard.”

He looked out the window again. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

“You’re not missing anything,” she said quickly. “You have us. You have Lamia.”

At the sound of that name, his eyes clouded. “Lamia… she’s my fiancée, right?”

“Yes,” Rakiya smiled tightly. “She’s been waiting for you.”

He nodded slowly, as if convincing himself. “Then why do I feel like someone else has been waiting too?”

Her smile faded. “You’re still recovering, Ajeed. Don’t let strange dreams confuse you.”

But dreams were all he had flashes of laughter, a woman’s perfume, a voice saying “you’re not a small boy anymore.”
He didn’t know who she was.
He only knew he missed her.

Across the City — Zaya Designs

Nazneen sat behind her office desk, head bowed, papers untouched. The designs that once filled her with pride now felt empty.

She hadn’t laughed in months.
Even her mother, Haj. Zainabu, noticed.

At night, she’d knock softly. “Zeen, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Mama,” she’d reply the same lie every night.

But she wasn’t fine.
The news had spread, Ajeed Abdur-Rauf engaged to Lamia Lawan.

It played on every social media post, every gossip blog about the mysterious sudden engagement, just right after the incidents.

The Predator and the Savior

Kareem leaned against the doorframe of her office, a coffee cup in hand. “You’ve been staring at the same sketch for fifteen minutes.”

Nazneen looked up, startled. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”

He smiled faintly. “You make it too easy.”

She sighed, pushing her files aside. “What do you want, Kareem?”

“To help,” he said simply, stepping closer. “You’ve been off lately. You don’t sleep, you barely eat, and I’ve seen your hands shake when someone mentions the Abdur-Raufs.”

Her eyes flickered with irritation. “You’ve been watching me?”

“I care about the company,” he replied smoothly. “And maybe about its director.”

She looked at him sharply. “Don’t start.”

“I’m not starting anything,” he said. “I just think you deserve someone who sees you.... not what people say about you.”

The words hung between them, soft, tempting.
But she looked away. “Be careful, Kareem. You don’t know me.”

“Oh,” he said with a small smirk. “I intend to.”

Nightfall at Zaya

Later that week, Lamia paid a surprise visit to Zaya Designs officially to “partner” with the company for her charity event. Unofficially, to observe.

She walked through the office with cold poise, stopping when she saw Nazneen at the far end of the corridor.
Their eyes met and something unspoken passed between them.

“You must be Director Nazneen,” Lamia said sweetly. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“All good, I hope,” Nazneen replied politely, though her heart was racing.

“Of course.” Lamia’s smile was all teeth. “You’ve done well for yourself… after everything.”

Nazneen didn’t reply, but Kareem, standing nearby, caught the tension immediately.

After Lamia left, he followed her to the parking lot. “Interesting visit,” he said, smirking. “You two have a history?”

Lamia raised an eyebrow. “You’re sharper than you look.”

“Try me,” he said.

She leaned closer. “Let’s just say we both want the same thing.”

He tilted his head. “And what’s that?”

“Her downfall.”

“Excuse me?” Nazneen said. Lamia smile... they have a serious conversation regarding the partnership, but it didn’t sit quite well with Nazneen, and she rejected the offer which hurt both Lamia and Kareem so horribly. They left adding up to their plans as they all wish for something.

She wanted Ajeed.
He wanted Nazneen.
And they would burn whoever stood in their way.

The Unseen Thread

Back at the mansion, Ajeed began to walk again, his steps slow but determined.
Every move reminded him of pain not from the injury, but from the emptiness he couldn’t explain.

Sometimes, he’d dream of a face blurred by sunlight, smiling softly, saying his name.
When he woke, he’d whisper to himself, who are you?

And far away, in her office, Nazneen would pause mid-sketch, a tear slipping down her cheek without reason.

Some bonds, once made, never break.
Even when memory fades.

Present Day — The Interrogation Room

The sound of a recorder clicked on. Khalid leaned forward.
“So,” he said, eyes sharp, “after the accident, he forgot her. But somehow, they found each other again. How? That’s what I want to understand.”

Sergeant Ameen adjusted his notes. “That’s where it gets messy, sir. Everyone’s story changes. Some say she went after him. Others say he started remembering on his own. But one thing’s clear, once he remembered, they couldn’t stay away from each other.”

Khalid’s gaze darkened. “And that’s when the real story began. The one that ends with Sofia’s body in a hotel room.”

He closed the file with a quiet snap.
“Continue the narration,” he said. “Let’s see what love looks like when it refuses to die.”