THEY LOVED EACH OTHER-UNTIL THE WORLD MADE SURE THEY COULD'Nt
Chapter 1: The Noise
Fatima loved Darren—but loving him meant never being at peace.
She learned that early on, the moment she realized their relationship was never just between the two of them. There was always a voice. A comment. An opinion she didn't ask for but was expected to carry.
"Are you sure about him?"
"You deserve better."
"He's changing you."
Sometimes the voices came from family. Other times from friends who smiled at her but whispered doubts the moment her back was turned. Even strangers felt entitled to judge the way she loved.
At first, she ignored it.
Love was supposed to be louder than noise.
Darren used to make her laugh easily. He used to listen. He used to look at her like the world disappeared when she walked into a room. But slowly, the weight of everyone else's words began to settle between them—heavy and unspoken.
"You let them get into your head too much," Darren said one evening, his tone sharp but tired.
Fatima looked at him, confused. "I'm just saying what they said."
"That's the problem," he replied. "Why do they matter so much?"
She didn't have an answer. Because it wasn't about choosing them over him—it was about surviving the pressure. About trying to keep everyone calm. About trying to keep the peace.
But peace never came.
Arguments started small. Words spoken in frustration. Silence that lasted longer than it should. Love that once felt safe now felt like something she had to defend.
Fatima lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling, her chest tight.
She loved him. She really did.
But love wasn't supposed to feel this exhausting.
And for the first time, a question crept into her mind—quiet, but terrifying:
If loving him costs me my peace … how long can I keep holding on.