Between pain and passionate love

CHAPTER 1: A NEW BEGINNING IN A NEW LAND

When I came to the UK as an international student, everything felt new… and overwhelming.
I didn’t have a job, and finding work wasn’t easy. The financial pressure started building up, but so did something else — a feeling of independence.
I wasn’t used to cooking for myself, and living alone made me realize how different life was here compared to back home. So, I decided to start something of my own.
That’s when I began my tiffin service.
It wasn’t just about earning money — it was about survival, about adjusting, about becoming stronger. Slowly, I started finding my rhythm in a place that once felt unfamiliar.
And then, one day… everything changed.
Through my roommate, I was introduced to someone — a friend from her class. His name was Rehman.
He was different… or at least, that’s how it seemed at first.
She told me a little about him — that he had gone through heartbreak, that he had been hurt before, and that he deserved a new beginning. There was something about his story that made me feel… connected.
Maybe it was because I, too, understood pain.
Maybe it was because, deep inside, I was still searching for something real.
And then she suggested we meet.
I remember that day clearly.
I wanted to make a good impression, to present myself in a way that reflected who I was. I chose my outfit carefully… something simple yet elegant. I wore my head covering, feeling both confident and hopeful.
For the first time in a long time, I felt a small spark of new hope.
A new connection.
A new beginning.
A new possibility.
I didn’t know it then…
but this meeting would change everything.