{"id":259878,"date":"2026-07-13T17:18:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/faithfully-yours-duha-bhat\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T17:18:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T14:18:39","slug":"faithfully-yours-duha-bhat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1kitap1.com\/en\/faithfully-yours-duha-bhat\/","title":{"rendered":"Faithfully Yours – Duha Bhat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve been staring at her contact for hours, the screen taunting me like a countdown I never agreed to. No more thinking. I hit call. She picks up on the second ring. \u201cHey.\u201d One word. Too soft. Too familiar. \u201cYou left,\u201d I say. It\u2019s not a question. It\u2019s a blunt fact I\u2019m still trying to reshape into logic. \u201cI know,\u201d she answers just as quietly. There\u2019s noise in the background. Traffic. Laughter. Something undeniable. New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it really a family emergency?\u201d She sighs, and I can hear her pinch the bridge of her nose. \u201cNo. It was a dumb lie. Adam\u2019s fine. I just\u2026 needed space. America felt like a good excuse.\u201d It takes me half a breath to understand, and another full breath to pretend it doesn\u2019t sting. \u201cYou flew across an ocean to get space?\u201d \u201cI fly across oceans when things get too close.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deflection. That, at least, we\u2019re good at. \u201cYou could\u2019ve just said that.\u201d \u201cAnd made you ask the real questions? No thanks.\u201d She\u2019s teasing. Half teasing. Half not. \u201cYou always do that,\u201d I murmur. \u201cDo what?\u201d \u201cSay something honest and act like it\u2019s a punchline.\u201d A pause. A long one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned from the best,\u201d she replies, and for a second, I\u2019m the one without armour. \u201cI don\u2019t want to fight,\u201d I say. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t want to feel anything,\u201d she replies. We both fail spectacularly. Before I can answer, Selene\u2019s voice cuts faintly in the background, followed by Hayley\u2019s laugh. \u201cAre they with you?\u201d She hesitates. \u201cThey flew in last night. Said they wanted to make sure I was okay.\u201d I swallow hard. \u201cThey care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do.\u201d \u201cDo you?\u201d Another pause. The kind that holds its breath. \u201cYeah,\u201d she says. \u201cAgainst my better judgment and yours.\u201d I don\u2019t know what to say to that because all I want to say is: It was never about judgment. It\u2019s always been about you. She clears her throat. \u201cListen, I\u2019ll call you later. Adam wants dinner, and Selene\u2026 well, she looks like she\u2019s plotting something illegal.\u201d I almost smile. Almost. \u201cStay safe,\u201d I say. \u201cI\u2019m safer here,\u201d she replies. Maybe she\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

Maybe I should\u2019ve been protecting her from me. She hangs up before I can respond. Later that night, my phone buzzes. Sawyer: Punchlines The video comes through from Selene. No warning. Just a file named: \u201cWe do it better.\u201d What does that even mean? I shouldn\u2019t open it. I know better.<\/p>\n

\n

First published by Amazon KDP 2026 Copyright \u00a9 2026 by Duha Bhat All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction.<\/p>\n

The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author\u2019s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or localities is entirely coincidental. Duha Bhat asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. Duha Bhat has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.<\/p>\n

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks, and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.<\/p>\n

None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book. For permission requests, contact: duhabhatt14@gmail.com First edition ISBN (paperback): 9798253275320 ISBN (hardcover): 9798199196024 This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy. Find out more at reedsy.com \u201cThere is no charm equal to the tenderness of a heart,\u201d – Jane Austen This is for the girls who choose softness without ever being weak.<\/p>\n

The ones who turn intellect into allure and longing into power.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n