They built a life in the valley. Zeeshaan built their cottage with his own hands. He fixed the village's tractors and created a sanctuary of stone.
Zhuo planted the seed. It grew into a silver-leafed tree that protected the valley from harm. They lived without secrets or fear.
Every evening, they would sit on the porch watching fireflies. Zeeshaan would pull his father's old watch from his pocket—now perfectly ticking.
"Just thinking," Zeeshaan would say, kissing her forehead, "that some things don't need to be solved. They just need to be loved."