Looking at people could make me feel things—feelings that weren't mine and I couldn't explain. I have always had this ability, but it never did me any good. Sometimes, a fleeting glance at a stranger could fill my heart with such hatred it'd take my breath away. I could fall deeply in love with a person in front of me without even knowing them. These emotions came to me like a breeze, as if the universe communicated through them.

Much later in life, I realized I was feeling the emotions of the people I was looking at. That was when I learned to ignore these random and unexplainable onslaughts of sensations. I wasn't comfortable intruding into people's deepest, darkest secrets and knowing which emotion dominated their personalities. I had no right and often wondered if people would be embarrassed if they knew how I was privy to their feelings. Yet, I looked into their hearts, willingly or unwillingly; it didn't matter.

My life was confusing. And I doubted my feelings so often that it was laughable. Was I happy, or was I angry? Did this sentiment belong to me or someone else? These questions plagued my existence and followed me everywhere I went. That was why I stayed clear of large crowds and avoided human interactions as much as possible. I didn't want to feel someone else's love or hatred and despised that I did.

Things were sometimes alright, though. I could ignore their feelings if I avoided looking someone in the eye or touching them. With patience and willpower, I had mastered the art of avoidance. Finally, life was looking up. One day soon, I wouldn't have to lock myself in the house.

Then I met Zara, and my life turned topsy-turvy once again.

Looking at her, my eyes filled with tears, and desperation clawed at my insides as if someone had wrenched my heart out of my body with bare hands. I wanted to die. No, I needed to die. In shock, I realized those were her feelings. And that realization sealed my fate. I wanted to know everything about the enigma of a woman before me. Holding her close, I wished to tell her everything would be well. Like never before, I craved to understand how someone so young could feel so much. What had she lost that had caused her the unbearable pain? And how was she smiling when her heart was shattered beyond repair?

Like a fool, I was drawn to her misery. No matter how strange it might have felt, she intrigued me. What was I to do?

Life was funny in the way it twisted and turned sometimes. Someone who hated experiencing other people's feelings now wanted to feel hers, even though her despair was immense and her wounds ran deep. The irony of the situation wasn't lost on me.

#

My life started again the day I fell in love. I met Zahir by chance—a twist of fate. It was like we were made for each other. He understood me like no one else ever had and had an uncanny ability to make me happy.

I didn't think I'd be happy again, but with him, I was. Oddly enough, the happier I was, the happier he became. My happiness and his depended on each other, and that's why we were perfect together. There was only one minor problem; he didn't know my secret, and I wasn't sure how to tell him.

Love was never in my plans, but has anyone ever planned it? All we could do was hope, but I had never even hoped for love. I was as baffled to find it as anyone in my position would be. There I was, a woman used to being alone, not happy but resigned to her fate, and there he was, a man with a unique ability to draw people in. Nothing could keep us apart.

Whether he realized it or not, he made me comfortable. When I was with him, I felt he knew everything I tried to hide, and somehow, I was okay with that. I might never have the courage to share the truth with him, but that would be great if he figured it out.

He was such an unusual person with his irresistible smile. Now that we were together, I, too, smiled more often. I was in love. Oh, how in love was I! I had finally met my soulmate, and my heart could beat again. That was the most alive I had ever felt in my three hundred years.

As difficult as it was to believe, I was delirious with happiness. Life wasn't lonely anymore, and I didn't want to die. I wanted to keep living and for him to live with me forever. That was the thing, though. One could never predict what fate might have in store. People got greedy with their happiness, our hopes, and our wishes. Yet, greed was a curse.

#

There was a reason they said, 'Life is a mystery.' Sometimes, something so extraordinary happens that it turns your entire existence upside down. That was what spending my days with Zara felt like to me. The beautiful, sad woman had a special place in my heart. I wanted to stay by her side forever and know everything there was to know about her. The misery that attracted me to her was soon gone. Her bleeding soul was healing, and she was coming back to life.

These days, she was peaceful and more content than anyone should ever be, which made me happy, too. I felt lighter than ever before. My life seemed perfect, but then the dreadful question was back: 'Was the happiness mine or hers?' It shouldn't have mattered, but somehow, it did.

#

For a brief, fleeting moment, I was happy. For the first and the last time, I was content. My life was complete, and I was living again. It didn't last for long, but that's okay. I knew then. I understood everything life wanted me to understand. Soon, it would be time for me to leave, and I was ready. Death could come at any moment, and I'd greet it with open arms.

#

As with most things, our peace didn't last long, and it was all my fault. I started doubting stuff I should never have questioned and wondered if it was I who loved Zara or she who loved me. I kept denying my feelings. Was I happy, or was I simply feeling what she was feeling? And she felt everything so intensely. Her emotions were always on display for anyone to see, let alone an empath like me.

She was happy and wanted the world to know it. I had no idea how to deal with her. Mostly, she was an average person, but there was something about her that screamed mystery. Regardless of how much I thought about it, I could never figure it out. She had no family or friends, and I was her entire world. That, too, scared me. I didn't want to be her entire world. I wanted to be a part of it and nothing more.

Her sadness drew me to her, and her happiness drove me away. I didn't know how to live with someone I could never fully understand. She was an enigma until the very end.

I thought I loved her but realized I didn't even know what love was because I hadn't felt anything that was entirely mine. I didn't know how to. The more she opened up, the more I started doubting my feelings.

Then, one day, it was all just too much. I left her and never looked back, hoping she'd stay happy and find someone better than me, living somewhere beautiful and blissful.

For me, she was the only one. She was it. I'd never meet another like her, and I'd love no one as I did her. I wished I had realized this back then. We may still be together, but the past should remain in the past. As the one who left, I must live with my decision.

My end was near, and I had been thinking about her more often.

#

I had lived for longer than I should have. I was someone's beloved once, but that was long ago. At thirty, I was indifferent, and nothing mattered to me. I hated most people. And when I left home, I never looked back. People I knew died, yet I didn't. People I knew grew older, yet I didn't. I lived for centuries and couldn't unravel the secrets of life. Ultimately, I realized life wasn't a mystery for me to solve.

My soul stopped hurting the moment I fell in love. It mattered not that the love didn't last or that Zahir left me. I knew love once and was happy; that was more than enough for me.

When I stopped aging, it was because I couldn't love anyone. Then I started aging again because I fell head over heels in love with someone.

In all that time, I had shed a million tears, smiled a hundred smiles, my soul had bled, and I had lived a thousand lives. Yet, I learned only one thing to be accurate: love was the only important thing in life. You could be happy anywhere and in any condition as long as you love someone.

My end was near, and I only hoped to meet Zahir once again in the afterlife—that fantastic person who healed my soul and mended my broken heart.