Dear Reader,

Some stories aren’t born out of imagination. They are born out of silence — the silence of borders, of unspoken prayers, of hearts that ache but never dare to beat out loud.

Sarhadein is one such story.🫶🏻

This book is very close to me — not just because of Veer and Zoya, but because of where they came from. For months, this idea lived quietly in my heart. I never dared to write it. Maybe because it felt too big. Maybe because it felt too personal. Maybe because it belonged to a genre I had never touched before — a story that is both out of my comfort zone and, in many ways, controversial.

But then my Nanu — my maternal grandfather came in the picture. He told me stories of his army life, of the war times, of friendships and heartbreaks that lived beyond borders. And then there was my Nani — a woman whose roots belong to Pakistan. Between their stories, their laughter, and their silences, something clicked in me. Suddenly, Veer and Zoya weren’t just characters. They were voices I could no longer ignore.

This is not a story about nations or politics. It’s about people — two souls caught between duty and desire, faith and longing, love and loyalty.

If you find pieces of yourself in these pages — in Veer’s restraint, in Zoya’s quiet rebellion — then perhaps this story belongs to you too.

Some borders protect us. Some imprison us. And some… are meant to be broken.

With love and hope, bougainvilleastories 💗