CHAPTER SEVEN — Don't Pretend You're Fine
After patting the twins to sleep, she couldn't fall asleep, Angel couldn't even recall how long she cried, but when she did finish crying, she could only clear the house and bake some brownies for the kids to cool herself
Dawn came too fast. Her eyes felt heavy, her head pounding. The house was quiet except for the faint hum of the fridge and the sound of the twins getting ready for school
She helped Mara fix her hair, tied Malik's shoelaces, and forced a smile she didn't feel.
"Bye, Mummy!" they shouted as they ran toward the school bus.
She waved until it turned the corner and the street went still again.
The moment she closed the door, silence wrapped around her like a blanket.
Her chest felt empty, her head spinning. She leaned against the wall, trying not to think. But her mind wouldn't stop.
You've just lost your job.
You've lost your fiancé.
And you're back to where you started.
Angel brushed away a tear. "No, not again," she whispered.
Then she heard it, that deep, low growl of an engine.
Her breath caught.
She turned, and there it was, that same black car, the one she swore she'd never see the owner ever again
Zahid.
He stepped out slowly, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. The sun caught the edges of his hair, the same dark, stubborn shade she used to tease him about.
"Angelina," he said, his voice calm, too calm.
She swallowed. "Why are you here, Zahid?"
He looked at her for a moment, eyes tracing the tired lines on her face. "You've been crying."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." His tone softened, but it still carried that authority that used to drive her mad. "You don't have to pretend with me."
"Pretend?" She gave a bitter laugh. " Even if I am, what does that got to do with you?"
He didn't reply immediately. instead he Just kept looking at her with his deep eyes, like he could see every single block she used to build the walls sorrounding her heart.
"Heard you lost your Job" he said quietly.
She froze. "You mean you had your guards spy on me."
Zahid didn't deny it. "I had to make sure you were okay."
"can you stop doing that!" she snapped almost hysterically. "You don't get to care now, Zahid. You left. You disappeared. And now you're here, trying to.... to play the hero.."
He cut her off, voice firm. "I'm not trying to play any hero, You lost your job because of that man. Which was something I warned you about, Angelina."
" I just never knew he would really do that, just shows how spineless he his"
Her lips trembled. "You think I wanted this? You think I planned to be humiliated?"
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Zahid stepped closer. His voice dropped low. "You don't have to fight the whole world alone,Damn it Angelina, I know I'm late but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere"
She looked away, blinking hard. "That's all I've ever done and I don't need you or anybody's help."
He sighed. "Then let me just help this time."
"I don't need your help."
He smiled faintly, sad, almost tired. "You always say that."
Then he turned to leave, but she called after him, her voice soft, cracking a little. "Zahid…"
He stopped, his back still to her.
She wanted to say thank you. Please don't go. Or maybe just, stay a while I need you
But she did, she said it aloud
"Zahid."
He turned. The moment their eyes met, something inside her cracked open. All the anger, the confusion, the ache she'd buried, it all came rushing back.
He took a step toward her, then another, until he was close enough that she could feel his breath.
"You shouldn't have come," she whispered.
"I couldn't stay away," he said quietly. "Not when you look like this… like you've been carrying the world on your shoulders again."
Her lips parted, but no words came out. The air between them grew heavier, filled with everything they hadn't said in years.
He reached out slowly, his hand brushing her cheek, wiping away a tear she didn't realize had fallen.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "For everything. For leaving. For not being there."
Angel closed her eyes, her heart trembling. "Zahid, don't..."
But before she could finish, his forehead rested against hers. His scent, warm spice and something faintly familiar, filled her senses. Her resolve melted.
"Tell me to stop," he said, his voice rough, low, dangerous.
She didn't.
She couldn't.
Instead, she reached up, her fingers clutching the front of his shirt. "Just… don't talk," she whispered, her voice shaking.