“What are they planning to do with him?” I ask, dropping a tea bag into the mug. I’ve been waiting to ask Kris this exact question, but he’s already going through enough without me bombarding him with my thoughts every night when he gets home. I want to take his mind off things while he’s with me.
“With my father?” she asks, confused.
“Yes,” I answer. The kettle pops off, and I lift it from its stand, pouring boiling water into my mug and watching colors seep from the bag. “I imagine it’s not an easy thing to decide.”
“They can’t do anything with him. He’s disappeared,” she replies. “I thought you knew that.”
“I didn’t. I was under the impression that they had him, but I realize now that I never heard anyone say that—it was just an assumption from my side.” My stomach knots, thinking of Faiz out there, free to retaliate. He’s the one who had me kidnapped; there’s no saying what he’ll do after losingeverything. Anxiety spikes inside me. Is Kris even safe out there every day? Am I safe here at home?
“Hey, Earth to Georgie,” Jess laughs.
“What? Sorry, did you ask me something?” I reply, realizing I’ve been lost in thought.
“Yes, did you zone out there for a moment?”
“I did. Aren’t you worried about your father being free like that?” I stare into the teacup. The stained water is dark and smells beautiful, like flowers and sweet herbs.
“Not at all. I gave up being scared of him a long time ago. I’m safe with Emmanuil. But Georgie, you don’t have to be scared, either. Faiz is weak. He’s not worth a moment of your thoughts. And my brother would never let anything happen to you.”
“I suppose you’re right,” I say, but I don’t feel confident about it. I haven’t grown up in this world. Maybe I don’t understand as much as Jess does and I should just trust what she’s telling me.
“How’s the studying going?” she changes the subject. I’ve been studying and attending classes while Kris has been cleaning up and reclaiming his city.
“It’s going well. But by the end of the day, my brain is foggy from information overload.”
“I was thinking of coming up to visit after your exams.”
“That would be amazing,” I say excitedly.
We catch up, chatting about life and other things, but in the back of my mind, I can’t stop thinking about Faiz.
After the call, I sit in the living room, my eyes nervously scanning the garden outside the wide windows.
I shouldn’t be scared. Jess is right. Faiz has no power. But everything I’ve learned about men like him tells me that he’s too stubborn or egocentric to understand that he has no power. He won’t back down that easily. He won’t go without a fight, one last attempt to hurt his son.
For the rest of the afternoon, I struggle to study, waiting for Kris to get home.
I’ve avoided asking questions about his father, but this one is bothering me. I need to know what he thinks.
I wait until dinner, when we’re sitting next to each other, and he’s had a moment to decompress after work. Then I share my concerns.
“Where do you think your father went?” I ask, easing into the topic.
The dining room is rich with the scent of Bolognese.
“I’m not sure. But it doesn’t really matter,” he shrugs, pushing his fork into the spaghetti and swirling it to loop the noodles around it.
“But aren’t you worried he’ll attack?” I ask, my heart stuttering at the thought.
Kris sets his fork down and turns towards me. His eyes lock with mine, and his brows furrow.
“Are you worried about this?” he asks, gently brushing his hand over my leg.
I bite my lip and nod. “He’s the reason I was kidnapped,” I say.
Kris pushes his chair away from the table and pulls me off my seat and into his lap. “Little one, he’s also the reason we are together now. Isn’t that what you taught me? To see his crueltyas a stepping stone towards everything I have now? To see the good that came from the bad?”
“Yes,” I sigh. “But…”
