I shoved him back, my laughter spilling out. “Don’t give me that shit!” I snapped, my voice breaking into a howl of anger and frustration. “Don’t keep feeding me lies, Mas. I’m done!”
Zaeem’s face tightened. His breath came heavy, but his eyes stayed locked on me. “Dad’s suspicious that you’re still unwell, and he has been for a long time.” His tone dropped, searching me, trying to reach me. “Don’t you think… Maybe… It’s time to be honest—”
“Are you mad?”
He would destroy me. He’d punish me.Took everything!
I began to shake. “Before you lecture me, you should remember what Dad did when he found out about my condition,” I hissed. “You know what he did! And what the fuck did you say to me? Honest?”
Zaeem nodded once, sighing. “Okay.Okay.But you need to understand that Dad will find out sooner or later. And what I said was true.” His voice dropped, heavy and deliberate. “We love you, Zi. We want what’s best for you. We want you to heal.”
My phone buzzed, and I let out a ragged breath, pulling it from my pocket with trembling fingers. Natasha’s messages lit up the screen one after the other:
Natasha:Zioh, why didn’t you tell me the partnership terms had changed?
Natasha:And where are you?
Natasha:Also, could you stop, please? I’m begging you, stop being such a bloody wanker, huh? Otherwise, all my efforts to follow tradition here and stay polite with you will go to hell.
Natasha:You had me wandering for hours at the mall last time, and today you’ve bloody done it again! Oh, and by the way, there’s a green folder in the boot. And stupid me, I still had to check it even though I knew you’d never put your work files there. Because guess what? I’m the one who always keeps them, not you!
Natasha:For our sake, stop it, I beg you.
Natasha:Btw, something odd happened. I just saw Tsabinu.
Natasha:And no, not inthatway. I was happy to see him, ofc. But do you remember when I told you I ran into him at the mall? You remember that, right?
Natasha:This time, when I saw him in the car park, the faces around him were different. I mean, if he’s with his division or INDTV’s legal team today, who the hell were those people at the mall?
My knees went weak.
All this time…
Whose side had Tsabinu truly been on? Dad’s? Or Zaeem’s?
Not yours.
« -- * -- »
The kiss remained unbroken all the way to the car park. My mind was a whirlwind, but with her holding me, her lips grounding me, and her warmth seeping into my skin, the noise of the world finally fell silent.
There was no sound but the wet press of our mouths and the pounding of my heart. And this time, the pounding didn’t come from panic; it came from the heat of her lips, the way my arms locked around her.
My hands tightened again at her waist, pleading with her not to push me away. “Please…”
She panted against me as I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. My hand slid up, tangling in her hair, gripping a few strands.
In this moment, I wished time would freeze.
If I could control it, everything would be fine.
But she was a traitor, wasn’t she?
I kissed her harder.
Don’t forget what she did to Mum.
I shook my head.
