Hena moved to speak, to defend him, but she stopped herself, afraid she might start crying. Haris was right. Nasir may have had his reasons, but there was no getting around the fact he had betrayed her. Over and over again. She had loved Nasir, loved him with everything she was, and love had blinded her to the truth of the situation. Love had fooled her into thinking it was enough. And it wasn’t.
She laid her head against Haris’s chest. He put his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on her. He was warm. Comforting. He smelled like lemons. Her thoughts drifted back to their kiss beneath the lemon tree.
It was a road not taken, wasn’t it?
What if shehadtaken this road?
How different would her life have been?
She started. The thought felt treasonous. To whom? To Nasir? The man who walked away three years ago and never looked back?
There was no use dwelling on what-ifs, she reminded herself. It was too late for all that.
Still, with Haris’s familiar arms around her, the ache in her chest eased. Not gone. But for now, a little easier to bear.
And for now, it was enough.
14
•
Two trips to the hospital and back, and Hena finally returned to her suite. The adrenaline that had kept her functioning all night had fully drained out of her system, leaving her hollow.
She dropped her purse on the kitchen table and texted Lulu for an update on their mother. The sun was steadily rising in the sky. It was nearly ten o’clock in the morning. Waves of exhaustion rippled through her so strongly she considered collapsing then and there. She wanted nothing more than the oblivion of sleep.
She kicked off her shoes and walked toward the bedroom.
Suddenly she heard it: a creak.
Hena froze.
The noise sounded again.
Just like last time.
Which means it’s nothing,Hena told herself. Buildings settled. It was what Lulu said. And this one, built over the wetlands, likely settled more than most. Her nerves were frayed and she was exhausted. The sooner she slept, the better.
A knock.
Hena paused. She edged to the door. Peered through the peephole. No one. Cautiously, she cracked it open. The hallway was empty. But she’d heard a knock.
Hadn’t she?
Shutting the door, Hena latched the bolt. She moved to grab her phone to call the front desk, when—
Footsteps.
The undeniable sound of heels clicking against tile. Someone was here. They were in this suite.
Shit. She needed to leave.Now. She yanked at the doorknob, ready to flee, when—
“Hena?”
Lucinda. She emerged from the kitchen holding a vase of flowers and a wrapped gift.
Seeing Hena’s stricken expression, her face flooded with color.
“I’m so sorry,” she said quickly. “I thought you were at the hospital. I’d have rung the front door otherwise.”