Chapter Twelve – Seeds of Doubt
Daniel hadn't spoken to Zara in three days. He told himself he needed space, time to think, but the truth was simpler: he didn't know if he could trust her anymore.
Every time he replayed that moment in her apartment—the panic in her eyes when that mysterious message flashed—his chest tightened. She was hiding something, and it wasn't small.
On the fourth evening, he found himself at The Velvet Lounge with a couple of friends, trying to drown his unease in whiskey and laughter. That was when Kendra appeared, all glittering smile and sharp perfume, sliding onto the seat beside him like she had been waiting for this moment.
"Daniel," she purred, placing a manicured hand on his arm. "What a surprise."
He forced a polite smile. "Kendra. Didn't know you came here."
"Oh, I come everywhere worth being," she said with a sly grin. "But you… you don't look like you're enjoying yourself. Trouble?"
Daniel hesitated. He didn't want to talk about Zara, but something in Kendra's gaze—curious, knowing—made him falter.
"Nothing serious," he muttered.
Kendra leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Daniel, let me be blunt. You deserve honesty. And Zara…" She sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "Zara is many things, but honest isn't one of them."
His brows furrowed. "What are you trying to say?"
Kendra smirked, swirling her drink. "I'm saying, don't be fooled by the glamour. Zara is… complicated. She hides things. Big things. Everyone sees the perfect Zara Martins, but behind closed doors?" She let the words hang, heavy with suggestion.
Daniel's chest tightened. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" Kendra tilted her head, eyes glinting. "Ask her where her money really comes from. Ask her why she never takes you to family gatherings. Ask her why she panics every time her phone buzzes. See if she gives you a straight answer."
Daniel's stomach knotted. The questions echoed the very doubts gnawing at him.
Kendra leaned back, her smile sharp as glass. "You're a good man, Daniel. You deserve someone real. Just… be careful before you invest too much in someone who's selling illusions."
Her words sank into him like poison.
Later that night, as he drove home, Daniel gripped the steering wheel tighter than ever. He wanted to believe in Zara. He wanted to trust her. But Kendra's voice lingered in his mind, blending with the memory of Zara's evasions.
And for the first time, he asked himself a question he had never dared to before:
What if Zara's entire life was a lie?