Chapter Sixteen: A Week Later
It had been a week now.
A week since Zahid received the strange message.
A week since he installed cameras all over the house.
A week since Angel found the cat by the gateside.
Life had gone on, even though it felt like the calm before a storm. Small incidents here and there. Tiny things she kept pushing aside just so she could breathe.
Angel stood in the kitchen that morning, stirring the kids' cereal. She glanced at the clock. Past eight already. She hadn't slept this late in a long time. This had been her schedule ever since Zahid came around.
From the corner of her eye, she saw movement.
Zahid walked past her into the living room, picking Malik's shoes from the floor.
"Malik, wear this," he called in his deep, calm morning voice. "We're going to be late."
Angel blinked.
He wasn't even supposed to be here.
At least… that was what she thought.
But he had been here every day since the incident. He woke up here. Cleaned out a guest room. Helped with breakfast. Helped bathe the kids. Took calls from her dining table. Moved around the house like. . . like he was the man of the house.
And strangely…
The kids hadn't grown bored of him. Maybe because they felt the blood connection.
Angel leaned on the kitchen counter, watching him tie Malik's shoelaces. Mara giggled as she handed him her pink water bottle, which he fixed without a hint of awkwardness. Well… he'd been doing this for a week now.
Her fingers tightened around the spoon.
When did this start?
When did he… move in?
No one talked about it.
He didn't say, "I'm staying here."
She didn't say, "You can stay."
He just… stayed.
And it felt like the normal thing to do.
"Angelina," Zahid called, turning to her. "They need their jackets. It might rain."
She nodded slowly. "Okay… I'll get them."
She climbed the stairs, her legs a little unsteady. The kids' jackets were neatly folded on the dresser.
She didn't fold them.
Zahid did.
She stopped halfway down the stairs and watched him again.
The gentle way he reached for Mara's hairband.
The way he checked his wristwatch.
The calm authority in his movements.
Is this how it feels to have a man around the house?
Her heart made a small jump,She hugged the jackets to her chest, trying to calm her heart, she couldn't let him into her heart again, not with so many uncertainties still left uncleared.
"Here," she murmured, handing them over.
Zahid helped the kids into their jackets and led them to the door. "I'll drop them at the gate and come back."
Angel watched them leave, and suddenly the house felt too quiet.
She walked to the window and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. Something pressed against her chest. Not heavy. Just… there.
Zahid was helping her so much.
More than anyone ever had.
He carried things before she asked.
Understood things she didn't say.
Watched every corner of the house like he expected danger.
And the kids… adored him.
But she also knew something else.
Zahid was hiding things from her.
Something behind his quiet eyes.
Something in the way he checked the cameras every night.
Something in the way his phone buzzed and he always turned away before looking at it.
Angel shook her head. Maybe she was overthinking.
She walked back to the kitchen and put away the cereal box. When she opened the cupboard, she paused.
The cups were arranged differently.
She didn't put them that way.
She checked the living room. Malik's toy car was on the top shelf, but she remembered seeing it on the floor before going to bed. The small night-light in the hallway, it wasn't plugged in last night.
She stared.
One thing could be a mistake.
Two things… maybe she forgot.
But three?
She rubbed her arms. Maybe she was stressed.
The door opened softly, and Zahid stepped in. His hair was damp from the mist outside. He hung the kids' bags and walked toward her, wiping his hands with a towel.
"They're at the gate," he said. "They'll be fine."
Angel nodded. "Okay."
But her voice sounded small.
Zahid studied her quietly. "You didn't eat much this morning."
"I'm not really hungry."
"Still," he said, pulling a chair for her. "Sit."
She sat. She didn't have the strength to argue. Zahid placed a plate before her, the same one he'd used all week. How did he even know where it was kept? She didn't remember showing him.
She picked at the food. Zahid watched her for a moment, then sat across from her.
"You look tired today."
"I didn't sleep well."
"You haven't slept well all week."
Angel looked down. "Things feel strange. Little things."
"Like what?"
She hesitated. "The night-light wasn't plugged in last night. But this morning it was. Malik's toy moved. The cups were rearranged. I know I didn't do that."
Zahid's hand stilled.
He didn't look surprised.
Angel's stomach twisted.
"Angelina," he said slowly, "nothing will happen to you or the kids. I promise."
She lifted her head. "Do you think something bad is going to happen?"
He paused.... just a second.
Then he shook his head. "No."
But he lied.
She didn't know it.
He did.
He had replayed the CCTV footage every night.
He had seen the masked man's stance, the way he moved, the slight limp in his right leg. The more he watched, the more familiar it felt.
Someone from his past.
Someone who should not be anywhere near here.
They were not safe.
And Zahid knew he was running out of time.
He stood from the table. "Rest. I'll handle the rest of the day."
Angel watched him walk to the living room, answering a call in a low voice. She couldn't hear the words.
She didn't realize her hands were shaking until she placed them on her lap.
She didn't want to rely on him this much. She didn't want to get used to him being here. But she didn't know how to ask him to leave. She didn't want him to leave.
And that scared her even more.
What if he woke up one morning and vanished again?
Zahid's phone buzzed.
He looked down at the screen.
ROUND 2 BEGINS
His face tightened, just a small shift, before he locked the phone and slipped it into his pocket.