Ace of Spades ✅

30; Broken Hearts & Shattered Souls.

Four Years Ago.

Kari Residence, Bauchi State.

Mrs. Murjanatu Bashir Kari passed away only a day later, much to everyone's surprise—including Inaya's.

When they had that conversation, she thought the woman still a while to live. She didn't sound like someone who knew she would die only a few days later. Truth be told, Inaya would've found the entire ordeal unbelievable if not that she witnessed the aftermath with her own eyes.

That was, without a doubt, the worst day of Aadil's life and would make it to Inaya's list of worst days as well. Reason being, she could still remember the day as clear as a sunny day. She could remember the situations that led up to that moment. The same day he ran into her conversation with Rasheed, a failed attempt at surprising the woman he loves.

Only to realize, she hadn't exactly been the woman he thought she was.

Inaya could still remember everything that happened, from Rasheed sliding out to leave the two alone, to her heart beating wildly against her ribcage—a few seconds away from it jumping out.

Aadil's expression as cold, the coldest she had ever seen from him. His bloodshot eyes were dry of any tears, not even a gloss of it. They stared into her orbs, unwavering, deeply chilling to the core. It was that sort of stare that strips you of any self-confidence you have planted in yourself, leaving you a cold, shivering mess.

It has been way too long since Inaya felt anything close to fear. And yet, at that moment, as she held onto his gaze with baited breath, her heart was hammering behind her ribcage as if wanting to jump out.

Her stomach was in uneasy knots, feet feeling as though she was standing on cold ice. She couldn't hold onto his gaze, at least, that was what she thought. She still had it fixed on his though, face bare of any walls she usually keeps up.

Sucking her lower lip between her teeth, she nervously chewed on it before making an attempt to walk closer to him. "Aadil..." She breathed out, her voice heavy with emotions. It sounded so foreign to her ears, as if it wasn't her voice. "...Aadil please, hear me out." She breathed out, her tone shaky.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Heck, he wasn't supposed to find out. He's bound to obviously, but she hadn't expected it to be this way.

His eyes slanted into a glare that suddenly had her pinned to her exact position, not moving an inch. If it was someone else, it wouldn't have bothered her but at that very moment, she felt compelled to abide by what he wants.

Though he tried to put a mask on his emotions, the betrayal in his eyes hit her like daggers. They were there, bright as the full moon up a starless sky; it's luminescence impossible to miss. The seconds it took for him to respond, the gut curling moments felt like it was hours.

"How long?" His voice eventually came, darker than the clouds when it's about to rain. He didn't raise it though; weirdly enough, it came out calm, and low.

Inaya dug her thumb into her index finger, the sting from it hurting a lot more than she would like to admit. At that point, she spotted a few cuts in that exact position from the repeated action and how sharp her nails are. She dreaded to answer him, because it broke her heart more than she'd like to admit. Still, she whispered out. "Since the beginning."

He held her gaze, and allowed the torturing silence to drag on for a while. He then suddenly let out a bitter chuckle, looking away for a brief second before meeting her gaze again. "You really are cruel." He stated, his voice thick with emotions impossible to slice through. "You had the time of your life making a fool of me, right?"