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The office was a blur of movement around me—phones ringing, assistants shuffling paperwork, the murmur of hushed conversations. My eyes were glued to the contract in front of me, a complicated merger that needed to be finalized by the end of the week. I was deep in thought, making notes, when my phone vibrated against the desk. A glance at the screen.
Falaq.
My jaw tightened, the pen pausing in my hand. I hadn’t heard from her in months, and now she was calling me out of the blue? I silenced the phone, ignoring the churn of emotions her name still stirred up. There was no time for this. I went back to work, willing my focus to return to the pages in front of me.
But a few minutes later, the phone buzzed again. Falaq.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling through my nose. She was persistent today. Whatever this was, I didn’t want to deal with it. Not now. Not ever, really. I dismissed the call again, setting the phone down with more force than intended.
A third time. The vibration rattled through the desk. Falaq. This time, I couldn’t ignore the nagging sense of unease creeping up my spine. Something felt off. She wouldn’t call me like this unless it was important.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath as I grabbed the phone and answered. “What is it, Falaq? Didn’t I make myself clear the last time we spoke? I have nothing to do with you.”
Silence.
My frown deepened. “Falaq?” I repeated, the irritation in my voice giving way to confusion.
Nothing but quiet on the other end, the sound of her uneven breathing barely audible. And then, softly at first, I heard it—a sob.
My chest tightened. I hadn’t expected that. She never let me see this side of her, not when we were together, not even when things fell apart.
“Falaq, what’s going on? Are you alright?” I asked, my voice lowering. “Talk to me.”
There was no immediate answer, just the sound of her trying to steady her breath. Her sobs grew louder, and something shifted in me, the cold distance I had forced between us starting to crack.
“Falaq, please,” I urged, trying to keep my voice calm despite the growing tension in my chest. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
After a few agonizing moments of silence, her voice broke through, shaky and full of something I couldn’t quite place. “Shahzain… I didn’t want to tell you like this. I didn’t want to call at all…”
My mind raced. Why now? Why was she so upset?
“Then why are you calling?” I asked, a little more sharply than I meant to, the uncertainty gnawing at me.
