...
❝He was the poison I was dying to taste on my lips.❞
...
I was a coward.
The coward who wanted to leave behind the wreckage of her life for the man who had tormented her for as long as she could remember. The boy who had spit venom at me gro...
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I TIPTOED DOWN the staircase, careful not to disturb the silence of the house as I made my way to the kitchen for breakfast. But I was startled to see my grandfather standing by the island, reading the newspaper as he sipped the last of his drink. Most likely tea, since I never saw that man drink anything else.
"Good morning," I greeted softly as I made my way to the fridge.
"Good morning, sweetheart." He smiled over his newspaper. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mhmm," I hummed, grabbing the milk carton after not finding anything breakfast-worthy. "I could've done with at least two more hours of sleep, but it's nothing to complain about."
He laughed. "Maybe when you stop sitting in the library until almost midnight, you'll get your full eight hours."
"Please don't," I groaned. "There's just so many books. So much to read, yet so little time. It has to be the biggest injustice to happen to mankind."
"I bet it is."
I smiled, shaking my head. He didn't get it. "I'm making French toast. Want some?"
"That's alright, my dear. I better get going. I'm late for work as it is." He stepped forward and pressed a quick kiss against my forehead. "Have a good day at school."
"You too. At work, I mean," I quickly corrected. "Oh, also, where's Dad? Is he still not up yet?"
"He actually didn't come home last night. There was a thunderstorm warning so he said that he would just stay at the office."
"Oh." I frowned. It felt like it had been ages since I'd had a proper conversation with my dad. "Well, that's okay. Just tell him that I said to stop overworking and come home on time today."
"I'll definitely do that," he assured, before exiting the kitchen. I flipped my first piece of bread and waited until I heard the door slam shut before turning the stove off and jogging upstairs straight to his study. Soha had gone back to her town since her husband was back, which meant I had the house all to myself to snoop.
I pushed open the study door slowly, letting it softly click shut behind me as I entered. I found myself second guessing my plan as I took a sit on the floor near the tile that acted as a secret chamber to the letters. But I was already here, so I pulled apart the tile and grabbed the handful of letters I'd haphazardly thrown back in the last time I was here.
Unravelling a random one, I found that it was one I hadn't already read before.
Darling,
I've always been upfront with you about everything and so I won't treat this matter any differently, even though it has the potential to ruin everything we've been working towards. The fact is, I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant, my love, and though this could trouble us, I've realised that I already love this child more than words could possibly express. This child, this foetus, that I carry within my womb has become the sole possessor of my heart in your absence. Because this child is yours, my darling. Ours. The product of our love. True love, that hasn't been tarnished despite the burdens we've been accosted with. I haven't let my husband touch me in months, and the last time that I saw you was when we created our blessing. My skin craves your touch, my love. My ears yearn to hear your voice and my body aches to be comforted in your embrace. Please return back to me soon, my love.
