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She lay on the couch, cheeks still damp, lips parted, whispering nonsense in her sleep.
I sat beside her. Elbows on my knees. Hands clenched.
She squirmed a little. Cooed. My name left her lips like a breath.
I nearly lost it.
One second she was in my arms, melting. The next—gone. Like a rabbit bolting into the woods.
“Let her think you’re dead. Make her feel what you felt.”
Cruel.
But maybe necessary.
I looked at her again. Tear tracks. Pale face.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “What did I do to you, babybird...?”
But no. Not this time. This time, she had to learn. Running from me had to come with a price.
She stirred. Groaned.
Then her eyes opened.
She blinked once.
Then gasped. “You… you’re alive.”
I smirked. “How could I die, Mishti? Leave you behind? Never.”
She pushed up weakly, her lips trembling. “You lied. You staged—”
“Death?” I leaned closer. “That’s one way to describe it.”
Her face turned cold. “You lied about dying?”
I didn’t move. Just stared.
Then I lowered my voice.
“You know what I do to people who go against my word?”
A beat.
“Who go against me?”
She swallowed. Hard.
“I break their bones, then stitch them back just to break them again.”
She started shaking. Hands clutched at the edge of the cushion. She curled into herself, knees pulled up, face turned away like she was trying to disappear.
I stood, brushing imaginary dust off my sleeves.
“Zubair,” I called.
He stepped in from the hallway. “Yes boss?”
“Bring some food. She hasn’t eaten.”
He looked past me. Eyes landed on her trembling frame.
“Brotha… what did you do?” His voice dropped. “She’s shaking like she’s about to faint.”
I smiled, slow and cold. “Lesson started.”
Another woman?
You make me laugh Amore. There was no way I was going to forget you and clung to someone else. No other woman could be like you. Everytime I searched for someone to love me,to bear my burden with me all I found was greed. Either it's my money or my looks. You running away from me made me excited. Finding you wasn't a big deal. I owned the entire city. Where would you run?I had already ordered Zubair and he was working on my instructions. But instead of searching aimlessly I decided to use a little brain. I staged my own death and prepared for a fake funeral procession. My innocent butterfly flied straight into my trap as I expected.
