Whispers Of Desires: A Sense Of Truth {Book 2}

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚇𝚇𝚇𝚅: 𝙰 𝙳𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝 𝙲𝚘𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

The air crackled with a tension so thick, it felt like it could be cut with a knife. Every breath Kazi took seemed to echo through the drawing room, every step she took felt like it reverberated across the chamber. She forced herself to remain still, to stand tall and proud despite the trembling in her limbs.

Azrael remained rooted to the spot, his eyes locked on Kazi in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"K..." he breathed out, the name a hesitant whisper. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Kazi shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. "Surprise?" she said, the word sounding empty even in her own ears.

Azrael's face hardened, his expression turning from shock to anger. "This is not a surprise, K. This is a betrayal!" he spat, taking a step forward. "You... you are a woman?"

Kazi flinched but held her ground. "Yes, Azrael," she said, her voice firm. "I can explain—"

"Explain?!" Azrael cut her off, his voice rising. "What do you need to explain? Months of deception, of making me trust you, of... of confessing things I never thought I would reveal? Did any of that matter to you, K? I mean Kaz-," he stumbled over her name, "-I mean, did you ever think about how this would affect me?"

A pang of guilt stabbed through Kazi's heart. "It mattered, Azrael," she said earnestly. "It mattered very much."

"Then why?" Azrael shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "Why did you do this? Why did you deceive me? Why put me through so much pain, so much confusion? You broke me, K. You made me question everything about myself."

Shame flooded Kazi. "I apologize," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did, Kazi!" Azrael shouted, tears streaming down his face. He quickly wiped them away, trying to regain his composure. "Why?" he demanded, his voice raw with pain. "Why did you finally decide to 'accept' this marriage after all this time? After months of leading me on?"

Kazi met his gaze. "Because Azrael," she began, "I was an idiot. When I first met you... as K," she amended awkwardly, "I thought you were just some arrogant princes, living off your family's wealth and status. I never thought to look beyond that."

"And did you?" Azrael asked, his voice barely audible. "Did you ever look beyond that?"

"Yes," Kazi admitted, her voice gaining strength. "Over time, I got to know you, the real you. The kind, the funny, the surprisingly vulnerable you. And somewhere along the way, I fell for you, Azrael. For the person beneath the title."

A flicker of surprise crossed Azrael's face. "What exactly did you fall for, Kazi? Because it seems you weren't listening very closely." He said, "What did I tell you I despised the most?" His voice wavered, and for a moment, he seemed to lose his composure again.

"You...you...said...you hated...deception..." Kazi stammered.

"Exactly! And what did you do, Kazi? You deceived me!" Azrael shouted, his voice cracking as he struggled to maintain control. "You lied to me, played games with my heart!"

His anger crackled in the air, a stark contrast to the nervous anticipation that had filled Kazi moments before. She flinched under his gaze but forced herself to meet his eyes.

"I know," she whispered, her voice barely audible above his anger. "I was wrong, Azrael. I shouldn't have lied."

"You shouldn't have lied?" Azrael roared, throwing his hands up in frustration. "What did you expect, Kazi? For me to fall into your arms after all this? Did you think deception was the key to winning my heart?"