UNTANGLED OBSESSION

Chapter 55

Vanessa perspective

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing I noticed was Zayn lying beside me, sleeping peacefully. In the soft light of dawn, he looked so different, almost like a normal person. His usual hardened expression was gone, replaced by a calmness that I rarely saw when he was awake. It was strange, seeing him like this. For a moment, I wondered what kind of person he could have been if life hadn’t twisted him into the monster he is now. But I quickly pushed that thought away. No matter how peaceful he looked, I couldn’t forget the things he’d done the way he controlled and hurt me, the way he manipulated everything around him to keep me trapped.

This was the same man who had destroyed my life, and no amount of peaceful sleep could erase that. As I lay there, trying to figure out how I felt, Zayn began to stir. His eyes fluttered open, and a sleepy smile spread across his face when he saw me. "Good morning, my love," he murmured, his voice rough from sleep. Before I could say anything, he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, his touch lingering. "Morning," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn’t want him to see how unsettled I was. Zayn stretched lazily, his arm draping over me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, his tone gentle. I nodded. "Yes, I did." It was easier to lie than to tell him the truth, that I barely slept at all, my mind racing with thoughts of escape. He seemed pleased with my answer and kissed my cheek again, this time letting his lips linger a little longer. "I’m glad," he whispered, his breath warm against my skin. After a few moments of lying there in uncomfortable silence, Zayn finally sat up.

"Let’s get ready and have breakfast," he said, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. I nodded again, watching as he climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Once he was gone, I let out a quiet sigh of relief. It was always like this, moments of forced intimacy followed by the suffocating weight of what our relationship had become.  I quickly got out of bed and dressed, trying not to think too much about what the day might bring. When Zayn came out of the bathroom, he was back to his usual self, confident, controlled, and completely oblivious to the turmoil inside me. "Ready?" he asked, offering me his hand. I took it, not because I wanted to, but because I had no other choice. "Yes, let’s go." We walked downstairs together, Zayn’s grip on my hand firm but not harsh.

As we reached the dining room, I saw Chris already sitting at the table, casually sipping his coffee. He looked up when we entered, a playful smile on his face. "Morning, lovebirds and happy birthday, Vanessa," Chris teased, his eyes flicking between the two of us. "Sleep well?" Zayn laughed, pulling out a chair for me. "We did. Thanks for asking. How about you, Chris?" Chris shrugged, still smiling. "Can’t complain. It’s not every day I get to wake up knowing my best friend is about to marry the girl of his dreams." I felt Zayn’s eyes on me as I sat down, trying to seem unaffected by Chris’s words. But inside, I was crumbling.

Every mention of our upcoming wedding felt like another chain being wrapped around me, tightening my already limited freedom. Breakfast was served quickly, and the three of us ate together, making small talk that felt completely disconnected from the reality of my situation. Zayn and Chris talked about plans for the day, discussing meetings and business as if everything was perfectly normal. I tried to stay quiet, only speaking when they addressed me directly. "So my love, todays your birthday, you can ask me whatever you want. I will complete your wish, " he said while looking at me. "I want to meet my parents," i said without thinking twice. "I badly miss my parents, and i want to meet them."

But as i said this, they both shared a look at each other. "Zayn, there's an important meeting, we have to reach there fastly" chris said while looking at his phone. "Yeah, right. Sorry babe, when i come back, we will discuss it later. Now i have to go, " he said while getting up from his seat and went outside with chris behind him. What the fuck just happened?