The pain keeps me silent

part 3

*Zahra held his gaze, her eyes pleading as she took a hesitant step towards them. She could tell that something wasn't right, that there was more to this than what seemed on the surface.*

"What's going on... between you two?" *she asked quietly, her voice trembling.**Nora's gaze darkened, but she quickly schooled her features into a faux-sweet smile.*

"Oh, nothing you need to worry about," *she said, her voice sugar-coated with false sweetness.* "Leonidas and I are just having a little discussion, that's all."*Leonidas grimaced, his grip on Nora's wrist tightening slightly as he spoke.*

"It's not nothing, Nora," *he countered, his voice laced with annoyance.* "Don't patronize me or Zahra."*A flash of frustration crossed Nora's face, but she kept her smile firm.*

"I wasn't intending to patronize anyone, Leonidas. But this is a private matter between us, and it's none of Zahra's concern."

*She tried to pull her wrist free from his grip, but his hold on her remained firm.**Zahra's heart pounded in her chest as she watched the two of them argue, her anxiety growing with each passing moment. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something much deeper going on, something that went beyond a simple argument.*

"It becomes my concern when I see you slapping him," *she retorted, her own irritation beginning to show.**Leonidas looked at Zahra, his anger towards Nora momentarily forgotten. As his gaze met hers, his expression softened, love and guilt warring in his eyes.*

"Zahra..." *he started, his voice filled with a mixture of emotion. But before he could say more, Nora interrupted him, her voice cutting through the room.**Zahra's heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice, the softness in his tone making her ache deep down. But she couldn't ignore the situation at hand, no matter how much she wanted to.*

"No, Leonidas, let me ask you something," *she said, turning her attention to him.**Leonidas looked at her, his expression reflecting a mixture of emotions as he nodded for her to continue.**Zahra took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady as she spoke. She could feel her emotions threatening to boil over, but she was determined to get answers.*

"Is it true, what Nora is saying? Are you... are you marrying her?"*Leonidas swallowed hard, guilt and pain reflecting in his eyes. He didn't respond immediately, his gaze dropping to the floor as if trying to avoid her question. But he knew he couldn't lie to her, not now.*

"Yes," *he said quietly, his voice strained.**Zahra's heart sank in her chest, the confirmation of his words hitting her like a punch in the gut. She had known deep down that it was true, but hearing it from him made it all the more real, all the more painful.*

"Why...?" *she asked, her voice catching in her throat, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.**She couldn't understand why Leonidas would do this, why he would choose to marry someone else when he clearly didn't want to. The sight of his pain tore at her heart, and she took a step closer to him, her eyes pleading for an explanation.*

"Don't do this, Leonidas," *she implored.* "It's obvious you don't want this."*Nora huffed in irritation and tried to interject, but Leonidas cut her short with a firm shake of his head.*

"Quiet, Nora," *he snapped, his voice firm but weary.* "This is between me and Zahra now."*Nora bristled at his tone, her jealousy and possessiveness flaring up once again.*

"But-"

"No buts," *he interrupted, his voice hardening.* "I need to talk with Zahra. Alone."*Zahra felt a pang of hope at Leonidas's firmness, his insistence that they talk alone giving her a small sense of reassurance that there was something more to all this, that he wanted to explain himself to her, away from Nora's watchful gaze.**Nora wasn't willing to back down, her jealousy and possessiveness pushing her to cling onto Leonidas, both figuratively and literally.*