He was never meant to fall. She was never meant to find out.
Zayn Afzal Khan - arrogant, cold, and untouchable. As the CEO of The Khan's Empire, he rules the business world with an iron grip. But beneath the suit and success lies a far darker truth...
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The cool night air kissed my skin as I stared at the beautiful structure of a glasshouse in front of me. It was glowing in the moonlight and golden fairy lights.
"Shall we, sweetheart?" He asked, and I nodded as he held my hand, guiding me inside. The moment I stepped in, my breath caught.
The inside was bathed in a warm, golden glow. Flickering candles lined the floor in a delicate path and stood quietly in the corners, their flames dancing gently against the glass walls. The soft scent of roses and vanilla lingered in the air.
And then, there were...my photos. Thousands of them, hanging on invisible strings above me. Every photo was of me. The time when I was laughing, reading, sleeping on the couch, baking with flour on my face, lost in thought. Some were my childhood pictures, ones I hadn’t seen in years. Some were so recent I didn’t even know they’d been taken.
Every inch of the walls was covered with me.
"When did you take these pictures?" I asked, looking at the photos. He stepped beside me, as he said, "Some, I took without you noticing, some, after I gathered the courage to confess and the rest, I asked your brother,"
"What? You asked my brother?" I asked in disbelief. Why would he ask Azaan bhai for my pictures? "Yeah, I asked him. I wanted to know every side of you, sweetheart." He said, eyes on my photos.
And then, right at the center, hanging from the highest arch was a huge painted portrait of me.
"That... That portrait..." I murmured, my eyes still on it. "Yes, it was you at our nikaah. My bride," He said, softly. His voice was deeper with love. "You painted this?" I asked in disbelief. He does painting too?
"Yeah," He chuckled. "How is it?" He asked. "It's... it's beyond beautiful," I said, looking into his eyes. "Amyra, I know we didn’t get much time before this," he began softly, "just one dinner, one proposal, and a thousand unspoken things in between."
"But sweetheart, even in those small moments we had together, you left the deepest marks on me. You remember the time when I confessed? You didn't react but just stared at me with the wide eyes of yours." He chuckled. "And you did say that you can't love me, but you were wrong, sweetheart."
"Because what you didn’t realize was…even when you said that, even in that silence, you were already giving me everything. You still married me, Amyra. Even though it's for your parents'sake, you still let me come into your life." His tone was soft and raw.
My heart beat fastened with each word he said. My eyes started to fill with tears and I blinked the tears away.
"And the dinner date," He continued. "I saw you were so happy that day when I got your favorite foods. When you smiled, that day even when it's not for me, I still felt that I was a part of your happiness. And it was more than enough for me," He finished, his voice barely above a whisper.
