When Fire Meets Ice - Completed.

89. M A N I P U L A T I O N

I N A Y A

The moment the door of our ward opened, I exhaled.

It felt like a weight lifting off my chest that had been stubbornly sitting there all evening. Ahad walked in, his posture relaxed as he chuckled at something Kaif Bhai said from beside him.

His eyes then met mine, the world coming down to a momentary stop as the relief reflected in our eyes.

My gaze drifted down to the bandage around his palm, then to his jaw where the mild bruises sat.

Zara stood beside me, asking if he was fine to which he replied. She then shifted her attention to Kaif Bhai who also said the same.

They moved out of the room, saying they'd give us a moment. Silence engulfed us, a small smile breaking out across his face. He shrugged innocently, finally standing beside me.

"I'm fine," he whispered, kissing the tear away-the one I only noticed after.

My hands rose, wrapping around his shoulders as I inhaled into his chest, drawing him into a hug. He smelled of musk, home, and many more things I simply called peace.

He hugged me back, careful of my wound before he pressed a kiss into my hair.

"You're okay," I breathed, pulling away to give his cheek a soft peck.

My smile widened when he blushed at that, brushing some hair strands away from my face. Holding his hand in mine, I made him sit beside me.

"I'm okay now." He smiled, eyes soft as they kept watching me. I then held his wounded palm in mine, tracing the bandage absentmindedly as I asked, "How did you get this?"

"He hid a blade..." he trailed off, stopping when he might've noticed my clenched jaw.

I then grazed my fingers across the bruises on his jaw, my heart breaking at the sight of them. Raising my eyebrows, I questioned silently about how he got them, my frown deepening when he didn't reply.

"How?" I spelled out.

He then reached out to caress my head, coaxing me to relax. "It's nothing major, I'm fine now."

"How?" I repeated.

"Punch."

My jaw clenched tighter, eyes darkening as anger coursed through my very being.

"Do we have him?" I asked then, leaving his face after caressing it one last time.

"Yeah, in one of Tom's warehouses."

I nodded, deciding to not ask anything further. Leaning slightly toward him, I signalled him closer to me with a small grin.

He was confused at first, but leaned in anyhow, asking slowly, "What?"

"I am very proud of you," I whispered, my eyes shining with love as I nudged his nose with mine. He chuckled heartily, dropping his forehead against mine.

"Thank you, wife."

I continued to hold his hands in mine as we shared a brief, soft kiss. I laughed against his lips-happy beyond words-but the voice was drowned out by him. In ways I'd declare 'breathless'.

"You should've seen his face," he rasped, our laughter starting slowly before it burst out in the room.

I drew him into another hug, resting peacefully against his chest as we let the peaceful silence settle. I squealed when he placed a featherlight kiss just below my ear, asking softly, "How's the pain now?"