Chapter 21
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Was it the bass of the music she felt—or the violent thudding of her heart?
The room tilted around her. She blinked, but Nasir was still there, standing by the stage.
His mother clutched him like a lifeline, sobbing into his suit lapel.
His father’s eyes were wet with tears. And Irum—she gripped him like she was afraid to let go.
He was thinner. His cheeks were hollowed out, making his face more angular. His hair, once full, was shorn brutally close to the scalp. He looked so different. But it was him.
There was no denying it was him.
Her body moved before she could stop it—one step, then another.
“Here?” his mother said, barely getting the words out, as Hena drew closer. “No call. No messages. All these years I thought you were dead.” She was furious, and yet she kept her arms wrapped around him, saying his name over and over, as though to reassure herself that this moment wasn’t a dream.
As for Hena, all she felt was cold. Like she was drowning in a dark sea of panic.
Nasir wasn’t supposed to be here.
He couldn’t be here.
A hand touched hers. She flinched.
It was Reza.
“Sorry I wasn’t able to swing by sooner.” He was out of breath. “There’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s kind of important and—”
He cut off mid-sentence when he saw her expression.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She didn’t reply. She couldn’t. She could barely stay upright. Her knees felt like they were about to give. Reza caught her arm, steadying her.
“Hena, what’s going on?” he asked.
He looked around, taking in the hushed voices. The wide eyes. People were pulling out phones to snap pictures. To share proof this was really happening.
“Everyone’s acting like they’ve seen a ghost,” he said.
Because they had. Except Nasir was no ghost. He was real. He was here. At her sister’s wedding.
Which was bad. Very bad.
She craned her neck, searching for Haris. He’d know what to do. Except—she winced—he was at the police station.
Nasir scanned the space. At last, he saw her. Time stopped moving.
He took a step toward her, then paused. Unsure.
She gestured to the door.
He nodded. Because he knew.
They needed to talk.