Chapter 46
Tshabina
The noise around me began to fade, as though a thick wall had risen between me and the world. The only thing echoing in my mind was the woman’s voice in front of me, repeating, clawing at my thoughts. Beside me, Zioh’s grip slipped from my arm. He stood like a statue, his eyes locked on her.
I tore my gaze away to look at the woman standing before us. She was strikingly beautiful. Long black hair, olive skin glowing under the light, and gleaming brown eyes that sparkled as she smiled. But her smile wasn’t for me—it was for Zioh.
I narrowed my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat.
This woman…
She was her.
The woman Zioh once dated five years ago. The reason I stopped calling, stopped hoping, stopped believing. The one who shattered his promise to me, and who spread rumors about Zeraiah, claiming he tried to steal her from Zioh.
Were they still together?
But—Zioh once told me—
No, he never explained. I had filled in the blanks myself.
A sharp pain twisted in my chest, as if a rough hand was crushing it. And then, on her hand…
She wore it.
This woman wore something on her hand. Something that once belonged only to Zioh and me. Something he had made, and had given to me…
For the two of us alone.
My body trembled as I glanced back at him, already knowing the truth, but still needing to see it with my own eyes. And yes… It was true. Zioh’s wrist was bare; the metal that once bound us was gone.
Five years ago, I’d taken mine off too when I decided to end us. But still, I kept it—the bracelet.
My eyes burned. I bit my inner lip as I struggled to hold back the sobs. For years, I clutched that bracelet in my hand, while my eyes fixed on the stars above my bed. It was the last string that kept me believing and waiting for him.
But how could he just throw our bracelet away to someone else like that?
Did it mean nothing to him at all? Was everything he said to me that night just a joke?
Then her gaze turned. The woman in front of me was looking at me in a way that made my skin crawl. She fixed her hair with slow, deliberate precision.
I swallowed hard.
Turning back to Zioh, I stopped breathing for a moment. He was even stiffer now. His face had drained of color, and he held his breath. No—not held.
He couldn’t breathe at all.
My body moved on instinct, shifting closer to him.
When I tried to grab his hand, Zioh stepped back with a rushed move. “Zioh…” I called, but his gaze locked on the woman before us, refusing to turn to me.
He shook his head, edging further away. His breath was breaking out in ragged bursts. “Hhh… hhh… hhh.”
Then, all at once, he clutched at his head, ears, and stomach. He started hitting his own head. Over and over.
What was happening—
I stared. My hand quivered in the air, following his frantic movement. When it looked as if he might collapse, I caught him by the shoulders and held him up with all my strength. I pressed myself in front of him, desperate to shield him, desperate to see his face.
“Zi… hey… Can you hear me?” My voice shook as I craned my neck and angled my head, trying to glimpse his face as he buried himself under my grip.
I reached out to stroke his face, but froze at the sudden crash that thundered behind me. My head whipped round. The woman’s hand slammed against the bonnet of the car, turning red. I stared at her hand, then her face—and I went rigid.
What?
Her eyes had narrowed into sharp slits, so sharp they could cut if they were knives. The broad smile she had worn was gone, replaced by pressed lips and heavy breaths.
My breath hitched.
“Do not fucking touch him!” The woman shrieked, her voice shrill and piercing. With quick steps, she strode towards Zioh and me. Her hand raised to grab me, but before she could reach, Tsabinu was already there.
He moved fast to my side, blocking her path. With one firm shove, he pushed her back from us. “Don’t you dare,” he warned. He planted himself before me, shielding both Zioh and me.
The woman glared at us, her eyes stabbing through the air.
And then… she pouted.
Still holding onto Zioh, I stared at her in disbelief, narrowing my eyes. She turned her head away, caught her reflection in the car’s side mirror, and smoothed her hair. Over and over, she adjusted it, all while whistling.
I glanced at Tsabinu, and he looked back at me. Without words, I knew our eyes exchanged the same thought.
Her whistling grew louder and sharper. Sweat began to trickle down my forehead, and I turned again to Zioh. He was still struggling to breathe, his hands clamped over his ears, and his eyes screwed shut. “No, no, no, no…” he whispered again, and he felt so cold under my touch.
I couldn’t catch a single steady thought. What should I do? “Zioh, please look at me…” I begged, but he didn’t respond; he only shook his head harder and harder.
The woman’s whistle stopped, making my whole body stiffen.
When I turned back to her, she gave me a faint smile, then narrowed her eyes. She tilted her head, trying to peek past me. “Zioh…?” she crooned.
When Zioh didn’t respond, she pouted again. Lifting her fingers, she examined her nails, humming. “Zi… you’re bad,” she sang. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?” Her eyes flicked past my shoulder, then at me.
I didn’t flinch—I couldn’t.
She began lowering her fingers one by one, “One… two… four… six… hmm…” Her tone sharpened, and her stare darkened. “How many times have I gone back and forth to your penthouse, to your house?” Her brows furrowing, “And it turns out you’re here.”
“Zioh!” she suddenly barked, making me flinch and clutch Zioh tighter.
Tsabinu snarled. He squared his shoulders. “Stay away.”
A blaring car horn tore through the tension, dragging all our eyes forward. A row of cars was pulling into the car park, and I recognized—Uncle Bakti’s car.
At the same time, the lift behind us chimed open. I turned, and Mas Zaeem was striding toward us in a rush. As he drew closer, his steps faltered, his narrowed gaze pierced the low light of the parking lot, and he tensed. Shock spread across his face at the sight before him.
Why did everyone react like this to her?
Then the sound of a car door opening made me turn my head around.
Uncle Bakti had stepped out of his car. The woman lit up at once, her wide smile returning in full bloom. “Daddy-in-law!” she squealed, clinging onto Uncle Bakti’s arm with giddy affection.
Standing there, I turned to stone. Daddy-in-law?
Yet what shocked me most was Uncle Bakti’s reaction. He gave her a warm smile, almost too warm, as though her presence wasn’t a danger, but a gift.
“You’re here already, Cindy?” Uncle Bakti asked, walking closer as she leaned into him with an almost childlike cling.
Cindy… So that was her name.
Uncle Bakti stopped before us, and Cindy was still wrapped around his arm. His eyes fell on me. He held my gaze for a long moment and gave me a wide smile. “Tshabina, you’re here too,” he greeted, raising his hand to touch me.
But before his hand reached me, Zioh snapped upright. With sudden, forceful strength, he yanked me behind him. I gasped, and his grip trembled against my skin.
His glare bore into his dad. “Stay the fuck away from her,” he growled, his voice low and venomous.
Zioh’s eyes then cut to Cindy, still holding onto his dad. His breath came faster, heavier. Cindy’s expression twisted into a sour scowl as she met his gaze with equal sharpness.
Zaeem strode forward, planting himself at Zioh’s side. I glanced at him and his whole frame was tense, like words trapped in his throat. His hand pressed against Zioh’s waist, steadying him, grounding him.
“Thanks, Daddy, for telling me Zioh was here,” Cindy said with pointed emphasis. Her sparkling eyes locked on Zioh. “The moment you told me, I came straight here.” Her smile stretched wider.
A shiver tore down my spine.
Her smile was a nightmare, and her following words made it worse.
“Because Zioh promised me he would take responsibility.”