Chapter 36
Fai
Sarah sat on my desk, her legs swinging back and forth beneath her. “What about the house on Maple View? The one with the huge windows?”
I flipped through the papers on my desk, finalizing the layout for the next release of the journal.
“It was fine, but I thought you wanted a garage? That one only had the covered carport thing,” I mumbled, trying to divide my focus.
I was drowning in work between transferring managerial duties to Goldie and searching for a new journalist to hire.
The transfer was nearly done, and I had a final-round interview with a prospective candidate.
He was my frontrunner…and Goldie’s least favorite.
Though I was still technically the boss for only a few more days, the decision was mine.
Goldie had taken the news of the promotion… unexpectedly. She had argued at first that she wasn’t qualified, and when I shot down that line of thinking, she decided I wouldn’t be able to give up the work. It took another month of pushing before she finally relented.
She loved the work but was nervous about tanking the journal. It was wild, considering she had practically run the place for years. It would take time for her to find her footing, but I knew she would be the best thing to happen to the journal.
Sarah thrummed her fingers on the desk, her wedding ring glittering in the light. A new band was fitted underneath it, with our two wedding dates engraved on the surface. “I forgot about that. What about the one near Will and Jackie’s?”
I laughed lightly and glanced at her. “It’s about three million dollars over our budget. I don’t think it’s possible for us to be neighbors with your billionaire besties, honey.”
She rolled her eyes. “You just don’t want to move.”
“You would be correct about that,” I said, leaning back in my chair and finally giving her my full attention.
She was all I wanted to focus on—her chocolate skin glowing in the sunlight streaming through my office windows and her eyes shining with hints of gold.
Her hair was natural now, styled in an afro.
She was stunning, a goddess among mortals.
“I like our house,” I added, crossing my arms over my chest. “We picked it together, bought it, and decorated it. We made it our home.”
“It’s also where we got divorced,” Sarah argued.
“And remarried,” I countered, taking her hand and tracing her wedding ring with my thumb, now back where it belonged.
I didn’t want another wedding when we got remarried.
It felt strange to do it all again, but Sarah wanted to celebrate with our family.
In the end, it was a small affair in our backyard.
Neither of us bought new clothes—I wore suit pants and a sweater, and she wore a long yellow silk dress.
Will officiated, my sponsor, Daniel, was one of our witnesses and the other was Jackie.
I made too many jokes about Sarah being my “hot second wife.” Even my therapist sent a gift, though he avoided coming, claiming professional work ethics.
I think he wanted to avoid Sarah, as she was still mildly upset he hadn’t given her a heads-up that he was treating me. She knew it was unreasonable to be upset, but she was human. It was one of the many reasons I loved her and would marry her every day for the rest of my life.
It was perfect. She was perfect.
“I love that house,” I murmured, still playing with her ring. “It holds the heavy and the hard, but that doesn’t make it bad. It reminds me of the good… of the reason I wake up every day and choose myself over my addiction. Of why I choose you over anyone else.”
Sarah sighed, relenting—for now. We would move someday. She would convince me. Hell, she could convince me of anything if she tried hard enough.
A knock sounded at the office door, and Goldie peeked her head in. “Do you have a minute?”
I nodded and motioned for her to come in. She stepped inside slowly and took a seat across from my desk. Waves of tension radiated off her, and she avoided eye contact—something she never did. Sarah looked at me, just as confused as I was. I shrugged, and she stood, taking the seat next to Goldie.
“What’s up?” I asked.
Goldie swallowed hard, her hands gripping a file I hadn’t seen before. “I… well, I did something you may be mad about, and it probably crossed a line.”
Sarah rested her hand on Goldie’s forearm. “What did you do?” she asked softly.
Goldie looked at me and then, after a beat, slid the folder across the desk. “After everything that happened with Levi, I wondered if maybe I could find them for you. So you could finally get your closure.”
Sarah gasped, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at the folder.
My hand trembled as I pulled it closer.
“Them?” I asked, needing her to say it out loud.
“Your parents, Fai,” Goldie said, smiling tentatively. “I found them.”
I stared at the file in shock. After years of wondering—after believing they had been found by Levi, after giving up on ever meeting them—I had almost resigned myself to the unknown.
Almost.
“Are they… are they alive?” I asked, still unable to open the folder.
Goldie nodded. “They are. Some of what Gabr–Levi said was true. Your mom was fifteen when she had you, and so was your dad. What he got wrong… they didn’t give you up willingly.
When they had you, they were both kicked out and became homeless.
You were surrendered to the state. It took them a while—a long while—to get back on their feet, but they did.
They still live in Chicago and never had more kids. They’re married now.”
I stared in disbelief. “How… how did you find them?”
I had tried for years and had never been able to find anything.
“One of the things Levi got right was your father’s name.
Rohan Acharya,” Goldie explained. “His research on Sarah was extensive, and it made me wonder how much of your history was made up. It needed to be somewhat plausible for you to believe him, so I fact-checked everything he knew. Rohan is married to a woman named Laura. Laura just so happened to have had a baby boy thirty-eight years ago. That baby boy just so happened to be named Faizal—well, Faisal, actually. At least that’s what she meant to write on the birth certificate.
I have a feeling she didn’t have the best handwriting. ”
“Holy shit… you really found them?” I asked in awe.
Goldie nodded. “I’m so sorry if I overstepped. I should have checked with you before I started.” She was rambling. I stood as she spoke and rounded my desk. “I just knew if I were in your shoes, I would need answers to move on. So I kept looking and—”
I pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a tight hug. “Thank you, Goldie.”
She relaxed in my arms and hugged me back, holding on tightly. “You’re welcome, Fai.”
After a moment, I let go and stepped back. Goldie sat down again, and I perched on the edge of the desk.
“Will you reach out to them?” she asked.
I sighed, looking at the envelope and then at Sarah, who watched the exchange with tears in her eyes and a smile stretching from ear to ear.
I shook my head. “Not yet. I will someday, when I’m ready. But… right now, I have everything I need.”
Sarah smiled and rested her hand on mine, our wedding rings shining side by side in the light.
She was all I needed.