CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
“The wrong decision.”
By Friday, the headlines had already begun to fade.
Another scandal had replaced theirs.
A famous actor had been arrested.
A pop star had announced a surprise divorce.
The internet had moved on.
Zara was grateful.
She'd almost convinced herself the worst was over.
Bellamy & Co. was preparing for the Foundation Gala.
Every desk was buried beneath seating charts, supplier confirmations and timelines.
Camille clapped her hands together.
"Final walkthrough in thirty minutes."
The office sprang into action.
Naomi looked over at Zara.
"You alright?"
"I'm good."
"You sure?"
Zara smiled.
"I actually am."
She meant it.
For the first time all week, she felt lighter.
The rumours hadn't changed anything between her and Malik.
If anything...
They'd made them communicate more.
Across town, Malik's phone buzzed during a board meeting.
Marcus.
He ignored it.
It rang again.
Then a third time.
The chairman looked over.
"You should probably take that."
Malik excused himself and stepped into the corridor.
"What happened?"
Marcus didn't waste time.
"It's Lena."
Malik's stomach tightened.
"What now?"
"She thinks someone's following her."
"Where is she?"
"Outside Foundation House."
Malik closed his eyes.
"I'll be there in ten."
Foundation House was unusually quiet.
The after-school programme had finished, leaving only a handful of staff inside.
Lena stood near the entrance, arms folded tightly across her chest.
She looked exhausted.
"You came."
"You sounded frightened."
"I am."
She looked over her shoulder instinctively.
"I've seen the same car three days in a row."
Malik glanced across the street.
Nothing.
"You tell Marcus?"
She nodded.
"He checked."
"There was nobody there."
She laughed nervously.
"I sound crazy."
"No."
He softened his voice.
"After everything that's happened..."
"...I'd rather you tell us than stay silent."
She nodded.
"I don't want to be part of whatever this is."
"I know."
"I don't even understand why I'm involved."
Neither did he.
Not yet.
Inside Foundation House, they sat in one of the meeting rooms while Marcus reviewed nearby CCTV.
Lena wrapped both hands around a paper cup of tea.
"I've been thinking."
Malik looked up.
"I shouldn't have come back."
"Lena—"
"No."
She shook her head.
"My life was quiet before I came to see you."
"I thought apologising would help me move on."
A sad smile crossed her face.
"Now I feel like I've dragged trouble back into my life."
"You didn't."
She looked at him.
"You really believe that?"
"I do."
Because Malik knew exactly who had.
Just then, Marcus entered the room.
"No sign of the vehicle."
"So I imagined it?"
"No."
Marcus placed several printed stills on the table.
"It disappeared before our team arrived."
He hesitated.
"But we did find something else."
He slid one photograph forward.
Malik's expression darkened.
The image showed him arriving at Foundation House.
Lena stepping out of her car.
Taken from across the road.
Someone had been watching.
Again.
At exactly the same time, Zara was finishing the final gala briefing with Camille.
As everyone gathered their notes, Naomi's phone buzzed.
"Oh, for goodness' sake."
"What?"
Naomi turned her screen around.
Another gossip account.
Another photograph.
This one was brand new.
Malik standing outside Foundation House.
Lena beside him.
The caption read:
SECOND SECRET MEETING IN ONE WEEK.
The article claimed anonymous sources had seen them together "on multiple occasions."
Naomi immediately locked her phone before Zara could read any further.
Too late.
She already had.
The journey home felt longer than usual.
Zara stared out of the taxi window, replaying everything.
He'd told her there hadn't been another meeting.
But this photograph...
She took a slow breath.
There had to be an explanation.
There always was.
Still...
A small knot formed in her stomach.
Not because she believed the article.
Because she knew Malik hadn't mentioned going to see Lena.
The apartment was quiet when she arrived.
Malik hadn't made it home yet.
She changed into comfortable clothes and tried to distract herself by unpacking one of the final boxes they'd never got around to sorting.
Inside were photographs from Tennessee.
School certificates.
Birthday cards.
A faded photograph of herself at eight years old sitting on a porch swing.
She smiled sadly.
Then her phone buzzed.
Malik: Running late. I'm sorry.
She stared at the message.
For the first time in weeks...
She didn't reply immediately.
An hour later, the front door opened.
Malik stepped inside looking drained.
The moment he saw Zara, he knew she'd seen something.
"You've been quiet."
She nodded.
"I saw the article."
He closed his eyes briefly.
"I was hoping you'd hear it from me first."
She looked at him.
"Were you?"
"Yes."
"Because that's not what happened."
"No."
He set his keys down.
"It isn't."
She walked closer.
"You promised."
"I know."
"You said if Lena came back into your life again..."
"...I'd hear it from you."
"I know."
"So why didn't I?"
Malik rubbed a hand across his face.
"Marcus called."
"She thought she was being followed."
"I went to make sure she was safe."
"I wasn't hiding anything."
"I just..."
He stopped.
"You just what?"
"I wanted to explain it properly."
Zara looked at him for a long moment.
"And when exactly were you planning to do that?"
He didn't have an answer.
Not a good one.
She nodded slowly.
"I believe nothing happened."
Relief flickered across his face.
"But believing you..."
Her voice caught.
"...and trusting how you're handling this..."
"...are becoming two different things."
The words hit harder than any accusation could have.
Because they were true.
That night, neither of them argued.
Neither raised their voices.
They simply went to bed carrying opposite ends of the same silence.
Zara lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Malik lay beside her, staring into the darkness.
Only inches separated them.
But it felt like the furthest apart they'd ever been.
Across Brooklyn, Devon looked at the latest article on his phone and smiled.
"They're still in love," one of his associates observed.
"They are."
"So why are you smiling?"
Devon set the phone down.
"Because tonight..."
"...for the first time..."
"...she questioned his judgment."
He poured another glass of whisky.
"I don't need her to think he cheated."
"Not yet."
"I just need her to wonder..."
"...whether he's telling her everything."
He looked out over the city lights.
"And once someone starts wondering..."
"...they usually keep looking."