CHAPTER FORTY TWO
“The photograph.”
The phone continued to vibrate in Malik's hand.
Zara ??
Calling.
For a brief moment, he simply stared at her name.
Lena noticed immediately.
"Answer it."
He looked up.
"I will."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You'll answer it now."
He nodded and pressed accept.
"Hey."
There was a brief pause before Zara spoke.
"Hi."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"You alright?"
"I was just wondering where you are."
Malik glanced towards Lena's apartment building.
He closed his eyes for the briefest second.
"I'm in Queens."
"What are you doing there?"
The truth sat on the edge of his tongue.
I'm with Lena.
She met with someone connected to Devon.
I wanted answers.
Instead...
He hesitated.
"I had a meeting."
Silence.
A tiny hesitation.
It lasted no more than two seconds.
But Zara heard it.
"A meeting?"
"Yeah."
Another pause.
"Okay."
"You sound tired."
"I am."
"I'll explain everything when I get home."
"I'll see you later."
Before he could say anything else...
The line went dead.
Malik lowered the phone slowly.
Lena stared at him.
"You didn't tell her."
His shoulders dropped.
"I know."
"You just lied."
"I know."
"And that's exactly what Devon wanted."
Malik didn't answer.
Because she was right.
Across the city, Zara sat in her parked car outside Bellamy & Co.
Her phone rested on the steering wheel.
Naomi climbed into the passenger seat.
"You haven't driven home yet?"
Zara handed her the photograph.
Naomi frowned.
"Where did this come from?"
"It was under my windscreen."
She looked down at her phone.
"I called him."
"And?"
"He said he was at a meeting."
Naomi looked back at the photograph.
"Do you believe him?"
Zara didn't answer immediately.
Finally...
"I believe he was in Queens."
Naomi nodded.
"But?"
"He didn't tell me what meeting."
She swallowed.
"And after everything we've promised each other..."
"...he hesitated."
Naomi stayed quiet.
She knew better than to fill silence with assumptions.
Marcus was waiting outside Carter Developments when Malik finally returned.
One look at his face told him everything.
"You didn't tell her."
Malik climbed out of the car.
"I tried."
Marcus folded his arms.
"No."
"You intended to."
"Those aren't the same thing."
Malik ran a hand through his hair.
"I know."
Marcus lowered his voice.
"Devon isn't trying to prove you're unfaithful."
"I know."
"He's trying to make every truthful explanation arrive too late."
The words landed like a punch.
Because that was exactly what had happened.
That evening, Zara arrived home first.
The apartment was quiet.
She changed into comfortable clothes before placing the anonymous photograph on the kitchen counter.
She stared at it for several minutes.
The timestamp had been cropped.
The background blurred.
Whoever had taken it wanted one thing.
For her imagination to fill in the missing pieces.
She took a deep breath.
"No."
She whispered the word aloud.
"I'm not doing this."
She picked up her phone.
Opened Malik's contact.
Then put it back down again.
She wanted the truth.
But she wanted it face to face.
An hour later, the front door unlocked.
Malik stepped inside carrying takeaway from Mrs. Alvarez's bakery.
"I brought—"
He stopped.
Zara was sitting at the kitchen island.
The photograph lay between them.
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, she slid it across the counter.
"I found this today."
Malik looked down.
Every drop of colour left his face.
"I can explain."
"I know you can."
Her voice remained remarkably steady.
"But before you do..."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I asked you where you were."
He couldn't look away.
"You said you were at a meeting."
"I was."
She nodded once.
"Were you with Lena?"
Silence.
Just one heartbeat.
Then another.
Malik knew this was the moment.
The one Marcus had warned him about.
The one he'd promised himself he wouldn't mishandle.
He opened his mouth.
"I'm—"
Before he could finish, someone knocked loudly on the apartment door.
Three sharp knocks.
Then three more.
Both of them froze.
At nearly ten o'clock at night...
Neither of them was expecting anyone.
Malik walked cautiously towards the door.
"Stay here."
He looked through the peephole.
His expression changed instantly.
"What is it?" Zara asked.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he slowly unlocked the door.
Standing on the other side was Marcus.
His usually calm face had drained of colour.
He was breathing heavily, as though he'd run up the stairs.
"Boss..."
His voice was urgent.
"You need to turn on the television."
Malik frowned.
"What happened?"
Marcus looked from Malik...
...to Zara...
...then back again.
His next words made the room fall completely silent.
"They've just announced..."
"...that Lena Matthews has disappeared."