Chapter Fourteen
Asad tried to ignore the sound of Zoya's gasp and concentrate on this low-life.
"Like hell you are. Go inside," he said, his eyes not leaving the man's face. He needed to remember where he'd seen him.
"No," he heard Zoya whisper frantically.
"Asad Ahmad Khan, right? That's what you're calling yourself now?" The man smirked. Anger burst through him. This was the man claiming to be Lily's father? Asad reigned in every single urge he had to sink his fist into the other man's face. Every fiber of his being wanted to hear that skinny jaw snap on impact. Revulsion slammed through him as he remembered this guy trashing his house, looking for money. This was not Lily's father.
"I remember you," Asad said, keeping his voice steady.
"Glad to hear it. Too bad Najma is dead, she was a nice piece of""
"I'd stop talking if I were you."
The man looked at Asad and then gave Zoya a thorough once over. "But I gotta say this one is a definite step up."
Asad bolted forward, pushing the man against the building, his forearm pinning him until Asad felt him struggling under him to form words. His eye went to the small alleyway between the buildings. For a second he wished he was that adolescent that acted first and thought later.
He leaned down, letting his anger show, letting the carefully controlled emotions surface. "You stay the hell away from my family. You don't look at my wife. You don't talk to her. You don't talk about her."
"I came for the baby."
"She's not yours."
"I'm willing to negotiate. Your sister always said you were gonna be rich."
Asad moved his face closer, disgusted by the stench of cheap liquor. "I came from nothing, just like you. I know how to fight dirty, and I swear to you I will. I will make you regret the day you ever thought about my daughter, or looked at my wife. I keep what's mine. Don't you forget that. So get your sorry ass away from my family." Asad pinned him harder against the wall, not seeing the man anymore, only the threat.
"Asad." Zoya's soft voice broke through his rage. He clenched his teeth and looked over at her, took in the pallor of her face, the trembling of her chin. And all the words she'd ever spoken to him about her childhood rang through his mind, all the violence she'd had to face. He glanced down at Lily"asleep, angelic, innocent. And then he stared at the lowlife in front of him, and Asad thought of his and Najma's father, and he knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't raise his fists in anger in front of Zoya or Lily. Not ever.
"Stay the hell away from my family," Asad said in a low voice, before releasing him and backing away.
The man clutched his throat, trying to take deep breaths and staring at Asad with so much hatred that Asad knew in his gut this wasn't over.
"Let's go," he said, turning to Zoya, forcing himself to calm down. He needed to be composed. He needed to be her rock. Asad grabbed her hand and the stroller, ushering them toward the entrance. The doorman opened the doors for them and they were swallowed into the luxurious marble lobby. He turned around to look out the windows as they waited for the elevator. His eyes scanned the crowds of people, but the man was gone.
...
Zoya didn't say a word. She couldn't look over at Asad. She followed him into the apartment and just stood in the entryway, vaguely aware of Asad taking Lily out of her stroller and walking out of the room. She stood there, coat still on, listening to the sounds she'd allowed herself to get accustomed to.
When Asad returned, his face was haggard, his eyes filled with pain. "She didn't wake up," he said, his voice strained. He threw his keys and coat on the leather chair at the entry. Zoya couldn't bring herself to speak.
Asad walked over to her. "I, uh, I'm sorry if I scared you."
Zoya shook her head, looking up at him. He hadn't scared her. He'd made her feel safe. He'd fought for her. In so many ways they came from the same place.
"He said he's her father."
Asad nodded slowly, his lips narrowing.
Why had she let herself get her hopes up? Why did she think that things would be different this time? This was just like all the times she'd get pulled out of a good home. Someone would come to the door and tell them it was time for Zoya to leave. It was always too soon. In the good homes it was always too soon. And now it was happening to Lily. No one had loved Zoya enough to adopt her, but they loved Lily. That should be enough. This couldn't be happening. Zoya shook her head, she couldn't look at Asad, couldn't wrap her arms around him, the shock of it all immobilizing her.
Her vision blurred as she felt Asad's chest tuck against her, his strong arms encircling her. She felt his pain in the words that neither of them were capable of speaking. She didn't want to turn around to face him. She shivered back the sobs that threatened as he pressed his lips against her neck. This was it"she had failed. She couldn't save Lily. Their family was going to be ripped to shreds. They couldn't compete against her father.
"No one can take her away from us." She could hear the raw emotion in his voice as he whispered in her ear. She turned in his arms and looked up at him. His jaw was set, his dark eyes glittering. Zoya shook her head as his warm, strong hands cupped her face.
"You don't understand. Her father will win...you're just an uncle...there's a process. We will lose against her father."
"I'm swearing to you right now, no one is going to take Lily away from us. I promise you""
"You can't promise, no one can. I knew this would happen. I failed her," Zoya said clutching the fabric of his shirt.
"No you didn't," he whispered against her hair. "We haven't lost yet."
Zoya felt the kisses along her hair straight to her heart. After tonight, there would be no point in the two of them pretending to be married anymore. Her hands ran up the smooth cotton of his shirt, feeling the taught muscles clench. She tightened her hold on him. He cradled her face in his hands, kissing her with a wanting and yearning that she understood and matched kiss for kiss.
"Make it go away, Asad, make the pain go away." He groaned and looked down at her, restrained desire etched in his face. He reached down to cup her bottom, lifting her so that she straddled him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her mouth not leaving his. Wild and filled with a pain that was doubled because of his, they loved each other, clothes falling away, until there was nothing left between them.
Zoya reached up, tilting his head to within an inch of hers. "Now" she whispered, her words cut off as he captured her mouth in a frantic kiss and he entered her with barely restrained passion.
She felt the hard length of him. He filled her completely, filling the void, the loneliness. Until all that was left for her to do was surrender"surrender to the bliss that Asad offered. And seconds after her world exploded, she felt him join her.
...
Asad woke to the sound of coffee percolating and the smell of lemon cranberry muffins. He smiled faintly. In spite of everything that happened last night, the thought of Zoya still made him smile. She had spent much of the night pacing and holding Lily, and the one time when she'd been awake lying next to him, he'd made love to her slowly and sweetly until both of them forgot the pain and surrendered to the love that neither would admit out loud.
Zoya wasn't singing that song about the five ducks this morning. He hadn't realized how much he liked that song until now. He shrugged on a pair of jeans and walked barefoot towards the kitchen, thanking God for Zoya. They would get through this together, they would fight for Lily.
Asad stopped cold. Her bags were piled neatly in the hallway. The holly and berry bag was stuffed with books.
"Zoya?" he called out, walking into the kitchen. She stood with her back to him. When she slowly turned around he saw streaks down her face where she'd obviously been crying. She held up her hand and those glorious brown eyes filled up with tears.
"I'm leaving."
"Why?" he felt anger and fear jog through him.
"Varun just called. How long have you known about Lily's father?"
...
Zoya tried to speak past the tears."
"She had picked up the phone on the first ring when she'd seen it was their lawyer, and when Varun had mentioned his conversation about Lily's biological father with Asad, she'd felt the burn of his betrayal.
Zoya wiped the tears away with trembling hands, hating standing here, like this, in the room that twenty-four hours ago had been filled with a babbling baby and a smiling Asad. She stared at his tense face, hating how even now that he was the most gorgeous man she'd ever known.
He cringed. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't want you to panic""
"You lied to me. How long have you known this?"
He looked away for a moment. "The night of our wedding."
Zoya put her hands over her face. This was a mess. He had lied. Lily's father was back. And she was...
"I was trying to protect you."
"Lily is going," she whispered, her voice shaking. He walked up to her and held her shoulders, the power in his hands reminding her of last night. The gentleness, the passion...
"No," he said slowly. "Stop thinking like we've lost. Paternity results aren't in."
Zoya shook her head, his words not registering. "If he's her father, he will gain custody. No matter how good Varun is, we won't be able to adopt her."
"You know I will never let them take her. Think about this rationally. He's an addict, he's after money, not a baby. Lily is ours and we'll never lose her. I'm a fighter and so are you." He pulled her against him. She resisted for the briefest of seconds, not wanting to share her pain, not wanting to be comforted. But she couldn't resist the shelter he offered and she buried her face against his chest, crying for Lily, crying for them, crying for herself. Her kingdom of dreams belonged in her books, in her fantasies. He'd broken down her walls, and she'd been seduced by his kindness, his touch, his vulnerabilities. And now she was going to lose everything.
"I can't do it," she said against his chest, holding him tightly."
"I'll fight for both of us. You won't have to say goodbye to her," he said, his lips brushing her hair.
"You don't understand how much this would kill me. If you care about me you have to let me go," she whispered, still not moving away from him. She felt his body tense against her.
"Zoya," he said, as she finally gained the strength she needed to pull herself out of his arms, out of this false sense of security.
"Please, Asad." She heard Lily begin to stir on the baby monitor and froze. She felt him watching her closely, and then Lily cried out again. She needed to go before he went to get Lily.
"Fine," he said roughly. "If this is what you need to do, then go. But I swear to God, I'm going make everything right. I'm not going to lose you or Lily."
She didn't meet his eyes, just turned and walked down the hallway, pausing to pick up her two bags. She had to get out now. She felt her body tremble as she heard Lily begin to cry, and his voice call after her."
"When you're ready, I'll be here."
She shut the door on his words, on Lily's cries.
Seher Hone Ko Hai
Members Lounge
Cricket
47