When he spoke, his voice was gravelly with the heft of everything he had been holding in. ‘I never asked for any of this. I’m also sorry you’ve borne the brunt of my rage.’
‘Is that an apology for the other night?’
He had the wherewithal to look ashamed of himself. ‘Naam. I am sorry for the shit show I put you through.’
Saba’s heart clenched.
She had never noticed that tone from him before, one that conveyed a profound resignation and burden. She had also never seen him so vulnerable, so raw.
‘I never wanted this life,’ he continued. ‘But duty and expectation have a way of carving out our paths in advance.’
His words hit her like a jolt.
She longed to reach out, to comfort him, but she grasped the chasm between them was too broad, too deep. Instead, she stepped closer and touched his hand.
Mak’s eyes flickered with surprise at her touch, but he didn’t pull away.
He met her gaze, his own eyes filled with emotion she couldn’t quite place: longing, frustration, maybe even a hint of yearning.
‘I’m sorry,’ he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. ‘That I’m not the man you need me to be.’
Saba flinched at the sting of his words, but before she could respond, a soft fluttering sound caught her attention.
A tiny dove had fallen from a nearby tree, struggling to find its wings.
Mak moved fast, crouching down to inspect the creature with care. ‘It’s a fledgling,’ he muttered. ‘Trying to fly. They’re vulnerable at this stage.’
Saba studied him, amazed by the tenderness in his touch, the concern in his gaze.
It was a side of him she hadn’t often seen, gentle, protective, caring, and it shifted some of the doubts about him aside.
Together, they returned the fowl to its nest, where the mother bird greeted it with a soft coo.
For a moment, the tension they shared eased.
Mak turned to her then, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. ‘Good teamwork,’ he said, his timbre rough but sincere.
Saba smiled back, a diminutive, fleeting gesture of hope. ‘Maybe you are the man I need you to be.’
Mak’s brow furrowed. ‘Even when I tortured you the other night?’ he grated.
Saba’s gaze softened, and she took a deep breath. ‘I was a willing participant, to some degree, Mak,’ she murmured. ‘However, for us to exist, we need to move forward. We can’t continue punishing each other for the past.’
Mak scoffed. ‘Can’t I?’
Saba looked at him, her heart aching with all they had been through. ‘You can do whatever you want,’ she said. ‘But if we keep this up, we’ll never find the love we deserve. We must be kind to one another. I’m not my sister. I never wanted to hurt you, and I don’t believe that deep down inside you want to do the same to me.’
He studied her for a long beat, his gaze intense.
He sighed, reaching out to take her hand. ‘Consider me part persuaded,’ he said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Saba’s heart skipped a beat as she took his hand, a sense of cautious hope blooming.
They walked out of the garden together, the tautness easing, if only for a moment.
They climbed the ornate staircase, and he led Saba to her bedroom door.
She opened it and strolled inside.
