Rina was already in bed, trying to forget the episode of Zayn walking in on her, which seemed to have overpowered all the other experiences she’d had earlier that day. Folding into a ball under her sheets, she turned to face the wall, letting out a sigh.
She couldn’t sleep, no matter how hard she’d tried. It was almost 10 pm, and even though it was considerably early for her to be in bed, given her past lifestyle, Rina felt too exhausted to stay awake.
And now that she was actually in bed, sleep seemed to be eluding her. Rina’s arms wrapped around her b*** protectively and she swallowed from the warmth that serenaded her. And it had nothing to do with the present.
She had felt his eyes on her, even though it hadn’t lasted more than a fleeting second. But it had been enough to send her body into an overdrive. Rina told herself it was probably because Finn stopped having sex with her after she got pregnant, leaving her needy body to itself.
It hadn’t mattered that much to Rina then, because she thought Finn was only looking out for her. But now that she thought about it, Rina couldn’t help but think he just might have been cheating on her. It would be a great way to cause a scandal for him, but Rina shook away the thought. She didn’t want to do the same thing he did to her.
That would be a low blow. She wanted something more compelling, more breaking, that even Kayla’s mass of wealth wouldn’t be able to stop her. And it dawned on Rina for the umpteenth time that it was the reason she needed Zayn and couldn’t back down on the marriage contract.
After he left, she had considered just calling him and telling him never to return. But wouldn’t that make her seem like an inconsistent person to him? He probably wouldn’t attempt to reach her anymore, leaving her to wallow in her shitty reputation.
Zayn had been right when he told her she was alone. Now, laying in bed and staring at her white walls, it couldn’t be any more true.
Rina turned again to face the other side, her eyes falling on the digital clock by her bedside. Only five minutes had passed since the last moment she’d checked for the time, yet it felt like three hours.
Giving up on sleeping altogether, she swung her legs off the bed and headed to the kitchen. Growing up, her mother had always said that the solution to her inability to sleep was a glass of warm milk, and even though Rina couldn’t remember ever trying it out, she decided that she had nothing to lose.
The living area was dark when Rina came out through the hallway. Zayn might have turned off the switch because she hadn’t been out here since he left. Lunch and dinner hadn’t even registered to Rina until now when a loud groan sounded from her stomach.
Now, she was in a fix. The plan earlier had been to stop at the grocery store to get a few things that would sustain her for a couple more days until she finally fell into penury. But with how the meeting had gone, Rina had absolutely forgotten about that.
The only thing left in the kitchen was a gallon of milk and that wasn’t enough to get anything done.
“I’m just going to take the warm milk and go to bed,” she whispered to herself, heading into the kitchen. “Nobody ever died from hunger on the first night. Think about it as an avenue to lose a bit more calories, Rina, just in case you land a role where the character has to be lean.”
Rina flipped on the switch in the kitchen, and bright light flooded the walls. It did nothing to lighten up her mood as she sauntered to the fridge to get the milk out. Her light footsteps carried along with her as she stopped by the electric kettle, turning it on since there was water already inside.
Leaning on the slab, she looked around the kitchen for lack of anything else to do. Then she saw it.
It was a bowl seated in the microwave, calling her attention. Rina didn’t remember putting it there. Hell, she hadn’t even purchased takeout since her divorce and that was what the bowl looked like.
Hesitantly, Rina approached it, pulling the little door of the microwave open. She retrieved the bowl with both hands, bringing it up onto the slab. The scent hit her at once, and her stomach jubilated from the presence of a meal.
There was a little note sticking out from the body, and Rina pried it off, her eyes scanning the pink sticky note. She smiled when she saw it was from Zayn, then caught herself almost immediately, the smile fading into a scowl.
He knew she wasn’t going to eat, so he had taken the responsibility of ensuring she didn’t die on him before he got to take her to the altar. It was a silly joke that didn’t get Rina laughing, but the gesture got to her.
A lone tear slipped from her face as she turned on the microwave and got the food inside. After five minutes, she retrieved it again, and slid to the floor of the kitchen, pulling the cover away from the bowl.
It was pasta that had been arranged to spell her name, and Rina threw her head back, bursting out in laughter. Her hands met another note attached to the bottom of the bowl.
“Do you know how hard it was convincing the restaurant that I wasn’t your brother or close friend, and that the meal wasn’t intended for Rina Powers, but for an aunt of mine called Rina? You’re becoming such a sensation out there. Enjoy it.”
“Enjoy it?” Rina scoffed but dived hungrily into the contents of the bowl anyway. A smile stretched on her face as she munched. Now she would have enough strength to fight another day.