ISLA’S POV
“Something isn’t right, I can feel it.” I told myself while pacing round my room.
“Saraya may be my grandmother but she also has her mother’s blood; cunning, challenging and subtle.” I told myself as tiny voice in my head told me I was being hard on her.
Saraya’s behavior had been gnawing at me for days, but tonight had confirmed my suspicions. Catching her sneaking out like a thief in the night was the final thread unraveling the picture she was trying so desperately to hide.
I couldn’t ignore the signs any longer. My instincts told me Saraya was up to something, and I wasn’t about to let her drag this family’s name into the mud like her mother almost did.
Evan had been on edge too. Unlike her, the boy wasn’t subtle. At dinner, his downcast eyes and half-hearted answers had painted a clear picture. I needed answers, and I knew just where to get them.
I made my way to Evan’s room, knocking softly before pushing the door open. The poor boy was sitting up in bed, his small frame rigid, his eyes darting toward me like a deer caught in headlights.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle as I stepped inside his room.
Evan shook his head, looking away. “No, ma’am.”
I sat on the edge of his bed, brushing a hand through his hair like I used to when he was younger. The boy had always been the softer one, quick to crumble under his own thoughts. “Talk to me, darling,” I coaxed. “What’s on your mind? You’ve been troubled lately, haven’t you?”
He shrugged, refusing to meet my eyes.
I sighed, letting my tone harden just slightly. “Evan, you’re an honest boy, and I’m proud of that. But I can see you’re holding something back. Don’t let yourself get dragged into Saraya’s lies.”
At that, he flinched, his head snapping up. “Saraya’s not lying!” he said quickly, his voice cracking.
I raised an eyebrow, folding my hands in my lap. “Isn’t she? I saw her sneaking out tonight. If you know something, now is the time to tell me. I won’t hurt her, Evan-I want to protect her. But I need to know what she’s hiding.”
His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his blanket, his guilt written all over his face.
“She’s sneaky,” I added, my tone sharper now. “And I know you’ve noticed it too. What is she up to, Evan?” I asked. “I know you know something.”
The word sneaky did it. Evan froze, his body stiffening as if I’d struck a nerve.
“I… I saw her,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
“What did you see?” I pressed while brushing through his gently, my patience wearing thin but I managed to mask my anxiety and impatience.
“At the party,” he said, his words spilling out quickly now. “I saw Saraya with Arlan. They were alone, and it didn’t look… it didn’t look right.”
Air left the room, heavy with his confession. My hand stilled in his hair as my mind raced.
“Like mother, like daughter,” I muttered under my breath, bitterness curling around the words.
Evan looked up at me, confusion and fear mingling in his young eyes. “What do you mean, Grandma?”
I forced a smile, patting his hand. “Nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart. You’ve done the right thing by telling me what you saw. I’ll take things up from here.”
“What are you going to do, granny?” He asked with so much innocence in his tone.
“Put her back in her place.” I replied in an icy tone.
He hesitated, his lips trembling. “But… Grandma, Saraya-”
“Leave Saraya to me,” I said firmly, cutting him off. “You’ve done enough, Evan. Now try and get some sleep.”
I helped him to bed, planting a kiss to his forehead before standing and heading for the door. Once I was outside his room, I let my calm facade drop. My fists clenched at my sides as anger bubbled under my skin.
“So, Saraya thinks she can follow in her mother’s footsteps right under my nose?” I hissed, my voice low and venomous. “Not on my watch.”
As I began the trip back to my room, anger surged through me. “Saraya might think she can act recklessly without consequence, but she’ll soon learn that in this family, actions are never without punishment.”
ARLAN’S POV
The park was eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from the rustling leaves and the distant hum of a passing car. I leaned against my car, staring at the ground, but my focus snapped upward the moment I saw her approaching.
Saraya.
Even in the dim light, she was captivating. Her messy ponytail framed her face in a way that made her look both effortlessly beautiful and heartbreakingly vulnerable. She was dressed casually, nothing extravagant but she still managed to leave me breathless.
As she got closer, I felt the overwhelming urge to pull her into my arms, to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But I stopped myself, gripping the cool metal of the car instead. I didn’t deserve to comfort her. Not when I was the one who had dragged her into this mess.
She stopped a few steps away, crossing her arms as her gaze met mine. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon,” she said, her tone guarded.
I forced a small, rueful smile. “I figured we needed to talk,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
Her eyes flickered with something-hope, maybe-but it vanished just as quickly. She let out a shaky breath, running a hand through her hair. “Evan knows everything, Arlan,” she said, her voice trembling. “He saw us that night. And now… I don’t know if I can keep him quiet. He’s been moody, distant, and even everyone in the family is starting to notice.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. Evan knew. Recalling how she had been called a whore by her younger brother broke my heart. “How are you feeling?” I asked in almost a whisper.
“Obviously not feeling too good.” She replied and looked away.
I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. This was exactly what I had been afraid of. The walls were closing in faster than I’d anticipated, and now Saraya was caught in the middle.
“I think I should talk to him myself.”
She looked back at me and shook her head. “I don’t think that is a good idea, I’ve tried talking to him, but he won’t open up. He just shuts me out, and I… I don’t know what to do, Arlan. I’m confused.”
Her vulnerability was like a knife to my chest, but I forced myself to stay composed. I couldn’t let my emotions cloud my judgment not now.
“I think…” I started, my voice faltering. I looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “I think it’s best if we go our separate ways.”
The words tasted bitter on my tongue, but I forced them out anyway. It was the only way to protect her, to keep her from getting hurt even more than she already had.
“What?” Her voice was sharp, incredulous.
I turned back to her, my heart twisting at the look on her face. Hurt. Betrayal. Anger.
“Arlan, you can’t be serious,” she said, her voice rising. “You’re just going to walk away? I should have known better.”
“I’m trying to protect you, Saraya,” I said, my tone firm but pained. “If Evan talks, if this gets out… it won’t just be me on the line. It’ll be you too. It’s too early for you to get yourself into any sort of scandal not when you’re yet to solidify your position as your father’s heir.”
She shook her head, taking a step closer. “I thought you were going to find some other ways to help us get through this but you’re ending things before we even get started. It’s obvious you never really cared.”
“I do,” I said, my voice breaking. “That’s why I’m doing this.”
“Really?” There was an air of sarcasm in her tone.
“Really,” I answered, matching her tone but softening almost immediately. “Look , Saraya, I care about you too much to let you get dragged down with me.”
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and for a moment, I thought she was going to yell at me, tell me I was being a coward. But instead, she just stared at me, her expression crumbling.
“You think this is protecting me?” she whispered. “You think leaving me to deal with all of this alone is what I need right now?”
I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. “I’m trying to make things easier for you, Saraya. Even if it doesn’t feel that way right now.”
She laughed bitterly, wiping at her eyes. “Easier? That’s rich, Arlan. You’re not making anything easier. You’re just running away.”
I didn’t know what to say to that because maybe she was right. Maybe I was running away. But wasn’t that better than staying and risking everything blowing up in our faces?
She took a shaky breath, her shoulders slumping as the fight seemed to drain out of her. “If you want to leave, then leave,” she said quietly. “But don’t pretend this is about protecting me. This is about you being too scared to do this with me.”
Her words hung in the air like a challenge, daring me to prove her wrong. But I couldn’t.
Because deep down, I knew she was right.
“See you around.” I said and drove off.