Malcolm had stood by the window of his mansion all evening after returning from work, with his fingers tapping idly at the corners of it which he had never noticed before, but was as sparkly as ever because the cleaning services that usually cleaned his house were perfect at their job.
His eyes had fixed on the road outside as he waited restlessly, with his thoughts sinking into a tangled mess of concern and yearning for the woman he had been bothered about more than ever all day because of the articles that were published.
And just at the moment when his eyes caught the sight of a car which rolled into view and drove past his mansion, his heart skipped in relief, before he instantly turned away from the window and hurried out.
‘She was back.’
He walked fast, and even almost ran, hoping that he would be able to still meet her outside before she entered her house. In the opposite direction, her car drove past him as he walked, and he didn’t even mind anything apart from her.
His eyes brightened as soon as he saw her in front of her house trying to check for something in her bag, and he called to her without hiding his excitement, “Zoe!” He began to move in her direction.
Upon hearing someone call her name, Zoe turned her face and her eyes came in contact with him, even if she knew that it was him just from the sound of his voice. It was at that moment that Malcolm noticed that something was wrong. She looked paler than two days ago, and more weary.
Though he noticed that she seemed to be in a state of mind that wasn’t so sound, he didn’t act like he saw and just questioned casually, “Where have you been? His eyes searched her face, “You have been gone like days, and I was…” He hesitated, then added, “I was so worried.”
He observed her as he spoke humorously, hoping that somehow she hadn’t seen what people were saying about her online again. It might just multiply the hatred she had for him yet again.
A sigh, barely audible, escaped Zoe as she spared him a stiff glance, “Where I have been is none of your concern,” she answered, her almost lifeless voice barely with strength or agility.
Even if he felt so bad that she didn’t seem to be in a great mood, Malcolm asked her as he instinctively placed her hand on her forehead, “Your fever… is it better?” His voice softened, as he stared deep into her eyes, “Are you fine now?”
Retreating from his touch almost immediately, Zoe angled her body toward the door, and away from him, “Yes,” she gave a curt response, even if Malcolm was not in any way convinced.
She seemed weaker than the day he saw her in the rain, and the exhaustion in her voice was palpable. He wondered how she had not even caught a cold from the rain and still seemed quite well.
As Zoe unlocked the door to her house and took a step inside ready to shut the door right in his face, Malcolm followed quickly without thinking, and slipped in before she could summon the strength to stop him.
Perhaps, at that moment, she had no power in her to stop him from entering. Or perhaps she simply didn’t care enough to fight. She honestly didn’t know. She just needed all the hope she could get.
Malcolm watched as he walked before her while they made their way into the sitting room, and he noticed that she looked so drained beyond what words could convey. She just walked to one of the couches in the living room which had barely any light to filter in from outside, and just slouched on it without saying anything.
“How did your day go?” Malcolm settled on the other couch across from where she lay, as he questioned because he was still troubled at heart that she might be having a rough day because of him.
Having no plausible reason for answering and wanting to share her feelings at that moment, Zoe muttered even though her lips felt so heavy, “Terrible, I think. Worst than you can think of,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper, the more she thought of how she had separated from Jasmine without telling her the truth.
Malcolm’s stomach sank instantly, and his eyebrows raised in surprise because he would have somehow expected her to conceal her emotions and say that she was fine. He had expected the usual dismissive attitude from her.
‘He couldn’t believe that she was talking of her free will. Was it because it concerned him?’
“Is it work?” his voice trembled with fear that she might mention bluntly it was the degrading news of her that had been published because of him.
Zoe let out a slow and tried breath at Malcolm’s question before lifting her gaze to him which had no anger or resentment in them, but just a dire feeling of coldness, “Hmmn hmmn,” She shook her head weakly, “I shouldn’t be sharing my emotions with someone who hurt me so much.”
Malcolm’s heart did a flip to his stomach when she mentioned those words so flippantly, as he looked away from her because he felt the deep guilt of her words clinging to him again like an unforgiving ghost.
“Please tell me what I can do to make it up to you, Zoe,” he pleaded deeply from the deepest part of his core, “I would do anything,” he almost swore.
Zoe’s eyes went closed for a long moment after he apologized again as if taking her time to do serious thinking, before she uttered drowsily without opening her eyes, “Nothing.”
A hush fell into the room with a suffocating tension that made Malcolm swallow, as he sighed so miserably with a feeling of emptiness, wishing that someday he would hear her say genuinely that she had forgiven him. That she was now free from her pain.
And for almost two minutes, he basked in the silence that consumed them both, and haunted the living room with an eerie feeling, before he decided to speak out again, “Are you sleeping already?”
“Hmmn. I took pills and I think it’s taking effect already,” she mumbled mindlessly.
Malcolm’s eyes widened in shock, as he remained momentarily stilled for a few seconds at that revelation, as if awaiting her explanation, “You take pills to sleep? I have never seen you….”
He paused to think, wondering how she had taken them, almost spending months with him together at the Meyers mansion.
“What? Are you surprised?” Zoe’s eyes suddenly flashed open when she sensed the astonishment in his voice, “What did you expect? That I sleep well after being tortured for too long?” she muttered dryly with an unfazed amusement.
Malcolm felt even more terrible than ever that he had somehow allowed her to be broken by his family under his watch, as he begged so desperately, his voice trembling with deep sadness, “I am sorry, Zo. I really am.”
Zoe turned her face away from him after a sigh rolled out of her yet the nth time, as she shifted slightly on the couch, “Just leave and lock my door,” she blurted out coldly, “I am really tired of hearing you say those words now. Say something else.”