Broken by him, bound to him

Chapter 6 part 1: Yet another ghost from her past

Naya pushed her way blindly through the crowd gathered to listen to Mr. Nadeem’s speech. Her heart was pounding as she shoved past them, barely noticing the curious looks. She darted into the house, snatched her purse and coat from the couch, and bolted back out, her heels clutched in her hand. Barefoot, she ran, sharp stones biting into her feet with every step.

Aydin, who had been trailing behind, caught sight of her fleeing. His lips curled when he noticed Cain trying—and failing—to free himself from the guests still determined to make small talk with him. Cain’s eyes were locked on Naya, but the crowd was his prison. Aydin, however, wasn’t about to let Cain reach her. He spotted Ryan and hurried over, his face a mask of false urgency.

“Ryan, I need to talk to you. Urgently.” He pulled him aside.

“What’s up? Is everything okay?” Ryan asked, confused.

“No, it’s not a big deal, but…” Aydin lowered his voice, feigning concern. “That girl you were dancing with earlier—she just ran out of the party. She looked really distressed. I think something’s wrong.”

“Naya?!” Ryan’s eyes widened. “Which way did she go?”

Before Aydin could finish pointing, Ryan was already sprinting after her.

He caught up to Naya halfway to the main gate.

“Naya, is everything okay?” His eyes dropped to her blistered feet, raw from the decorative concrete she had been running across.

“No, no—I’m fine. I just needed to leave. Urgently,” she replied breathlessly, though her voice was restless and strained.

“Do you have a car?” Ryan asked.

“No. I’ll call a taxi.” She turned away, but the pain was catching up to her now. Each step felt like knives piercing her skin.

“That’s it. I’ll take you home,” Ryan said firmly. Without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms, ignoring her weak protests.

From a distance, Cain finally broke free of the guests. He emerged just in time to see Ryan lifting Naya and carrying her toward his car. His jaw clenched, fury darkening his face. Every instinct screamed at him to rip her from Ryan’s arms, to reclaim what was his—but doing so here would only draw questions he wasn’t ready to answer. So he stood frozen, watching, as Ryan drove away with her. When the car disappeared from sight, Cain turned back inside, his body stiff with rage. He stormed upstairs, slammed his bedroom door, and let the fury consume him.

Aydin, who had been watching closely, smiled to himself. His plan was unfolding perfectly. Naya would be his tool, the perfect weapon to needle Cain until he finally broke. Cain thought he could keep their past quiet, but Aydin intended to drag the truth into the light—and in the worst way possible. Smirking, he returned to the party, cheerful and ready to mingle.

That night, after Ryan dropped Naya off at her apartment, he drove back still unsettled. She hadn’t explained anything, only insisting she had urgent business at home. At first, chasing after her had been about irritating Cain. But now… seeing her distressed like that bothered him more than he expected.

Instead of going into her own apartment, Naya turned to Wendy’s.

She sat curled on Wendy’s couch, her sore feet resting on her friend’s lap while Wendy carefully dabbed numbing cream on the raw patches. They sat in silence for a while, until Naya finally whispered,

“I kissed my ex.”

Wendy’s hands stilled. She studied Naya’s expression before asking softly, “Why?”

“Because I’m a self-loathing woman with little to no self-worth,” Naya said, her tone dramatic, almost bitter.

“Well, if you kissed your ex, you just might be,” Wendy teased lightly, trying to ease the tension.

Naya groaned.

“Come on—it can’t be that bad. We’ve all been there, trying to hold on to something that isn’t right. What’s the backstory?” Wendy urged.

So Naya told her. Everything—her past with Cain, the heartbreak, the pain. When she was done, Wendy sat back, eyes wide.

“Why did he run?”

“I don’t know,” Naya admitted. She knew Cain wanted to explain, but she had refused him that chance. Letting him speak meant letting him in again, and she was determined to keep him out.

“You won’t let him tell you, yet he’s still fighting to get you back?” Wendy shook her head, astonished. “Does he know about the baby? Has he asked?”

“Yes. But I’m not ready to talk about it.” Naya sighed, pushing herself up and heading to the kitchen to rummage through Wendy’s fridge. “Why don’t you have any food?”

“I ordered takeout. But there are supplies if you want to cook.”

“That defeats the point. I wanted free food I don’t have to make,” Naya muttered, grabbing a juice.

“You’re going to start paying for my groceries, lazy girl,” Wendy shot back playfully.

Naya plopped back onto the couch. Wendy leaned closer, serious now.

“Do you still love him?”

Naya nearly choked on her juice. “Why would you—? Wendy, he left me when I needed him most. He made promises he didn’t keep. He hurt me. I’d be insane to even think of him like that.”

“But do you?” Wendy pressed, her eyes unwavering.

Naya swallowed hard, then shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Love wasn’t enough back then, and it won’t be enough now.” She rose, set the empty bottle on the counter, and grabbed her purse. “Good night, hon. I need rest. Work tomorrow.”

But Wendy stopped her, wrapping her arms around her tightly.

“You’ve been through so much. Don’t blame yourself, Naya. Whatever Cain wants, it doesn’t matter—your decision is final.”

Naya hugged her back, clinging to the comfort of her friend’s words.

“And don’t forget,” Wendy whispered, smiling faintly, “you still owe me two liters of juice.”

They both laughed, and Naya left for her apartment.

The next morning, Naya arrived at work late but still stopped to chat with Lisa at reception. Then she paused upstairs to talk with the finance officer—a kind man in his forties who spoke fondly of his wife and his plans to renovate their home to surprise her. Naya was happy for him,but she wondered if she would ever have that kind of love.

As soon as she stepped into her office, Cain’s voice cut across the hall.

“Naya. My office. Now.”

Her stomach tightened. For a moment, she hesitated by the door. How had he known it was her? Maybe he was just guessing. She almost turned back toward finance to hide in an empty cubicle.

But then his voice came again, deep and certain.

“I smelled your perfume long before you reached the door. Come in.”

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, “What are you, a bloodhound?” But she stepped into his office anyway.

Inside, a young man stood by Cain’s desk—freckled, boyish, with a shy, nerdy air.

“Naya, this is my younger brother, Aydin. Aydin, this is Naya—my new assistant.”

Naya frowned. Assistant? But she held her tongue.

Cain continued smoothly. “Aydin’s been running our tech team abroad, but he’ll be joining us here now. We’re honored to have him.”

Naya shook Aydin’s hand politely.

“Nice to meet you,” she said.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Aydin replied with a smile that lingered too knowingly.