Episode 2: The Smile That Broke Everything
305 Words
Yasmin didn’t speak at first.
She stood by the door, croissant bag dangling like an apology she forgot to wrap.
Her eyes flicked to the phone still glowing in Nadim’s hand.
Then to him.
Then to the space between them — the part that used to feel warm.
“You weren’t supposed to see that,” she said, softly.
Not “It’s not what you think.”
Not “Let me explain.”
Just that.
That was when Nadim knew: this wasn’t a mistake.
This was a choice.
He placed the phone on the table, screen still up.
Ali’s messages stared at them both like a third person in the room.
“Who is he?” Nadim asked, but it wasn’t really a question.
He just wanted to hear her say it.
“Someone who listened,” she said. “Someone who made me feel real again.”
Her voice didn’t shake. That’s what stung the most.
“I cooked for you. Waited for you. Sat in silence while you scrolled through your phone and called it ‘rest.’ I disappeared first, Nadim. You just didn’t notice.”
He blinked.
It was like watching a mirror crack — not from impact, but from pressure.
“You could’ve just left,” he said.
She nodded slowly. “I could’ve. But I didn’t want to be the bad guy.”
“And cheating makes you what? A saint?”
“No,” she whispered. “It made me feel alive.”
He stood up. Calm.
“Tonight,” he said again, “I’ll be waiting. Let’s see if Ali is man enough to show up.”
Yasmin’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
But Nadim was already walking toward the bedroom — not shouting, not throwing things, not begging.
Just thinking.
And planning.
---
- Writer
