Chapter 2: Beneath the Devil’s Smile
491 Words
Noor stared at Zayan’s retreating figure, her body numb and her mind spinning.
“You look exactly like her…”
Those words echoed again and again in her head like a haunting melody.
Who was she?
And why did her resemblance matter enough for him to marry her?
Noor’s eyes scanned the lavish penthouse — cold marble floors, giant glass windows showing the cruel skyline, but no warmth. Not a single photo frame. Not a hint of family or memories. Just expensive emptiness.
She followed him down the hallway, her voice shaking.
“Zayan, who are you talking about? Who do I look like?”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he opened a door to a guest room and said coldly,
“You’ll stay here. I’ll have someone bring you your things.”
“You didn’t answer me!” Noor’s voice cracked, louder now. “I deserve to know the truth!”
He stopped, his back still facing her.
“Deserve?” he repeated bitterly. “You don’t know the meaning of that word. Just stay out of my way, Noor.”
And then he walked away, leaving her in a silent storm.
Noor sank onto the edge of the bed. Her chest felt tight, her thoughts racing.
She had entered this marriage thinking it was an escape — from pressure, from loneliness, from her painful past.
Instead, she had walked straight into a trap.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. She wasn’t sure whether she was mourning the life she had or the illusion she thought she was building with Zayan.
But one thing was certain now —
This wasn’t love. This was war.
⸻
Later that night…
Noor couldn’t sleep. She tossed under the silk covers, her body still tense with fear and unanswered questions.
She got up quietly and tiptoed down the hallway.
She paused in front of the one locked door in the house.
It had a keypad. Why was it locked?
“What’s behind this door?” she whispered.
Just then, she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned — and froze.
Zayan stood there. Silent. Unreadable. Dangerous.
“I told you to stay out of my way.”
“And I told you I deserve answers,” she whispered.
They stood there, inches apart. The air between them thick with tension.
Zayan leaned in slowly, his voice low but sharp.
“Some doors, Noor… once opened, can never be closed again.”
Noor didn’t blink.
“Then let’s open them. Together.”
A flicker. Just for a second — something flashed in his eyes. Pain? Regret? Maybe even fear?
But then it was gone.
He turned his back to her again.
“Go to sleep, Noor. Before you wake up something neither of us can control.”
⸻
She didn’t sleep that night.
Because now she knew one thing:
Zayan Shah wasn’t just hiding secrets.
He was hiding wounds.
And every wound had a story.
A deadly one.
- Writer
