Fariya woke with a start, her heart racing in the stillness of the night. The house was quiet, the soft tick of the clock on her nightstand the only sound breaking the silence. She blinked, trying to focus as she glanced at the glowing numbers on the clock: 12:13 a.m.
She sighed, turning over in bed, but sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind was a tangled mess of thoughts, feelings, and memories, all swirling together in a storm she couldn’t escape. The image of Dayyan laughing with that woman at the café came back to her, clearer now than it had been all day. The way his hand had brushed her cheek, how easily they had smiled at each other. It made her stomach turn.
Pushing back the covers, she slipped out of bed. There was no point in trying to sleep anymore. She padded quietly down the stairs,
