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Chapter Three
A Tired Heart
By the time Nailla arrived home that evening, she felt like she had no energy left.
It had been a long day.
Her first day under the new boss had already been stressful enough. Every time she remembered the embarrassing moment in the elevator, she wanted to hide.
She reached her apartment, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
Then she stopped.
Her eyes moved around the room.
The apartment was a complete mess.
Clothes were scattered around.
The dishes were still sitting in the sink.
Nothing had been cleaned.
And there was no smell of food.
Nailla slowly closed the door behind her.
“Michele?”
No answer.
She looked around again.
“Michele?”
Still nothing.
Nailla sighed.
“Oh, God…”
She dropped her handbag on the table.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
She was exhausted.
All she wanted was to come home, take a shower, eat something, and rest.
Instead, she had another list of things waiting for her.
She changed out of her work clothes and put on something comfortable.
Then she walked into the kitchen.
She rolled up her sleeves and started washing the dishes.
One plate.
Then another.
Then another.
As she worked, her mind kept returning to the office.
Why did he have to be my new boss?
She remembered Nike’s calm expression.
She remembered the way he had smiled when she called the new boss a devil.
Nailla shook her head.
“I can’t believe I said that to him.”
She rinsed another plate.
“Why did I have to talk so much?”
After finishing the dishes, she started preparing dinner.
Her stomach was already growling, but she continued working.
By the time the food was ready, she was completely exhausted.
Nailla served herself and finally sat down.
She took the first bite and closed her eyes.
At least she could finally rest.
She ate quietly.
There was no Michele beside her.
No conversation.
No help.
Just silence.
After finishing her meal, Nailla cleaned up quickly and went to bed.
She pulled the blanket over herself and closed her eyes.
Within minutes, she fell asleep.
⸻
LATER THAT NIGHT
A loud knock suddenly came from the front door.
Nailla’s eyes opened.
She looked at the clock.
It was late.
Another knock came.
She sat up, confused.
“Who is this at this time?”
She slowly got out of bed and walked toward the door.
“Who is it?”
There was no answer.
She opened the door.
Michele was standing outside.
Nailla immediately noticed that he was drunk.
His clothes were slightly messy, and he was struggling to stand properly.
He suddenly smiled.
“My beautiful woman!”
Nailla stared at him.
Michele raised his voice.
“Everyone, look at my baby!”
Nailla quickly looked around the hallway.
“Shut up!” she whispered. “Stop disturbing the neighborhood.”
Michele laughed.
Nailla grabbed his arm.
“Come inside before you wake everyone up.”
She helped him into the apartment.
Michele stumbled toward the bedroom.
Nailla followed him.
“Careful.”
He sat heavily on the bed.
Nailla removed his shoes and placed them beside the bed.
Michele looked at her with a sleepy smile.
“You’re beautiful.”
Nailla didn’t respond.
She simply covered him with the blanket.
“Go to sleep.”
She turned off the light and quietly left the room.
For a moment, she stood outside the bedroom.
She was frustrated.
But she was also tired.
She didn’t have the strength to argue.
She went back to bed.
⸻
THE NEXT MORNING
Morning came quickly.
Nailla woke up as usual.
She got out of bed and began preparing for work.
She was getting ready when she heard Michele’s voice.
“Good morning, love.”
Nailla looked at him.
“Good morning.”
She continued getting ready.
But something was bothering her.
She couldn’t keep it inside anymore.
She turned toward him.
“Michele, I didn’t want to disturb you while you were sleeping, but I need to tell you something.”
Michele looked at her.
Nailla took a breath.
“I didn’t like how you behaved yesterday.”
He remained silent.
“You left the house without helping me with anything. You know how tired I was after work. How do you expect me to do everything by myself?”
Michele looked away.
Nailla continued.
“And then you came back drunk in the middle of the night. I don’t like it at all.”
Michele’s expression changed.
“How do you expect me to do house chores as a man?”
Nailla stared at him.
Michele continued.
“If you’re tired of me, just tell me.”
“That isn’t what I said.”
“As soon as I get a job, I’ll move out.”
Nailla’s expression softened.
“Michele…”
He looked away.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Nailla knew they were both frustrated.
She didn’t want an argument before work.
She sighed.
“It’s not that. Okay? I’m sorry.”
Michele didn’t answer.
Nailla picked up her handbag.
She looked at him one last time.
“I have to go to work.”
She walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she paused.
She wanted to say something else.
But she didn’t know what.
So she simply opened the door and walked out.
As Nailla headed to work, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something in her relationship with Michele was slowly changing.
She just didn’t know how much everything was about to change.
Because somewhere else in the city, Nike was beginning another day as her new boss.
And their story was only beginning.
To be continued…
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