Chapter twelve: Khalid’s doubts
950 Words
Doubt was a quiet thing.
It didn’t arrive loudly.
It didn’t demand attention.
It simply… settled in.
And once it did—
It refused to leave.
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Khalid sat alone in his living room, staring at nothing in particular.
The house felt larger than it used to.
Colder.
Empty in a way he hadn’t noticed before.
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Amara’s words echoed in his mind.
“He looks like you.”
“This could explain everything.”
“Then everything changes.”
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He exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face.
“This is ridiculous,” he muttered.
But even as he said it—
He didn’t believe it completely.
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His mother’s voice replaced Amara’s.
“There was another heartbeat…”
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Another heartbeat.
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Khalid’s jaw tightened.
He stood up abruptly and began pacing.
“No,” he said under his breath. “If that was true, someone would have said something.”
But hadn’t they?
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Fragments of memory surfaced.
Things he had ignored.
Conversations he had never taken seriously.
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His mother mentioning a difficult pregnancy.
Doctors running extra tests.
Family members saying he was “a miracle.”
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At the time, it meant nothing.
Now—
It meant everything.
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He stopped pacing.
His chest felt tight.
Uncomfortable.
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“What if…?”
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The question slipped in again.
Uninvited.
Unwanted.
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Khalid shook his head.
“No.”
But this time—
The denial was weaker.
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The next day, he found himself driving somewhere he hadn’t planned to go.
Somewhere he told himself he wouldn’t go.
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Amara’s neighborhood.
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He parked a short distance away.
His hands rested on the steering wheel.
Tight.
Still.
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“What am I doing here?” he whispered.
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But he already knew.
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Before he could change his mind—
He stepped out of the car.
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Zayn was playing outside.
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Khalid saw him before the child noticed him.
Small.
Carefree.
Laughing as he chased a ball across the dusty ground.
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For a moment—
Khalid just stood there.
Watching.
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Something stirred in his chest.
Something unfamiliar.
Unsettling.
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Zayn tripped slightly, then stood up again, frowning in frustration.
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That frown—
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Khalid froze.
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It was the same.
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The exact same expression he had seen in the mirror countless times.
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His chest tightened.
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“No…” he murmured.
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But his eyes didn’t move.
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Zayn kicked the ball again, this time harder, determination written all over his tiny face.
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Khalid swallowed.
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The way he moved.
The way he reacted.
Even the way he tilted his head slightly when thinking—
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It was all too familiar.
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Too close.
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“Sir?”
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Khalid snapped out of his thoughts.
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A woman nearby was looking at him curiously.
“You’ve been standing there for a while,” she said.
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Khalid nodded slightly.
“I was just leaving.”
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But he didn’t leave immediately.
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Because at that moment—
Zayn looked up.
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Their eyes met.
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For a second—
Just a second—
Everything went still.
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Zayn stared at him.
Curious.
Innocent.
Unaware.
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Then slowly—
A small smile formed on the child’s face.
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Khalid’s breath caught.
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That smile—
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It hit him harder than anything else.
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Because it wasn’t just similar.
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It was his.
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Amara stepped outside just in time to see it.
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Khalid.
Standing there.
Looking at Zayn.
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Her heart skipped.
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For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
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Then Zayn ran toward her.
“Mama!”
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Amara picked him up instinctively, her eyes never leaving Khalid.
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“You came,” she said softly.
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Khalid didn’t respond immediately.
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He was still looking at Zayn.
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Studying him.
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Trying to make sense of what he felt.
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“I was passing by,” he said finally.
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It wasn’t true.
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But neither of them pointed it out.
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Amara shifted Zayn slightly in her arms.
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“He’s been asking about you,” she said.
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Khalid’s gaze flickered.
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“What did you tell him?”
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Amara hesitated.
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“The truth he can understand.”
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Khalid nodded slowly.
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Then, almost unconsciously—
He stepped closer.
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Zayn watched him with wide eyes.
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Curious.
Interested.
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Khalid hesitated for a second—
Then reached out.
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He didn’t touch him.
Not yet.
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But the distance between them had closed.
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And that alone—
Meant something.
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“He’s grown,” Khalid said quietly.
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Amara nodded.
“He has.”
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Silence settled again.
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But this time—
It wasn’t tense.
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It was uncertain.
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Fragile.
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“Tomorrow,” Khalid said suddenly.
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Amara looked at him.
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“The test,” he continued. “Set it for tomorrow.”
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Her heart skipped.
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“So soon?”
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He nodded.
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“I don’t want to keep wondering.”
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Amara held his gaze.
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Neither do I.
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“I’ll arrange it,” she said.
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Khalid glanced at Zayn one last time.
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Then stepped back.
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But this time—
He didn’t walk away immediately.
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Because something had changed.
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Not completely.
Not clearly.
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But enough.
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Enough for doubt to grow.
Enough for truth to push through.
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And once doubt becomes real—
Certainty begins to break.
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As Khalid finally turned to leave—
One thought echoed in his mind.
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What if I was wrong?
- Writer
