Chapter 47 Something’s odd.
“SHIMMA, SHIMMA, WAKE UP. YOUR FLIGHT IS IN A FEW HOURS,” he whispered. In that moment, I realized they weren’t joking about me leaving…
Oh God!
I completely ignored him, hoping he would just go away. But he persisted.
“Shimma, get up. I know you’re not sleeping,” he said, releasing a sigh before continuing. “Look, Shimma, I don’t know how else to explain this. There’s no way I can stop Mattias from being with you. I know how stubborn he is.”
“Isn’t that enough proof that he loves me? Why else would you think he wouldn’t back down if he didn’t?” I couldn’t pretend anymore. I sat up, looking deep into his eyes, waiting for his response.
He chuckled and took a seat beside me. “Shimma, there’s one thing you should know about men. A man can chase a woman for a long time. He could even go to the moon and back for her. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he loves her. Men are just built to pursue what they want. You’re still a child, and I promise you, Mattias doesn’t love you.”
My father’s words left me dumbfounded. No! He’s lying. Mattias loves me. He loves me deeply. I can’t let my father’s words lead me astray.
I watched my father get up from my bed, turning to me nonchalantly, as if he knew his words had affected me. “You have two hours. Aunt Malisa is already excited to see you,” he said, slowly making his way out of my room.
Once he shut the door, I burst into tears.
This is too much. Too much for me to handle. So what they say is true: love is a beautiful thing, but it’s also the most painful.
Mattias has shown me countless times how much he loves me. So why do I feel shaken by my father’s words? Oh God, what do I do? Help me, because I don’t know what to do.
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MATTIAS'S POV
The next morning, I had been trying to reach Shimma since yesterday evening. After our texts, where she told me her parents were making her move, I hadn’t been myself.
I could barely sleep through the night, desperately wanting her to answer my calls.
Earlier today, I had planned to go to her house because the silence was driving me insane. But as soon as I recalled her telling me to stay back, I slouched on the sofa, glancing at my phone and running out of patience.
As I sat on the couch, I glanced at my wristwatch, watching the seconds tick by. “On God!” I cursed, standing up and pacing restlessly around the living area.
Just then, my phone buzzed against the couch. I picked it up, glancing at the screen, hoping it was Shimma returning my call. But it wasn’t; it was Lucas.
“Hey, why haven’t you shown up at work? We have an important deal with Mr. Miller. And besides, Shimma hasn’t shown up either. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is… You know what? Cancel the appointment. I need you to come over to my place right now. There’s something I need you to do for me.”
There was a long pause before he spoke. “And what’s that?”
“We’ll discuss it when you come,” I said, my voice firm.
“Alright. I’m on my way,” he responded before I hung up.
I would do whatever it takes to get Shimma back. Losing her was something I couldn’t afford.
“Why did you call me here? And why would you cancel such an important deal?” Lucas asked, seated across from me in the living room with his legs crossed. I could have reacted to his arrogant demeanor and the way he spoke to me, but right now, I needed his help. I couldn't afford to ruin this chance.
I cleared my throat and slouched back in my chair before speaking. “I want you to go to Shimma's house.” I watched as he raised an eyebrow, confusion evident on his face.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Go to Shimma's house.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I need you to check up on her. I heard she's not well,” I lied. The truth was, I just wanted to make sure her parents hadn't sent her away, and the only way to do that was through Lucas.
Lucas uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, still looking confused. “This is a trick, right? You’re trying to set me up,” he said. I squinted at him.
“What trap? I'm just asking you to check on her because I have a lot of work to finish at home. Just go,” I said, trying hard to appear nonchalant.
He gazed at me for a moment, suspicion flickering in his eyes, but he couldn't pin down a reason to distrust me.
“Alright, fine. Remember, you once asked me not to get close to her. But look who needs my help now,” he said, slowly standing up.
“I’ll head there now,” Lucas said, moving toward the door.
“Wait,” I called, frowning. He turned to me with a questioning look.
“But I haven’t given you her address. Do you know it?” I asked, stunned. He didn’t respond, but his expression told me everything I needed to know—he had stalked her. Or perhaps he had just followed her home. Either way, it was still stalking.
I shut my eyes, trying to contain the anger building inside me. I couldn’t afford to ruin this now.
“You can go, but if you run into her parents, don’t tell them I sent you. Just say you’re a friend and that you haven’t seen her at work,” I said, not caring what he might think. I just needed him to do what I asked.
He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated before stepping out the door.
Once he left, I exhaled sharply, my mind swirling with thoughts. What the hell was I really doing?
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LUCAS'S POV
As I drove away from Mattias’s building, I couldn’t shake the strange feeling I had. What was going on? Why was he acting so odd?
From his tone and body language, I sensed something was off. He wouldn’t just let me get close to Shimma, and the fact that he didn’t react when I revealed I knew her address made it clear—something was definitely wrong.
I pulled up in front of Shimma's gate. Waiting as one of the gate guards approached me.
He glanced inside my car, as if searching for someone else, before he asked.
“Who are you, and what do you want?“