Evening fell at the guesthouse. After their short naps, Anisa and her team reconvened at 6:00 PM, finalizing plans for the next day's work. By 8:30 PM, they were all seated together in the simple dining hall for dinner, the atmosphere polite and focused. The buffet offered a modest spread of meats, fruits, and salads, and the conversation remained light, revolving around logistics and the scenery. After the meal, they retired to their separate rooms. The night passed quietly for them, a period of restful solitude before they eventually settled into sleep, the day's professional cordiality giving way to silent, individual thoughts.
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Meanwhile, Hasan jolted awake in the pitch blackness of his hotel room. Disoriented, he fumbled for the bedside lamp. The soft light revealed Asifa sleeping beside him, curled under the blanket. A cold, calculative clarity returned to him as he watched her sleep. đź’ˇ
I call her volatile, but she's useful, he thought, his gaze analytical. She's compliant. I had a good time today. Until Anisa is secured, keeping Asifa content is the smart play.
He rose, ordered a light meal from room service, and shook Asifa awake when it arrived twenty minutes later. "Baby, come. Eat," he said, handing her a plate. đź—Ł
Groggy, Asifa tried to sit up and was immediately met with a symphony of aches. Her abdomen, her hips, they throbbed with a deep, persistent soreness. Catching her reflection in a nearby mirror, she saw faint, reddish marks tracing her neck. Yet, as she looked at Hasan holding out the food, a different narrative bloomed in her heart, one born of desperate hope rather than reality.
He was so passionate today. Hasan must really love me, she thought, ignoring the physical evidence that spoke of roughness, not affection. She accepted the plate, stealing shy glances at him as she ate, weaving the painful aftermath into a twisted proof of his devotion. The silence in their room was not peaceful; it was filled with his cold strategy and her willful self-deception, a stark contrast to the quiet, honest fatigue of the group miles away. 🍱