"Did you deceive me too?"
Takbir had never expected to hear such words from Elizabeth so early in the morning. A crease formed on his forehead. Wetting his lips with his tongue, he swallowed hard and asked in surprise,
"What do you mean? What are you saying this early in the morning?"
Elizabeth's eyes were moist. Her eyelids trembled along with her lips. Her heart burned as if someone had struck the softest corner of her soul. She didn't answer. Instead, she threw the envelope in her hand at Takbir's face. Several printed photographs scattered across the floor like raindrops.
The moment Takbir looked at the pictures, all signs of worry vanished from his face. He let out the breath he had been holding with a hiss. Kneeling down, he gathered the photographs into his hands.
"It didn't hurt because there's someone else in your life. It hurt because you broke the very first condition of our friendship. We promised never to hide anything from each other. You didn't keep your word, good man."
Takbir stood up with a heavy sigh. As he stepped toward Elizabeth, she instinctively moved back. His chest twisted painfully. Before he could say anything, Elizabeth's tearful voice reached him.
"The people who live in our hearts are the ones capable of breaking them."
"Then... did I have a place in your heart? Otherwise, why would the wound be this deep?"
"If friendship were an epic, you would be its most touching chapter."
"There's more than friendship between us, Elokeshi."
"You're changing the subject."
Defeat reflected in Takbir's sorrowful eyes. A mountain-sized sigh escaped his chest. The tiny spark of hope that had been glowing inside him faded into darkness.
Then he comforted himself silently.
Why rush? Give the girl some more time. Keep loving her. One day the result will come. Your sorrow will be replaced by fulfillment, just like the dreams that visit your sleepless nights.
Taking out his phone, Takbir opened the gallery and showed several pictures to Elizabeth.
She looked suspiciously from the phone to the photographs on the floor. The place and clothing were the same in both. But there was one major difference.
In the printed photos, Takbir appeared to be sitting alone in a restaurant having coffee with a woman. In the phone's selfie, however, the same woman was there along with a man. The couple stood very close together.
Elizabeth's eyes widened.
"They're husband and wife."
"But here it looks like..."
"Her husband had gone to the restroom when that picture was taken. Someone snapped it from outside. They're my business partners. We were discussing a deal. That's why I couldn't take you out yesterday."
Takbir spoke before Elizabeth could even finish her sentence.
Elizabeth immediately shrank in embarrassment.
"Even if I were the worst person in the world, I would still be innocent in your eyes. Every mistake of mine washes itself away at your feet like rain. One look from you, and all my flaws drift away like clouds caught in your hands."
"Don't trap me in your words and make me weak. I'm sorry. I saw those pictures and reacted before knowing the truth."
Takbir looked at her sideways.
"What exactly did you think when you saw them? That someone was taking me away from you?"
There was excitement in his voice and intense curiosity in his gaze.
Elizabeth looked into his pleading eyes. Then she smiled brightly and replied,
"I thought the good man was going to leave me behind. Then I'd end up singing like Momtaz—
'When my friend walks past my house with his wife, showing off happily... my heart bursts apart, it bursts apart...'
"
She burst into laughter.
Takbir's serious words were brushed aside by her playful response. Yet he didn't mind. Her laughter alone was enough for him.
His deep eyes traced every inch of her—from head to toe. He gazed stubbornly at the woman who occupied his dreams, the princess of his inner world.
The smallest bit of her presence flooded his heart with a tide of soft emotions.
Suddenly, Takbir felt a heavy pressure in his chest. Under his breath, he murmured,
Whenever that beauty moves before my eyes,
I see the silent reflection of my own destruction.
Even then, he continued staring at her as though enchanted.
For reasons he couldn't understand, his eyes grew wet. His voice trembled.
Elizabeth's laughter faded when she heard his pained tone.
"If you leave, how will I fill this emptiness inside me? Deep down, I'm exhausted and alone. Do you know how helpless I am without you? If you want, I'll give up politics. I'll end everything the moment I return. Just... please don't leave me. I'm not asking for any rights over you. I only want to stay by your side. Even if you can't love me, stay with me. Forget the dark past. It was nothing but a fleeting mirage. My life feels complete because you're here. Without you, I'm nothing but emptiness."
Elizabeth couldn't understand why Takbir was suddenly saying all these things.
Feeling guilty, she assumed he had been hurt by her earlier behavior.
She stepped closer and gently placed her trembling hand on his arm.
Takbir immediately clasped her hand between both of his.
Elizabeth shivered at the sudden gesture.
In a faint voice, Takbir continued,
"Life may lead me toward countless better options, but I won't even glance at them. Because I'm greedy for you. I want to drown in your love. The desire I carry in my heart for you is beyond words. To me, you are not only life, Elokeshi... you are the alternative to death itself."
He paused and took a deep breath.
"Deep down, I'm very lonely, Elokeshi. Please don't leave me. I'll disappear into the void."
After finishing his words, Takbir began breathing heavily. Before the tears could roll down his cheeks, he turned his head and wiped them away.
Men cry too, but few are comfortable showing it in front of others. They bury their pain deep inside and lock themselves within a shell of strength. Society rarely leaves room for a man's suffering.
Elizabeth's own eyes became moist.
Placing her other hand over his, she reassured him softly,
"I won't leave. I'll stay by your side always."
Remembering a promise he had made to himself, Takbir suddenly stepped away.
Within moments, the color of his face changed. Suspicion appeared in his eyes.
"How did you get those pictures? I was here the whole time."
Only then did Elizabeth properly notice his appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, and the skin beneath them was swollen.
"Didn't you sleep?"
Ignoring her question entirely, Takbir replied in a cold voice,
"Answer my question, Elokeshi."
Biting her lip, Elizabeth tried to remember.
Then she answered in a soft voice,
"I don't know how they got there. I found them under my pillow. You locked the room from the outside yesterday. It's not like I went anywhere."
She made a playful face after saying the last sentence.
Takbir's forehead wrinkled with concern.
Richard's warning from the previous day had kept him awake all night. Concerned for Elizabeth's safety, he had locked the room from the outside and instructed the reception desk to tell anyone asking that they had already checked out.
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
In a serious tone, he asked,
"Did any hotel staff enter the room while I was asleep?"
"Yes. The room cleaner came."
At once, Takbir's jaw tightened.
But Elizabeth failed to notice.
His voice suddenly became firm.
"Get ready. We're leaving this hotel right now. And please, no more questions."
Elizabeth didn't argue.
She began packing her bags while Takbir returned to his own room.
Taking out his phone, he called someone and immediately began speaking in a furious tone.
It was a completely different side of him.
****************
A black Bugatti stood outside a luxurious hotel in San Francisco.
Richard checked the time on his wristwatch.
A sinister smile curved his lips.
Fire blazed within his eyes.
Lucas and Aladdin sat silently beside him. Today, no guards accompanied them. Nasso had returned to Bangladesh a few days earlier.
A few minutes later, a Rolls-Royce entered the hotel's parking area.
Richard watched it with the eyes of a predator until it disappeared from view.
Then he casually slipped a small medicine vial into his coat pocket.
Cruelty resurfaced in his expression.
The familiar monster inside him awakened once more.
Richard stepped out of the car.
When Lucas tried to follow, Richard stopped him.
In a voice heavy with authority, he said,
"No. This is personal."
Without giving anyone a chance to respond, he walked away.
Lucas sighed deeply.
Even after more than five years together, he still couldn't fully understand Richard.
Beside him sat Aladdin with a gloomy face.
A mischievous grin appeared on Lucas's lips.
Stretching out the word dramatically, he called,
"Alaaaaaaaaaaddin!"
The moment he spoke, Aladdin hurried out of the car.
Lucas blinked in surprise before bursting into laughter.
Still laughing, he pulled out his phone and called a number saved as "Sweetie."
Drunk beyond control, Kader reached for the strap of a girl's dress.
Suddenly, a deafening crash shook the entire room.
Bashed looked ahead with blurry vision.
Everything seemed distorted.
Through the haze, he could make out a figure standing in front of the shattered door, dressed entirely in black.
The figure slowly stepped forward.
A rough voice echoed through the room.
"Prostitute?"
Terrified, the girl hiding beside the bed shook her head.
Richard clicked his tongue in disgust and turned away.
With a gesture, he ordered her to leave.
She ran out immediately.
Bashed staggered to his feet and shouted,
"Who the hell are you? I'll kill you!"
"Your father."
The roar shook him sober.
The intoxication vanished instantly.
Seeing Richard's clenched jaw and burning eyes, fear crept into him.
Richard smiled crookedly.
Step by step, he advanced.
Bashed backed away until he fell onto the bed.
The demonic side of Richard had fully taken over.
The predator inside him had awakened.
Richard planted his boot heavily on Bashed's groin and leaned down.
"How long were you planning to keep running?"
Groaning in agony, Bashed muttered weakly,
"You...?"
His scream tore through the room.
Richard twisted his boot cruelly.
Every cry of pain brought him satisfaction.
Laughing darkly, he asked,
"Where is Shamsul?"
No man in his fifties could bear Richard's weight—especially on such a sensitive spot.
Writhing in agony, Bashed stammered,
"H-he's in Bangladesh now..."
Richard clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Damn it. Every time I try to settle in another country, Bangladesh keeps pulling me back."
Then he muttered coldly,
"Die in your own trap."
Taking the vial from his coat, Richard gripped Bashed's jaw and forced his mouth open.
He poured the poisonous liquid down his throat.
Within moments, white foam spilled from Bashed's mouth.
His body convulsed violently.
Then suddenly...
Everything stopped.
His body fell limp.
Dead.
A satisfied smile appeared on Richard's face.
He spat directly onto the corpse.
Then he turned and walked away.
A long, peaceful sigh escaped his chest.
❌