One month had passed, and Sara was slowly settling into the new environment. She allowed herself to relax, letting the pampering wash over her, focusing entirely on caring for her little Zayn. The boy adjusted quickly to the new surroundings, and Kairo made sure he felt loved, safe, and entertained at every moment. Seeing Zayn happy brought a soft warmth to Sara's heart.
Somewhere deep down, a quiet, subconscious corner of her heart was beginning to soften toward Kairo as well. Yet she wasn't ready to fully listen to it. Her mind kept repeating warnings: don't trust him too soon. And yet, a part of her, quieter but insistent, whispered that perhaps she could forgive him, that maybe he deserved a second chance.
Kairo had not stopped showing his love and care. His gestures were gentle but constant, kissing her cheeks, occasionally stealing pecks from her lips only to earn a deadly glare from her, brushing his hand against hers, sneaking into her bedroom just to hold her when he felt restless. Sara's protests had softened over the past days, because this Kairo was different. Gone was the reckless, impulsive college boy; in his place stood a man who seemed mature, responsible, and unmistakably committed to family.
Sometimes, Sara allowed herself to wonder if he had genuinely changed. Other times, fear held her back, warning her not to trust him too quickly.
That evening, he still wasn't home.By this time, he was usually back, either playing with Zayn or teasing her in the kitchen. But tonight, the house felt unusually quiet.
Zayn kept glancing at the door, growing restless. He had unknowingly grown so attached to Kairo, waiting every evening for his laughter, his silly games, the way he'd lift him high and call him "my champ."But the clock ticked past eight, and there was still no sign of him.
Sara sighed softly. She tried to distract Zayn, feeding him dinner, but the little one pushed the spoon away with a pout. "Mama… papa not come yet," he mumbled, his voice small.
Her chest tightened. "He'll come, baby. Eat a little, hmm?" she coaxed gently. Somehow, she managed to feed him a few bites before tucking him into bed.By the time she stepped out of his room, the clock read a few minutes past nine. The house was silent again, save for the faint hum of the ceiling fan.
Sara sat on the couch, restless. A part of her wanted to call him, but she stopped herself; he wasn't hers to worry about. Not yet.
Just then, the familiar sound of a car horn broke the silence. She let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding. Relief washed over her, though she quickly masked it.She grabbed the nearest book from the table, opened it, and pretended to read, her eyes moving over the words, but her mind listening for the sound of his footsteps.
Kairo entered, shoulders heavy with exhaustion, but the moment his eyes landed on her sitting on the couch, something in him eased. The tiredness melted into a smile that reached his eyes.
"Were you waiting for me, baby?" he asked softly, his voice still rough from the long day.
Without looking up, Sara turned a page. "Not really… don't be delulu. I wasn't sleepy, so I was just reading a book," she said coolly, eyes still fixed on the open pages.
Kairo chuckled under his breath. He walked over and dropped onto the couch beside her with a soft thud, making the cushion dip under his weight. Then, without warning, he plucked the book right out of her hands.
She glared, eyes flashing. "Kairo—"
He tilted the cover toward her, smirking. "Oh, really? Since when did you start reading Japanese?"
Her gaze darted to the book, and sure enough, the title stared back at her in bold Japanese script. For a split second, her face gave her away, then she quickly looked elsewhere, avoiding his teasing eyes.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice, "You need to learn better ways to lie, baby…"
Sara cleared her throat, trying to sound nonchalant. "I was just trying to learn Japanese… so I picked up that book. Nothing else."
Kairo smiled faintly, his tiredness completely forgotten now. He slipped his arm around her waist, gently tugging her toward him until their shoulders brushed. Then he pressed a soft, unhurried peck to her lips before resting his forehead against hers.
"Just accept it," he murmured, voice low and warm. "You were worried because I was late."
Her breath caught for a moment. His closeness always did that, softened her defenses no matter how hard she tried to resist.
She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. Kairo's eyes softened at the sight, and a small smile tugged at his lips. "I like it…" he murmured.
He leaned in again to kiss her, but she pressed a palm against his chest, pushing him back just enough to make him stop. "Didn't I tell you to stay in your limits?" she said sharply, her glare cutting through the space between them.
Kairo chuckled, a low sound that made her stomach twist. In the next second, he moved fast, one arm sliding behind her back, the other curling around her thighs, pulling her right onto his lap. She gasped at the suddenness, her hands instinctively clutching his shoulders as her balance shifted.
He held her close, their breaths brushing. "I know my soda glass very well," he said softly, his voice suddenly serious under the playful tone. "Even though you're angry at me, you still worry when I'm not around. I know my woman has a good heart… and she can't hold grudges for long, not even against someone who's hurt her."
His fingers brushed a loose strand of her hair back from her face, his eyes never leaving hers. "I feel grateful and guilty at the same time, Sara… because of how kind you are, to even care about a man who hurt you so badly." His voice cracked faintly. "And how sad it is, that I ended up hurting such a kind soul over some stupid reason."
She swallowed, her eyes falling to his chest, unable to meet his gaze.
"Don't forgive me that easily, Sara…" he whispered, his thumb stroking slow circles against her waist. "I don't deserve your forgiveness… not yet."
Her eyes lifted to his finally, glassy with unshed tears.
Kairo's heart twisted. He smiled gently, his thumb brushing under her eye, catching a tear before it could roll down. "Shh… don't cry…" His voice dropped into a whisper, soft but aching. "I can't see you crying…"
He stayed like that, holding her, their foreheads almost touching, his big frame curled around hers as if to shield her from the world.
She hit his chest, the sound sharp in the quiet room. "What a bastard you are…" she spat, voice trembling.
Kairo blinked, caught off guard. "Sara—"
"You know exactly how to manipulate me," she broke in, her voice cracking as her hands balled into fists. "You act all lovey-dovey, sneak into my bedroom just to cuddle me like nothing ever happened. You apologize. You talk nonsense for hours. You love Zayn so much that you've made it impossible for him to even eat without you…"
Her voice wavered. Tears burned in her eyes.
"You make me worry when you don't show up on time… you confuse me, Kairo! You confuse me so much!" she choked out. "You make me question whether I should trust you again or keep hating you for what you did. And now you're standing here saying not to forgive you so easily?"
Her words hit like glass shattering, every one cutting through the air between them.
"You think this is a game?" she hissed. "You think you can play with our emotions, manipulate them, and then say things like that?" She hit his chest again, weaker this time, the tears spilling freely.
"Tell me, bastard! What's your intention this time? What do you want from me now? What do you want me to do this time?"
He stood frozen, staring at her, his heart twisting painfully at the sight of her tears, her anger, her confusion. Her voice broke something deep inside him.
Kairo didn't speak right away. He simply watched her, eyes wide, guilt flooding through every nerve. He couldn't tell whether she was hating him or breaking apart from missing him.
Her breath came heavy, and his hand hovered near her arm, trembling slightly, unsure whether to touch her or not.
She stared at him, the green of his eyes raw and searching, and in a sudden tremor of anger and hurt, she slapped him across the face. "Tell me, you asshole… what are you up to?" she demanded, breathless.
Kairo lifted his head, stunned by the heat in her eyes. He swallowed, and when he spoke, his voice trembled with everything he'd been burying. "I'm not playing games, baby. I swear." He reached for her, careful, unsure, like a man approaching a fragile thing he'd once shattered. "I truly love you, baby. This time I'm… I'm really into you. I want Zayn and you. All of you. I'd lose everything to keep you both. I love you, Sara. More than ever."
He sounded as if he was trying to justify the whole wrecked past with those three words.
Sara's face crumpled; she looked exhausted and finished, tears spilling down her cheeks. For a moment, she only stared at him, as if cataloguing every expression for proof. Then impulsively she reached up and gripped his face, as if to stop him from looking away, and crashed her mouth against his.
He froze for a heartbeat, surprised, as if the move had arrived before his body could catch up. Her lips were urgent and raw; for a second, he did not move. Then she pushed back, voice shaking,
"Kiss me back, you asshole." Her eyes were wet and fierce.
That was all he needed. He didn't hesitate. He captured her mouth with both hands, kissing her as if trying to erase three years of wrongs and distance. They kissed like people who had been learning to breathe again, a fierce, messy reclamation of something they had lost. When they finally parted, both were panting, foreheads resting together.
Sara's breath came in little, angry sobs. She pushed at him with a trembling and the most brutal promise she could think of. "This time, if you ditch me again, I swear to God I'll chop off your dick and feed it to the street dogs." The words landed with ridiculous finality.
Kairo's laugh came out wet and astonished; tears shone at the corners of his eyes. "That's a horrible threat, baby," he whispered, voice breaking. "Kill me instead."
She couldn't help it; her anger cracked, and she laughed through the tears. The sound softened the room. Without a word, she kissed him again, this time slow and careful, something tender threaded through it that neither of them could deny.
They held that kiss like a fragile treaty: not forgiveness, not a full surrender, only the single, dangerous fact that in that moment they both wanted this, and that wanting felt more complicated and more honest than anything either of them had said.