Chapter 7

ASTRID

I didn’t stay drowning for long. A soft knock came a minute later. With Soraya gone, and the weight of her words pressing down on me like a physical weight, all I wanted to crawl away and let my tears flow.

But the knock persisted. To the point it was impossible to ignore.

I wiped my face and opened the door. Kaveh stood there as if I hadn’t slammed the door in his face. He still had that patient look about him.

I couldn’t stand to look at it. Leaving the door open I moved away and stood by the four-poster bed, wrapping my arm tightly around myself.

No matter how large the room was I was acutely aware of him, the way his tall frame filled the doorway, the way his eyes stayed on me like it could see everything.

The scratch on my cheek from Roxana still stung faintly, a reminder of how this so-called “home” was hostile.

I shifted awkwardly, avoiding his steady gaze. “What do you want?” My voice was quieter than I intended. “You don’t need to fuss over me. I’m not a child.”

Kaveh raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his broad chest. The faint light from the bedside lamp cast shadows across his sharp jawline.

“Fuss over you?” He let out a short, dry chuckle. “Is that what you think this is? I wanted to apologize for my daughter. I would ask her but she’s stubborn like her mother and won’t listen to me.”

I met his eyes then, stubbornness rising to mask the fear churning in my stomach. “Apology not accepted, you can leave now. This… whatever you all are trying to pull here, it won’t work on me.”

Kaveh grunted, the sound low and rumbling in his throat. For a moment, he studied me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve. The intensity in his dark eyes made my skin prickle.

“Are you always this difficult, Astrid?”

“Difficult?” I echoed, a spark of anger cutting through the confusion. “My entire life has crumbled. I don’t know the truth from a lie. And now strangers are claiming I’m part of their family? Forgive me if I’m not rolling out the welcome mat.”

He didn’t flinch at my tone. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and nodded toward the door. “Go down for dinner. The table’s set.”

I blinked at him. Was he serious?

Dinner?

“Listen, Kaveh. Are you really going to take me back home tomorrow?” I asked, my voice edged with doubt.

Kaveh’s expression remained calm, almost unreadable. “Yes. I’m a man of my word. But I was hoping you’d spend a few nights here and recover before—”

“I want to go tomorrow,” I cut him off.

He nodded. “Alright then. But for now you need to eat. So, dinner…”

I searched his face for several seconds. I shouldn’t trust this man. I’d just met him but that sliver of trust had already sparked in my chest and he looked like the type of man that wouldn’t lie to me.

“Fine. I’ll be right there.”

Kaveh lingered for another second, as if debating whether to say more. I braced myself but he turned and left. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with the echo of his footsteps fading down the hallway.

I sank onto the edge of the bed for a few minutes, staring at the intricate patterns on the rug, wondering if I should attend their dinner.

Eventually, hunger and exhaustion won out. I smoothed down the silk dress and made my way downstairs.

***

The dining room was even more grand than I remembered from my brief tour. A long mahogany table stretched under a glittering chandelier, set with fine china and silverware that probably cost a fortune.

But only the brothers were there—no sign of Elias or Soraya. The empty chairs made the space feel cavernous.

Arman sat at one end, aggressively stabbing at his plate with a fork. His handsome face was twisted in a scowl, stormy eyes fixed downward as if the food had personally offended him. He didn’t glance up when I entered.

Kian, seated across from him, looked up immediately. His gaze lingered on my face—soft, concerned, almost searching—while his own meal sat untouched.

Kaveh occupied the head of the table, eating methodically, his posture straight and controlled. A phone in his hand.

I hesitated in the doorway before sliding into a chair near Kian. The aroma of the food filled the air, rich and inviting. To my surprise, I found I could eat despite the thick tension. The first bite of warm bread and tender chicken felt grounding, a small anchor in the chaos.

No one spoke for several minutes. The only sounds were the clink of utensils and the distant hum of the estate outside. I kept my eyes on my plate, but I could feel their gaze like a heavy blanket.

All three brothers exuded a dangerous energy. Like dark horses that could crush me at any given moment. But for some reason I felt oddly comforted by it.

Suddenly, Arman slammed his fork down and shattered the silence. “This is bullshit,” he muttered, pushing his chair back with a harsh scrape.

He stood abruptly, cursing under his breath as he stormed out of the room without a backward glance. The door swung shut behind him with a thud that made me jump.

I froze, my appetite dimming. What was his problem?

Kaveh didn’t even pause in his eating. He simply glanced at me and said evenly, “Eat.”

I obeyed, though each bite felt heavy. Kian watched me the entire time, like he’d forgotten his food existed. I didn’t know whether to be touched by his concern or uncomfortable.

The silence stretched until the plates were cleared by quiet staff who appeared and disappeared like shadows.

As the meal ended, Kian leaned forward, his voice gentle but probing. “Do you really want to leave, Astrid?”

I met his eyes, my resolve hardening. “Yes. I do.”

He studied me for a long moment, then asked the question I’d been dreading. “Are you trying to run away from the truth of what our father said? About you being his daughter?”

My stubbornness flared hot and immediate. “There is no truth in that,” I shot back, standing up so quickly my chair nearly toppled. “I know who I am. I know my family.”

Before any of them could respond, I turned and ran up the grand staircase, my footsteps echoing loudly in the vast space. I didn’t stop until I was back in the room with the door slammed shut. I leaned against it, breathing hard.

From below, their voices carried up faintly but clearly enough for me to hear the argument brewing because of me.

“You can’t just let her leave like this, Kaveh!” Arman’s voice boomed, laced with anger. “She’s family. Father said it himself and there’s proof she belongs to us!”

“She doesn’t belong to us, Arman. She’s our father’s daughter but she has a right to find answers for herself,” Kaveh replied, his tone measured but firm.

“This is her home,” Arman shot back.

Kian’s calmer voice joined in. “She’s scared and confused. It’s wise to give her time, I’m sure the old man would agree.”

“The old man wouldn’t agree to this,” Arman scoffed. “You guys didn’t see her in the hospital I did! I thought she wouldn’t even make it. The doctor said she has dissociative amnesia and we don’t know when she’ll get her memories back or if she will. We know the truth. She needs to trust us and stay here.”

“That’s not your decision to make.”

Their words overlapped, growing heated. I pressed my hands over my ears, sliding down to the floor. Tears blurred my vision as the argument swirled around my name, my accident, my place here. It all felt too much like I was a prize they were fighting over rather than a person.

I curled up on the bed again, pulling the soft covers over me. The luxury surrounding me only amplified my isolation. Like my body couldn’t accept this.

Tomorrow, Kaveh had promised to take me back. I just needed to get past this storm and then be with my real family.

What if the memories were lies my mind had built to survive?

The intrusive thought terrified me more than staying, so I shoved it away.

My parents were real!

As the brothers’ voices faded into muffled debate downstairs, sleep tugged at me once more. But it came with questions I couldn’t silence. Who was I really? And why did part of me fear that Elias’s claim held a fragment of truth I wasn’t ready to face?