A flicker of the past

NADIRA’s P.O.V

“What are you doing back in LA?” I heard Sage ask his brother, his lips twisted in annoyance.

Daphne held on to his arm tightly, like they were glued to each other. I saw her expression of shock when she saw Asher. Her bulgy eyes were widened, and her jaw hung slack in the air.

She definitely wasn’t expecting to see him…again.

Asher’s countenance held so many unspoken words. His eyes kept twitching, and his gaze wouldn’t move away from Daphne.

I understood how he felt, considering the relationship they had going on.

“I came back because I missed home.” 

Sage scoffed. And I caught sight of the malicious smirk on Daphne’s face. She was happy, it was clearly stated in her actions. She was the reason everything started falling apart in the first place.

“I thought we had a deal.”

I arched my brows in confusion. 

Deal? 

What deal? 

Was Sage aware of the reason Asher had disappeared all of a sudden five years ago?

Asher ran a hand through his hair nervously. “It’s been five years—‘’

“—And I haven’t forgotten what you did,” Sage gritted his teeth at him, taking a step forward to his brother, “Because of you, I never had a happy marriage.”

O-kay. This was confusing.

I thought I knew everything that had happened. And the reason Sage hated me ever since we got married. Was there something else I didn’t know about?

“Sage—‘’

“—Stay out of this, you whore!”

He yelled at me with so much force, his eyes blazing with fury when he stared at me. I forced a lump down my throat, slowly retreating and feeling the embarrassment that flooded through me. It wasn’t something new from him. But the fact that he’d called me that in front of Asher…

“You don’t have to insult her,” Asher spoke up for me, but I didn’t want him to do so, “She had no fault in what happened to her.”

I raised my head to him, my eyes widening in surprise. 

So, he knew? 

But, how?

Sage’s jaw tightened. “Of course.” I traced the sarcasm in his tone, “Play the hero, as always. Step in and save her.”

I bit down my lips, feeling bad for Asher. Sage was a horrible man, who had no respect for anybody. And I felt bad that Asher had to take insults from him just because he was trying to protect my reputation.

“You can have her now if you want,” Daphne’s voice chipped in, her eyes holding so much hatred for me when I met her gaze, “Sage is divorcing her. So you’re free to have her.”

Asher turned to me, his facial expressions clear and concise. I saw the way his eyes narrowed at me, and the glimmer of concern that laid within them. Or was it pity? Did he feel pity for me?

“Divorce? Sage, you can’t do this to her. Father said—‘’

“— To hell with what father said,” he cut in sharply, and I felt the tears that stung my eyes, threatening to fall. “He’s dead now. And besides, I never loved her. I only married her because he wanted me to. I was only trying to fulfill his wishes.”

He never loved me. I knew it was the truth, but— I’d committed five years of my life to him. Doing nothing but trying to be the perfect wife. And it broke me to know he hated me for something that wasn’t even my fault.

Asher breathed heavily. “And the company. You did it because of the company he promised to give you. Why are you so heartless?”

A feeling of regret pierced through me sharply. I regretted ever crossing paths with Sage. And the day I agreed to marry him.

But most importantly, I hated the incident that changed everything.

The eve of my wedding. The day everything changed. The day my whole life fell apart. If only I hadn’t listened to Daphne…

She’d ruined my life, my marriage, and now, she’d taken my husband too. 

I heard Sage’s haunting laughter, bitter and cruel. And I heard his mistress’s own too, her shrill voice sounding irritating and horrible to my ears.

“I’m heartless?” He laughed again, obviously mocking Asher, “Look in the mirror and you’ll see the heartless one staring right back at you.”

This was brothers feud, I knew. But, something felt off. It felt like I was centered around all that. Like I was part or the main reason they had issues in the first place. But I couldn’t point my fingers at what it was.

Asher’s tone was low, and his posture rigid. “You know I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“Yet it happened,” Sage let out a scowl, anger hinting at the top of his voice, “You took the only thing I ever wanted.”

Asher growled. “So, it was a prize for you?” I tried to understand what they were arguing about, but I was lost. “Was that the reason you pushed through with everything?”

My eyes darted to Sage, and I noticed his hesitation. I was dying to know what was happening. What had happened. What they were fighting about.

I watched Sage scoff, and then slowly, he walked closer to fill the gap between them, his eyes staring directly at his brother as he spat in his face. “I hope one day, you’ll tell her the truth.”

 Her?

Who was it? 

I wanted to know.

“And when you do, then she’ll be the one to judge who’s right and wrong between us.” he added.

It felt like I was the one. The girl who needed to know the truth. It had to be me! It was something about the way they glanced at me. The way Asher’s eyes glistened with guilt and fear. I knew I was the one they were referring to.

“What truth?” 

I pushed myself to ask, curiosity eating deep into me. This wasn’t nothing at all. It had to be something. I had a strange feeling in my gut.

“Sage?” I called him, my breath shaky as my eyes darted between both brothers fiercely. One of them had to speak. I couldn’t be there, left in the dark.

“Tell her.” Sage urged Asher, pressing his lips into a thin line. I blinked my eyes at Asher, feeling my heart pound in my chest with uncertainty.

He parted his lips to speak, but no words came out. I didn’t want it to be what I was thinking. Didn’t even know what I was thinking. But it had better be something good.

“Nae…”

Something churned in my stomach. It felt painful and sharp. I winced in pain, trying to act normal and strong with a calm expression, but… it was killing me.

I had no idea when my hands clutched my stomach, and my breath turned shaky and unstable. I parted my lips, but only heavy gasps and sounds of pain could come out.

“Nadira?”

I heard Asher call out to me in worry, and then felt his strong hands reaching for my shoulders. Sage stood there, holding hands with Daphne as they both stared at me with disgust and irritation. Neither of them moving or saying a word.

Not even the man I called my husband…

Asher’s worry intensified. “Are— Are you fine?”

He was the only one concerned for me. I swallowed hard, and then tried to force myself to speak up, but I just couldn’t.

My lower abdomen felt like it was on fire, and my knees suddenly went numb, unable to hold my weight any longer. Asher was quick to catch me in his arms before I crashed to the floor. And I could already feel my eyes giving in to the darkness that was slowly enveloping me.

I felt something trickle down my legs. Liquid. I had no idea what it was until I heard Asher’s words, filled with worry and fear.

“Nae… you’re bleeding!”