Chapter 5

Zayn’s POV 

I tossed in my sleep, trapped in yet another haunting dream.

Avelina.

She stood on the edge of a bridge, tears streaming down her face, her arms cradling her swollen belly. I was there too—cold, detached, telling her to get rid of the baby. My voice echoed like a knife in the wind.

“Zayn, please…”

“Do what’s right. End it.”

She looked at me one last time, heartbreak etched into every line of her face… then she jumped.

The splash thundered in my ears.

I screamed her name—

“Avelina!”

I jolted up, heart racing, drenched in sweat. My sheets were tangled, and the room was dark, silent—except for the loud knock at the door.

“Zayn! Wake up, bro!” Mikhail’s voice came through, followed by the door shutting close. “Damn, why you sweating like that? Were you having sex in your dream or what?”

I didn’t answer him. My hands were already reaching for a clean shirt from the wardrobe. I tugged on my pants in a rush, my chest tight.

“I need to go check on Avelina.”

Mikhail froze mid-laugh. “Wait, what, who?”

“I said I need to check on her,” I repeated, grabbing my phone and wallet.

He leaned against the doorframe, eyes narrowing. “Zayn… it’s been two years. You didn’t look for her. You didn’t write, didn’t call. Why now?”

“I’ve been having bad dreams about her,” I said quietly. “Really bad ones. I saw her jump into a river. I told her to get rid of the baby… and she jumped.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “What if something’s happened to her, Mikhail? What if it’s not just a dream?”

Mikhail studied me for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, I get it. But—” he paused, scratching his head—“just so you know, Alina’s back. Returned to her parents’ house yesterday. So you better start getting ready for that wedding.”

I stopped in my tracks.

I looked at him.

But I didn’t say a word.

I just turned and walked out, my heart beating with one name—Avelina.

If anything had happened to her…

I would never forgive myself.

—-

I gripped the wheel so tight I thought it’d snap in half. The streets were quiet, shadows dancing beneath the streetlights, but my mind was chaos. I didn’t even remember the drive—I just needed to see her. To know she was okay.

When I pulled up in front of her place, I froze.

No lights. No sound. No sign of life.

I got out slowly, heart thudding. Walked to the door, knocked.

Waited.

Knocked harder.

“Avelina?” My voice cracked. “It’s me… it’s Zayn.”

Nothing.

I banged on the door again, louder this time. “Please, open up!”

Still silence.

I don’t know how long I stood there before a door slammed across the street. An old man in a ratty tank top came out, scowling like I’d just interrupted his whole life.

“Hey! You trying to wake the whole neighborhood?”

I turned to him. “Please. The woman who lived here—Avelina—do you know where she is? Her mom?”

He rubbed his face and grumbled, “They left. Two days ago.”

I stepped closer. “Left? Left where?”

“Austria, man. Packed their stuff and bounced. Some family member out there, I guess.”

Austria.

I staggered back a little, like the word itself punched me.

“Do you have a number? An address? Anything I could—"

The man scoffed, cutting me off. “Do I look like their secretary? No. I don’t know nothin’ else. And if you don’t get off this porch and stop yelling, I’m calling the damn cops.”

I muttered something and walked away. Didn’t even know what I said. I just... got in the car and shut the door.

That’s when it hit.

The tightness in my chest. The ache in my throat.

I let the tears come, falling fast and hot.

I failed her.

I let her go through everything alone.

I didn’t check on her. Not once in two years. Not until it was too late.

Where was she now? Was she okay?

Was our baby okay?

I buried my head against the steering wheel. The guilt… it was suffocating.

Then my phone rang.

I wiped my face and checked the screen.

Dad.

I picked up. “Yeah?”

“Zayn, where the hell are you?” he snapped. “You better be back soon. We’re meeting with the Morussa family tonight to finalize your wedding. Alina is back, and I don’t want her disappearing again. This wedding is happening this weekend, you hear me? If we lose Morussa’s backing, my campaign’s screwed.”

I stayed quiet.

“Zayn!”

“I’ll be home in five minutes,” I said coldly.

I hung up.

But I didn’t start the car.

Because my mind wasn’t home. It wasn’t in some fancy engagement or my father’s damn campaign.

It was with Avelina.

And our baby.

And if anything had happened to them—I’d never forgive myself.

—-

I got home and slammed the door behind me. My chest was tight, my hands trembling. I paced the room like a madman, dragging my fingers through my hair.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

Go to Austria? Just get on a plane and start searching blindly?

Or sit here… and marry someone I didn’t love?

Dad would flip. He’d threaten me again—like he always did. “Marry Alina or I’ll hand the company to Mikhail.”

The thought alone made my stomach churn. Mikhail as CEO of Volkov Oil and Gas? Over my dead body.

But this wasn’t about the company anymore.

It wasn’t even about my father.

This was about Avelina.

That dream… that nightmare… it did something to me. It opened a door I thought I’d slammed shut long ago.

I still loved her.

God, I still loved her.

And I needed to find her.

Beg for forgiveness.

Bring her and our baby back.

“Agh!” I growled under my breath, slamming a fist against the wall.

“ZAYN!” My father’s voice boomed from downstairs. “Get down here now! The Morussas are here!”

“Shit.”

I grabbed a clean shirt, threw on a blazer, straightened my collar and stormed out of the room.

Downstairs, the tension hit me like a wall.

The air was thick with expectation and false smiles.

And there she was—Alina.

Sitting gracefully with a wine glass in her hand, wearing a pale gold dress that clung perfectly to her frame. Her makeup soft, her hair in waves. She looked elegant, polished.

Different, unlike the Alina I used to know.

My steps slowed as my eyes locked with hers.

Then it happened—

The glass slipped from her hand and shattered against the tiled floor.

Everyone turned at the sound.

But I couldn’t look away from her.

Her eyes.

There was something there.

Shock.

Fear.

My brows furrowed.

What the hell was that?

Why did she look at me like she'd seen a ghost?

What was she afraid of?

And more importantly…

Why did she suddenly look so much… like Avelina?