Chapter 04: What I Didn’t Expect to Hear

I sat frozen for a few seconds on my couch, phone in hand.

My eyes were still wet, my heart racing, my breaths short.

And yet… in the middle of all this chaos, one name emerged like a lifeline.

Ayman.

I couldn’t understand why his message was coming now—exactly at the moment my life had just exploded.

The timing was too precise.

Too strange.

Too full of meaning.

I stood up slowly, my legs heavy, my movements awkward.

My chest ached.

My head hurt too.

As if the weight of the day was finally catching up with me all at once.

I went to the window.

Pulled back the curtain just a little.

And there he was.

Leaning against his car.

Arms crossed.

Head down.

Like someone unsure if they were welcome.

I think my heart skipped a tiny beat.

Just a tiny one.

Nothing exaggerated.

Just… something different.

I hadn’t seen Ayman in months.

Since that night when he had looked at me for a long time without speaking, before finally saying:

"Claire… one day, you’ll understand."

Back then, I hadn’t understood.

Now, I understood even less.

I quickly tucked my hair behind my ears.

A silly gesture.

Useless.

But I was nervous.

I picked up my phone and simply replied:

"I’m coming."

Then I took a deep breath before stepping outside.

When I saw him lift his head…

Ayman straightened up the moment he heard the door close behind me.

Our eyes met.

For a brief moment.

But long enough for something to tighten in my chest.

His eyes hadn’t changed.

Still soft.

Still deep.

Still… attentive.

I walked slowly toward him.

The evening air was cool, almost cold.

But I felt too hot.

Too many thoughts.

Too many emotions piled up over hours.

When I was just a few steps away, I stopped.

“—Ayman… what are you doing here?”

His throat tightened slightly before he spoke.

“I wanted to see if you were okay.”

I almost laughed.

Honestly.

A nervous laugh, dry, a little broken.

“Do I look okay?”

He looked at me for a long time.

Really, a long time.

Then he said simply:

“No. Not at all.”

And like no one had today…

He also said:

“I’m sorry, Claire.”

Not sorry like Jason.

Not sorry like Natalie.

Not sorry to justify himself.

Not sorry to ease his own conscience.

No.

Sorry… for me.

And that… almost broke me.

We stayed there, silent, for a few seconds.

The wind brushed between us, light.

Streetlights cast a pale glow over the road.

I think Ayman was waiting for me to speak.

To break down.

To scream.

To cry.

But I had no more tears.

No more energy.

Just a hollow emptiness inside me.

A vast emptiness.

I breathed out:

“—You haven’t contacted me in months… And now you show up on the day I find out my husband is cheating on me with my best friend. Why?”

Ayman inhaled.

Slowly.

“Because I knew it was going to happen.”

I stared at him, shocked.

“What do you mean… you knew?”

He looked down, ran a hand over the back of his neck, as if preparing for a hard truth.

“I saw it.

I saw Jason and Natalie together… almost a year ago.”

My heart leapt.

I didn’t know what shocked me more:

That he had known…

Or that he was the first to tell me honestly.

“Why… didn’t you say anything?” I whispered.

Ayman lifted his eyes to me.

Eyes full of regret.

“Because you weren’t ready. And… because I wanted to be sure not to destroy you.”

My hands trembled slightly.

I didn’t even know if it was anger, pain, or something else.

I breathed out:

“All my life… I’ve pretended to be strong. And now you tell me I wasn’t ready? Ayman… I would have preferred the truth.”

He took a step closer.

Just a small step.

But enough for me to catch his scent.

Simple.

Gentle.

Reassuring.

“Claire… I wanted to tell you. I swear I did.

But Jason forbade me from coming near you.

And Natalie… clearly threatened me. She was your friend… Would you have believed me? And… I didn’t want to cause you pain…”

I was speechless.

“Natalie… threatened you?”

He nodded.

“Yes. She knew I had doubts. She was afraid I would tell you. So she told me to ‘stay in my place.’ And I knew that without proof, without anything concrete, without the truth in front of your eyes, it would be hopeless.”

I clenched my fists.

What hypocrisy.

What manipulation.

What betrayal.

Natalie wasn’t just a disloyal friend.

She was a liar.

A schemer.

Someone capable of anything to protect her secret.

Ayman looked at me.

“And then… I left. I needed to get away from them. From you. Because… what I felt was becoming too complicated.”

I frowned.

“Complicated?”

Ayman looked away.

He seemed to struggle.

Really struggle.

As if trying to keep something locked inside.

“Yes. Very complicated.”

I felt my heart tighten slightly.

I didn’t know why.

But the way he said it…

It touched me.

The truth I had never seen

“Ayman… tell me the truth,” I asked softly.

“Why now?”

He slowly lifted his eyes to me.

And that look…

I hadn’t expected it.

A deep look.

A heavy look.

A look I had never received from anyone.

“Because I saw what Jason made you sign. And when I saw Natalie’s name on the papers… I realized they made you live the worst humiliation of your life.”

I understood that it had to stop.

I froze.

I could feel my heart slow in my chest.

“You… you knew about the document?” I whispered.

He nodded.

“Yes. I came across it by chance when I went to his office this morning. And when I saw what Jason was asking… I knew you had no idea. So I took my car. And I came.”

He paused.

Then added softly:

“I couldn’t leave you alone tonight.”

My eyes blurred.

Not with sadness.

But with a strange mix of gratitude, relief, and even anger.

A mix of everything.

“Ayman… why do you care so much about me?”

He closed his eyes for a second.

A long second.

Like someone hesitating to break through a wall.

Then he said:

“Because you matter to me.”

My heart stopped.

Just for a moment.

A tiny moment.

But I felt it.

“I… matter? How?” I whispered.

He gave a small, sad smile.

“I think you know.

For a long time.

But you refused to see it.”

I remained still.

Frozen.

My throat tight.

Four words were enough to shake my whole body.

I wanted to ask him what it meant.

I wanted a clear answer.

Direct.

Without detours.

But before I could speak, Ayman stepped back.

“I’m not going to confuse you further,” he said gently.

“You’ve already been through too much today.

So I’ll let you rest.

But tomorrow… if you want to talk, I’ll be here.

Always.”

He looked at me once more.

A long look.

A look that said a thousand things his mouth didn’t dare speak.

Then he added:

“Claire… you’re not as alone as you think.”

He turned away.

Opened the door of his car.

I stood frozen in the driveway.

Heart racing.

Too fast.

Too strong.

Too confused.

He got into his car.

I took a step toward him.

Then another.

I didn’t know why.

Just… an impulse.

He closed the door.

Started the engine.

And as he drove off, he rolled down the window and said something that made my breath catch:

“—And you deserve someone who chooses you. Not someone who destroys you.”

Then he was gone.

And I…

stood alone in the night,

shaking,

heart in turmoil,

with one question looping in my mind:

If Ayman knew everything from the start…

what did he really feel for me?

And most importantly:

Why now…

What is happening to him?