บททั้งหมดของ All Shades of Passion: บทที่ 231 - บทที่ 240

Sheila POVMy phone rang at three in the morning.I fumbled for it in the dark, heart already racing. Nothing good ever came from calls at this hour."Hello?""Is this Sheila Callaghan?" A man's voice. Official."Yes. Who is this?""This is Officer Martinez with Las Vegas Metro Police. We have a lady by name Zuki Mason, in custody. She listed you as her emergency contact."My stomach dropped. "What happened? Is she hurt?""She's fine physically. But she's been arrested for assault and battery. We need you to come down to the station.""Assault?" I sat up, turning on the lamp. "Who did she assault?""Another club patron. She'll need to be bailed out or she'll spend the night in holding."I was already out of bed, grabbing my clothes. "Which station?"He gave me the address and I hung up, my hands shaking as I pulled on jeans and a sweater.Zuki had been arrested.For assault.At a club.I grabbed my purse and keys, and ran to the car.The drive to the police station felt like forever.

Sheila POVBobby picked me up at seven.I'd spent an hour getting ready. Dinner dress. Light makeup. Hair styled just the way I liked it. Standing in front of the mirror, I told myself this was a good idea. Bobby was a good guy. Kind, polite, everything I had ever wanted in someone.I looked good in the mirror.But I felt empty.Zuki had stayed in her room all day. I'd knocked once to let her know I was going out. She'd mumbled something through the door that might have been "have fun."It didn't sound like she meant it.Bobby was waiting by his car with flowers. Red roses, wrapped in white paper."You look beautiful," he said, handing them over with a smile that reached his eyes."Thank you."He opened the car door for me. Always the gentleman. Always had the charisma.We drove downtown to a restaurant I had never been to before. White tablecloths. Soft candlelight. Music playing low enough that you could still hear the person across from you. The kind of place that meant something.

Sheila POVI didn't sleep well.I kept waking up in the dark, staring at the ceiling, replaying the night in my head. The restaurant. Bobby's hand on my face. His apartment. The ceiling above his bed that I had memorized because I couldn't bring myself to look at him.I got up early and forced myself through a routine. Shower. Moisturizer. Clothes. The ordinary mechanics of a morning.I was standing at my bathroom mirror putting in my earrings when I heard Zuki moving around. Her room door opening. Footsteps padding down to the kitchen.I took a breath and followed.She was at the counter when I came in, pouring hot water into her mug. Her pink hair was loose and messy from sleep, falling across one eye. She was wearing an oversized shirt that hung off one shoulder and she looked effortlessly, unfairly beautiful in the way she always did without trying."Morning," I said."Morning."I went to make my coffee. The kitchen felt smaller than usual. The silence between us had a texture to

Zuki's POVI tried to change the flight that morning.After sitting on the kitchen floor for what felt like ages, regretting my confession to Sheila. I decided there's only one thing I could do to fix this mess.I'd washed my teary face and turned out my cold tea, then went upstairs to my room.Now I sat on my bed with my laptop open and pulled up the airline website, telling myself it was simple. Just move the date. New Year's Day was too far away and I could not sit in this house for another week pretending I was fine.I clicked on manage booking and selected an earlier date.Three days from now.The page loaded and I waited.(This booking is not eligible for date changes. To travel on a different date please purchase a new ticket.)I stared at the screen.Fine. New ticket then.I searched the available flights.Every single one was fully booked.I clicked through four different dates, three different departure times, even considered a connecting flight through Dallas just to get ou

Sheila's POVI started decorating at nine in the morning.Balloons. Fairy lights strung along the living room ceiling. A banner I had ordered two days ago that said "Happy Birthday Zuki" in gold capital letters.I pushed the furniture back to make space, set up a small table with her favorite snacks, ordered a cake from the bakery downtown that I had picked out myself. Chocolate ganache. Pink frosting. Twenty six candles.I told myself this was for the party. For my parents arriving tonight. For giving Zuki a proper send off even if the thought of her leaving made it hard to breathe.But I knew what it really was.It was me finally being brave.I had spent the morning texting a small group of people Zuki had met during her time here. A few girls from the club we had gone to on her first week. Emeka, the Nigerian guy from the food truck she had declared made the best jollof rice she had ever tasted outside of London. A couple of the neighbors who had met her and immediately fallen unde