Lahat ng Kabanata ng Vow To Hate You: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

Ziniya’s eyes widened in alarm when she saw the car, but one reassuring squeeze of her palm from Ayaaz made her look back at him."And that is exactly why I want to protect you. He might be from an influential family, but my intentions are much stronger than his power," Ziniya felt an unspoken, powerful promise in his words.Ziniya took a deep, steadying breath before replying, "I appreciate your concern, but you don’t have to protect me."Her woman’s instinct was telling her there was something deeper to what Ayaaz was saying, and to her complete horror, it was stirring something in her heart. She didn’t want to get tangled up in new emotions when she was still desperately recovering from her last trauma. One instance had been enough to drown her in depression, and she wasn’t going to challenge her mental health by letting herself walk that same path again."As a man, I am obligated to protect the ones who are special to me," his sincere reply completely stunned Ziniya.*This absolut

The next dawn brought a positive vibe to Ziniya. When she woke in the morning, she felt refreshed and cheerful. She felt the same as she felt three years ago—light and happy. To her surprise, her nightmare was subsiding, and she was feeling better with each passing day. Last night, she kept recollecting Ayaaz’s touch and didn’t even realize when she drifted into sleep without the sleeping pills.The day was turning out to unfold one surprise after another. If her refreshed morning state didn’t surprise her, she finds Kabir unusually calm. He didn’t torture her nor called her to his cabin. Shrugging off his silence as irrelevant to her, she focused on her work. Like last time, she passed an extra lunch box to Ayaaz during their lunch which earned her the same smile. However, something was different in the air since morning. When she was busy talking to Naila, she felt someone gaze at her. When she turned, she caught Ayaaz staring at her with an unknown emotion. Her heart skips a beat,

When Ziniya was engrossed looking at the sea, Ayaaz raised his hand and locked a flitting strand of her hair behind her ear. She turned her head, her lips brushing against his fingers. Something flashed in his eyes, and before she could decipher it, he closed them and quickly pulled his hand back, turning his face away.“We should go,” he said, after a long pause. Ziniya simply replied, “okay,” her heart beating a little faster than usual.On their way back, they passed an ice cream truck. To ease the sudden, thick awkwardness between them, Ziniya proposed to buy him ice cream.“Why are you afraid of water?” Ayaaz asked out of the blue as they sat on the pavement.“When I was young, we visited an ancestral place, and there was this well. While playing, I fell in. That drowning incident never left me. As soon as water touches my skin, my mind subconsciously takes me back to that encounter,” she replied, her gaze distant.“Why didn’t you work to overcome it?” he asked, facing her.“I di

When Naila replied, looking genuinely worried, Ziniya jerked her head toward her friend.“What?” a whisper escaped her lips. Her stomach lurched upon hearing the news.“Yes, after the office. No one knows how it happened, but the security guard was the one who saw and took him to the hospital.”“How is he?” she asked, swallowing a painful lump. Naila’s silence gave her the answer she was dreading.“Do you know which hospital?” she asked with a shaky breath.Why him? He didn’t hurt anyone. As soon as the question surfaced, the answer presented itself at a distance. Kabir was walking towards his cabin but halted in his tracks and gave a brief, sharp glance over his shoulder.“Tell me?” she asked her friend again, her voice rising.“The guard told the name, Crescent Hospital—” before Naila could finish, Ziniya was out of the floor, rushing towards the exit.Just like yesterday, she skipped the elevator and descended the stairs with frantic urgency. Onlookers gave her bewildered looks, se

“Although I empathize with your problem, Ms. Jabri, unfortunately, I can’t go blind to your unprofessionalism,” Kabir said.“Mr. Zaid, I’m not well-versed in the policies here. What do you suggest we do?” Kabir asked, averting his gaze toward Zaid.“She has a good performance record,” Zaid began, only to be interrupted by Kabir, “and late comings.”“Yes,” Zaid replied, looking at Ziniya apologetically.“Her performance this month will be nullified. She will also have to be put on the bench for a month, and with another instance of unprofessionalism, her…” he trailed off, searching for the right words, when Kabir added, “her promotion, which was decided this year, will be on hold until further notice.”Ziniya fisted her palm, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Kabir, yet she remained calm. She consoled herself, thinking the promotion would be the least of her worries while Kabir was around, especially now that he knew about her past—a past connected to him, yet having nothing to do