Lahat ng Kabanata ng Married by Fate, Broken by Love: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Aliya's POVFor a moment, I couldn’t answer.Dylan’s father sat across from me in the long dining room, his sharp eyes fixed on my face as if he could peel back every layer of my thoughts. The chandelier above us glowed softly, its golden light reflecting against the polished table like ripples of liquid glass. Outside the tall windows, the city lights flickered faintly in the distance, but inside the room, everything felt still.Too still.Why does he trust you? The question echoed in my mind, heavier than any other he had asked tonight.I slowly folded my hands together on the table, pressing my fingers together, so tightly the tips began to pale. I forced myself to breathe evenly, though my heart was beating fast enough that I was sure he could hear it from across the table.“I think,” I began carefully, “trust is one of those things that’s difficult to explain.”His eyebrows lifted slightly, the faintest expression of curiosity crossing his otherwise composed face.“Go on.”I swal

Aliya's POVThe café Dylan chose sat quietly at the corner of a narrow street just beyond the main road leading away from his father’s estate.From the outside it looked almost forgotten, like a place the city had quietly passed by over the years. Its brick walls were darkened by time and weather, ivy climbing lazily along one side. Warm amber light glowed through the large windows, turning the glass into soft golden squares against the deep blue of the night.A small bell chimed gently when Dylan pushed the door open.The warmth inside wrapped around us immediately.The scent of roasted coffee beans hung thick in the air, mixed with traces of cinnamon, vanilla, and freshly baked bread. It smelled comforting, grounding—like the opposite of everything we had just experienced at his father’s house.Soft jazz music played somewhere in the background, low enough that it felt like part of the atmosphere rather than something you consciously listened to.There were only a few people inside.

Dylan's POVThe office felt unusually quiet that evening.Not the peaceful kind of quiet that usually helped me concentrate—but the heavy kind that made every small sound stand out.The ticking clock on the wall.The low hum of the air conditioner.Even the faint noise of traffic drifting up from the street twenty floors below.I stood near the window, staring at the city skyline, but I wasn’t really seeing it.My reflection in the glass looked calm enough—tie still neat, suit jacket resting perfectly against my shoulders—but I knew better.Inside, my thoughts were moving faster than the cars below.Dinner with my father had never been something I looked forward to.But tonight felt different.Tonight I was bringing someone into it.Aliya.I exhaled slowly, pressing my palm lightly against the glass.What had possessed me to involve her in this?A knock sounded at the door before I could finish that thought.“Come in.”The door opened quietly, and Elena stepped inside.She didn’t say

Aliya's POV“When did my son know anything about someone being important to anyone?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Leo looked up from the kitchen table where he had been carefully arranging small cereal pieces into what he insisted was a “dinosaur fortress.” His tiny fingers paused mid-movement as he studied my face with the kind of quiet seriousness children sometimes had when they thought adults were being unnecessarily dramatic.“I’m not a baby, Mom,” he said finally. His tone wasn’t offending, just factual.“I didn’t say you were.” He shrugged one shoulder and popped a piece of cereal into his mouth, chewing slowly while still watching me as though he was trying to figure out why I looked so surprised.“But you always think I don’t notice things.”The morning light coming through the tall windows painted thin golden lines across the kitchen floor, warming the polished tiles beneath our feet. The soft hum of the refrigerator filled the silence between us, blendin

Aliya's POVThe air in the apartment felt different after that.Quieter—but not in the same way as before.It wasn’t just silence anymore.It was awareness.Of him.Of the space between us.Along the way, something had shifted, almost imperceptibly, but enough that I couldn’t ignore it.Dylan was still standing by the counter, one hand resting lightly against the marble surface, his fingers relaxed but still. His gaze hadn’t left me completely, even when I looked away.And that somehow made everything feel… closer.Too close.I exhaled slowly and moved toward the sink, reaching for the kettle even though I didn’t need more coffee.“Do you want anything?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.Dylan didn’t answer immediately.When I glanced back, he was watching me.Not casually.Not absentmindedly.Intentionally.The kind of look that made you suddenly aware of how you stood, how you moved, how your hands felt against your own skin.“What?” I asked, more quietly now.“You do that,” h