Amira sat in the back of the cab, phone gripped tightly in her hand.
The message was clear.
The location was unfamiliar, a small park near an abandoned railway station. It was risky. But something in her gut told her this stranger held a piece of the puzzle… maybe the final piece.
Her heart said no.
Her mind said go.
She went.
The park was quiet. The air was thick with secrets. Faint rustling in the trees. A broken streetlight buzzed overhead.
Then she saw him.
A man in a dark jacket, hood up. He stood by the bench, arms crossed.
"You came," he said, his voice low but steady.
"Who are you?" Amira asked.
He pulled his hood down.
She blinked.
It was Tariq, David's old friend. One she hadn't seen in years. The same man who disappeared right after the miscarriage.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, heart racing.
Tariq looked at her, pain flickering in his eyes.
"Because I should've spoken up years ago."
"I was there the night it all happened," Tariq began. "David called me from Lydia's place, panicked. He told me you were in the hospital. Told me not to come. But I did anyway."
Amira froze.
"I saw him in the hospital parking lot that night. He was arguing with Lydia. She was threatening to tell you everything. And then… something happened."
"What do you mean?" Amira whispered.
Tariq sighed.
"They weren't just having an affair. Lydia wanted more. She wanted him! forever. And when he chose you… she didn't take it well."
"What did she do?"
"She… followed him. Spied on you. And that procedure the doctors said was 'necessary'?"
He looked into Amira's eyes.
"Lydia convinced David it was the only way to keep you alive. But later, I found out she paid one of the nurses to push that surgery forward. Without your full consent."
Amira's World Shatters
Amira staggered back.
"No… no, that can't be true."
Tariq nodded slowly. "He didn't know. But she manipulated everything. Including your file. She made sure you'd never carry a child for him again."
Amira's hands shook.
Tears brimmed.
"She took my child… and my future?"
"Yes. And now she's back. And if David doesn't play along with whatever she's planning next, she'll ruin him."
Amira turned toward the street, breath shallow.
She didn't know if she wanted to cry, scream, or collapse.
But one thing was clear, this wasn't over.
And as she looked up…
She saw Lydia across the street, standing beneath a flickering light.
Smiling.
Watching.
Waiting.