Samirah's POV
Something wasn't right.
I stood in the kitchen long after leaving the sitting room, my hands resting on the counter, my mind racing.
Arnold and Sebastian.
Why were they here?
I remembered them clearly.
Too clearly.
They used to be Zayn's closest friends—the kind that knew everything about him, the kind that were always around. But the moment he chose me… everything changed.
They didn't support us.
They didn't even try to understand.
Instead, they judged me.
Called me a gold digger.
Said I was only after his money.
Said I would ruin him.
And when Zayn refused to listen to them—
They left.
Just like that.
They stopped calling him.
Stopped texting.
Blocked him on every social platform.
I remembered how much it hurt him.
How he tried to act like it didn't matter.
How he laughed it off, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes every time he checked his phone and saw nothing.
He lost his friends because of me.
And now—
They were back?
My chest tightened.
"No," I whispered to myself.
This wasn't a coincidence.
This was planned.
Mrs. Kareem.
It had to be.
She was bringing them back into his life… to remind him of who he used to be. To rebuild that version of him that didn't include me.
And worse—
To make sure I never got close to him again.
My hands clenched slightly.
Not this time.
If they thought they could come back and push me out again—
They were wrong.
Because this time…
I wasn't leaving.
Later that evening, the house was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
I was arranging the living room when the front door opened.
Mrs. Kareem walked in.
Elegant as always.
Composed.
But something was off.
Her expression wasn't calm.
It was tense.
Sharp.
Then suddenly—
"My jewelry!"
Her voice rang through the entire house.
Loud.
Panicked.
"Where is my jewelry?!"
I froze.
"What do you mean, ma'am?" one of the maids asked nervously.
"My diamond set!" she snapped. "The one I left in my room this morning—it's gone!"
The room instantly filled with tension.
Staff members began murmuring among themselves.
"I kept it in my drawer," she continued, her voice rising. "And now it's missing!"
My stomach dropped.
No…
Something about this felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Zayn walked in quickly, his brows furrowed.
"What's going on?"
"My jewelry is missing!" Mrs. Kareem said sharply. "Someone in this house took it!"
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
Her eyes slowly moved across the room.
One by one.
Until—
They landed on me.
My heart stopped.
No.
"No…" I whispered under my breath.
Because I already knew where this was going.
"You," she said coldly.
Every head turned toward me.
"I didn't—"
"You were upstairs earlier, weren't you?" she cut in.
"Yes, but—"
"In my room."
It wasn't a question.
It was an accusation.
"I was cleaning," I said quickly.
"And now my jewelry is missing."
My chest tightened painfully.
"I didn't take anything!"
Zayn's gaze shifted to me.
Sharp
I saw doubt in his eyes.
My heart shattered instantly.
"Search her room," Mrs. Kareem ordered.
"What?!" I gasped.
"If she's innocent, she has nothing to hide," she said smoothly.
Tears filled my eyes.
"This is ridiculous! I didn't do anything!"
But no one listened.
Two staff members moved immediately.
And before I could even process what was happening—
They were already heading toward my room.
My hands trembled.
My breathing became uneven.
Because deep down—
I knew.
This wasn't random.
This was a setup.
My heart wouldn't stop pounding.
Every second felt like a countdown to something terrible.
We all stood in the living room, waiting.
Waiting for them to return from my room.
Waiting for a verdict that I already knew had been decided before this even began.
I clasped my hands together tightly, trying to steady myself.
I didn't do anything.
I kept repeating it in my head.
Over and over again.
But something told me that wouldn't matter.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Everyone turned.
The two staff members returned.
And the moment I saw their faces—
My heart dropped.
One of them stepped forward slowly.
"Madam…"
Mrs. Kareem straightened. "Well?"
The maid hesitated.
Then—
"We found it."
The room went silent.
A ringing filled my ears.
"No…" I whispered.
Mrs. Kareem's lips curved slightly.
"Where?"
The maid looked directly at me.
"In her room."
Everything stopped.
It felt like the world had tilted beneath my feet.
"That's a lie!" I cried out immediately. "I didn't take anything!"
But no one moved.
No one spoke.
Because now—
They had "proof."
Mrs. Kareem turned to Zayn slowly.
"You see?"
My eyes snapped to him.
Pleading.
"Zayn, please," I said, my voice breaking. "You have to believe me. I didn't do this."
He didn't answer immediately.
His gaze was fixed on me.
Hard.
Searching.
Conflicted.
And that scared me more than anything.
Because he didn't immediately defend me.
"Why would I steal from you?" I continued, tears spilling down my cheeks. "What would I even gain from that?"
Mrs. Kareem laughed coldly.
"Money. Status. Security," she said. "Isn't that why girls like you come into homes like mine?"
"That's not true!"
"Then explain how my jewelry ended up in your room."
"I don't know!" I cried. "Someone put it there!"
"Who?" she challenged sharply.
I froze.
Because I knew the answer.
But I couldn't prove it.
Her.
It was her.
But saying it out loud without proof would only make things worse.
Mrs. Kareem folded her arms.
"Exactly."
My chest tightened painfully.
I turned back to Zayn.
"Please," I whispered. "You have to believe me."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
Then finally—
He spoke.
"Everyone leave."
The room stilled.
Mrs. Kareem frowned. "Zayn—"
"I said leave."
His voice was firm.
Cold.
And final.
One by one, the staff began to exit.
Mrs. Kareem hesitated for a moment, clearly unhappy, but eventually turned and walked out as well.
Soon—
It was just the two of us.
The silence between us felt suffocating.
I could barely breathe.
"Zayn…" I whispered.
He looked at me.
And I saw it again.
That conflict.
That confusion.
That war inside him.
"I didn't do this," I said softly. "You have to believe me."
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"I want to," he admitted.
My heart broke at those words.
Want to.
Not I believe you.
"I really do," he continued. "But the evidence—"
"Is fake!" I cried. "You think I would steal from you?! From this house?!"
"I don't know what to think!" he snapped.
I flinched.
Silence fell again.
Tears streamed down my face.
"I would never do anything to hurt you," I whispered.
His expression shifted slightly.
Because that—
That part, he believed.
I could see it.
But it wasn't enough.
Not against everything else.
"I need time," he said finally.
My heart sank.
Time?
That meant doubt.
That meant he wasn't sure.
That meant I was losing him again.
"Zayn—"
"For now," he continued, avoiding my eyes, "you'll stay out of the main house."
My breath caught.
"What?"
"Until this is sorted."
Pain exploded in my chest.
"You think I did it…"
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
Silence.
Heavy.
Final.
I nodded slowly, wiping my tears.
"Okay."
My voice barely came out.
"If that's what you want."
I turned away before he could see how much that broke me.