Page 30 of Ruthless Regret

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ZAIN

When I reach my parents’place, it’s almost ten. I park my car, and step out onto the gravel. The tiny stones crunch underfoot as I walk across the drive, and up the steps to the front door. I could just let myself in, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that. This hasn’t been my home in a long time. So, I knock, and wait.

When the door opens a few minutes later, it reveals my dad. He frowns at me.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay? I thought I’d see you tomorrow when the windows get repaired.”

“Can I come in?”

“Of course you can.” He looks over my shoulder. “Where’s Ashley?”

“She’s not with me.”

I walk past him and into the house. He falls into step beside me.

“Your mom is in the living room. We were just having a snack before bed. Would you like something?”

“No, thanks.”

“Heather, Zain is here.” He announces my presence before we enter the living room.

My mom jumps up and comes around the couch, arms wide. “Zain.” She hugs me, and reaches up to press a kiss to my cheek. “Your dad told me what happened. Is Ashley okay?”

“I’m sure she’s been better.”

Her eyes narrow. “And what doesthatmean?”

“She went back to New York.” I brace myself for a repeat performance of the conversation I had with Esme.

Instead, she sighs. “Come and sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

I shake my head.

“What about something to eat?”

“No, really. I’m fine.”

I move deeper into the room, and sink into the armchair. My parents sit on the couch, where they’d clearly been sitting before I arrived, since there is a plate of cookies and two glasses of half-drunk milk on the coffee table in front of it.

“Did the police catch the intruder?” Mom asks.

“No. They searched the area, but couldn’t find anything.” I rest my elbows on my knees, and look down at the carpet. “There’s something else.” I take a deep breath, then lift my gaze to meet my mom’s, then my dad’s. “Someone tried to set fire to the house.”

“What?” Mom jumps to her feet. “While you were in it? Is that why Ashley has gone to New York?”

“No, she left before that. And no, not that house. The other house.”

The silence following my words is heavy, and the weight of my mom’s stare presses down on me. I slump back into the armchair. No one speaks. They’re clearly waiting for me to say something.Anything.

My dad clears his throat. “Someone tried to set fire to the house you lived in with Jason and Louisa?”

“Yeah.” The word comes out gruffer than I intend, but my nerves are on edge. “I saw someone there. By the time I realized what was going on, they’d gone, and the fire was already burning through the front door.”

“And you didn’t call us?” My mom’s voice is sharp, all warmth from her earlier greeting gone. “Zain, why didn’t you call us?”

“What would you have done?” I snap, then immediately regret it. She doesn’t deserve my anger, but frustration is simmering too close to the surface, and I’m struggling to keep control of it. “It’s not like I asked you to involve yourself in my life.”

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