Page 24 of The Kat Bunglar

She hadn’t noticed the elderly gentleman beside her until he spoke. His voice was absentminded, as if he was merely thinking aloud.

Laila studied the painting once more. “Is she... unhappy?” she murmured.

“No.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “She’s just suffocating under the weight of her decisions.”

Laila’s stomach clenched.

Is that how Gabriel saw her?

A pathetic housewife drowning under the weight of her choices?

She thought back to her last fight with Jay. Tried to remember the last time they had been happy together. Her nails dug into her palms as her mind went blank.

Without another word, she turned and walked away.

She barely made it to her car before the tears spilled over. She wiped them away impatiently, gripping the wheel.

She wasn’t unhappy. She didn’t want Gabriel. She slammed her hands against the steering wheel, frustration clawing at her insides. The problem was, she didn’t know what she wanted.

She just felt utterly and completely alone.

The life she had worked so hard to build—why did it feel so hollow?

She wasn’t sure how long she drove, but when she finally looked up, she realized she had parked in front of Redondo Beach.

The waves crashed against the shore—wild and violent.

She stepped out in a trance, kicking off her shoes, letting her purse slip from her fingers. She untied her skirt, pulled off the ridiculous romper.

Her mind buzzed with unwanted thoughts.

Gabriel walking toward her.

Gabriel smiling at her.

Gabriel, inches away from kissing her.

The dreamlike spell he had cast over her haunted her every waking moment.

Something was happening to her, and she had no idea how to stop it.

Laila waded into the surf. The cold water licked at her ankles, climbed to her knees, then swallowed her whole as she plunged deeper.

The saltwater wrapped around her, cool and cleansing.

For the first time in a long time, she felt like she had come home.

Present Day

July 10th

Kat Kar

Kya karoon haaye, kuch hota hai

What do I do? Oh, something Strange is Happening

Kya karoon haaye, kuch hota hai

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