Page 56 of BounBound By Scars

Zarek turned around just long enough to mutter, “I’m burning this gym down.”

Logan clapped. “Make sure the fire spells‘twenty-two’!”

I just shook my head.

The easy camaraderie between them made me feel something odd as it always did. That was when I noticed how Zarek was looking at me as though he was embarrassed that this whole scene unfolded in front of me. I wasn’t privileged enough to be a witness to this. I was Cipher, after all. Not Kabir Gill.

???

Married.

She was gettingmarried.

I didn’t know what to feel as I stepped into the café, not at all eager to get my sullen day started. The morning air was stale, the world was too loud, and my head was still trying to wrap itself around the message.

It had been years since I last heard from her. Years since she’d taken that knife and lodged it between my ribs with that soft, indifferent smile. And yet—Namrata still had the power to derail my entire fucking life.

I just needed to focus. That promotion to Senior Cybersecurity Engineer at NASA wasn’t going to bag itself. If I kept my head down, nailed the assessment, hit the metrics—maybe the pieces would finally fall into place.

But no. Of course not.

Of all the things she could’ve done, she just had to keep Ahmed. Still had him playing the sad little messenger boy years later. Couldn’t she find a new friend? One who didn’t still think I gave a damn? I didn’t.

I hadn’t spoken to her in forever. I didn’t want to. But she was always just checking in. Always needing closure. As if closure was her way of pushing the knife in a little deeper. I never replied.

Until this time.

This time, she sent a fucking wedding invitation.

Ahmed had delivered it in person—looking like he’d rather have dental surgery without anesthesia. Said she thought it would be healing if I came.

Healing.

She always said we were friends first. That we should be able to go back to that. The only problem?

We never broke up.

Not really. It was never said out loud.

The relationship was never given enough dignity to have a respectful end.

And now?

A wedding invite.

To a life she never saw with me.

I took a sip of my coffee, hoping the burn would distract me. It didn’t. Not enough.

I finally reached campus and pushed through the glass doors, moving on autopilot toward my desk. Maybe work could take my mind off it.

But when I turned the corner, I stopped short.

Three massive security guards stood around my station. One of them was rifling through my backpack. Another had his hand on the holster of a gun I hoped was just for intimidation.

What. The. Fuck.

“Uh… is there a problem?” I asked, lowering my coffee.

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