Page 153 of Nothing Without You
Everyone’s eyes were on us.
“Let’s talk somewhere private so I can explain.”
“You better explain the fuck out of this or else I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to wolves and make you watch.”
I winced at that.
Hasan’s rumbling voice intervened. “Behave yourself, Umaima.”
“Don’t talk to me, Hasan bhai.” She said with venom I’d never seen from her.
Chin jutted upwards, reddened cheeks. Umaima wastrue to her words, and I knew she’d fucking end me if I didn’t explain myself.
We scurried into my office.
Osama shut the door and all of us stood in front of Umaima while she had her hands on her hips.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cut your balls off,” her brow twitched with unfathomable petulance. A fucking tsunami waiting to unleash its wrath upon the three of us.
“Umaima—”
“No,” she raised a finger. “You know what? I actually don’t give a fuck. Move out of the way.”
She bulldozed straight for us, but I blocked her path with a stop. “Please don’t tell her.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Christian?” Umaima clasped her hands over her head. “The three of you have beenlyingto her and you expect me to just sit here and watch you lie even more? Fuck no.”
“Maybe if you just listened?—”
“Who told you to talk?” She glared in Osama’s direction who clenched his jaw.
Fuck, this wasn’t going well.
How the hell did she find out?
“Let me tell her,” I pleaded. “She deserves to know from me.”
Umaima visibly tensed. “You had more than enough time to tell her about your petty revenge.”
“It’s not petty revenge,” my voice hardened.
“Do you think your mom would’ve truly wanted you to avenge her—or whatever the hell you’re doing—if sheknewyou were using Adelaide for it?”
Sinking back against the door, Umaima was right. “I’m too close to step back now.”
A nod. “Okay, then that settles it. You’re telling her. Today.”
“I’ll tell her today.”
“About everything—evenEda.”
“I will.”
“And you’ll stop your revenge.”
The three of us froze. “Umaima, we can’t?—”
“You can,” she demanded. “You can because you love Adelaide. You can because you know your mother wouldn’t have wanted this. You can because if you continue, all it’ll do is break Adelaide’s heart.”
