Just then, a loud crashing sound resounded from the office and the hallway became silent. The employees exchanged a look. What just happened?

The door flew open and a heavily dressed lady came out. Her face was smudged with an awful amount of makeup, simply too much make-up.

She appeared to be wearing a dress that stopped just above her knee-length. Her face was red, displaying her anger. But as she walked out, she crashed into Zayn who was about to knock on the door.

"Oww," She winced in pain. She had bumped into his chest and hit her head really hard so that it hurt. She looked up at Zayn.

"You wretched fellow. Are you blind? Get out of my way," She pushed him with her small handbag and left.

Zayn looked around when he heard some of his colleagues snickering. Mr Mikhail walked out then. He paused to see them standing in front of his office.

He seemed a bit embarrassed to see that they were there and chanced to witness the little quarrel between him and his daughter... Not like this was the first time anyway.

"You can all leave," He spoke in a harsh tone, probably to cover up his embarrassment. Zayn actually thought he was pitiful at that moment.

But when he lifted his stern gaze to dismiss them, the sympathetic thoughts disappeared from Zayn's mind immediately.

Outside the restaurant, as they were all leaving, Mike noticed that Zayn was going to walk home like he mostly does.

He called out to him immediately,"How about you hitch a ride with me? I'm about to call a cab."

His words made some of their colleagues glance at them and whisper about them. Noor looked annoyed but he ignored them and just walked away like he didn't hear a word.

Zayn smiled. He knows their way to their various homes doesn't correlate with each other but he didn't comment. He simply turned around and followed Mike. Who would say no to a free taxi ride anyway?

It only took forty minutes for the taxi to stop at the address Zayn had given. When Mike looked up, he gaped in surprise at the huge gate at the entrance of the estate.

"Why aren't you going in?" He questioned the taxi driver.

"Sir, this is a high-end residence. Cabs aren't allowed in there," the driver explained. As he spoke, he checked Zayn's poor appearance through the side-view mirror.

This passenger certainly doesn't look like someone living in an upscale residence. Did he give the wrong address?

Mike was just about to ask Zayn what was going on when the latter spoke,"I'll get off now. Thank you."

Without giving anyone else the chance to say a word, he got off the cab and walked to the gate. The driver and Mike looked at him with astonishment.

They were even more surprised when the security guards readily opened the door without a hassle.

Zayn's figure had already disappeared into the estate before the driver snapped back to his senses. He cleared his throat and asked,"Where to sir?"

Mike swallowed and scratched his head nervously. Why does he feel like Zayn has suddenly become more mysterious than before?

In his dazed state, he gave the address of the labor camp to the driver and the cab slowly drove away.

****

Zayn got into Faez's family house easily. The house was unusually silent like the occupants of the house weren't at home.

He walked to the room he shared with Dahlia. He stopped at the entrance, seeing her sitting down cross-legged on the bed while texting away happily.

Her presence in the room made him remember the repellent scene he witnessed at the company and he sneered. He ignored her and began to pack up his clothes.

The noise he made while dumping his clothes into a battered box made her aware of his presence.

She sat up and when she noticed what he was doing, she laughed. "What? Are you going to throw a fit and move out of the room?"

No response.

This irked Dahlia. She has never been ignored by anyone before. What gives him the right to be the one to start the streak?

She stood up and walked to him. "You miserable, forsaken church mouse. Do you think throwing a fit and... Wait, are you going to run to grandfather to complain again since that's the only thing you are good at? Oh, I forgot, grandfather is too ill to take care of himself that he can't even defend you."

Zayn slammed the lid of his box when he heard this. He dropped the cloth in his hands and stood up. His hard glare startled Dahlia and she subconsciously took a few steps back.

He has never looked at her so fiercely before so she was naturally scared.

"Since you think this marriage is a mistake and you felt the only way to resolve it is to cheat on me, why don't we divorce? Then you'd be free from me and won't have to walk around with the stain of being married to a nobody like me."

His words made Dahlia happy as that was what she had anticipated for years but the way he said it peeved her. He literally stole her lines. She should be the one dumping him, not the other way round.

"Hey, don't you dare talk as if this marriage was real in the first place. An unconsummated marriage isn't regarded as a real one," She retorted.

Zayn smiled, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Choose a date. Let's divorce."

"No need," She suddenly turned around and walked to her closet. She shuffled through her clothes for a minute and came back with a brown envelope.

She threw it at him and he managed to catch it just in time before it crashed on the floor. Unsealing the envelope, he brought out the paper and was stupefied when he saw the first words written in bold ink.

'DIVORCE AGREEMENT.'

His heart clenched. Just how much had she loathed this marriage. He didn't dare to think of how long she had had these papers in her closet.

"Just sign in the required places and show up at the attorney's office. Then we'd be separated and be as free as birds," The happiness in her voice couldn't be hidden.

Without giving him a chance to say a word, she stretched out a pen that looked like it had never been used. He wasted no time nor felt reluctant as he penned down his name hurriedly in the required places.

When he was through, he returned the papers back to her and she did the same with a pleased smile. When the papers were fully signed, she returned it into the envelope and took it back to her closet carefully like it was an egg.

While she did this, Zayn bent down to pack up his remaining clothes.

"Make sure to be present at the attorney's office tomorrow to discuss the process of the finalization of our divorce," She told him, more like warned him.

"I'll send the address to you," she added when she received no response. He still didn't say a word and simply stood up, holding the box tightly.

He acted like she wasn't even there and walked to the door.

But just before he could touch the door knob, she stopped him,"We also have to find a way to inform the family together that we are getting divorced. The story should be "you realized you aren't good enough for me and can't give me what I want so you decided to dissolve our marriage."

Zayn chuckled slowly. Even at this minute, she is still trying to paint him as the bad one. If he says what she asked him to say, wouldn't he just be proclaiming himself a scumbag? What a narcissist being.

"You shouldn't worry about your dignity. I'm sure everyone in the family has waited long enough that they won't even be surprised that we are getting a divorce," His words weren't meant to assure her.

She frowned. "You are agreeing easily to everything I demand for the very first time that I can't help but feel suspicious. Don't you dare come back here, crying and pleading that I take back my decision and cancel the annulment process!"

Zayn opened the door. As he stepped out, he murmured,"You think too highly of yourself."

Of course, she didn't hear that.

****

Zayn walked to the east wing of the house. He walked down the hallway and only came to a stop in front of a room. He walked in and slowly closed the door to avoid making a noise.

The room was dimly lit as he walked in. He dropped the box and walked to the bed. The figure on the bed could only be described as a bag of bones.

Zayn stared at what was left of an old man who used to be active. His hands clenched again as he watched the sick figure on the bed.

He would never get used to seeing Omar like this.

"Grandfather..." He called out, reaching out to clasp a pale, bony hand in his. However, the man on the bed remained still, like he hadn't heard a word.