Kairo lay on his bed, sleep nowhere close. His eyes were swollen, his face still red. Zayn's face kept flashing in front of him, those eyes, that little boy who had always been his, yet he had failed to recognize it. His chest burned with regret.
He hated himself for the terrible mistake he made three years ago. Out of anger and grief, he couldn't see what he was about to lose, or how much it would cost him later. He regretted every choice he made in rage, every moment he punished Sara for her father's sins. He didn't even understand why he chose to hurt her, why he decided to make her suffer.
Just then, Kairo's phone buzzed. It was the detective. He answered quickly, his voice heavy. "Yes?"
"Sir," the detective said, "I've found some details about that woman's family."
Kairo sat up, his grip tightening on the phone. "Go on."
"Yes, sir," the detective began, "I looked into her family history. Her parents divorced when she was about ten. Sara chose to stay with her mother, and her father wasn't happy about it. After the divorce, her father remarried.
She lived with her mother for the next seven years, until her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Wanting to secure her daughter's future, her mother filed a petition in court, asking that custody be returned to the father since she didn't have much time left.
But her father refused to take her back. After a long battle, the court forced him to at least cover her expenses until she finished her education. Under pressure, he agreed, but he never brought her into his home.
Instead, Sara stayed alone in her mother's old, small apartment. The same one she finally left… three years ago."
"So basically, she was abandoned," the detective continued. "Her father only gave her money until she graduated, then cut her off completely. After that, he never cared what happened to her.
And here's the ironic part: her father is a well-known businessman. Powerful, respected in society… yet he refused to accept his own daughter. Honestly, sir, he's nothing but a bastard of a father."
Kairo's throat tightened. He couldn't get a single word out. Every detail the detective spoke felt like a knife cutting through his heart. He had already been drowning in guilt, but now it was unbearable.
He wanted to go back in time and slap the man he had been, the man who had made her suffer even more. Without saying a word, he cut the call. Tears spilled down his face, unstoppable.
Sara's life had already been a mess, and he had pushed her deeper into it, shattering her completely. Just thinking about what she had gone through made his chest ache, but she hadn't just thought about it; she had actually lived it.
Kairo struggled to breathe, his mind spinning. He didn't know how he could ever face her now. didn't know how to even ask for her forgiveness. Deep inside, he knew he didn't deserve it. No matter what he said or did, it could never erase the pain he had caused. He had no right to ask her for another chance.
But then came the thought of Zayn. Just the image of that little boy made his chest tighten with desperation. He wanted to be with him, with both of them. The urge to keep them close, to never let them slip away again, was overwhelming.
Yes, he had made mistakes. Yes, he deserved punishment. But the idea of losing them again was unbearable. Then his own mind began to speak, louder than his heartbeat.
If Sara doesn't forgive you, then that's your punishment, it hissed. But don't let them go again. Protect them. Take care of them. They're your responsibility now. The voice inside him grew sharper, more desperate. You can't let Sara suffer any more. She is your first love… the mother of your child… the only one who made you feel loved, who saw you raw and vulnerable when no one else in the world ever did. His inner voice was no longer a whisper; it was a scream.
"Yes… I won't let them suffer anymore," he whispered to himself, his fists trembling. "I'll protect them. They're mine… they belong with me. How can I let them go again?" His eyes burned as he stared at the ceiling. "She's my woman. And Zayn… Zayn is my child, my baby."
That night, Kairo carved silent promises into his heart, vows to protect them, to never let them go again, no matter what it cost him.
The next morning, the office buzzed with its usual rhythm, but for Kairo, the world had narrowed to a single point, Sara. He sat in his cabin, shoulders tense, his face pale and drawn from a sleepless night. The guilt still clung to him like a shadow, but beneath it, something stronger had taken root: resolve.
Sara arrived on time, as always. Before coming, she had left Zayn at the daycare, kneeling to his height and warning him in a firm but gentle tone,
"If that man comes near you again, don't talk to him, Zayn. Promise me."
The little boy had nodded obediently, though confusion lingered in his eyes. "I pomise, Mumma."
Now, stepping into the office, Sara carried herself with the same composed grace, but inside, her heart was heavy, the memory of yesterday still raw.
Kairo felt her presence before he even saw her. His breath caught when she walked past the glass walls of his cabin, her expression distant, her eyes refusing to glance his way. For the first time, he didn't want to call out impulsively or confront her with anger. Instead, he sat straighter, watching quietly, like a man on a mission, one who had vowed to protect rather than destroy.
Today wasn't about proving. It was about trying. About finding a way to mend what he had shattered.
Kairo picked up his phone and called his secretary.
"Ben, come to my cabin."
"Yes, sir," Ben replied. Within a minute, he was standing in front of Kairo.
"Make Sara a permanent employee at Novacore Enterprises," Kairo said firmly. "Promote her to Marketing Analyst. Don't overload her with work, and if possible, assign her a private cabin."
Ben blinked, surprised. He had been noticing his boss's strange behavior toward Sara ever since she joined the company, but this… this was something new.
"Sir? All of a sudden? Her three-month performance observation period isn't even over yet, and now you're making her permanent and promoting her?" Ben asked, a mix of surprise and hesitation in his voice.
Kairo raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp. The question seemed to intimidate Ben even more.
"You must have a lot of questions these days, huh?" Kairo said, his tone calm but edged with something unreadable.
Ben immediately lowered his eyes but couldn't hide the hesitation in his voice. "I… I didn't mean to question your order, Sir. It's just… unusual."
Kairo exhaled, almost as if letting go of a weight.
"Sara and I studied in the same college. Same batch. I know how talented she is since those days." Kairo said, his voice calm but filled with conviction.
Ben stared at him, stunned. "Sir..."
Then Kairo said something that landed like thunder in the quiet office, which made secretary Ben utterly speechless.
"She's my only love… and the mother of my child."