Page 196 of BounBound By Scars

Didn’t even try.

“I’m notthem. And I think… I think that made you uncomfortable.”

A pause stretched between us, brittle and loaded.

Then—softly, almost a whisper—

“No,” he said. “It made me scared.”

I paused.

He finally looked up, eyes wet.

“I was scared, Kabir.”

His voice cracked.

“I lost my parents. Not in death—but I lost them. I lost Zavier, my brother. Then Maxton. I was scared that letting anyone else in would just end the same way. Hell, I pushed Leora away for so long.”

He rubbed his face with an unsteady hand. “So I created the distance. I convinced myself it was safer.”

I was quiet for a moment, then reached for the water on my nightstand—taking a slow sip, more for time than thirst.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice breaking now. “God, Kabir, I’m so sorry.”

I was quiet for a long moment, letting the pain settle, letting it sting.

But also letting it go.

Bit by bit.

“You know what’s worse?” I finally said. “It worked.”

Zarek frowned. “What did?”

“You made me feel like Cipher mattered more than Kabir… and I started to believe it.”

Zarek exhaled sharply, like the weight of that single sentence had just shattered something inside him. His shoulders slumped.

I sighed. “Listen… I can’t force you to care—”

“I care,” he snapped, voice rising before he caught himself. He scrubbed a hand over his face and added, quieter this time, “I fuckingcare. I failed you, yeah. But that didn’t mean I didn’t care, Kabir. It just meant I didn’t know how to show it.”

I nodded slowly. “We all fail each other sometimes.”

Silence settled again—less brittle this time. Like the air had cleared, a storm finally passed.

Zarek leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I want to fix things. I don’t expect you to forget everything. Hell, I wouldn’t if I were you. But I want to be better. I didn’t show up for you. But I’m here now. And I don’t plan on leaving again.”

I looked at him.

Really looked.

The man I used to think didn’t see me at all—was finally trying to.

“You’re not so bad at this, you know,” I muttered, reaching for the water on the nightstand.

Zarek raised a brow. “What, talking?”