***
{Capital City Of The Inside, The Holy Land}
{Al-Sayf Mansion}
Huda sat in the middle of her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, head buried between them.
Her room was dark, save for the glow spilling in from the massive projection outside the window to her left.
It lit up the skyline like a thirteenth moon, showing Malik standing by a fire, looking... well, wrecked.
His thoughts drifted through the open air, soft but cutting, a whisper she couldn't escape.
She peeked up at it, her chest twisting as she caught his expression—the hollow look in his eyes, the way his hand reached out for someone who wasn't there.
"Sinbad... I'm sorry."
The name hit her hard, hanging heavy in her mind, just like it had in his, only ten times less.
Slowly, Huda squeezed her eyes shut, the sting behind them threatening to spill over.
