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Salman had left the Fayyad residence and arrived at his house with ample time to get dressed for work.
He found Malika in the living room. The relieved look on her face told him she had been waiting for him for a while. She stood up at his sight.
There were lines of worry in her forehead. Her eyes were rimmed with red. He could tell she had continued to cry long after he had left.
"I called you several times last night," she said. There wasn't a trace of accusation or anger. Only worry. "You never answered."
"Kaveh had my phone for the entire night," he replied in a clipped tone.
"I know," Malika said. "He called afterwards to let us know you were with him." She let out a sigh.
Salman stood still, his face hardened.
"I'm sorry, Salman," she said.
When he didn't respond, she added, "I also want to tell you I stand by a lot of things from what I said. I know you don't want to hear that, but that's how I feel. I hope one of these days you'll realize why."
Salman's jaw tightened, but he didn't say anything. There was a heavy pause between them. Salman shuffled on his feet and looked around, his eyes lingering on her suitcases.
"What transportation are you using?" he asked, changing the topic.
Malika stared at him for a moment, studying his features, then looked away with another sigh. "Ibrahim sent a car," she replied after a while.
"You could have just asked me to drop you."
"There's no need for that." She shook her head. "All I ask for you is to take care of yourself. If not for you, then do it for Mom."
Malika stepped forward and wrapped him in a warm embrace, taking Salman by surprise. "I know you hate me now, but someday you'll realize how much I love you. I only want the best for you, Salman."
He momentarily let down the wall he had built up, his heart wrenching with pain. He moved his arms and hugged his sister back.
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