He didn't give her a chance to respond, grabbing her forcefully toward the apartment door and throwing her outside, speaking in a clear threat:
"If I see you here again, it will be the last day of your life—not just here, anywhere. And if you even think about chasing me, there will be a fire between us that won't extinguish until one of us dies!"
Waves of anger surged through her; she felt her blood boiling in her head. For an entire year, she hadn't been able to catch his attention in any way. She vowed to herself that she wouldn't let him go far from her, even if it cost her the rest of her life on this earth.
Hadeel entered to see her childhood friend dragging her bag in deep sadness. Her friend greeted her with worried hospitality, sensing something must have happened to make her leave her husband's house, even though her recent words about him had been full of praise and admiration.
Noor called out anxiously:
"What happened, Hadeel? Are you okay? Did Akram do anything to you?"
Hadeel replied with a voice and demeanor wrapped in brokenness:
"Nothing, Noor. I just need to rest a little, if you don't mind."
"I'll let you rest for now, but we need to sit and talk, Hadeel. I'm not letting you off that easily!"
Hadeel shook her head in defeated agreement, just to temporarily relieve herself of the burden of conversation and be alone, away from any psychological pressure. Every time she tried to push him out of her mind, her heart rebelled; despite herself, she remembered his gentle smile on her face every morning, his soothing voice constantly checking on her, his extreme attention to her smallest details.
How could someone show such qualities, appearing like a devoted lover, only to later reveal that he was married all along?
She couldn't stop thinking; she was almost like an addict craving a forbidden substance, obsessing over his genuinely sincere actions, unable to imagine that he could ever lie.
There are those who fish in troubled waters and know how to exploit opportunities. Majid called her. She saw his number and immediately rejected the call. She tossed from side to side in vain; sleep refused to claim her, and her mind resisted the exhaustion her body felt. Against her will, she was waiting for a call from someone else—a person she wanted to hear from, to provide any justification that might make her forgive him. She didn't know why she felt that way, or why she wanted to forgive that sin.
Akram kept throwing everything in front of him violently until it shattered. His phone rang, but he ignored it completely. He didn't expect the caller to be someone who desperately wanted him and missed him madly; he didn't expect it to be Hadeel.
He picked up the phone with total indifference to see who was calling. His heart raced, his breath faltered. He started calling her frantically. She answered, broken and crying:
"Why… I just want to know why. Why did you make me see the world through your eyes again, love it, feel it smiling at me after everything that happened and broke my heart in two? You're a liar like the rest… all of you are the same. I might forget Majid, I might even forgive him because he means nothing to me now, but I will never forgive you, nor will I ever look at you again, no matter what happens!"
A long silence was his only reply to her harsh words. She sighed deeply, facing the void—no voice, no justification. She added with a moan:
"I don't know why I called you in the first place! What do I need to hear from you? Nothing can justify what you did to me, Akram."
In a broken voice trembling with sorrow, he said:
"Hadeel… I…"
She cut him off firmly:
"Don't continue. I'm sorry I called. Consider me out of your life completely from this moment, and let's part politely."
"Where are you? Tell me so I can come to you. Trust me, once you hear the story, your perspective will change and you'll understand me—believe me!"
"An excuse? Goodbye, Akram."
She threw the phone beside her on the bed and burst into loud crying. Her friend entered in fear and held her, comforting her. Noor shouted in panic:
"If only you could tell me what's wrong, what happened to you, Hadeel! I'm going crazy for you and I don't know how to help."
Hadeel had no choice but to tell her everything to lighten her burden. She shared her worries and joys with him from the beginning until the conclusion of that phone call. Her friend told her that something was missing—it was impossible for someone with such good qualities to be a cowardly betrayer in the end!
"Give him a chance, Hadeel, for my sake. Let's hear what he has to say; the decision is yours in the end. No one can force you to do anything, but you need to hear him and understand him."
She stood up shouting, firmly rejecting the idea:
"No, impossible… he'll lie and invent a hundred stories. Can you imagine him confessing he's a cheater? It's disgusting, Noor. Look, if you care about me, just close this topic and don't tell me anything about him again. Understand?"
Noor nodded in understanding, but inside she screamed in objection, determined to intervene to resolve this issue. Her intuition told her that the young man had been wronged in some aspect and it needed clarification for Hadeel to see clearly.
Noor covered her with a blanket, gently caressing her hair so she could rest. Hadeel held her hands tightly as if a child had found her mother after being lost, surrendering to her gentle touches and warm voice assuring her that everything would be fine. Slowly, she fell into a deep sleep. Carefully, Noor took the phone from her to save Akram's number.
She called him immediately, giving him the home address with a commanding tone. For her beloved's sake, she repeatedly warned him to be careful in his dealings and words with Hadeel, as she sensed he had many secrets needing urgent clarification.
Akram arrived running. She greeted him with a frown, ready to speak the same warning words, but he silenced her with decisive words and promises. He was informed that Hadeel was asleep in the room, and Noor would leave them alone that night so they could resolve the problem, hoping that some misunderstanding that had reached her mind by accident would be cleared.
Akram entered the room, highly disturbed. His eyes fell on her helpless body lying on the bed. Deep sadness invaded his heart for causing her this state. He approached slowly, sat beside her, and gently stroked her hair. She stirred in her sleep, moving toward him thinking it was her friend. The scent of his familiar perfume enveloped her, bringing a sense of security. She opened her eyes in panic to find herself in his arms. She pushed him away instinctively. He embraced her again, enduring her aggression and struggles. He whispered gently as he surrounded her:
"I'll wait for you until all your anger is gone. I'll endure anything from you, as long as you hear me in the end. I won't leave before we talk."
After outbursts of screaming and attempts to escape, she finally gave in to exhaustion, resting in his arms against her will. He whispered softly:
"Now we can talk."
She said tiredly:
"Don't even dream of that… I don't want to hear you or talk to you at all."
"Then we agreed… the story, from the beginning…"
He sighed irritably before continuing, capturing her attention despite her mask of indifference, her curiosity screaming inside. His voice carried some anger:
"You know the saying: 'Do good, get evil.' That's what happened to me. I married Hanadi due to circumstances beyond my control, but fully with her consent…"
She interrupted angrily:
"What is this? Am I supposed to solve riddles? Either speak clearly or stay silent; my head hurts."
He surprised her with firm words and emotion:
"I had vowed not to speak of this matter, even if it cost my life… but being away from you, death seems easier."
She shouted impulsively:
"Blessings…"
Then corrected herself quickly:
"I mean… you're still young and life is ahead of you!"
He smiled with joy, his voice hoarse with concern for her:
"I understand, Hadeel… The important thing is you must know, and I'm confident this will remain a secret between us for life. Had I not been forced to clarify, I wouldn't have said anything… Hanadi is pregnant!"
Her eyes widened in shock; she screamed hysterically:
"Yes! What are you saying? Then why did you marry me? And what's this broken love story you keep running day and night… Get out! I don't want to hear anything else from you."
She ran out quickly. He caught her from behind, holding her tightly. She resisted until she gave in to his strength. He whispered calmly in her ear:
"It's not me, you crazy girl, calm down!"
She furrowed her brows in confusion, slowly turned her head, and asked blankly like a child:
"What? I don't understand anything at all!"
He laughed and answered lovingly:
"If you just give yourself a chance and me a chance, you'll understand everything… and then come here; you're being jealous!"
She stammered, unable to speak, freeing herself from his grip, nervously fixing her hair. He grabbed her by the shoulder to sit her back on the bed and said gently:
"I'll explain everything… I married her specifically for this pregnancy. Her father, my father's friend for a long time, begged me to cover for her. He would have died from grief in front of me. She did what I asked on the condition that each of us would live separately afterward. The marriage is on paper only."
Hadeel asked eagerly:
"What about the baby? How will it have your name if you're not the father?"
"Her uncle agreed she'd give birth away from here, and he would handle it. If he couldn't, he would act away from me. The important thing now is her reputation."
"Oh, the poor man pays for the lack of upbringing for his children and his distraction from them."
Hadeel promised softly:
"No matter what happens, this stays a secret between us, and if you see her one day, whatever she does, don't blame her!"
He looked at her lips with desire and tried to kiss her. She jumped back, flustered, her heart pounding, whispering:
"Can you go now? I'll spend tonight with Noor, and tomorrow you can take me to our apartment. Agreed?"
He approached slowly, teasing her, murmuring longingly:
"No, we didn't agree! Noor isn't coming back tonight; she'll stay with us."
She stepped back slowly, tense, until she hit the wall. She tried to speak, but her tongue failed her. He held her, her back against the wall, and leaned toward her lips to taste her intoxicating presence. She closed her eyes, surrendering completely. His phone rang, startling them both. He whispered softly:
"Forget this annoying call; it's not the time. I'll hang up."
He took it from his pocket to stop it from disturbing them, cutting their enchanting moments. It was Hanadi's father's assistant, her father, surprising him—he only called in utmost necessity.
The man told him that Hanadi's father was extremely ill and urgently needed to see him. Akram confirmed he would come immediately, apologized to Hadeel awkwardly, and asked her to pack her things because he would pick her up in two hours to return to their apartment.