A viscous noise of the car honking was starting to get to me and it slowly brought me back to reality. Only then did I realize the situation I was in...

I had been through a lot of nerve wracking moments in my life, but waiting for death was by far the worst.

I was in the backseat of a car, my friend had been shot and the people who had shot her were coming closer.

It was my time now...they were going to reach me any second and point the gun at me before blowing my brains out.

The sudden groan coming from Mariam made me move a bit so I could see her in the passenger seat. She was rubbing her forehead, thankfully no bullet wounds was showing.

A realization hit me suddenly and my fingers clenched around the gun in my hand.

They had shot Simran, but I wasn't going to let them hurt Mariam. The girls were innocent and they were there because of me. It was my duty to do anything in my power to protect them.

"Mariam, get down!" I said, my voice hard and firm, no sound of fear present.

She did as I said and sunk down in her seat. Taking a deep breath, I prayed to God to protect the two girls before peeking through the headrest.

I noticed the car that had attacked us parked a little bit away and two men with their guns aiming at our car was slowly making their way toward us. Both of their faces were covered with a mask, making my heart drop.

They were definitely here to kill us...

I turned back around and gulped. I knew I had to be strong. I couldn't let whatever happened with Mikael repeat itself. I had a gun in my hand, I had to use it. I had to protect the two girls.

Without thinking twice, I pushed open the door on my left before pushing myself down again on the seats. It didn't even take seconds for them to open fire against the door.

The sound made me close my eyes in fear until it finally stopped. I clambered over to the other door and waited a few seconds before pushing it open.

They opened fire once again and I held my breath. "Oh my God." I let out in fear and panic when I realized that I had to start shooting at them.

When the sound of the gunshots became to fierce for me to handle, I covered my ears. All of a sudden, the sound of the gunshots increased, as if many other had joined them.

However, the bullets stopped hitting the car.

I gathered all my courage and peeked once again through the headrest. The scene in front of me confused me until it hit me.

I had totally forgotten about Walid's men that had followed me. They had arrived and they were shooting at the masked men who were shooting back.

I quickly turned around and put the gun away before bending over to look at the girls.

"Are you okay? Did you get hit?" I asked Mariam who was crying hysterically.

My heart dropped when I looked at Simran. I pushed her head back and rested her body against the seat to inspect her injuries.

"I'm fine! Who are they? What do they want? Why would they shoot us oh my God, what's going on? Simran is shot!" Mariam panicked.

"She'll be alright! She has to be." I said and noticed the bullet had just grazed her arm.

Simran was unconscious but it was most probably because of a head injury. I did my best to avoid letting my mind get affected by the amount of blood in front of me.

Now was not the time...

The shooting outside finally stopped and I heard footsteps running towards us. I quickly got down from the car and saw the three men that had saved us approach us.

"We need to take her to the hospital!" I let out and they were quick to act upon my request.

One of them drove their car forward and the other picked Simran out of the car. Mariam reached me and held my elbow in fear and panic. I tried to reassure her as I helped her sit in the car we were going in.

I was reassuring her, but I didn't know how to react to my heart that was pumping in my heart...making me feel like I was going to collapse any second...

~

A sudden sigh of relief subconsciously left my lips and I finally sat down. It was almost evening and I was still at the hospital. I couldn't leave, I had to know about Simran's condition.

"Thank you doctor." I said to the man whom I remembered from the day Walid had been shot. "Did you inform her family?"

"Yes, although they were very keen on involving the police and all that....I had to tell Pasha to have a chat with them." The doctor said, making me nod...hiding my frustration.

With a final smile, the doctor left me alone in the hallway and I leaned back in my seat.

The chaos was finally coming to an end. Mariam had been checked by another doctor as soon as we had arrived and she was fine. I had told her to go home since the poor girl was so shaken and scared.

Pasha had arrived just when Mariam had left and he had stayed here with me ever since. He did leave now and then to make phone calls and I could see he was stressed.

My mother had arrived a while ago upon hearing what happened and after a long hour of assuring her that I was okay, I finally sent her home. I told her I would come as soon as I got any news from Simran.

I hadn't heard anything from my father or Walid. They were both still out of town...which made me faintly wonder how both of them were gone at the same time.

Pasha had sent some people to take care of the mess we had left behind. Our stuff from Simran's car had been delivered to us and the crime scene had been wiped out.

My thoughts were interrupted by the abrupt footsteps reaching me. I looked up to see Pasha. "What did you tell them?" I stood up and reached him halfway.

"I told them what I had to tell them." Pasha said, stopping in front of me.

"And what exactly is that?"

"I told them not to involve the police. If the police gets involved, the media will get involved. If the media gets involved, it will turn into a political matter. Walid is already dealing with certain human rights activists who's accusing him of violating human rights. We can't let the media cover incidents like this. We do have agreements with most of the news channels and they would never cross us. But there's always someone out there who's ready with their camera."

It took me a moment to somewhat understand what he was saying.

"Okay, whatever that now means. But I hope you didn't threaten her family or something because if you did, I promise I'll-"

"I didn't I swear. They understood everything and agreed." His words made me sigh in relief. "Are you going home now?"

"Yes, Simran's okay now. I'll come back tomorrow. Let's go." I said and we stepped out of the hospital. "Wait." I told Pasha, who stopped and gave me a confused look. I rushed over to the group of men standing just at the entrance of the hospital. "None of you got hurt, right?" I asked, the worry rising inside me.

If these men hadn't been there, God knows what would've had happened to us. They had saved our lives and I felt more than guilty that I hadn't even asked them if they were okay.

"We're perfectly fine, sister." One of them said, giving me a tight smile.

"Good. I don't even know how to thank you all for saving our lives." I gave him a half-smile.

"Well, technically you should thank your father. If he hadn't sent us to look after you then-"

"My father?" I asked in confusion. The smile suddenly dropped from the man's face and he shared glances with his friends.

"Oh, I wasn't supposed to say that." His voice lowered as he looked down at his feet. He looked to be the youngest out of all of them and my heart dropped upon seeing the fear across his face.

"Don't worry. No one will find out you told me. Take care." I forced a smile and walked back to Pasha with a heavy heart.

My father was a doctor, why would he have those kind of men working for him? Why would he send them to look after me just like Walid used to do?

Suddenly, the suspicions I had about my father regarding mine and Walid's marriage were coming back to me.

The questions I was constantly asking Walid were maybe unanswered for a reason. And maybe, I was looking for the answers in the wrong place all along...

~

The next morning, I was seated in the living room with Sammy beside me. The night had been long but I managed to get a few hours of sleep. I had a lot going on in my mind. Everything around me just seemed so confusing.

I couldn't stop thinking about the unknown man who told me that story. Neither could I stop thinking about who was trying to kill me. And the fact that my father sent people to look after me. Not to forget, Ansara's picture that I found in Walid's bedroom.

Everything was getting more confusing for me each passing day...

"This is so confusing." Sammy sighed, making me look at him in panic until I noticed he was just talking about the homework in front of him.

I had thought for a second I was going crazy and people could read my mind...

"Show me." I leaned down to help him with it. Once he finally understood the explanation I gave him, he turned to me with a cheeky smile.

"Walid is right, you can be smart sometimes." He gave me a sly grin before looking down at the papers in front of him to write his answers.

"Oye, oye, oye! What did you say?" I asked, making his big brown eyes turn back to me. He raised his tiny eyebrow at me, making me almost pinch the cuteness away from his face.

"You heard what I said." He spoke with an attitude.

"Well, do you mind explaining what you meant?" I raised my own eyebrow at him.

"Well, you should be smart enough to figure that out." He spoke in the same tone as me.

I stared at him for a moment before pushing him down on the couch. I started tickling him and he was laughing while gasping for air.

"You better tell me what that man said about me! You're really gonna choose him over your sister, huh?" I continued tickling him and he tried to get away.

"I will never tell you. Even if you kill me!" He let out dramatically and I couldn't help but chuckle and let him get away purposely.

"Just wait until I catch you." I shouted after him as he wobbled out of the living room. "Fine, I'm joking. Come back you need to finish your homework."

I didn't hear his reply because of the sudden loud knocks on the door. I got up and made my way towards the front door. I had thought it was Pasha who had promised to drop me off at the hospital to visit Simran, but when I opened the door, my heartbeat almost stopped.

The man I had craved for, was now standing in front of me...

"Hello princess, it's time to go home."

I couldn't make out the meaning behind his words, which was why I temporary ignored it and just stood frozen.

I didn't know how to react other than just stand there and watch Walid. His dark brown hair was falling on his forehead and his brown eyes were fixed on me. His short beard had grown a tiny bit longer since I had last seen him and he was dressed in a black button up shirt that was tucked into a pair of black formal trousers.

The amount of times I looked at him from top to toe was unknown to me but a while later, I realized that I wasn't dreaming. He was really there.

Suddenly, all the emotions started coming back to me. The fears I had faced yesterday and everything that happened when he wasn't there with me.

Without any thoughts, my steps moved subconsciously and I ran into his arms. My arms wrapped around his neck and I closed my eyes and buried my face in his shoulder.

For a moment, I just wanted to forget every negative thing going on around me. I just wanted him to hold me, so I could be relieved from the pain for a few seconds.

And that's what he did. He relieved me from my pain by wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight, leaving me standing on my tiptoes.

A faint smile appeared on my lips and I mentally thanked God for granting me the blessing of seeing Walid's face again.

Moments later, we pulled away and I stared up at him. All of a sudden, I noticed something from the corner of my eyes, making me look to the left.

I stopped myself from gasping when I saw almost all of little grandma's family and a few other neighbors watching us with their mouth wide open.

I quickly took a step back from Walid who then followed my gaze and looked around the neighborhood. I had thought Walid would be more worried than me upon seeing people watching us, since he was the one who wanted to keep everything private.

But what he did next shocked me...

He stepped forward and grabbed my arm before turning to the people. "What are you looking at? She's my wife." His loud and dangerous voice roared across the neighborhood.

I heard the few people gasp and other start whispering. I finally came back to my sense and looked up at him. "Walid, what are you doing?" I panicked.

"I'm doing what I should've done a long time ago. From now on, you're gonna stay right beside me. If any bastard is gonna hurt you, he's gonna have to try and do it right in front of me. I dare them...to f*cking try again." A dark emotion took over his eyes while he spoke so only I could hear him.

I understood where he was going with it and sighed. He was angry. More than angry. Whatever happened yesterday had gotten to him and I could already see the crazy side of him appearing. The side that sometimes scared me...

"Walid, I'm completely fine. Ther-wait! Where are we going?" I asked when he pulled me with him.

We reached his car and he opened the door for me before almost forcing me inside and buckling my seatbelt for me. He closed the door after me and I watched as he got in the drivers seat.

"Where are we going? My mother is inside with Sammy, she'll wonder where I am. Walid? Answer me!" I let out when he started driving away from the neighborhood.

"I told you, we're going home." He announced.

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning to him with fear all over my face.

"I mean what I said. We're going home."

~

The gates were opened by the armed men who were dressed in all black. The car accelerated and soon enough, we were coming closer to the big house. I couldn't look away from the men dressed in black guarding the house. There were so many and they were everywhere....

They would end up at the gates, where he had been moments ago, begging for justice.

Gulping, I tried to stop thinking about the unknown man's words that kept repeating in my mind.

"Walid, please." I begged for almost the hundredth time since the past half an hour. "Take me back home! Please!" I repeated.

I wasn't ready to meet his family. He couldn't just force me to come and live with him. Our relationship was still very much complicated. He still had a lot of explaining to do. Him putting me in the middle of his family wasn't going to help.

My eyes moved back to the front when Walid kept ignoring me. He drove past the water fountain in the middle with grass around it in a neat circle. The car finally came to a stop right outside the house and Walid stepped down.

He rounded the car and opened the door for me. I looked up at him, anger taking over me suddenly as I grabbed the seatbelt for dear life.

"I don't want to, don't you get it?" I let out furiously.

"Get down." He ordered, his eyes holding no emotion.

I get it, he was angry after what happened yesterday but he couldn't just pick me up and take me anywhere with him.

I looked away from him with a glare plastered on my face before leaning back in my seat, giving him the impression that I wasn't going to budge.

It didn't take long before he bent down and unbuckled my seatbelt. "What are you doing? I said I don't want to. Take me back!" I let out when he pulled me out of the car by force.

He stopped suddenly and looked me dead in the eyes. "If you don't want me to pick you up and carry you inside, then follow me silently." His voice was cold, making me almost shudder.

Walid held my hand and pulled me with him. He was walking so fast, making me almost run beside him to keep up...

I looked up at the entrance and gulped in fear. We passed the four white pillars, with two on each side and reached the double doors.

I held my breath when he pushed them open and we stepped inside...

"I'm giving you one last chance to take me back. I swear you'll regret it!" I said, trying to keep my voice down.

Walid ignored me and we passed a hallway before stepping into the big open floor mansion that could've been mistaken for a ballroom.

There was a big double staircase that stole all the spotlight and soon enough, a woman was stepping down from it.

Another woman walked out from nowhere with Ariana and Asiya following from behind. Suddenly, there were people appearing from every corner and I felt my face heat up in nervousness and fear.

Walid didn't let go of my hand and instead just continued to walk with me towards the stairs. I didn't dare to look around.

There was a pin drop silence in the house as we stepped up the stairs. I looked to my left, towards the other flight of stairs.

The woman in her early fifties had stopped stepping down midway. Instead, she was watching us with no emotions on her face.

I wanted the ground to swallow me and I quickly looked away. Moments later, we were out of their sight and Walid took a left and lead me through different hallways until he finally stopped by the only door that was there in one of the hallways.

He pulled me inside the room and we passed a sitting area before reaching the actual bedroom. I gathered all my strength and furiously pulled away from him before glaring at him with my cheeks flushing.

"Don't give me that look. You're staying here. End of discussion." He informed, turning around to leave.

"I'm-"

"I said end of the f*cking discussion!" He yelled with all his might, the sudden outburst making me flinch as tears unwillingly formed in my eyes.

I held back the tears while his eyes pierced into mine. His chest was moving rather quickly and it looked like he was having a hard time breathing properly.

He swung around and started walking towards the exit. "I hate you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, not caring about the possibility of his family downstairs hearing me. "Don't ever show me your face again!" I threw the vase I had picked up at him, but he moved to the side as if knowing what I was up to.

The pieces shattered on the floor beside him but he didn't bother turning around. I looked around and saw a table lamp on the nightstand. I picked it up and threw it his way, but he was already closing the double doors after him.

"You can't keep me here! Did you hear me Walid Aydin? You can't keep me here!" I screamed and froze when I heard him lock the doors. I quickly rushed up and tried to open the doors, but he had locked them.

He had actually locked me in his room...

A storm formed inside my heart and I couldn't control the anger as I picked up every breakable material I could find in the room and threw it across the room.

~~~~~Ariana~~~~~

Everybody waited in silence while faint sounds of Jasmin screaming and things breaking was heard.

"What's actually going on?" My mother paced back and forth in front of the sofa I was seated on. I could tell she was stressed, but mostly because she was just clueless and worried. I could bet she would jump in joy as soon as she learnt about Jasmin.

"Where did he pick her up from?" Sofia, my paternal aunt and the oldest one in the family asked. Sofia had been living with us ever since her husband passed away, ten years ago. Since she had the title of being the oldest in the family, she was to be treated with courtesy. She could be a bit strict at times, especially with me and Asiya, but she just cared too much for us since she had lost her only child and didn't have anyone else than us.

I glanced at Asiya upon hearing my aunt's question. Asiya gave me a look, signaling for me to tell them but I warned her through my eyes to keep quiet. Walid had to tell everyone himself, that way there would be less dramatic reactions.

"She clearly doesn't want to be here." Zarina, my uncle's wife, as in Walid's step mother spoke. Zarina was the calm and collected one. She didn't converse with anyone more than necessarily, which was why it was really hard to tell what she was thinking. Across from that, she was very kind at heart and loved her family dearly.

Upon hearing the loud sounds coming from Walid's room, Nafesa together with her daughter Natasha appeared from the hallway leading to the guest rooms. Nafesa was Zarina's younger sister who was visiting us. Or should I say, the melodramatic sister who made a fuss over the smallest things.

"What's going on in this house?" Nafesa let out dramatically.

Suddenly, everyone's eyes turned to the stairs when Walid stepped down, looking to be in a hurry.

"Walid." My mother called out for him, making him stop, let out a sigh and change his route to approach us instead. I watched his furrowed eyebrows and stressed features. He was so worried about Jasmin...

After the incident yesterday, he almost lost his mind completely. I felt bad for both Jasmin and him. On one side, he was doing everything to protect her but on the other side, Jasmin was suffering because of his possessiveness and demands.

Before Walid could say anything, my mother cut him off. "We won't question anything, just tell us who she is."

Jasmin was still going at it in the room...the sound of glass shattering was heard now and then...

Walid didn't look anywhere but straight into my mother's eyes. There was no doubt that nobody could question him or his decisions. He was the leader after all.

Five years ago, his father had retired and Walid was chosen to take his place. But still, he didn't interfere at all when it came to the women in the house. He had left all the responsibilities to our aunt Sofia. She was the eldest and he had suggested us to turn to her if we had anything in our heart.

"She's..." Walid paused. "She's my wife."

A few gasps were heard upon hearing Walid casually mentioning having a wife. That was something no one in the family had predicted would happen anytime soon...

I turned to Asiya who was seated on the sofa facing me and both of us tried to hold back our laugh when we noticed Natasha's expression. Poor girl was about to faint.

The reason to that was obviously the obsession she had with Walid since childhood. She didn't understand that Walid didn't even want to glance her way, instead she found every opportunity to try and get close to him. One of them was most probably her visiting us and staying with us the whole summer.

Sadly for her, Walid was barely home whole summer because of him being busy with Jasmin...

Everyone was left speechless and Walid left us alone, not bothering to explain anything. The chaos started and everyone started shooting questions at each other. They obviously wanted to know how, why, who and when.

A loud noise was heard from the room upstairs and everyone went silent and turned to look at the direction of the noise. I bit my lip in nervousness when I heard Jasmin break another item.

Just then, Asaf stepped inside the house through the double doors. He stopped when he neared the stairs and heard the repetitive noise coming from upstairs.

"Are we under attack?" He turned to us with a raised eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes and quickly rushed up to him. "It's Jasmin. You told me you met her, remember?" I tried to keep my voice low as I wrapped my arm around his and lead him away from the women.

Across from me and Asiya, Asaf also knew about Jasmin. I didn't know how or why he knew though...

"Oh, so she's finally here." He said sheepishly, his lips quivering into a smile.

I looked straight into his grey eyes that were coated with thick dark lashes. "Everyone is panicking. Walid just announced they're married and left without an explanation. What should we do?" I asked, looking at the man who was more of a brother to me than cousin. Just like Walid and the rest.

All of us were more like siblings than cousins...

"I'm sorry did you say we? That's his problem and he's gonna have to take care of it. In fact, it was such long time ago I saw some drama unfold. Let me lean back and enjoy myself." I stopped myself from slapping his arm.

The hate between both Walid and Asaf, who were half brothers, could be unbearable for me sometimes. I couldn't see them try and take each other's life every time they crossed paths.

Once upon a time, the two brothers would die and kill for each other. But no one knew what happened between them that formed such strong thread of hatred.

"Why did I even bother asking you!" I let out in annoyance.

Asaf gave me one last devilish smirk before disappearing upstairs. I turned back around and watched my mother, Zarina, Nafesa and Sofia start sharing their thoughts about the situation.

Natasha was sitting of the sofa, holding her chest with her hand. A sign of heart attack maybe?

A sigh escaped my lips and I crossed my arms before silently watching them...

~~~~~Jasmin~~~~~

After exactly two hours, the door finally opened and Walid's cousins stepped inside. The two sisters had bright smiles on their faces until they saw the condition of the room.

Ariana cleared her throat and they made their way through the shattered pieces on the floor with difficulty before reaching me.

"Jasmin, I brought you food. And clothes. You can go back to your parent's house with Walid to pack your things when he says so but for now, take this." Ariana spoke, putting the pile of clothes on the bed while Asiya put the tray on the nightstand beside me.

I didn't say anything and just looked away as my fingers clenched around the cushion on my lap.

"I'm so happy you're finally here, I've been waiting for this day." Asiya said, taking a seat in front of me, a bright smile plastered on her face. "Everybody in town found out. People are celebrating and congratulating us. They want to se Walid's bride. Now that everyone knows, I think it's time to throw you and Walid a wedding party. I'm so excited. It'll be so much fun. Also-"

"Asiya, that's enough." Ariana interrupted her younger sister.

"No, let her. Go on, keep mocking me."

Asiya's smile dropped upon hearing my words. The sadness in her eyes made my heart drop as I mentally cursed at myself.

"I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry." Asiya apologized making me shake my head.

"No, I am sorry. I took my anger out on you. None of you are at fault. Forgive me." I reached out and held her hand in mine, feeling more than guilty.

"We are at fault. Walid locked you in here and we can't even do anything about it." Ariana spoke suddenly. "But please believe us, even if we wanted to....we wouldn't be able to do anything. We are just as helpless as you are. If Walid makes up his mind on something, there's not much anyone can do."

"I understand." I said, knowing exactly what she meant.

I chatted a bit with the sisters while two helpers were walking around, cleaning the mess I had made in the room. Ariana and Asiya were worried about me and knew about yesterday's incident. I told them I was fine and soon enough, they left me alone and the door was locked after me once again.

Sighing, I stood up and crossed my arms while inspecting Walid's spacious room.

Just by the entrance of the black double doors, was a sitting area that could be mistaken for a room on itself. There was a sofa against the wall that faced two armchairs with a glass table between them.

Where the sitting area ended, was a small hall to the right. On each side of the hall was a door that I guessed was a bathroom and closet.

Further into the room was the big cream colored bed. On the wall in front of the bed was several french widows with beige curtains between each.

To the left of the bed was french doors with similar beige curtains between them. The doors lead out to a terrace but I didn't bother going out. Walid had probably locked those doors as well.

Just the thought made me go back to the bed and sit down with a frown on my face. My mind wandered back to my mother and I wondered how she would take the news of me being here.

She was already so worried since yesterday. I didn't even have my phone to call and talk to her.

I also had to call and ask both Simran and Mariam about how they were doing...

A frustrated sigh left my lips and I stopped myself from cursing at Walid.

I had already done enough of that....

~

My eyes shot open when the doors behind me opened and closed shut. I quickly shut my eyes again, even though it was mostly dark in the room.

Just by the footsteps, I knew who was making their way towards me. I was laying on my left side, facing the terrace when I felt his presence behind me.

After leaving me locked up in his room all day, the prince finally made an appearance...

I ignored him completely and tried to sleep. It was already one in the morning but all the thoughts in my mind had kept me from falling asleep.

I had spent my whole day locked in the room. Ariana had come a few times to check up on me and bring me food but other than that, I wasn't allowed to step outside. It was Walid's orders after all, who would want to go against him?

However, he didn't know that everything came with a price...

His sudden touch on my almost bare arm made me come back to present. I tried to ignore him again but he kept tracing my arm with his fingers.

Suddenly, his fingers reached my right hand and he took his time in intertwining them with my own. He pulled our hands back and a feather like kiss was placed on my knuckles.

My heart did a faint jump at the gesture...

"Did you eat?" Walid asked all of a sudden.

Not bothering to answer his question, I pulled my hand away from his and fixed my pillow a bit before proceeding to sleep, showing him that I clearly didn't want to talk to him.

But like always, he didn't like being pushed away. Which lead him to start playing with my hair, making me almost loose my sanity. He leaned closer and closer until I felt him breathing against my neck. I tried to ignore my skin tingling and the sensation it caused.

When his lips slowly connected with my neck, I had enough. I pushed him away and turned on the only table lamp that had survived my destructive behavior earlier.

I sat up and turned to him, seeing him seated on the bed with his upper body leaning against the headboard. I scowled at him, warning him through my eyes not to mess with me right now.

My attempt just made him raise his perfectly shaped eyebrow at me. "Don't look at me like that, it makes me wanna kiss you."

I stopped myself from gasping and glared at him one last time before laying down and adjusting the covers on top of me. I turned my back on him again and shut my eyes.

I heard him sigh audibly but thankfully, he understood the seriousness behind my warning and didn't try and bother me again for the rest of the night as I drifted off to sleep.

~

I waited until the doors closed behind him before I sat up. I had woken up a while ago but pretended to sleep until Walid got ready and left. Before he left, I had felt him stand by the bed and stare at me, making my heart start racing.

Fortunately, he left without causing any more trouble...

It was only eight in the morning but I decided to get ready. I made my way to the side table where I had put the pile of clothes Ariana had given me and picked a random summer dress from it. I found everything I needed and stepped into the massive bathroom.

I couldn't help but stare at the large sunken bathtub. I walked towards it and stepped up the few marble stairs. I noticed a shower on the left that was not noticeable from the entry of the bathroom.

The whole bathtub and shower area looked like a hamam on itself with the perfect combination of marble. I couldn't stop thinking about how romantic it looked.

I took a shower and got ready. I left the bathroom and sat down on the armchair so I could face the doors.

I had made up my mind, as soon as someone opened the doors, I would take it as my chance and leave. I had to go to the cemetery...

Crossing my legs, I leaned back and waited. It didn't take long before I heard someone unlock the doors from outside before they were pushed open.

Ariana stepped inside with a tray. "Good morning." She smiled, putting the tray on the table in front of me.

I got on my feet but as if knowing my motive, Walid appeared on the doorsteps. He was dressed in all black like always and his brown eyes were fixed on me.

I quickly looked away and sat back down. "Good morning." I smiled at Ariana.

It was good he was here. I would tell him I needed to go to the cemetery. He knew my sister, so he should be aware of the fact that 31st august was her birthdate. He would let me visit her...

But how was I supposed to convey the message to him? I wasn't speaking to him...

"Did you sleep well?" Ariana asked, pouring tea for me while Walid stepped inside the room and disappeared somewhere behind me.

I quickly reached out to do it myself but she gave me a look that told me she wanted to do it. "Yes, thank you for asking." I paused. "Ariana. Can you please tell him I need my phone?"

Ariana looked at me then at someone behind me before she nodded and stood up. I didn't turn around to look but heard them talking faintly. She came back seconds later and plopped down in her seat.

"He says he'll send someone to bring it for you." Ariana informed. "You can use my phone if you need to make a phone call." She suggested.

I nodded and felt relieved knowing I could call my mother. I took a sip of my tea before looking up at her again. "Ariana. Can you please tell him I need to leave soon." I pleaded once again.

I didn't bother mentioning the cemetery. He would understand himself where I wanted to go...

He knew what date it was...didn't he?

Ariana nodded uncertainly, her expression showing clearly that she knew what his answer was going to be. Still, she stood up and went back to Walid. She returned again and sat down but this time she avoided looking me in the eyes.

"Ariana. Did you tell her she's not going anywhere or do you want me to do the honor?" Walid suddenly appeared beside us. I didn't look up at him and gritted my teeth in anger.

"Ariana. Tell him I'm leaving this house today no matter what." I interrupted before Ariana could say anything.

"Ariana. Tell her I would love to see her try." He said.

"Ariana. Tell him I'm not playing around. I'm serious." I said back.

"Ariana. Tell her no one's playing around. I'm more than serious." His voice raised.

"Ariana. Tell him to keep his mouth shut or disappear from here before I loose my mind." My voice raised, still not looking at him.

"Ariana. Tell her to look me in the eyes when she speaks to me. Maybe then I'll consider it." What a devil...

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again. A glare appeared on my face and I looked up at him furiously.

"Okay!" Ariana almost shouted and jumped to her feet, almost as if seeing the anger in my eyes. "Ariana just passed away, rest in peace. You both can now sit and talk. Bye."

She rushed out of the room before I could stop her. Crossing my arms, I leaned back in my seat and turned my face away from him.

"I said what I said, you're not going anywhere." His words made my anger boil even more. Why was he pretending to not know what date it was today? "I'll send someone to pick up your phone. Your father is back so don't worry about your mother. He talked to her and explained how you'll be safe here and she's okay with it."

My eyebrows furrowed at his words but I still didn't question him. The last thing I had expected was for my mother to be okay with me staying with Walid. Had my father told her something I didn't know...?

"I'll be late tonight. Make sure to eat. I'm leaving the door unlocked, you can go anywhere but outside. Don't even bother doing anything stupid. I've already lost my mind, don't make me loose it completely." He informed and leaned down before leaving a kiss on top of my head.

I shoved my head away from him and he sighed and left the room.

Leaving me with the dreadful thoughts...