Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Almost a week had passed since she had been rescued from the palace’s secret tunnels. Tarif himself had been the first one to find her, unconscious but alive, and it was said that the sight of the sheikh carrying her in his arms, hoarsely shouting for help, had everyone who saw him weeping.
They told her that what saved her from certain death was the engagement ring he had given her, which contained a secret antidote. The longer she wore his ring, the stronger her body’s immune system grew against the toxic effects of all the deadly gases the palace utilized as a form of defense.
He could have asked for his ring back on the day you’ve been sent in for questioning, the people in the palace pointed out to her, but he had not. It meant that deep inside the sheikh, he still trusted her. And to which Anisah had only nodded without changing her mind.
She knew of course that this made them think she was being too cruel and unforgiving, but they were wrong about this, too.
Hyacinth often liked to recount how Tarif had come bursting into their apartment, hoping to beg for Anisah’s forgiveness for distrusting her, only to find out she had been abducted. Doesn’t that count for something, Nis, her sister would then ask her entreatingly. Can’t you forgive him?
And oh, how her sister was wrong about that, too.
Every night, Anisah would cry herself to sleep, begging the heavens for courage, but whenever morning came, she still had the same terror lodged in her throat, and she was still unable to take the risk of seeing him.
Chapter Twenty-One
On the day she was discharged from the hospital, Hyacinth surprised her by making arrangements for her sister to move to an apartment in the city. And Anisah accepted the offer without any questions; she didn't want to risk asking anything that had answers which would further break her still-shattered heart.
Hyacinth insisted on fussing over her, and Anisah, seeing the fear that still lingered in the younger girl's gaze, allowed her sister to do so...for a week. But after that, Anisah insisted with gentle firmness for Hyacinth to continue with her plans to fly back to America.
Life had to move on, for all of them.
A nearby career aid center was looking for volunteers to fill up various teaching positions, and Anisah had signed up for back-to-back shifts to keep her occupied. By the time she came back to her apartment, it was already half past eight, and she only had time to whip up something simple for dinner, have a quick hot shower, and as soon as her head hit the pillows, Anisah's exhaustion had her falling asleep in a blink.
She had been living on her own for about a month when someone knocked on her door, and she was so used to her routine that Anisah thought nothing of this. She answered the door, thinking it was the delivery guy with parcels to drop off, but instead it was...him.
A cry escaped her, and for one second, her whole world threatened to turn completely black.
"No!"
Anisah scrambled to leave, but the sheikh was faster – always was, really, and as he forced her arms down his strength overpowering her, a choked sob escaped hers. Did he not know that she was doing this for them?
“Tory—-”
The rawness in his voice tore at her. “Please—-” His hands came up to clasp her face, and she started to cry. “Please don’t make me do this. Please don’t make me look at you.”
Her words had Tarif releasing her with a jerk, and he could feel himself turning white at the heartbreaking sound of her tears.
He really was too late then, he thought dully.
He had tried. He had tried so goddamn hard to stay away because he himself knew that he didn't fucking deserve to even breathe the same fucking air she did, after everything he had done.
He had failed to trust her.
He had done the unforgivable by comparing her to her father.
And because he had been such a fool, he hadn’t even been able to be by her side when she needed him the most.
“I’m sorry, Tory,” he said rawly. “I know the words are nothing to what you had to go through, but I am still giving you the words because they are the least you deserve.” He waited for her to say something, but all he heard was silence, and his chest clenched.
He knew he could think that all of this was deliberate, an eye for a fucking eye, – that she was doing the same thing to him that he had done to her when she had pleaded for him to believe her – but he was no longer the blind, cowardly fool he was.
Almost losing her had ripped his fears away, leaving nothing but love –