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Chance

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“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare do as that woman said if you want to be alive…I’ve changed my plans too. Press the damn button when the host of the event gets on stage. I better see that happening tonight!” Layaan said in a lowered yet enraged voice. His teeth gritted as he disconnected the call and angrily took it off his ear as he went into the hall.

Slowly as more and more guests gathered, the hall was getting full and everyone knew it was time to begin the event. Just as every event held by Raphael’s company, the event began with the recitation of Quran. As Laana listened to the verses being recited, she was reminded of how fond Raphael was of Quran. He would often be found with a translation of the Quran or a detailed explanation of it. He would often ask her if she would want to listen to something and she would act harsh towards him every time he began to explain an ayah.

A guilty conscience built up in Laana’s heart as she heard the recitation coming to an end. As the man who recited the Quran began walking down the stage, Laana knew it was her turn to go up. But before she stood up, she spoke with Raphael.

“When we get home, can you tell me about what he recited? I want to learn more…” Laana said, genuinely wanting to learn. It was as though taking just one step in helping someone, made her heart turn towards Allah’s word. But Raphael was taken aback by what she said since he didn’t know the risk Laana was taking. He just ended up saying ‘sure’ as a response and Laana stood up to go on stage. As she walked past the guests in the first row, her eye caught Layaan’s. The glare she saw in his eyes made her heart tremble in fear. Especially as she realized that she was walking right into the middle of the trap that Layaan had made. But she got on the stage, convincing her heart that everything would go just fine. Little had she known.

However, as Layaan was just about to call the man hidden in backstage when Laana got on the podium, his phone vibrated as someone called him. He rolled his eyes to see Alaya’s name on screen. Yet he picked up in an attempt to not make her more suspicious of him. He somewhat knew that she knows about his plan as she might have heard him talking on the phone. He doesn’t need another headache after he is done with Raphael. So he answered the call.

“Hello darling I’m at the event I told you about. Call ya later!” Layaan whispered and was about to disconnect the call immediately.

“Wait! I…I need to ask you something….wh…which company’s event are you at?” Alaya asked and Layaan frowned even more.

“You probably guessed it right….I’m at the event held by Raphael’s company. Can’t believe you still talk about him, love.” Layaan turned his voice into an emotional one in an attempt to give the impression that he was sad thereby making Alaya guilty. And he’d assumed that right. Alaya did feel guilty at least for that moment.

“Well I….” as Alaya was just about to say something, Layaan heard a beep and he knew he was getting another call. He realized even before looking at the screen who was calling and spoke to Alaya.

“Darling I’m gonna call you later. I need to pick up this call.” Layaan said and was about to end the call with Alaya before picking up the next one. But without realizing he kept Alaya on hold as he spoke with the man.

“No need to call me you fool! Just press make those work!” Layaan said. The man on the other end got upset and disconnected the call immediately and this time, Layaan didn’t hear the sound that came with it since the audience was clapping.

“Press it right now. I must see her burning in the fire within the next 10 seconds. Don’t worry about Raphael. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get out of here and no one calls the fire station!” Layaan said and put an end to the call without even looking at the screen. On the other end of the phone, was Alaya who was holding her breath the entire time. It took her a while to catch her breath and the moment she did, she called the fire station at once.

On the other end, the clock began to tick on the laptop of the man in the backstage. Laana was still at the podium, explaining the agenda for the night with light smiles. Without her knowing she was passing the last few seconds of her life. The timer on the laptop screen showed 3, then 2 and then 1. Next thing the people heard were loud explosions of the lamps arranged on the stage. Raphael along with others in the audience got up in an instant as they saw Laana getting startled and tripping on her heels onto the stage floor. The sparks from the lamps spread fire all across the stage as though there was fuel already on there. As people were just about to go rescue Laana, more such lamps exploded from the side of the hall and fire began to spread wild all around the hall. Screams filled the whole place as people began running towards the emergency exit but the door happened to be closed from the other end. The two people who knew that, Layaan and his father headed to the backstage and found their way out from the exit door in the back stage along with the man who caused the explosion. Raphael who was still looking all around and back at Laana repeatedly began to run towards the stage. But just as he reached the stage, fire that had caught on the curtains reached the huge lights on the top which ultimately fell right on Laana.

“Laana!!!” Raphael’s voice echoed through all the screams that filled the hall.

**2 months later**

It was the beginning of a new year. Raphael stayed in the house on that snowy day since it was a day off. He looked out the window of his apartment as snow fell while he sipped on his coffee with the mug in his hand. He was hearing the news on the TV in the background as he stood there.

“…..due to the continuous requests of the victim’s father, the investigation on the fire incident that occurred during the shareholders meeting of the Lightspeed business’, which is now named as Layaan and co. is still being continued. Rumour has it that the victim had contact with the one behind the incident just minutes before it occurred and thus many are assuming that it was a suicidal act disguised as an accident. Her close friends testify that she was unhappy with her married life….” Raphael heard those words for the umpteenth time that month. So it did not come to him as a surprise. He knew from the start that the people who were behind the incident will manipulate the news too. And they would take advantage of the fact that he didn’t love Laana as his wife.

That thought reminded Raphael of something and he looked at his study table right next to him. He pulled the drawer and found a paper neatly folded in it. He took it out and unfolded it before him. It was a letter Laana had left for him on the table just before they’d left for the event.

“Dear Raphael,

I know I’ve not been the best wife to you and now you know that I sided with your enemies. So what I’m about to say may appear unbelievable to you but I want to save you from their clutches and I have a plan. I hope that this plan will work in saving you but it will put me in trouble. I don’t know what Layaan will do to me if he found out. And I can’t believe I’m risking myself to save you. But I think you are worth it. You are definitely the best husband anyone can ever have. I was the one wretched enough to not have seen it before. So I wish you all the happiness in the world as I say this goodbye.

Love

Laana”

The emotions that built up in Raphael’s heart as he read that letter for the eighth time in the past few weeks was the same even at that moment. That night, he’d seen Laana’s burnt body being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He had rushed to his car and followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital. But it happened to be that Laana was already gone before she reached the hospital. Raphael found himself in a shock as he heard the news. He wasn’t sure what to feel at that moment. He felt numb at the loss of someone who he thought at least was beginning to care about him. A tear fell from one of his eyes when he was at Laana’s funeral as he remembered the last moments he spent with her and as he blamed himself for her death because her grieving father was saying the same thing.

But he knew from that very moment that he wasn’t to blame. And became sure of it when he came home to find this letter. From the moment he read the letter, he thought long and hard about what Laana had asked him to do. Should he tell Alaya the truth about her father? But what if she doesn’t trust him? It’s not like he has solid evidence on it either. The only person who could have given the evidence died in a train accident months ago.

Raphael’s thoughts reached a dead end at that, like always. He still missed Alaya as though she’d just left him at the station. It still pained to realize that she was with someone like Layaan. He clearly knew that Layaan was still having affairs with other women. Raphael thought of speaking to Alaya’s father about it multiple times. But then again her father has something against him so he wasn’t able to.

Where must Alaya be, right at this moment? Raphael thought as he touched the window and looked at the crowd down the street. Just at that moment, he got a call from his co-manager who was looking after the estates he was renting now that his business was out of his hands. His father was thankfully with him and he was getting him treated with the rental money he was getting. He thought to himself why he hadn’t given up the business sooner. But then again he didn’t think Layaan’s need for revenge will end with just getting the company. Perhaps he thinks that keeping Alaya with him is enough of a revenge. And he would be right if he thinks that.

“Salaam…what is it Naveed?” Raphael asked since he didn’t think Naveed would call during an off day.

“Sorry I had to call at this time, sir. But the lady who rented your special cottage in Cairo to have a Quran class wants to have a small celebration at the house tonight. She said she wants to keep such celebrations weekly to celebrate the kids who are able to tell the meanings of the ayahs…she said she’d do all the preparations on her own.” he heard the man say. Raphael closed his eyes as he remembered that house. That was the house he’d built in order to start a living with Alaya once they were together. He’d decided not to rent that house no matter what else he rented but he couldn’t refuse when he heard that a woman wanted a place in Cairo to start a Quran class for kids. He’d asked Naveed to find out about the woman and since Naveed told him that the woman seems to be decent, he didn’t ask much. Because he trusted Naveed and he knew Naveed would observe the house just as much he observes his estates in New York.

“Yes….let her do so. She hasn’t violated any of our conditions in the agreement and is only using the study of the house for her activities. So we must let her, since she is doing something good.” Raphael said and Naveed agreed.

Alaya’s POV

Alaya hurried out of the house with bags full of things need for the night’s party. She opened the door of the taxi waiting outside the house and kept the bags in the backseat. It was a chilly night in Cairo though it wasn’t snowing so Alaya wore a long brown coat on top of the black abaya and shawl that she wore.

“Don’t forget this! The kids are going to eat you up if you do!” called out Asma as she handed out a medium-sized paper bag to Alaya. Alaya took it with a smile as she realized that the bag has the gifts.

“Call me if you need any help!” Asma said as Alaya got in the car.

“Trust me I wouldn’t. The kids won’t let me do a thing. And I have ordered food from Mariyam’s. So they are going to bring them and arrange them on time. Gotta rush! Bye!” Alaya said as she closed the door. She waved a final goodbye to her sister.

Alaya got lost in thoughts as she looked out the window to see the darkening sky. So much has happened within the past few months that sometimes she keeps forgetting who she was 2 months ago. She still remembered the night of the fire like it happened yesterday. She’d heard Layaan saying to press a button and that he wouldn’t spare Raphael. She’d called the fire station immediately and had gotten on a taxi though she didn’t know the address she’d had to go to. She’d just told the driver to take her to the event held by Lightspeed businesses and to her luck, the driver happened to know. Her heart pounded heavily during that journey and her heart stopped when she saw the building on fire. She got off the taxi with tears in her eyes, imagining Raphael in the worst possible condition. As she was about to run into the building, she saw him looking at an ambulance. She heard him call out by the name ‘Laana’ as they both saw the ambulance’s door closing. He had at once run to his taxi and before Alaya could make a single move and sped up his car to follow that ambulance.

Alaya still remembered how exhausting that moment felt. The moment when she truly realized man towards whom she held feelings for so long, and she hoped would ‘rescue’ her from her miserable marriage was now not hers at all. It felt heavier on her heart when she returned home and had to face Layaan who was all smiles even after that huge catastrophe he had caused.

“Well well well…..look who’s here? Where had you gone? To rescue your long lost love….I’m afraid he isn’t coming back. I don’t think many people would survive that fire.” Layaan said, when he still didn’t know that Raphael had survived. Hearing his words, while having a heavy heart and coming to terms with the fact that she has lost everything anyway, Alaya rose her voice for the first time before Layaan.

“Who are you to decide who survived and who didn’t? Its only Allah Who protects His slaves. The people whom He decides to protect, no one can harm them.” Alaya found herself saying. She surprised herself with the words she said. Where was she getting this from? Then she remembered how she’d read some of the meanings of some ayahs. Just then, Layaan spoke.

“Whoa! Look whose become the sheikh of the house. Haha! Really? Those that Allah protects will not be harmed? Well then are you one of those who is protected? Lets see what your God does!” Layaan said that and grabbed Alaya’s hair through her hijab. Alaya screamed in pain as tears came to her eyes. Layaan laughed at the scene.

“Look who’s been protected by God! Tell your God to wipe those tears for you!” Layaan said that angrily and he pushed her down onto the floor, crying her eyes out.

Layaan’s torture on her continued for days and Alaya almost believed the mockery Layaan was making on her. Her already weak faith became even weaker when she didn’t see the Help of Allah coming right away. She tried calling her family or even the police multiple times but Layaan broke her phone into pieces and won’t let her go near the landline. She cried desperately in her room and she called out to Allah though her faith in Him was weak. Because she realized she didn’t have anyone to turn to besides Him.

Then one day, just as she was about to give up all hope, Samantha came into the room she was locked in. Samantha called her and woke her up as she lay on the floor.

“Madam…please wake up and leave this morning. The man left to go to LA just now and he wouldn’t be back for a while. I’m going to be leaving this house today too as I wouldn’t be left to live if I help you. So lets go together and leave with the first train we catch.” Samantha had said and Alaya still remembered how that lifted her spirit.

So that day, Alaya packed her things and left the house along with Samantha. Alaya had asked about Raphael’s father but she found out that Layaan left him to Raphael as soon as Raphael gave all of his businesses besides his estates to Layaan. Layaan wasn’t able to take the estates as they weren’t registered under the grand business that Raphael handles. Alaya was relieved to hear that, partly because Raphael would still be able to make a living through those estates and partly because she realized that those estates include the house Raphael had built to live with her.

After a few hours of a ride with Samantha, Alaya got off at a station in New York. She went back to her house without any second thoughts. Like every other decision in life, she hesitated to tell her parents that she immediately wanted a divorce from Layaan. That she didn’t even want to be even in the same country as his because she feared that he will find her out. In fact she didn’t speak a word after going home even when everyone asked questions. She just got in her room and locked the door. Her parents rose their voices but she was too overwhelmed to say anything. Never in her entire life did she think that she would be tortured by her spouse and she would need to flee away from him. The thought brought her to tears and she ended up crying. After a while when she stopped, the voices from outside had calmed down. And someone unlocked the door from the outside and came in. It was none other than her sister Asma. Alaya looked at her and then again hid her face on her knees as she sat on the floor. She had expected nothing more from Asma, as she was the most religious. Alaya thought that if Asma heard her story, she would tell her to go back to her husband. Because Alaya had heard from her mother that in Islam, a girl has to obey her husband no matter what.

Hence she was quiet for a while, even when Asma began to ask questions. She didn’t budge even by an inch.

“Not saying anything isn’t going to help Alaya. Tell us what happened! Is it Layaan? I swear if that Layaan guy did something terrible to you, he’s so dead!” Asma said that in rage. Alaya looked at her in shock. That’s the last thing she’d expected her sister to say. At once she said that he did do something horrible. And told her the whole story from the beginning to the end. Asma heard the story and without even saying a word, she went out of the room. Alaya called out to her but she wouldn’t stop. When Alaya came out of her room, Asma called out mom and dad to the living room. When they asked what happened, Asma spoke.

“Alaya needs to get a divorce from Layaan!” that’s the first thing Asma said and it equally shocked Alaya as everyone else.

“What happened though?” Mahmood asked worriedly.

“The guy has tortured Alaya the whole time while going out with other woman and Alaya is only able to inform us about this just now!” Asma said angrily.

“But….but I’m sure there is a misunderstanding. A girl shouldn’t ask for a divorce for petty things Asma and you know that!” Waleeda said, worrying that her daughter’s future will end if her first marriage ended.

“Petty? You call torture petty, mom? Just look at her mom. Look at her eyes. Does that tell you that something just so petty happened. She couldn’t even open her mouth after coming miles away from him because of how much she feared him!” Asma said, defending Alaya.

“But still…..we can still talk this through with Layaan I’m sure.” Waleeda said, looking at Alaya. Asma couldn’t believe her ears.

“Wallaahi mom if you don’t help Alaya get out of this mess, I will! Because all of us need to answer to Allah about anyone who asked for help against torture. Let alone a family member!” Asma said and began to walk away. She held Alaya’s hand as they both walked back into the room.

Due to Asma continuously fighting for Alaya and her not giving up on her claim, Mahmood and Waleeda eventually gave in and within a couple of days, Alaya signed the papers of divorce. Alaya told them not to inform Layaan of this before she got out of the country. So she left to go to Egypt just on that day. For some reason, she did not hear from Layaan even after she heard that he’d even signed the papers once he was back. Why would he care anyway now? He had the company and the ‘cowboy’ he was trying to bring down was now beneath him and his ‘success’.

So Alaya got a chance to start fresh in a place she’d never expected. In the beginning, the life she began in Cairo was boring. She just helped her grandmother with some chores and just sat around the house taking care of a small garden she began to make in the backyard. Asma had asked her to go back to New York but she didn’t want to. She just wanted to be left alone, especially with the thought that Raphael was not hers. Though she heard from the news that Laana passed away during the fire incident, she still didn’t want to go back to Raphael. She assumed he would be grieving the loss of his wife who perhaps attempted a suicide because of him. So it would be too much for him to even remember Alaya exists. She probably didn’t have a space in his heart anymore.

Alaya fell into a kind of depression with that realization. She didn’t know why she didn’t feel like going out much and why she stayed in her room. She didn’t know that it was because of her heart that was grieving and eating her up ever so silently. As she was just about to drown in those feelings, she got a call from Asma.

“Why don’t you start learning Arabic with me?” Asma had asked her on the phone. She said that she recently joined an online Arabic class and would love to have some of Alaya’s help as she was always the ‘smart head’ of the family. Alaya puked at the idea of joining at first. Of all languages in the world, why did it have to be Arabic? She doesn’t even like anything about Arabs except the city of Dubai and its tall buildings. But then again, she realized who she was talking to. It was Asma, who’d started wearing Arab clothing and began to use Arabic words even before learning Arabic. Little had she known that it wasn’t a thing about Arabs. That it was about a faith that was sent down to all of humanity.

“I thought you’d said you wanted to know what Quran says…” Asma reminded her. And just then, the thought clicked and Alaya agreed at once. When she began the course, she thought it wouldn’t amount to much. But within a few weeks, Alaya began to know the meanings of ayahs she was reciting in Quran. Eventually she even began to look up lectures about the Quran and listen to them. The explanation of literally every single ayah brought her to tears. When she realized that the Messenger (SAW) was sent as a mercy to all of mankind. That the Quran was sent down as a healing for what lies within the chests. She cried even more as she realized the peace she’d felt just after beginning to learn about the Quran. How all of her worries would disappear into thin air every time she engaged with the book of Allah.

Then came the time in Alaya’s life where she truly turned towards Allah. This time, with the intention of never turning back. As a result, she found herself becoming more firm with her decisions. She no longer hesitated to make any decision, as long as it was pleasing to Allah.

So she changed the way she dressed, though she knew her grandmother would criticize when a young girl like her dressed that way. She began to recite the Quran out loud, though her recitation was not so good. She took a leap of faith, and decided to teach what she learned. Since her house was small, she needed to look for a place where she could keep classes for kids. In the beginning, she’d never thought she’d ever even get a place or any kids would show up. But bit by bit, she saw all of her duas being answered one by one.

And today, there she was in her second home. Alaya told herself as the taxi stopped at a house with an up to date attractive design yet small enough to call it more of a ‘home’ than a mansion. Alaya got out of the car and just then, the older kids that had volunteered to help her came to her. She handed them the bags and told them what to do. She reminded them over and over to not let anything fall anywhere else except the study room. The kids ran into the house before her as Naveed opened the door for them. Naveed gave her a smile and she walked past him. Alaya took her time walking through the narrow path that lead to the house. She loved the flower plants of different colours that appeared on either side of the road and all around the house. The smell of the flowers make her take a deep breath every time she’d walked that path. When she got into the house, she found her dream living room, with a fire place and a small fridge right near the cozy sofas. She found herself smiling every time she saw that. This place was something. She thought every time she took a look around any corner of that house. It was as though it was her ultimate dream house. She’d completely forgotten about the house Raphael’s father had told her about.

Nonetheless Alaya came out of her dream out to work when she got into the study. She began to decorate the place with balloons along with the 5 kids. She joked with them as usual as they worked together. But for some reason, Alaya felt a tension in the air. There was a new kid named Maiman. Maiman had joined classes just last week and his face was serious ever since he heard Alaya’s full name. Alaya wondered why. She clearly knew that Maiman was talking about her with other kids behind her back. Alaya tried to jokingly find out what it was about but she failed. Maiman seemed like he had something serious against her.

Even that night as they were working, Alaya gave him a wink and that 13 year-old looked away. Alaya’s smile faded as she tied up a balloon.

“Maiman, let’s step out a bit and have a talk shall we?” Alaya walked up to him and said. To her surprise, Maiman didn’t even look at her.

“Couldn’t you hear me dear? Let’s go have a talk. If we are mad at each other we must work hard to solve the problem. As muslims, when we hurt one another its like hurting our own selves.” Alaya said and even then, Maiman continued with the work he was doing without looking up. Alaya, still trying to hold her anger called out his name and at once he stood up and shouted.

“Don’t you dare say my name again you daughter of a murderer!” Maiman said and dead silence fell in the room.

“Wh….What did you say? Murderer?” Alaya said, picturing her further and thinking that this was a heinous joke. Or a misunderstanding.

“Yes! Mahmood killed my father!” Maiman said and Alaya’s eyes grew wide. She could not believe her ears.

“Are you sure about which Mahmood you are talking about?” Alaya asked with a shaky voice.

“Sure I do! I followed you home and found him out. He’s that fat old man with thin white hair!” Maiman said. Alaya looked side to side with her heart beating fast against her chest.

“Sure he didn’t point a gun at my dad. But he was the one assigned to keep him quiet. Because my father was going to report how that evil Layaan was blackmailing Raphael bro using a girl he loved. My father worked at Raphael bro’s company and also Layaan’s house part time so he had collected evidence from cctv on the night Layaan blackmailed Raphael. He had brought a guy near that girl and Raphael brother was willing to do anything he said….my father knew all this and he was going to report it to police. But when my father went out of town to New York, Layaan’s father informed Mahmood who was also in the same city to ‘take care of him’. So the first thing Mahmood did was he bribed some men to kidnap my father. Even after he was escaped, some men found him at the station and blackmailed him to get on the track to make it seem like a suicide!” Maiman shouted out and Alaya eyes had reddened at that point. She remembered the man at the station. How that had happened right before her eyes. She had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it was because of her father. But if it was, her father will need to answer to her. With that thought, Alaya looked at Maiman.

“Let’s go to him with me, if you want justice for your father.” Alaya said. In the beginning, Maiman disagreed. But Alaya assured him that even she will be against her father if Maiman was proven to be right. With that assurance, Maiman left the house with Alaya in the taxi.

Since it was the holidays, everyone in New York had come back to Cairo for the vacation. Alaya was glad they were because she wouldn’t rest until this news was clear to her. Till the very moment she came in front of her father along with Maiman, Alaya wished her father was innocent. And Mahmood had even denied the first time Alaya told him the story in the middle of the living room when everyone was there.

“I…I don’t know anything about this.” his voice came out in frustration and at once it gave away to everyone that he was hiding something

“Liar!” Maiman had shouted out. Alaya held onto him and spoke.

“Dad please….please tell us if you are guilty. Even if you aren’t caught right now, you will be caught later on. If you don’t get caught in this world, Allah still Knows.” Alaya said, as she came close to tears. Mahmood looked down with a sigh as he realized that he had no way out. There was no way he could lie to his family without them knowing that he is. So finally he spoke.

“I wasn’t the one who killed him though. It was Ahmed who told me to. And it was those men who blackmailed him. I never wanted him to be killed. It was Ahmed who helped me years ago to get a good job in New York. That was how I was able to take the family back to New York from here Alaya. So I couldn’t just turn back when he asked me to do something….” Mahmood confessed and the whole family was brought to a shock. Mahmood realized that and spoke in desperation.

“Please…..please forgive me for this. I did it to provide the best for the family. Ahmed was helping me all along.” Mahmood said, as tears welled up in his eyes.

“No! You wont be forgiven! You must pay for killing my father!” Maiman shouted out and Alaya still held him back.

“He’s right, dad. The best thing to do now is paying for the mistake you did. And speaking out against those who made you do this. Only then will you be able to live in peace.” Alaya said. With those words, Mahmood fell onto his knees, crying.

Within the next few weeks, Mahmood confessed that he helped Ahmed, the lawyer in kidnapping and attempting to murder the hotelier of Lightspeed businesses. Soon after that, both Ahmed and Layaan were called to court. Layaan was already being arrested at a jail in New York for overdosing girls with drugs. He himself was overdosed with a drug when he got in jail. Ahmed tried to escape court hearings but Raphael heard about the hearings from an Egyptian channel and he informed the police. Ahmed was caught and a lifelong sentence was passed on him along with blood money while Mahmood got a 3 year sentence along with a fine.

Alaya and her entire family cried the day they saw their father being taken to jail. For one moment, Alaya regretted for speaking against her father. But she calmed herself down by telling herself that she did the right thing standing up for justice. Even if it be against her family.

With time, Alaya and her family came to terms with the fact that their father was in jail. Even her father came to terms with the fact that he made a mistake and he no longer cried about it ever since he made a sincere tawba with the help of her daughters who visited him regularly.

Alaya decided to resume her Quran classes, weeks after her father got in jail. She visited her father that evening, then headed back to the house where her class will be held. To her surprise, the door was opened and the kids were already in the house. That was odd because Naveed would only open the door when she came. Thinking about what was going on, Alaya got into the house and heard the kids laughing from the dining room. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she realized that the kids better not step in any other room other than the study.

“Kids! What in the world are you doing you need to get out of there!” Alaya said in one breath as she walked across the living room into the dining room. To her surprise, all kids were seated around the dining table and there were tea and short eats for everyone.

“How….who opened the door for you? What are you doing here?” Alaya asked, not being able to make sense of the situation. She didn’t know that someone had appeared from right behind her just then.

“The owner of the house let us in.” Maiman said, with a smile.

“The owne….dont tell me Brother Naveed let you in. Brother Naveed never opens the door without telling your sister here.” Alaya said, a bit frustrated.

“Its not brother Naveed. He’s right behind you.” a younger kid said.

“Behi…” Alaya said up to there and turned around. Just then, a balloon was popped on top of her head like a party popper and glittery bits of papers fell on her head. When the kids began to laugh, she opened her eyes to blurt out at anyone who did that to her but she froze, when she saw who it was. It was none other than Raphael, who had that smile that captivated her heart so many years ago. Whom she had feelings for for the first time in her life and she never really stopped.

Alaya just stood there, frozen not knowing what to say. Just then, Raphael’s father entered the living room on a wheelchair and he spoke.

“Are you just going to stay there or are you going to say something?” Hamidh said.

“Look at the cake Alaya sis! Brother Raphael made the cake for you!” a teenage girl called out. Alaya looked at the cake in the middle of the table and back at Raphael. Raphael looked down and brushed the back of his head nervously as though to say he had nothing to do with it. Alaya looked at him suspiciously and went to take a look at the cake. “Will you marry me?” were the words written on the cake. As she looked at those words, her eyes blurred with tears, as her heart reminded her of how she had missed Raphael all this time. Raphael walked up to her and said “Well?” and she ended up saying “Yes!” with tears rolling down her eyes and knowing for sure this time, that this wasn’t a chance she wouldn’t take.

chance cover

“He wasn’t! He wasn’t in a good shape. It was as though some kind of situation had over-run him. Or some people had to have blackmailed him. Heard such a thing on the train that day…” Alaya said, trying her best to reach a conclusion. She remembered clearly how the first thing she heard that day about that man was that he was the hotelier of Raphael’s company. She had assumed that he committed suicide because the company he was working for was in such a bad shape. But then she’d heard some other rumours on the train to which she hadn’t paid much attention. There were rumours that the man was kidnapped before he ended up at the station.

But then again who was she to be thinking about such rumours? This isn’t a movie where she was the Head of Intelligence in CIA. Though it would have been cool if she was. Right now she is the wife of a man she never thought she would love. It would be best if she came to terms with it. What a fate she has! Alaya thought as she looked back. For the first time in her life, she took a chance to take a risk for her ‘freedom.’ She even eloped from her engagement and yet she ended up marrying the person she ran away from. She facepalmed herself in her thoughts as she realized that.

“Hmm….blackmailing is quite a thing these days isn’t it? Sad to hear what happened to the man….anyways I’d be leaving early today. Love ya!” Layaan said as he got up and planted another kiss on her cheek. Alaya just sat there forcing a smile on her face as he left the dining room.

Life became quite mundane for Alaya as she spent day in and day out with Layaan. For some reason, Layaan never stayed in the house at night saying that he had a project to work on. Alaya began to doubt those words the third time she heard them. It hurt her just a bit to even think that Layaan was cheating on her. But then again she hasn’t seen their relationship as one with love. Despite the charisma Layaan had shown her weeks before their marriage. Layaan’s lack of interest in her reminded her of Raphael every once in a while. The way his father had described about how he’d planned for their future still gave her shivers. She couldn’t bring herself to even see Raphael’s father though he lived in the same house because she knew what he would ask her to do. He would ask her to help him which leaves her clueless on what to do. Though she knew Raphael was in danger, she simply wouldn’t know how to fight against Layaan or whoever his assistants were. And though she had multiple confrontations with Layaan about it in her head, she couldn’t bring herself to do it for real as she was always afraid of taking any chances. What if Layaan made it all a lie? What if he came with puppy eyes saying that he can’t believe that his wife doesn’t trust him? Her gut told her that that’s exactly what he would do but that’s the last thing she wanted to see. She doesn’t want to show even an ounce of sympathy to Layaan, knowing what he was up to against Raphael.

She was restless as the days passed by. The words ‘within 4 days’ kept ringing in her her head all day and all night. What was going to happen to Raphael, within 4 days? No one knew, except Layaan and his assistants. And one more person who was going to foil his plan without him even realizing.

**4 days later**

It was Thursday night and Raphael was in his room, getting ready for the shareholder’s meeting to be held that night. The meeting was made into a grand event, as he would be selling his shares to some influential people whom he was forced to make agreements with. That kind of forcing doesn’t even come to him as a surprise anymore. In fact, he has even decided to give up all of his wealth, if that’s what would cost him peace of mind. The only thing stopping him from doing that was his father who was in need of him. He knew that if he submitted even just with his wealth, it wouldn’t end there. His enemy hated him too much to let him be and earn another living. So he was utterly stuck in between.

As Raphael took his tie and tucked it underneath his collar, he heard someone entering the room. He looked back to find Laana in a blue dress that reached up to her knee. Laana would usually wear something fancy and would often do touch up of her make up when she is about to go to events such as the one she’d be going tonight. But for some reason, Raphael found her face groomed with dull colours and unusually she wasn’t on her phone either when she walked into the room. Her facial expression was the same since the past 5 days. She was acting different and gloomy ever since Raphael found out that she was having an affair with Layaan and Raphael had reminded her of everything he’d done for her. He didn’t mean to make her this way though and he’d never even thought Laana would act as though she came to her senses. Little had he known.

The day Raphael dragged Laana into the house and reminded her of the favours he did as her husband, she’d gotten a call from Layaan. Hearing the harsh words from Layaan at that moment did make her heart incline towards Raphael. But she didn’t want that to happen. So she tried hard to forget about what Raphael said and remember all the happy moments she’d spent with Layaan. She went to the club all by herself in hope that a few drinks would help her do so. But as she sat at the bar and gulped down her third drink, she thought she heard Layaan’s voice. She looked to the side and saw him just 4 seats away from her. At first she thought she was imagining things because of her drinks. But what she saw wasn’t changing even after she squinted her eyes and opened them wide. She still saw Layaan sitting at the bar with a bright smile. Wondering what Layaan was doing without any other person related to business, Laana got off from her seat to go to him. But just then, she saw another woman stand right next to Layaan calling him ‘Babe.’ As Laana’s feet stopped just where they were, Layaan grabbed the young woman by her waist and brought her closer and gave her a light kiss. Laana immediately felt her eyes well up with tears as she saw the scene. Her sight blurred and she felt like throwing up then and there. She remembered the number of days she’d asked Layaan to marry her and yet he refused every single time. They’d met through their fathers one of whom is a lawyer while the other is a judge. They happened to like each other’s company when they met each other at her house while their fathers were having a meeting of their own about 3 years ago. Since then, they were friends and soon Layaan had proposed and she’d gotten in a relationship with him. Through that relationship, Laana got to know all about Layaan. Beginning from his first love Alaya to his rage and jealousy towards the well-known business tycoon Raphael. Layaan shared with Laana about his passion to get revenge on Raphael by getting all of Raphael’s business on his own fingertips. Since they both didn’t have any sense of morality or justice just like their fathers, Laana got her hands dirty just for Layaan’s planned revenge against Raphael. She’d gotten married to Raphael against her will a few months ago as part of the plan too. She’d proposed Raphael just so she would know about his weaknesses and she could keep Layaan informed about them. She was touched by Raphael’s character from the first day though. He’d told her honestly about how he’d loved just one girl all his life and how he was having a difficult time forgetting her. He only agreed to marry Laana on the condition that she was okay with that. Laana tried to test Raphael’s patience after marriage by getting close to him. But never did Raphael raise his anger with her though he was clearly disturbed by it. Laana had gotten to know that the Alaya Raphael loves is the same girl that Layaan wanted revenge over. After that point, Laana began to raise her voice with Raphael as she only saw Layaan’s side of the story. From Layaan’s perspective, Raphael was the bad guy trying to steal the love of his life.

But as Laana stood there in the club that day, with music blasting in her ears and tears rolling down her cheeks, she realized who of them was the bad person. She realized that she was crossing the oceans for a person who wouldn’t give her the time of the day while turning her back on the one who could have shown her what true love is.

With a pain and a rage building up in her chest Laana began to take steps towards Layaan with her fist clenched as she tried her best not to break down. But just then, she heard him speak.

“Oh Babe! You don’t know much about me do you. When I hate someone, I do it till the very end. I don’t just hold a grudge. I make sure they regret what they did or if they don’t…..I still don’t stop until they stop breathing the same air as I am.” Layaan said, as he arrogantly looked into space with a half smile. Hearing Layaan’s words reminded Laana of what he had planned against Raphael. That would literally be his last and final blow on Raphael. Laana felt shivers down her spine as she saw the plan coming to be. She couldn’t bring herself to imagine Raphael in that position so at once, she went out of the club knowing which side she was going to take this time.

“Laana…what’s wrong?” Raphael said with a blink as he looked at Laana who was staring into space longer that he’d expected. Laana looked at him as she brought her thoughts back to the present. She gave Raphael a smile.

“Its…nothing. Just feeling a bit sick within the past few days. Must be because I was just too busy with the hosting script for the event…may I?” Laana asked as she reached Raphael and grabbed the two sides of the tie. She began to tie it as Raphael nodded surprisingly at both her gesture and what she said.

“Scripts aren’t supposed to be that hectic for you though….as a writer at a TV station.” Raphael said doubtfully. Laana gave a light laugh.

“Who knows? Things you usually find easy could become hectic. Just like the people whom you loved so much, could become a reason for a major heartache.” Laana said while tying the knot on Raphael’s tie, then again losing herself in her thoughts. Raphael furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out what was up with Laana. He was about to say something when she spoke again.

“Can I ask you for something, Raphael?”

“Yes?”

“It’s just…..I think that I’m not going to be around here after a while…when I’m gone, please go back to Alaya will you?” Laana said, as she slowly tightened the knot of the tie around Raphael’s collar.

“What? Why are you saying this to me? Wh….where are you going?” Raphael asked curiously, partially thinking that all of this could be part of an evil plan.

“Can’t tell you that Raphael….to be honest I don’t even know. I just know that you are one of the best men I have ever come across my entire life and you deserve happiness like no other. And Alaya deserves to have your love since she wouldn’t be one to cheat on you….”

“What is this about, Laana?” Raphael asked again, clearly knowing that Layaan would never want him to be with Alaya. He wondered what he was planning with Laana.

Laana laughed again.

“Can’t trust a hell of a woman like me anymore can you? Damn! If you would, I would have eloped with you somewhere far away right now and pretend like no one else existed. But I guess it’s just too late and I lost my chance…” Laana said and slowly slid her hand down Raphael’s chest before moving away, turning her back on him and walking out the door. Raphael was still left in wonder about the words she said.

**

An hour later, Raphael was seated on the front row of the huge hall in which the shareholder’s meeting was going to be held. He shared the row with Laana next to him and other the notables of the event while other guests were still arriving from the main door of the hall. Raphael looked at the stage with the podium in the middle and fully lit with the unnoticeable lights hung at the top and decorative round lamps, large and small that were arranged alternatively around the stage except for the front edge where the podium was kept.

“Pretty lamps aren’t they?” Laana asked out of the blue.

“Pretty….but I guess it’s too much light though don’t you think?” Raphael asked.

“Apparently the people who prepared the stage didn’t think so…” Laana said. With that, silence fell between them. Raphael was at ease, still looking around the hall making sure everything looked okay. While Laana was hesitantly looking at Raphael as though she was considering to say something.

“Aren’t you going to tell Alaya, Raphael?” Laana asked.

“About what?”

“The truth, that is keeping you away from her.”

“Which truth are y…..” Raphael’s words paused there as he realized what Laana was talking about. Within an instant, he pictured Alaya’s father giving some instructions to a group of men. Raphael sighed as he remembered what he was doing that day.

“I know its hard Raphael, but you can’t keep it from her. The more you do, the more it will hurt her. And after a while when I’m gone you have to go to her anyway. You have to help her through….”

“Can we not talk about this?!” Raphael said, frustrated to a certain point. He would have been utterly furious if he hadn’t the hint of realization that what Laana was right. He needed to tell Alaya the truth. He should have told her, a long time ago. But he didn’t, out of fear. Fear of losing her for good, if she thought that he was accusing her father. He’d thought that she would absolutely hate him, if he spoke the truth. And that was too harsh of a reality that he didn’t want to face. That was a chance that he wasn’t willing to take.

Laana was about to say something further, when her phone rang. She took her phone from her small handbag and as soon as she saw the number, she looked at the side of the hall. There was a young man all in black, with a cap, shirt, jacket and jeans. He carried a laptop bag as he walked by. Laana excused herself from Raphael as she began to walk in the opposite direction as that man through the middle of the hall. When Laana reached the main door, the man disappeared into the back stage. Laana answered the call as she stood near edge of the door.

“Are you ready to do what I told you to do?” Laana asked. She immediately received a positive answer from the other end.

“Good! All you have to do is make them work right at the end of the hall event when people start leaving. That way, you won’t be in trouble either…just say that there was a malfunction and it happened to get delayed.” Laana said. Then again she got a yes from the man and she ended a call with a smile. Just then, she got startled when Layaan appeared from the outside, right in front of her. She was overwhelmed with fear as she saw the smile on his lips but a rage in his eyes. Just as she wondered if he heard what she said, he spoke.

“Hi!” he said.

“H..Hi..” Laana said nervously.

“It’s been a while. How have you been babe? How about catching up after the event?” Layaan asked with a wink.

“Y…yeah let’s do that.” Laana said, trying not to think about how she’d seen Layaan with another woman and hoping he didn’t hear her just now. Layaan smiled and gave her a light peck on the cheek.

“You go ahead…I’ll come right behind you. We can’t be seen together now can we?” Layaan said putting his hands in his pockets. Laana agreed and began to walk back in, trying to steady her breath.

As Laana went out of his sight, Layaan picked out his phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and put the phone on his ear with a furious look on his face.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare do as that woman said if you want to be alive…I’ve changed my plans too. Press the damn button when the host of the event gets on stage. I better see that happening tonight!” Layaan said in a lowered yet enraged voice.

chance cover

“He wasn’t! He wasn’t in a good shape. It was as though some kind of situation had over-run him. Or some people had to have blackmailed him. Heard such a thing on the train that day…” Alaya said, trying her best to reach a conclusion. She remembered clearly how the first thing she heard that day about that man was that he was the hotelier of Raphael’s company. She had assumed that he committed suicide because the company he was working for was in such a bad shape. But then she’d heard some other rumours on the train to which she hadn’t paid much attention. There were rumours that the man was kidnapped before he ended up at the station.

But then again who was she to be thinking about such rumours? This isn’t a movie where she was the Head of Intelligence in CIA. Though it would have been cool if she was. Right now she is the wife of a man she never thought she would love. It would be best if she came to terms with it. What a fate she has! Alaya thought as she looked back. For the first time in her life, she took a chance to take a risk for her ‘freedom.’ She even eloped from her engagement and yet she ended up marrying the person she ran away from. She facepalmed herself in her thoughts as she realized that.

“Hmm….blackmailing is quite a thing these days isn’t it? Sad to hear what happened to the man….anyways I’d be leaving early today. Love ya!” Layaan said as he got up and planted another kiss on her cheek. Alaya just sat there forcing a smile on her face as he left the dining room.

Life became quite mundane for Alaya as she spent day in and day out with Layaan. For some reason, Layaan never stayed in the house at night saying that he had a project to work on. Alaya began to doubt those words the third time she heard them. It hurt her just a bit to even think that Layaan was cheating on her. But then again she hasn’t seen their relationship as one with love. Despite the charisma Layaan had shown her weeks before their marriage. Layaan’s lack of interest in her reminded her of Raphael every once in a while. The way his father had described about how he’d planned for their future still gave her shivers. She couldn’t bring herself to even see Raphael’s father though he lived in the same house because she knew what he would ask her to do. He would ask her to help him which leaves her clueless on what to do. Though she knew Raphael was in danger, she simply wouldn’t know how to fight against Layaan or whoever his assistants were. And though she had multiple confrontations with Layaan about it in her head, she couldn’t bring herself to do it for real as she was always afraid of taking any chances. What if Layaan made it all a lie? What if he came with puppy eyes saying that he can’t believe that his wife doesn’t trust him? Her gut told her that that’s exactly what he would do but that’s the last thing she wanted to see. She doesn’t want to show even an ounce of sympathy to Layaan, knowing what he was up to against Raphael.

She was restless as the days passed by. The words ‘within 4 days’ kept ringing in her her head all day and all night. What was going to happen to Raphael, within 4 days? No one knew, except Layaan and his assistants. And one more person who was going to foil his plan without him even realizing.

**4 days later**

It was Thursday night and Raphael was in his room, getting ready for the shareholder’s meeting to be held that night. The meeting was made into a grand event, as he would be selling his shares to some influential people whom he was forced to make agreements with. That kind of forcing doesn’t even come to him as a surprise anymore. In fact, he has even decided to give up all of his wealth, if that’s what would cost him peace of mind. The only thing stopping him from doing that was his father who was in need of him. He knew that if he submitted even just with his wealth, it wouldn’t end there. His enemy hated him too much to let him be and earn another living. So he was utterly stuck in between.

As Raphael took his tie and tucked it underneath his collar, he heard someone entering the room. He looked back to find Laana in a blue dress that reached up to her knee. Laana would usually wear something fancy and would often do touch up of her make up when she is about to go to events such as the one she’d be going tonight. But for some reason, Raphael found her face groomed with dull colours and unusually she wasn’t on her phone either when she walked into the room. Her facial expression was the same since the past 5 days. She was acting different and gloomy ever since Raphael found out that she was having an affair with Layaan and Raphael had reminded her of everything he’d done for her. He didn’t mean to make her this way though and he’d never even thought Laana would act as though she came to her senses. Little had he known.

The day Raphael dragged Laana into the house and reminded her of the favours he did as her husband, she’d gotten a call from Layaan. Hearing the harsh words from Layaan at that moment did make her heart incline towards Raphael. But she didn’t want that to happen. So she tried hard to forget about what Raphael said and remember all the happy moments she’d spent with Layaan. She went to the club all by herself in hope that a few drinks would help her do so. But as she sat at the bar and gulped down her third drink, she thought she heard Layaan’s voice. She looked to the side and saw him just 4 seats away from her. At first she thought she was imagining things because of her drinks. But what she saw wasn’t changing even after she squinted her eyes and opened them wide. She still saw Layaan sitting at the bar with a bright smile. Wondering what Layaan was doing without any other person related to business, Laana got off from her seat to go to him. But just then, she saw another woman stand right next to Layaan calling him ‘Babe.’ As Laana’s feet stopped just where they were, Layaan grabbed the young woman by her waist and brought her closer and gave her a light kiss. Laana immediately felt her eyes well up with tears as she saw the scene. Her sight blurred and she felt like throwing up then and there. She remembered the number of days she’d asked Layaan to marry her and yet he refused every single time. They’d met through their fathers one of whom is a lawyer while the other is a judge. They happened to like each other’s company when they met each other at her house while their fathers were having a meeting of their own about 3 years ago. Since then, they were friends and soon Layaan had proposed and she’d gotten in a relationship with him. Through that relationship, Laana got to know all about Layaan. Beginning from his first love Alaya to his rage and jealousy towards the well-known business tycoon Raphael. Layaan shared with Laana about his passion to get revenge on Raphael by getting all of Raphael’s business on his own fingertips. Since they both didn’t have any sense of morality or justice just like their fathers, Laana got her hands dirty just for Layaan’s planned revenge against Raphael. She’d gotten married to Raphael against her will a few months ago as part of the plan too. She’d proposed Raphael just so she would know about his weaknesses and she could keep Layaan informed about them. She was touched by Raphael’s character from the first day though. He’d told her honestly about how he’d loved just one girl all his life and how he was having a difficult time forgetting her. He only agreed to marry Laana on the condition that she was okay with that. Laana tried to test Raphael’s patience after marriage by getting close to him. But never did Raphael raise his anger with her though he was clearly disturbed by it. Laana had gotten to know that the Alaya Raphael loves is the same girl that Layaan wanted revenge over. After that point, Laana began to raise her voice with Raphael as she only saw Layaan’s side of the story. From Layaan’s perspective, Raphael was the bad guy trying to steal the love of his life.

But as Laana stood there in the club that day, with music blasting in her ears and tears rolling down her cheeks, she realized who of them was the bad person. She realized that she was crossing the oceans for a person who wouldn’t give her the time of the day while turning her back on the one who could have shown her what true love is.

With a pain and a rage building up in her chest Laana began to take steps towards Layaan with her fist clenched as she tried her best not to break down. But just then, she heard him speak.

“Oh Babe! You don’t know much about me do you. When I hate someone, I do it till the very end. I don’t just hold a grudge. I make sure they regret what they did or if they don’t…..I still don’t stop until they stop breathing the same air as I am.” Layaan said, as he arrogantly looked into space with a half smile. Hearing Layaan’s words reminded Laana of what he had planned against Raphael. That would literally be his last and final blow on Raphael. Laana felt shivers down her spine as she saw the plan coming to be. She couldn’t bring herself to imagine Raphael in that position so at once, she went out of the club knowing which side she was going to take this time.

“Laana…what’s wrong?” Raphael said with a blink as he looked at Laana who was staring into space longer that he’d expected. Laana looked at him as she brought her thoughts back to the present. She gave Raphael a smile.

“Its…nothing. Just feeling a bit sick within the past few days. Must be because I was just too busy with the hosting script for the event…may I?” Laana asked as she reached Raphael and grabbed the two sides of the tie. She began to tie it as Raphael nodded surprisingly at both her gesture and what she said.

“Scripts aren’t supposed to be that hectic for you though….as a writer at a TV station.” Raphael said doubtfully. Laana gave a light laugh.

“Who knows? Things you usually find easy could become hectic. Just like the people whom you loved so much, could become a reason for a major heartache.” Laana said while tying the knot on Raphael’s tie, then again losing herself in her thoughts. Raphael furrowed his eyebrows trying to figure out what was up with Laana. He was about to say something when she spoke again.

“Can I ask you for something, Raphael?”

“Yes?”

“It’s just…..I think that I’m not going to be around here after a while…when I’m gone, please go back to Alaya will you?” Laana said, as she slowly tightened the knot of the tie around Raphael’s collar.

“What? Why are you saying this to me? Wh….where are you going?” Raphael asked curiously, partially thinking that all of this could be part of an evil plan.

“Can’t tell you that Raphael….to be honest I don’t even know. I just know that you are one of the best men I have ever come across my entire life and you deserve happiness like no other. And Alaya deserves to have your love since she wouldn’t be one to cheat on you….”

“What is this about, Laana?” Raphael asked again, clearly knowing that Layaan would never want him to be with Alaya. He wondered what he was planning with Laana.

Laana laughed again.

“Can’t trust a hell of a woman like me anymore can you? Damn! If you would, I would have eloped with you somewhere far away right now and pretend like no one else existed. But I guess it’s just too late and I lost my chance…” Laana said and slowly slid her hand down Raphael’s chest before moving away, turning her back on him and walking out the door. Raphael was still left in wonder about the words she said.

**

An hour later, Raphael was seated on the front row of the huge hall in which the shareholder’s meeting was going to be held. He shared the row with Laana next to him and other the notables of the event while other guests were still arriving from the main door of the hall. Raphael looked at the stage with the podium in the middle and fully lit with the unnoticeable lights hung at the top and decorative round lamps, large and small that were arranged alternatively around the stage except for the front edge where the podium was kept.

“Pretty lamps aren’t they?” Laana asked out of the blue.

“Pretty….but I guess it’s too much light though don’t you think?” Raphael asked.

“Apparently the people who prepared the stage didn’t think so…” Laana said. With that, silence fell between them. Raphael was at ease, still looking around the hall making sure everything looked okay. While Laana was hesitantly looking at Raphael as though she was considering to say something.

“Aren’t you going to tell Alaya, Raphael?” Laana asked.

“About what?”

“The truth, that is keeping you away from her.”

“Which truth are y…..” Raphael’s words paused there as he realized what Laana was talking about. Within an instant, he pictured Alaya’s father giving some instructions to a group of men. Raphael sighed as he remembered what he was doing that day.

“I know its hard Raphael, but you can’t keep it from her. The more you do, the more it will hurt her. And after a while when I’m gone you have to go to her anyway. You have to help her through….”

“Can we not talk about this?!” Raphael said, frustrated to a certain point. He would have been utterly furious if he hadn’t the hint of realization that what Laana was right. He needed to tell Alaya the truth. He should have told her, a long time ago. But he didn’t, out of fear. Fear of losing her for good, if she thought that he was accusing her father. He’d thought that she would absolutely hate him, if he spoke the truth. And that was too harsh of a reality that he didn’t want to face. That was a chance that he wasn’t willing to take.

Laana was about to say something further, when her phone rang. She took her phone from her small handbag and as soon as she saw the number, she looked at the side of the hall. There was a young man all in black, with a cap, shirt, jacket and jeans. He carried a laptop bag as he walked by. Laana excused herself from Raphael as she began to walk in the opposite direction as that man through the middle of the hall. When Laana reached the main door, the man disappeared into the back stage. Laana answered the call as she stood near edge of the door.

“Are you ready to do what I told you to do?” Laana asked. She immediately received a positive answer from the other end.

“Good! All you have to do is make them work right at the end of the hall event when people start leaving. That way, you won’t be in trouble either…just say that there was a malfunction and it happened to get delayed.” Laana said. Then again she got a yes from the man and she ended a call with a smile. Just then, she got startled when Layaan appeared from the outside, right in front of her. She was overwhelmed with fear as she saw the smile on his lips but a rage in his eyes. Just as she wondered if he heard what she said, he spoke.

“Hi!” he said.

“H..Hi..” Laana said nervously.

“It’s been a while. How have you been babe? How about catching up after the event?” Layaan asked with a wink.

“Y…yeah let’s do that.” Laana said, trying not to think about how she’d seen Layaan with another woman and hoping he didn’t hear her just now. Layaan smiled and gave her a light peck on the cheek.

“You go ahead…I’ll come right behind you. We can’t be seen together now can we?” Layaan said putting his hands in his pockets. Laana agreed and began to walk back in, trying to steady her breath.

As Laana went out of his sight, Layaan picked out his phone from his pocket. He dialed a number and put the phone on his ear with a furious look on his face.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare do as that woman said if you want to be alive…I’ve changed my plans too. Press the damn button when the host of the event gets on stage. I better see that happening tonight!” Layaan said in a lowered yet enraged voice.

chance cover

Alaya’s POV

Alaya was drowning in the deep sea of her own thoughts as she sat on the couch in her bedroom. Raphael’s words kept ringing in her head as she pictured him looking at her with rage. She could not help but wonder about the reason behind his anger. She never knew that he took his religious values so seriously.

And to some point, it burned her with rage too. The fact that he valued those values more than her. That thought encouraged Alaya to think about Raphael even in a more negative light. She ended up telling herself that a person holding onto such values cannot be worth loving. She’d always hated the people who took Islam ‘that seriously’ anyway. Raphael wouldn’t be an exception. How dare he claim to love her AND tell her that she was cheating her husband behind his back just because she tried to talk to him? How dare he raise his voice at her? How dare he have such bad assumptions about her?

With similar questions popping up in her mind, she reached the conclusion that she could not possibly love him. But then again deep inside, she knew that he was right. Whatever he said was out of the decency he had as a man. He remembered his words when he’d described the dream he hoped to live with her. Being married to a righteous muslim wife and have children who would be the coolness of the eyes. Those words are the kind of thing that she would only hear in an Islamic lecture and she had given a deaf ear to those her whole life. But for some reason, those very same words seemed so beautiful to her the way he said it. In fact, she would think that those words would come from someone who truly loved her. Who cared about her. But then again can she accept those values in her life?

That question reminded Alaya of a question Raphael himself had asked her when he’d first started to look up the Quran. He’d told her about how he’d gotten a chance to learn more about the Quran.

“But I’m not sure what to do about it….would love to know what the Quran says as I’d loved some of the ayahs Mama shared with me. But…”

“But what?” Alaya had asked. Raphael looked at her and sighed.

“But I think that the book is going to tell me about a lot of things that I have to change in my life. And I don’t think I have the strength in me for such a thing you know?” he said. Alaya had looked at him for a while and spoke.

“Trust me Raphael…you are stronger than you think. You know how to live up to your own values and I’m sure you would live up to anything that you are convinced of as good. Once you start learning, do teach me of any good that you learn.”

She’d said that last sentence with a wink. She gave the advice to him, not necessarily wanting him to be ‘guided’ by the Quran. In fact, she’d dearly hoped that he wouldn’t turn out to be one of those people with long beards and grumpy faces. Regardless, she’d said those words of encouragement, in an attempt to impress Raphael. And it worked too. He’d given her a warm smile at the end of her advice.

And today, she needed that encouragement. For her own self. Remembering that conversation she had with Raphael so long ago, and noticing the differences in his behavior then and now intrigued her about the Quran. She was sure that his change had to do with the Quran as one of the last conversations she’d had with Raphael in their childhood had to do with the Quran classes he had been attending. But due to the tension of leaving Raphael and not being able to tell him about it, Alaya could not pay much attention to those conversations.

But now she needed to know. She needed to know what was so amazing about the Quran. What was so miraculous about that Book that changed the love of her life so much. To the point that it changed his feelings for her.

Alaya had a sudden urge to have a copy of the translation of the Quran and to know what exactly it was talking about. But she let out a sigh, realizing that she did not happen to have a copy. Just then, she remembered Asma reciting the Quran from her phone. Alaya immediately took out her phone and downloaded a Quran app with translation. Within a few minutes, she was reciting the verses and reading the meaning of each verse.

Raphael’s POV

Since it was a night off, Raphael was home even at 8 that night. He’d prayed Isha prayer and headed to the dining room to have an early dinner. He was surprised to see Laana there setting the table along with Jia.

Raphael was taken aback by that scene. This was the first time in a very long time that Laana was home for dinner. What could be keeping her home tonight? It wouldn’t be any good for sure. Raphael thought as he walked in her direction.

He remembered a day from about a month ago as he kept looking at her face. He was reminded of how he’d gone to a private room of a hospital where his father was admitted. He wasn’t found there that day. Neither was he found in the hose Raphael had rented for him in a nearby neighbourhood just because Laana despised the presence of his father.

Raphael was worried to bits until he found his father being driven around on his wheelchair by a maid named Samantha. Samantha had innocently told him the address. Raphael got to know that she wasn’t supposed to tell him, when she lied to him the next day when he went to that house. She completely denied that his father was there. So one day, Raphael had to barge into the house just to hear his father’s voice. He got to know the room his father was kept in and the next day, he found that room locked.

After a lot of attempts, Raphael had found the key hidden in a verse in the living room and he got into the habit of meeting with his father secretively. Because he knew that this was a plot of Layaan and fighting with either him or the poor maid won’t do much to help the situation.

Thinking about the past few weeks within a few seconds, Raphael gasped lightly as he remembered that he hadn’t bought the medicine for his father. Jia and Laana looked at him in his worried look.

“What happened?” Laana asked.

“I…I’ve got to go somewhere…” Raphael said in a rush, not wanting to mention his father in front of Laana.

“Where?”

“Somewhere…will be back within an hour or so.”

“Are you going to meet your father?”

Raphael paused his steps that he was taking away from Laana when she asked that question. He turned around and looked at her.

“Yes…” Raphael said, expecting a response from Laana.

“You don’t have to worry about him. I asked Samantha to feed him and give him medicine.” Laana said in a calm voice.

Raphael stared at her with his eyes narrowed. If this was any other day he would have a hard time believing those words. But there was something about her today that was so different. The tone of her voice and the ease in her expression made Raphael want to believe what she was saying. But then again as he thought he would be fooling himself if he trusted her, Laana spoke.

“If you don’t believe me I can give you Samantha’s number, she can tell you what’s going on.” Laana said, again with the kind of peace that she would never speak. Raphael stared at her and then asked her to give the number. So she did and Raphael called. And soon, to his utter surprise he found that Laana was telling him the truth. Samantha had even bought the medicine that had run out.

Raphael sat at the dining table, keeping his phone on the side. He stared at Laana, who was sitting right across him. He still couldn’t believe what was going on and feared that this might be even a more dangerous plan made by Laana and Layaan.

“What’s going on Laana? Why aren’t you out tonight?” Raphael asked curiously, trying to sound normal. Laana gave a light laugh.

“My date has kind of disappointed me and I thought I would like your company better.” Laana said honestly with a smile. But Raphael still looked at her with doubt. She can’t possibly be talking about Layaan can she? She looked so fine with him just this evening. Remembering the two in the shop, Raphael guaranteed for himself that what he heard was lies. Not wanting to hear any more of them, he silently began his dinner.

Alaya’s POV

Alaya kept reading the translation of the Quran till 11 that night. She was somewhere in the middle of the 4th Surah by then. She never thought she would get this far in one night. But the Book was more gripping that she thought. She felt as though those words were speaking directly to her. Especially the very first verses of the Quran. She thought that the Quran would mostly talk about a God Who was out to punish everyone and send everyone to Hell. Or she thought it would command people to accept Islam whether they are convinced of it or not. But she found something she’d never expected. The Book even began with a positive statement. With the words “All praise and thanks belong to Allah.” She was surprised that it did not begin with a command to praise and thank Allah. It was as though it was saying that a person had to reach that conclusion on his or her own. Knowing that Allah is the Most Merciful just in the second verse made Alaya think of Him in a different light. This was Allah introducing Himself and one of the first descriptions He gave of Himself was related to His Mercy, not His Wrath. Alaya loved how just the next words were about Him being the Owner of the Day of Judgement. That would obviously mean that a person cannot take advantage of Allah’s Mercy and live life in any way he or she likes. Because Allah is the most Just and those who committed injustices in this world will face the consequences on the Day of Judgement. And then after those verses, there was then again a statement of free will. It said “It is You Who we worship and it is You Who we ask for help.” It was a statement a person had to make on his own, not by force. If he wasn’t convinced, the verse didn’t force him to say it.

Alaya paused at the verse that said, “Don’t fear them, but fear Me…” and then closed the app, letting out a sigh. So this was it, she thought. This was the message from which she kept turning away from her whole life. Thinking that it was way out of her league. Thinking that it would be too complicated for her. Thinking that it would make her life so difficult and sad. But she was sure at that point that the Book was surely not sent down to make her depressed. Rather, it was sent down to make her life easy. The message of the Quran was clear. All she had to do was obey Allah. While He did not ask her for much and forbade her from only the things that were bad for her. So the one who strives to obey Allah, is actually not benefitting Allah in anyway. Rather it would benefit only the one who obeys.

Alaya felt a contentment engulfing her heart, the more she thought about it. She had a sudden urge to get up and pray Isha prayer that she had been delaying that night. But just as she was about to get out of her bed, she heard someone’s voice from outside.

“Yeah….the event is to be held within 4 days. Have everything ready by then.” it was none other than Layaan’s voice. Alaya heard the voice nearing and eventually the sound of the door’s knob turning and she immediately lay on the bed and pretended to sleep. Because she was simply too nervous to face him especially since this would be their official ‘wedding night.’ But Layaan was still on his call when he got in the room.

“Don’t worry about it. We can control him like a puppet as long as we have his father. And now I even have Alaya in my hands. He would transfer all of his shares to me before we kill him at the event.” Alaya’s eyes grew wide when she heard those words.

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“Something worse, that will destroy them both once and for all.” Layaan said with his teeth gritted and Raphael’s eyes grew wide, as he sensed a signal of danger.

Layaan let out a sigh and lightened his expression with a smile.

“Anyway we are taking this aren’t we? Let’s head to the counter…” Layaan put his arm around Laana’s waist as they both turned to go. Raphael narrowed his eyes and with first thought, he was going to leave. He would have, if it was only about his marriage to Laana. But when he remembered Alaya’s face, he could not bring himself to move. Realizing that he wasn’t the only one being cheated, Raphael began to walk towards them with a fierce face. He reached them just as they were about to reach the counter.

“Laana!” Raphael called out and the couple in front of him was startled. As they both looked at him, their eyes widened and they moved a bit further apart.

“What do you happen to be doing here, sweetheart?” Raphael asked a serious question, and added the last word to see what happens to them. As he predicted, Laana crossed her eyebrows and Layaan had a disturbed expression.

“Well I…”

“She came here with me on the request of her father, to select new brand of jewelry that we could have an agreement with. As you know my father happens to be friends with all of your shareholders…” Layaan explained with a smile before Laana said something nervously. Raphael gave them a glare. He wanted to scream out his frustration at them in front of the whole crowd. But he just nodded.

“Is that so….why thank you so much for accompanying my wife here. Now may I take her with me?” Raphael said with a smile though his anger was clear in his eyes and in the tone of his voice. Layaan and Laana exchanged looks before Laana began to walk out with Raphael.

With the shock he was in, Raphael forgot that he had gone to buy medicine for his father. Or his subconscious mind told him that he had a bigger issue to handle before anything else. And hence he geared up his car as soon as Laana got in and raced up even in the crowded street.

“What are you doing? Raphael!” Laana shouted out as Raphael merely missed a man crossing the street. But Raphael didn’t listen or look at Laana even as she told him to slow down. At one point, Laana gave up and preferred to stay silent in her panic.

He only stopped when they reached their house in the quiet neighbourhood of Boston. When Raphael parked the car, he got out and opened the front door giving Laana another shock. Without saying a single word, Raphael held her hand and walked into the house and faced her when Laana forcibly got her hand free.

“You know I could get you sued for this don’t you? My father won’t be happy to hear about this!”

“Huh! And you think your father would be happy to hear about you having an affair with another man?”

“Don’t fool yourself if you are thinking that he will believe you over my words!”

“I’m not fooling myself….But it was quite a show that I got to see today. I’m sure I’ll get to see many more episodes in the future and collect enough evidence against you.”

“You cant….You won’t!”

“I can and I will! So don’t be seen with that man ever again!” Raphael warned and turned the other way to leave.

“All this time you didn’t question me about what I did. We both know that we don’t love each other. This isn’t about me is it? Its more about her….You are upset because I am having an affair with her husband.” Laana questioned, trying to sound empathetic in an attempt to make Raphael weak. Raphael closed his eyes as he realized how true those words. He felt a sense of guilt within him just as Laana had planned. But the guilt didn’t get a hold of him. Because he knew he did his best.

“That may be true Laana. We don’t love each other. And I did not love you even from the start. But I told you honestly about my feelings from the very beginning. And I did everything I could for this relationship even against my will. But what did you do in return? You cheated on me behind my back. You never were honest with me in any conversation that we had. You separated me from my father and kept him in a deserted house and now I am sure you did so by planning with my enemy. What wrong did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I do anything less as your husband?” Raphael asked, genuinely wanting to know. Laana tried to keep a firm face as she heard it. But she couldn’t as she remembered everything Raphael had done for her. How honest he was since the beginning of their marriage. How kind he was when she got sick even though he didn’t love her. How caring he was of her even when she began to go out late at night to see Layaan. It hadn’t occurred to her before. But now that he said it, it was compelling for her to think about.

As Laana was thinking, Raphael then again turned his back towards her. She fiercely told herself not to get soft just because of a few moments. She cant get weak. Now especially when they were just a few days away from getting what they wanted.

Laana was startled when her phone began to ring as she stood where she was. When she looked at the screen, it was Layaan. She picked up the call.

“Hello love, what happened at home? Did he seem like he would ruin our plan?” Layaan asked. But that wasn’t the question Laana was hoping for as she was thinking of a caring man. She thought Layaan would ask her whether she was okay since she was taken away in a rush. When Laana heard Layaan repeatedly calling her, Laana answered.

“Layaan, I don’t think I would be able to go on our date tonight. Feeling a bit low…” Laana said as she looked at Raphael walking up the spiral stairs. Layaan blurted out in her ears something that wasn’t clear to her. But for some reason, she did not care at that moment. She disconnected the call, as she tried to make sense whether she was going through a change of heart or not.

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“Yes…..you can’t imagine how much he loved her. After his mother passed away he usually shared his feelings with me….he told me how he met her in school. How he had liked her but never got to tell her about his feelings because he did not want to get her hurt by the ones who talked bad about him. He told me about how she moved to another country forever. And as he grew up, he would often tell me about how he would grow up and go find her once his business was successful. He’d tell me about how he would impress her father with his business and ask for her hand. He even began to build a small house in Cairo saying that one day he’d move there once he was with her. He spent hours growing taking care of a garden in that house saying that she liked flowers and greenery. He must love her a lot….” the father said, staring down sadly. Alaya’s eyes welled up without her knowing as she heard the father describing. Was all of this really true? Did Raphael never forget her? While all she did was try and go after every other man that she saw? Did she even deserve that kind of a love? Does Raphael deserve someone as reckless in love as her? Her eyes became more blurry with tears as she thought about it.

“But then he had to get married to that……” as Raphael’s father was going to say something angrily, both he and Alaya heard a voice.

“Baba…” it was none other than Raphael, standing at the opened door. Alaya’s heart stopped beating as she saw him, while knowing fully about his feelings for the first time. A tear came down rolling down her cheek as she understood the pain hidden in that fake poker face. Why? Just why hadn’t he told her before? Why hadn’t he come for her before? Little had she known.

“Son….where have you been for such a long time? Have been longing to see you. Where have you been?” Hamidh asked with tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry Baba. Didn’t know where you were….some people changed your location on purpose.” Raphael said as he walked into the room.

“Those insolent brats! Son….I’ve been wanting to talk to you about just that. You don’t have to be a slave to them. Just give me up to them and free yourself from them. If they do anything to your business start a new one. My duas are with you. But don’t live like this. Don’t live a life of misery when you can choose to be happy. Divorce Laana and marry the girl you love. Find her out before its too late and you lose her!” Hamidh pleaded his son.

“Maybe it’s already too late and I’ve lost her.” Raphael said, looking at his father as he stopped near the bed across Alaya. Alaya gave him a sudden look with the shock she found herself in. She saw him letting out a sigh just as his father was going to say something more.

“Anyway I don’t mind living like this anymore….It’s the easy way out Baba. There is more to story that you don’t know. If there wasn’t anyone else’s life at stake, I would have done all that you have said.” Raphael said.

“Then tell me the part of the story I don’t know about…”

“Let’s not talk about that Baba….did you take your medicine?” Raphael said, opening a drawer on the side table.

“Raphael I’m not done talk…”

“Oh wait…one of them has run out. Better get going to get it.” Raphael said as he checked the medicine and got up with an empty card. Hamidh called out when his son began to walk out but neither did Raphael stop or look back. Hamidh sighed when Raphael went out of sight but Alaya could not bring herself to calm down. After what she has heard about Raphael just now, she was sure that there was no way he was going to be okay. She had to talk to him. Right here right now.

Alaya brought herself to her feet and rushed out of the room. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she saw him heading to the door.

“Raphael!” she called out and he paused his footsteps. But he did not look back.

“Are you still going to pretend like you don’t know me?” she asked. A moment of silence fell in between them. Just as Alaya thought he wouldn’t answer, she heard his voice.

“I wish I could….But I guess I can’t now that you know. There is no point in knowing what you heard today anyway. We both are married and have gone our separate ways. It’s best that we forget about the past and move on with life.”

“Well what if you don’t forget?” Alaya asked, not realizing that it was heart-wrenching for the one hearing it. That it was impossible for him to overcome the heartache that came back with those words. He wasn’t able to say a word for a few seconds. But then he turned towards Alaya with a fake laugh.

“Didn’t see that coming from you….was that why you were with a guy at a prom not too long ago?” Raphael asked, wanting to know what exactly she felt. The question took Alaya by surprise. Her eyes grew wide when she remembered the night she was with Max. And how she was miraculously rescued by a stranger.

“It was you…” Alaya said in a whisper. Raphael nodded, suppressing his emotions.

“I was crazy enough to come in between two lovers….I wondered later why I did so. You wouldn’t be there if you didn’t want to. I’m truly sorry for interrupting your romantic night.”

“Raphael!” Alaya screamed with tears in her eyes. It was difficult for Raphael to just stand and watch when he saw her falling apart. But he needed to. Not just because of all the lives that would be at stake if he got back together with her. But also because he needed to do anything he could to make her come back to her senses.

“You shouldn’t be the one crying here. Because the last time I checked I was the one abandoned at the station. I was the one who stood at that exact spot for more than an hour like an idiot hoping you reached your destination safely. And I did everything I could to make sure I have an amazing future with you. I was hoping I would have a practicing muslim wife and together we would grow in our faith. I had dreams of having a family with you with righteous children who would be the coolness of our eyes. But then fast forward a few years and I see that same exact girl at a prom of all places, dancing with stranger to some obscene music. How am I supposed to feel about that?!” Raphael’s voice rose with his last words and Alaya’s heart trembled. At first she defended her own self. She told herself that if he truly loved her, he should accept her as she is instead of bringing a religious tradition in between them. But regardless of any religion, which decent man would want to see the girl he loved with a strange man? None!

As Alaya was about to say something through her unstoppable tears, Raphael spoke.

“If you are going to say that you would not have done so if I had been with you, I would not be able to trust you. Because someone higher than me had always been watching you. Allah has always been watching you. And if you had the tiniest bit of conscience, you would have been able stop yourself from such things. But I guess you didn’t. And perhaps that’s why you are trying to talk to me about the past behind your husband’s back and that just makes me sick!” Raphael said, mercilessly with the kind of anger that Alaya had never seen on his face. He turned his back to her, leaving her numb and frozen on her spot.

Raphael’s POV

Raphael’s heart pounded as he walked out of the house. He felt his limbs shaking as he walked towards the car he’d parked on the other side of the street. He swore to himself that he wouldn’t break down. Though he kept seeing her face covered with sadness. And he didn’t. At least for half of the trip. He was about to lose himself just as he reached the pharmacy. When he parked the car nearby, he saw a sight that he found hard to believe. He crossed his eyebrows when he saw Laana and Layaan walking on the street with their hands intertwined. What was he seeing? Was this a dream he was dreaming?

Raphael asked himself as they went out of his sight. With a sick feeling building up within him, he got out of the car and looked in the direction where they went. But he lost them since it was a crowded street market place. Yet he didn’t give up and began to walk, eyeing for them. He knew a ton of secrets about Layaan. But he never knew he was involved with Laana.

Laana is the daughter of one of the shareholders in his company. He had first met her on the day he’d gone to New York to propose to Alaya but heard that she was engaged to Layaan. When he went back to Boston, he attended a shareholders’ meeting and saw Laana outside with his father by the end of the meeting. They merely had an eye contact and the next day, her father called him and said that Laana wanted to marry him. He had refused the offer outright giving the explanation that he would only want to marry a practicing muslimah. Then followed the days in which Laana came to meet him to his office along with her father, promising that she would make any changes that Raphael wanted. Hearing those words over and over, and knowing that he cant have the girl he loved anyway and also not wanting to ruin the relationship with his only long-lasting shareholder, Raphael agreed to the marriage. And the marriage did turn out to be worse than he thought.

But what he was seeing today was outrageous. He’d never imagined his wife having an affair with another man. And this ‘another man’ happened to be the husband of the girl he’d left behind. The man whose revenge he is still suffering from. What in the world does he want? The moment that thought crossed his mind was the moment he saw the couple entering one of the stores. Raphael followed behind them and got into the store. He saw them stopping near a jewelry display. His jaw tightened when he saw Layaan taking a necklace and putting it around Laana’s neck as they both stood in front of a mirror.

“It looks nice on me doesn’t it?” Laana asked.

“Can’t be any prettier darling!” Layaan said, putting his arms around her waist. Laana laughed lightly.

“Too bad your wife isn’t going to have such a gift from you.”

“Huh! Don’t ruin my mood talking about her!”

“I thought this was your honeymoon phase and you wouldn’t be able to go away from her. I thought you wanted her to fall in love with you. What’s on your mind, Layaan?” Laana turned towards him and asked.

“Something worse, that will destroy them both once and for all.” Layaan said with his teeth gritted and Raphael’s eyes grew wide, as he sensed a signal of danger.

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Raphael’s thoughts rushed back to the present as he began to see snow falling on his windshield. He let out a sigh and took one last look at the house he saw on the other side of the street. He blinked and looked to the front while turning the key in the ignition. As soon as the car came to life, he changed the gear and drove the car onto the road, planning to meet his father the next day.

Alaya’s POV

That night when Alaya finally convinced herself to get to her bed, she still kept thinking about the conversation she’d had with Raphael. She kept remembering how she almost confessed to him and how he said that whatever happened was for the best. What could he have meant by that? Did he actually mean that it was best that he had left her? That he did not confess to her? So that he could eventually end up with a woman like Laana.

Alaya shook her head for the umpteenth time at that thought. She did not see any of it making any sense. And the fact that Raphael said that he trusts Allah’s plans for ‘both of them’ kept making her thoughts blurry. Could those words mean that Raphael still cared about her? But then why would he be married to Laana? Why would he pretend like he didn’t know her? Why?

Alaya kept going through the same mental exhaustion no matter how hard she tried to escape. As she thought of ‘escaping’, she remembered one of the advices that Raphael had given her in one of those moments she had.

“It’s just a low score on the test Alaya. Much worse could have happened. But I know how you might feel as someone striving for perfection….my Mama actually taught me what to do when I feel depressed. She told me to pray. And for some magical reason, it does work. You should try that too!” Raphael had told Alaya as they sat on the bench one day. Alaya had nodded at that but couldn’t bring herself to pray any extra prayer except for the 5 prayers that was obligated on her. She found those prayers as a burden. She couldn’t figure out how Raphael could have found peace in them.

She hadn’t figured it out, even after 10 years of hearing those words. So she found herself lying on her bed, trapped within her own thoughts and emotions. With that one memory of Raphael’s, a dozen others came rushing to her mind and she realized how much she had liked him. From his voice to the way he smiled to the way he carried himself and talked to her with politeness and respect. It became more and more impossible for Alaya to even think that she would find another man like him. And to think what she would do if she never got to have him in her life. That thought reminded her of her marriage to Layaan and Raphael’s marriage to Laana. Was this really the fate of their relationship? Were they supposed to be distant? A pain emerged in her chest as she thought that they might never reunite. She kept a hand on her chest finding it hard to believe. She thought this kind of heartbreak was only a thing described in stories. But there she was….living right through such heartbreak.

The whole night was restless for Alaya until just an hour before Fajr. As a result, she slept through even the Fajr alarm failing to realize that if there was one way her heart could have found rest, that was it.

The next morning, she woke up lazily around 10AM. As soon as she saw the clock and realized she hadn’t prayed Fajr, she rushed to freshen up and pray. After praying the Fajr in a flash just for the sake of it, she got out of her room as she felt her stomach growling. She had breakfast, while trying to build a relationship with Samantha, the housekeeper of the house who was making an omelet for her.

After a while since Alaya entered the dining room, both of them heard an old man’s voice.

“My son! My son….” it was the old man in the room, who was then again calling out his son, Alaya thought as she ate. But she paused as she thought about who that son was. Raphael! That’s Raphael’s father!! She has got to do something!

She immediately got up from her chair and got out of the dining room towards the bedroom’s corridor. As she got closer, he heard him saying something else more clearly.

“My son, don’t do this to yourself. I did not raise you for you to live like this. Don’t live with a person you don’t love…” the father cried in pain in his own language. Alaya stopped in her tracks as she heard that.

“He is throwing a tantrum again. I don’t even know his language so I don’t know how to communicate with him. Do you happen to know, ma’am?” Samantha asked from behind Alaya.

“Yeah I know. I think I can handle him. You could go for now.” Alaya said. Samantha obeyed respectfully and left. Alaya went near the room and paused. She hesitated as she heard the cries of an old man. She doubted whether or not she would be able to handle it. But she knew she wanted to help. And she wanted to know more. Especially after what she heard just now. So she turned the door knob and opened the door.

“My son, is that you?” the man asked as Alaya entered.

“No uncle….I’m just someone living in this house. You happen to need some help.” Alaya said, leaving the door open and walking into the room.

“Yes…I..I need to call my son. Could you help me?” the old man asked. Alaya sighed and looked down as she sat on the bed and realized that even she didn’t know Raphael’s number.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you to call him. But I think he’d be coming to visit you soon.” Alaya said with a smile.

“In Sha Allah he will. I’m hoping so….once he comes I will tell him that I don’t mind even if I have to die in the hands of those people. But he mustn’t give up on his business and the love of his life just for my sake.” Raphael’s father said. Alaya’s heart skipped a beat as she heart the last words.

“Love of his life?” Alaya asked in a whisper involuntarily. There were many things he wanted to know in what Raphael’s father said but that was the one thing she wanted to know at that moment.

“Yes…..you can’t imagine how much he loved her. After his mother passed away he usually shared his feelings with me….he told me how he met her in school. How he had liked her but never got to tell her about his feelings because he did not want to get her hurt by the ones who talked bad about him. He told me about how she moved to another country forever. And as he grew up, he would often tell me about how he would grow up and go find her once his business was successful. He’d tell me about how he would impress her father with his business and ask for her hand. He even began to build a small house in Cairo saying that one day he’d move there once he was with her. He spent hours growing taking care of a garden in that house saying that she liked flowers and greenery. He must love her a lot….” the father said, staring down sadly. Alaya’s eyes welled up without her knowing as she heard the father describing. Was all of this really true? Did Raphael never forget her? While all she did was try and go after every other man that she saw? Did she even deserve that kind of a love? Does Raphael deserve someone as reckless in love as her? Her eyes became more blurry with tears as she thought about it.

“But then he had to get married to that……” as Raphael’s father was going to say something angrily, both he and Alaya heard a voice.

“Baba…” it was Raphael, standing at the opened door.

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Raphael sighed as he remembered that day as he sat in his car. If only…..if only she knew the sacrifices he made just for her.

From that day on, Raphael had done exactly as Layaan told him to do. His first request was to let his father take half of his whole net worth through a court case. That was done in exchange of Layaan taking full responsibility of doing his best to cure Raphael’s father. Raphael had sat in the court, listening to the arguments between Ahmed and supposedly his lawyer who was hired by Ahmed. Raphael purposely let them win the case in hope he would have some peace of mind.

And he did. For a number of days. He did not receive any threats about Alaya getting hurt and his father was being treated well. Everything was going smoothly months until he’d arranged a marketing event at a high school hall in New York. He’d arranged the event at a night where they were supposed to have an Islamic awareness program that was led by the Muslim Student Association of that school. It was too late when he got to know that the program was postponed as the prom of the year was preponed to that night. Raphael was furious when he entered the hall where he was expecting an Islamic lecture and saw couples dancing in every corner. When he confronted his employees about it, they said they did not inform him before as they knew that he would refuse. But they were desperate to make some profit as the business was already suffering from a tremendous loss. Raphael understood their sentiments to a certain extent yet made one thing clear to his handful of muslim employees.

“I started this business with two coins in my hand and nothing else. But my mother told me to start every work with the name of Allah. She had told me that everything we do is blessed when we start with Bismillah. As weird as it sounded, I did that for the love of my mother. But I did start seeing blessings when I did so. And my life changed when I began to obey Allah more and more…..there is reason why this company is built upon the basics of decency and honesty. If we move even a tiny bit away from that image and we disobey Allah, we would lose our status and we would be humiliated even more than we are right now…” Raphael said in hope that it would impact his employees. They nodded and apologized sadly to him. Raphael then ordered them to take down everything from there and they respectfully obeyed.

As Raphael left behind his employees to leave that place as quickly as possible, a certain scene caught his eye. It was a girl in a hijab and a blue maxi dress. Her face was not clear to him as he saw her from a significant distant yet something happened in his heart that made him stare at the scene. The girl’s hand was taken by a random western young man and it seemed like the girl did not want to. Raphael involuntarily turned and slowly began to walk towards that direction as the young man brought the girl close and began to dance. The closer he got, the faster his heart raced. And just as the man turned the girl around, Raphael got a clearer look of her face and he stopped in his tracks. It was her! It was none other than the girl he had loved his whole life. It was none other than the one he had waited for so long. The one for whom he’d given up so much.

Raphael noticed the anxiousness and hesitation on her face and his fist clenched as he looked at the man who held her. He took a step forward hoping to save her but just then, the song ended and cheers filled the hall along with a western girl’s voice that stood out in the crowd.

“Whoa! Give a hand for these love birds everyone! Alaya and Max! It’s the first day of their relationship. No wonder they look so romantic together eh Ally? Once more what do you think ya’ll. Once more once more once more…..” as the girl in the crowd began to say it, the whole crowd echoed the same words. Raphael looked at Alaya in disbelief. He saw her trying to smile at the crowd and blushing as the man caressed her face. Raphael looked away instantaneously as it hurt his chest to see it. Was it really true that the girl he loved is in a place like this? With a man with no sense of decency? And she was in a relationship with that man? Had she forgotten about him? Was it that easy for her to forget? Was it only him who cried in desperation?

His heart broke into a million pieces as he came to the realization. His eyes reddened as he thought about it in rage and in sadness. He looked at the couple in front of him for the last time and he began to walk out. He walked fast with wide steps taking him further away from that scene. He walked out of the hall and began to walk out the building as well. He walked out even through the gate of the school in a rush and got in his Range Rover and shut the door. He took deep breaths in an attempt to get a hold of his emotions. But even as he closed his eyes, it was impossible for him not to imagine the scene that he just saw. The scene of the girl he loved so much, in the hands of another man. As he imagined more and more, he could not help but think of the insecurity hidden in that face. How her smile did not reach her eyes even as she faced the crowed. The more he thought about it, the more his thoughts went in another direction. Could it be that she was forced to dance with that man? Could it be that she did not want to be here in the first place? Could it be that she was in danger?

As soon as the question popped in his mind, Raphael found himself getting out of his car. He walked right back into the campus, perhaps even quicker than he came out. Within minutes, he found himself back in the hall. His eyes wandered as he walked in, to see any signs of her. To his utter shock, he found her near a bar. Facing three men and not knowing what to do.

“Meet my new hot girlfriend!” the man who danced with Alaya said to the other two men. Raphael’s jaw tightened as he heard that. Alaya did not respond.

“Well look at that cloth on her head. Why don’t you take it off Max?” Max’s friend said. He sounded equally high to Raphael as his friend.

“Yeah, we’d like to take a look too. Do it Max!” the other one said and Raphael expected Alaya to run away. But he gritted his teeth as he saw her just standing there as Max walked closer to her.

“Stupid girl!” Raphael said under his breath and took steps towards her. As he got just about two steps further from her, he took a drink from the bar. As Max rose his hand to undo Alaya’s hijab, Raphael threw the drink on his face without second thoughts. In the next split second, he held Alaya’s hand, turned his back and began to walk out along with her. As he realized Alaya would be looking at him, he wondered whether she would recognize him. He thought Alaya would ask him about who he was and he wished for it too. But she didn’t. She didn’t say a single word even as they walked out of the campus. Had she did, he’d probably have taken her in his Range Rover. Now that all his fears about anyone harming her were over, he could have her in his hands and protect her. But there were absolutely no signs from her side. The fact that she was in a relationship with another guy was proof that she forgot about him. So why should he walk back in her life? She’d probably not even recognize him, if he showed his face and even introduce himself. How in the world could she remember if he described himself as that poor boy who used to talk to her about 10 years ago and who she had abandoned at the train station? She wouldn’t! And he can’t take a chance of being considered immature by the love of his life.

Raphael was hurt beyond words as he told himself that he would turn his back to Alaya. So he got her into a taxi and gave a dollar bill to a driver without even caring much about what he gave. He walked towards his Range Rover, got in it and took a U-turn though his destination was in the same direction as the taxi in front him. But no. He had to go. He had to go far far away, Raphael thought as he drove away.

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“ALAYA!!!” Raphael’s heart stopped when he heard that name after so many years. Memories flashed back right before his eyes as he thought about that name. How he’d run to catch up with her. How he had returned her paper. How he had saved her from embarrassment. How they’d gotten close after that. How they’d talked with all smiles each and every day for a whole year.

It wasn’t that those memories ever left him that he was remembering them one by one at the moment. Those memories stuck in his heart like a scar that refused to heal. But it all came back to him more vividly than ever before because someone else reminded him of her. But why? Why would he be reminded of her by someone else?

The moment Raphael thought of that question was the moment that Layaan began to talk.

“It was you who took her away from me! She would have liked me if you weren’t going after her left and right. I tried so many ways but she wouldn’t even look at me. Do you even realize the humiliation I had to face because I wasn’t getting the attention of a girl I loved?!” Layaan’s voice rose as he spoke. What he said took Raphael by complete surprise. He’d never thought Layaan ever liked Alaya. But now he could make sense of the extra rage he had to face from Layaan in his childhood.

“Of course you wouldn’t! Because you were so busy having nice chats with her on the bench. I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard you took her home to your bed….”

“STOP!!!” Raphael screamed at the top of his lungs. He can’t bear to hear anyone speaking ill of the relationship he’d had with Alaya. Though he knew from the advices from his mom that having a girl even as a girlfriend like he had Alaya wasn’t right to begin with. The way Layaan spoke at that moment was proof of it. He was at fault for giving Layaan the chance to say such a thing. If he’d taken his mom’s advice and stayed away from Alaya, a scoundrel like Layaan wouldn’t have been able to say it.

But Raphael had a lot to say to him even besides that now that he found out why he was hating on him.

“Speaking ill of someone isn’t going to change anything. Do you think Alaya would be happy to hear you speak like that about her?” Raphael said with his anger building up. Layaan took a step towards him with a reddened face but then again he spoke.

“Revenge isn’t going to help either. Alaya may not be a practicing muslim girl but I must say that she does have such a character. She doesn’t like people who humiliate others and taken revenge. Don’t you think that’s the reason why perhaps she did not like you from the start?” Raphael said and Layaan chuckled as he looked away in his rage.

“So I guess it’d be better if we left each other alone and let her decide who she likes, wouldn’t it?” Raphael said with a sense of pride, being close to sure that Alaya would choose him over Layaan any day.

Layaan just gave him a stare without saying anything and Raphael began to walk outside with a feeling of triumph. He thought he’d silenced Layaan but little had he known. The moment Raphael stepped out the door, he heard Layaan laughing. Raphael turned back towards him, wanting to know what was going on.

“Do you seriously think I’d give up that easily, cowboy?!” Layaan said the beginning of the sentence with a smile but rage took over his face all over again as he called out by Raphael’s nickname.

As Raphael looked, Layaan walked into the living room, took the TV remote from the table and switched on the 40 inch TV attached to the wall. Raphael could not see what was on the TV from where he was. But when he heard a girl’s voice from it, his eyes grew wide. He hadn’t heard that voice in years but he was sure that it was none other than Alaya’s light laughter. He rushed back into the house and took a look at the screen. And there she was. Near a campfire enjoying with her friends. Tears welled up in Raphael’s eyes as he saw that face after what felt like centuries. It felt like the sweetest of dreams he’d had in such a long time as he saw her smile. But it didn’t take long for it to turn into a nightmare as he heard Layaan talk.

“This is where Alaya is right at this moment tonight. Surprised? I knew you’d try to pull something like you did just now. So I sent some men to always watch what she does. If you try to play smart, something like this might happen.” Layaan said and Raphael crossed his eyebrows as it was not clear to him.

Layaan took out his phone and called someone as Raphael looked.

“Hello Micheal my friend!…you see Alaya there? Send someone to tell her to fetch something away from people. Meet her there and do whatever you want with her. Yes…whatever you feel like!” Raphael’s eyes grew wide as he heard Layaan say those words. Within a split second his eyes moved towards the screen again. He saw a girl go and whisper something in Alaya’s ears.

“No…” the word spilled from his mouth as a whisper as he saw Alaya getting up. His heart raced as he saw Alaya walking away from the group of people at the camp. He ended up saying the same word as he saw someone following her towards the darkness. His eyes became desperate as he lost sight of her and the man into the darkness.

“Michael! What are you doing?” Raphael heard Alaya saying and he had a hard time breathing.

“Leave! Let me go!!!” Alaya said and just then, Raphael heard the tear of a dress.

“NO! Stop….stop him right there!!!” Raphael shouted out at Layaan. Layaan sighed coolly and took his phone to make a call again. A ringtone was heard from the TV as he called.

“Michael that would be enough for tonight.” Layaan said and Raphael saw Michael walk out from the darkness. He yearned to see Alaya’s state but Layaan switched off the TV.

“I hope you have some idea of what I can do now.” Layaan said with a smile.

“And you said you loved her?! This is what you do to the person you love? You are just being a self-centered and self-obsessed freak who wants to have Alaya just to save his image that got ruined in childhood.”

“Say what you may. But this is what’s going to happen if you try to meet her. But you won’t be able to go out of town I’m afraid. Especially after you know what your father is diagnosed with…”

“What….what happened to him?” Raphael asked in a concerned voice as he remembered getting his father’s tests done due to him feeling weak for weeks.

“Hehe….guess even fate is on your enemy’s side, cowboy. Your father is in the second stage of blood cancer.” Raphael felt like his world came to a halt as he heard those words.

“Wh…where is he?” Raphael said with his voice fading into a whisper. Just then, Ahmed laughed.

“He mustn’t have seen the news on the way here, son. What was the title again? A man in a wheelchair got into a car accident due to a speeding car.” Ahmed said and Raphael’s breath caught in his throat as he remembered his father saying that he’d be going to a restaurant nearby with some of his friends. At once, Raphael found himself making a run to go to his father.

“He’s in the ER of the hospital I work at. Just so you know….” Layaan called out as Raphael was running. He did not even look back, got in his car and raced out of the parking lot.

When Raphael reached the hospital, he was told that his father was in surgery. He anxiously waited for the surgery to end and luckily, his father was stable when he was taken out despite the serious diagnosis he had. Those words of Layaan kept ringing in Raphael’s head as he sat near his father’s bed in a private room. He cried to himself looking at the injuries on his father’s face and blaming himself for it. As he sat, his phone began to ring. He took the call though he didn’t know who was calling.

“See what we can do?” he heard none other than Layaan’s voice. Raphael got up in rage and walked out of the room.

“Why in the world would you do this to my father? I will make you pay for this!” Raphael warned.

“Whoa! As a son of a lawyer, I’m not scared of that. Simply put, my father and I did that to make you our puppet. To make you do what we want.”

“I AM NOT doing anything you ask me to do, do you hear me?”

“Oh really? Have a look at the last video I sent you on whatsapp.”

Raphael sighed and opened Whatsapp on his phone. He had received a video message just a minute before Layaan called. He opened the message and then again saw Alaya. He played the video with shaky fingers and saw Alaya walking on the street, with the same man that Raphael saw on the TV following her. Raphael saw nervousness on Alaya’s face as she realized someone was following her. His eyes grew wide open as he saw the man taking out a big knife from the back of his jeans. The video ended just at that moment. Raphael gritted his teeth and put the phone back on his ears.

“You can’t do this to her. I’ll kill you if you try to harm her in anyway.” Raphael ended up saying without thought.

“Well….you can only do that AFTER something happens to Alaya now that my men are already there. If you want her to be safe, you will do what we say.”

***

Raphael sighed as he remembered that day as he sat in his car. If only…..if only she knew the sacrifices he made for her.

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Raphael’s POV

Raphael sighed, as he stepped out onto the pouch of that small house. The cloud of breath vapour that he made him realize how cold it was getting as the night fell deeper. But he felt a warmth, deep inside his heart as he remembered the words that he’d heard just now. The words that came from a person he held dear to his heart for all his life. More so since those words depicted what he had wanted to hear so desperately for long 10 years that passed. Those words were not direct but they were enough for him to know that what he yearned to hear was in fact true. The fact that he had someone who loved him back.

A pain emerged in his chest as he began to walk away and thought about his ‘love life’ that was on the verge of being cease to exist. Or he wasn’t sure it ever existed. Until tonight. When he heard those words.

“Well maybe you don’t get to do that because you never told them you wanted to be with them. And even when they came back you pushed them away.”

Raphael paused near his car, holding the door knob as those words echoed in his head. He looked up at the house right in front of him that he’d just left behind. How he wanted to walk back right into it and tell her that he loved her too. That he never stopped. That he never was able to stop though he tried every single way he could. That it always came back though he might forget for a few moments. That he had sleepless nights missing those few conversations he’d had with her.

But he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t be able to say any of it. Raphael had a hard time letting out the breath he had been holding as he thought of it. He opened the door of his car and got into it. He did not want to wait any longer and hence build up the determination to not look back. But he couldn’t. He put his key in the ignition and then again looked back at that house. At that moment, he started remembering every memory that led him to this day.

He was living a normal life like every young man would. And he could probably have been living that life if not for the money that Allah had blessed him with. Little had he known when he started earning that kind of money that it will get him in trouble.

“Raphael! Hussain turned out to be a cheat! He fled with the money.” the day he heard those lines while he was peacefully sitting in his cabin was the day his life took a turn towards a dark chapter.

“What?! He couldn’t have done such a thing. We trusted him for 3 years!” Raphael stood to his feet as his voice echoed in his cabin. But his utter disbelief in the situation did not help him in the least bit. His closest shareholder had cheated on him. He tried to contact Hussain, who had become one of his closest friends too. It was however, of no use. The number he called was not responding and neither did Hussain tried to call him or any of the other employees. Except for a message that he left for Raphael’s personal assistant.

“He said he did it for someone who would help him with his mother’s surgery, sir.” Raphael heard his assistant say.

“But weren’t we already sending him money to help him?” Raphael said, trying to digest what was happening in his company.

“I told him so but he said he did not receive any money.” Raphael heard that and he paused. He realized at that moment that he was being cheated on. Not by Hussain. But by someone who was trying to take over his company. He’d received messages some months ago from an unknown number blackmailing him that he’d have to give up everything he had or his father and he would suffer a great deal. He’d tracked the owner of the number.

“We won’t harm you in anyway. Just tell us why you sent those messages honestly and you would be safe. You may get a reward for telling the truth too.” Raphael told the middle aged man once his personal assistant, Maanih took him to his home. The man looked rather poor and too naïve to send such a message.

“I’m telling you sir I did not do such a thing. I am too busy driving my cab all day I barely get to message my own family.” the man replied in a begging tone. And it turned out to be so, when Raphael found out more about him with the help of Maanih.

Just as Raphael concluded that the man was innocent, he received a message from another number saying that he won’t be able to find his enemy just yet. But he will find soon. Raphael tracked down the owner of that number as well but he too turned out to be an innocent man.

Few days later, another trusted shareholder of Raphael’s said that he would like to cancel all the contracts he’d signed with him.

“I’m sorry Raphael but after what you did to Hussain, you don’t have such a good rapport with the other employees either. They doubt your kindness and humility and I’m afraid I have the same concerns. And so I am making this decision.” Zaid had told him. And that was the last day he saw Zaid from any part of his company.

What Zaid said turned out to be true. Each of his shareholders was backing away from him one by one. Rumours filled the air first within his employees and soon it made its way into the media. When his whole business’s image was at stake, Maanih recommended him to get a lawyer.

“We could get help from the police to track down the person who blackmails you every once in a while. And then fight against him in court. I think lawyer Ahmed Saleem would do a great job for us. He is Egyptian too so don’t you think you too will get along, sir.” Maanih said. Raphael thought about the idea and gave him a nod. Both of them failed to realize that they were just heading towards a cage made by their enemy. That Maanih’s ears were filled by some of his friends about the lawyer just that night to get a hold of Raphael.

Raphael arranged an appointment with Ahmed just the next night. After a short and pleasant conversation with Ahmed on the phone, he had invited Raphael to visit his house. So Raphael wore his suit and got in his car to go meet his lawyer. After a half an hour drive, he reached a luxurious mansion that he’d thought would be impossible for a non-citizen to have in New York. But there he was, looking at the mansion that overlooked a pathway with greenery on both sides. He parked his car in a small parking zone made on the side of the mansion and got out of the car. The security guards stood by as he walked in. He rang the doorbell once and no one opened. With the second ring, he heard footsteps from inside. When the man who walked towards the door from the inside finally opened the door, Raphael’s breath caught in his throat.

“We meet again, cowboy!” it was none other than Layaan who stood right in front of him. The boy who bullied him and encouraged others to do the same in the most disgusting ways. Raphael was taken aback at first, seeing his face after so many years. But he gained courage, when he realized what he’d accomplished after all that he had done to him.

“Move away! I came to meet the lawyer who lives in this house.” Raphael said, being oblivious to the fact that the lawyer might be related to Layaan.

“Oh so you came for an important meeting? With a very important person I suppose?” Layaan said, refusing to budge from his position.

“I said move!” Raphael said, pushing on his shoulder and barging into the house.

“You that desperate to meet my father?” Layaan asked in a mocking tone and Raphael stopped in his tracks.

“He is, son. We made him do so, Alas!” said Ahmed, who was walking down the spiral stairs. It took Raphael by horror, as he saw the same kind of smile on both Ahmed and Layaan’s face and it took him a second to realize who his real enemy was.

“What do you both want from me?” Raphael asked, looking from Ahmed and Layaan.

“Huh! Piece of my mind I must say. You really don’t know what you did do you? Or are you just pretending?” Layaan asked, with an anger building up in his voice.

“What exactly did I do?” Raphael asked, genuinely wanting to know.

“Well all I’m interested in is your money Raphael. I usually end my conning acts with a few court cases but I took this one a little far when I came to know the role you played in my son’s life.” Ahmed said calmly as if it was a daily conversation. Raphael was more confused when he heard those words so he was about to say something to Layaan. But he was paused when Layaan screamed.

“ALAYA!!!” Raphael’s heart stopped when he heard that name after so many years.

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