Not Again
“Carlo, I…”
“Shhh, don’t say anything. I know what I need to know. Caroline and I will have some fun tonight; it depends on you how long that lasts. If I find out you’ve told your beloved Sheikh anything, I’ll kill her. Understand me well; I’m not joking. I told you once that you are mine, and you’ll continue to be mine no matter what until the day of your death. I prefer you dead before being with another man. You have only tonight to decide, either you come to my side or you’ll receive Caroline’s corpse. We’ll be waiting for your call.”
Carlo hung up the phone, and Aisha trembled uncontrollably. Luckily, she was alone at that moment, or they would have noticed what was happening.
“My Peque, God, Allah, or whoever is listening to me, what should I do?” She cried inconsolably. Ahmed entered the room at that moment, and she wiped her tears, trying to compose herself.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing, I think it’s just the hormones; they’re making me very sensitive.”
Ahmed approached and hugged her, then placed his hand on her belly.
“Little troublemaker, you’re making Mommy cry. I know that when I hold you in my arms, all these moments will be worth it. The wait to have our child with us feels endless.”
Aisha couldn’t hold back and started crying again. She knew what this child meant to Ahmed, and she feared she might never hold him in her arms.
“Don’t be silly, no need to cry. You have a husband who loves you madly, and you carry in your womb the most beloved baby in the world. We’re together, and we’ll be together forever. So, no more tears.”
He said while taking out a handkerchief to dry her face, then gave her a tender kiss.
“Let’s go eat; I’m starving and need to get back to the office.”
“Could we eat here? I’m feeling a bit tired.”
“Of course, I’ll order the food right away. Do you need me to call the doctor?”
“No, I just need to rest.”
They ate in silence, and Ahmed sensed that something was bothering Aisha, but he had no idea what it was. Perhaps she was worried about the situation. Aisha observed him when he didn’t notice, finding him very attractive. His features would please anyone, and that muscular body was tempting.
She thought that if she left, he would eventually find someone to love, and that thought hurt her deeply. She felt a pain in her chest just thinking about it. She had been foolish not to appreciate what she truly had. Now that she might lose him, she realized it.
“There’s something bothering you; I know you too well,” Ahmed said.
“I told you, it’s just the pregnancy hormones.”
“I’ll trust you. I need to go back to the office.” He got up and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
When he left, Aisha felt very alone. She looked around the room and started crying again, remembering all the moments she had spent with Caroline. At that moment, she made a decision. She picked up the phone and dialed Caroline’s number, and Carlo answered.
“So, you’ve decided quickly. It seems you really want your sister.”
“Let her go.”
“I’ll set her free once you’re with me.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Well, you’ll have to. You have no other choice. Either you come, or she dies.”
“You’re a damn son of a b***h.”
“I love you too, my dear.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“You’ll write a letter, telling your beloved Sheikh that you’ve realized you don’t love him. You’ll know what to write to make it convincing. Then, you’ll leave the palace at dawn, figure out how to bypass the security, and walk to the right side, a few blocks from the palace. I’ll be waiting in the van.”
“And Caroline?”
“I’ll take her with me; I’ll release her once I see you arrive. Don’t even think about tricking me, or Caroline will die.”
“Fine, I’ll leave the palace at four in the morning.”
“I’ll be eagerly waiting.”
Aisha hung up the phone and cried again. She touched her belly. “Don’t be afraid, baby, Mommy will take care of you.”
That night, Ahmed, without suspecting anything, returned from work. The days were tough; they were investigating all of Arkham’s and Assid Amin’s businesses, gathering evidence to bring them down.
When he arrived, Aisha greeted him effusively. “Hey, be careful!” he exclaimed, laughing. Aisha’s enthusiasm almost made him lose his balance.
“Sorry, I just want you to understand that I love you. No matter what happens, please don’t doubt it. Promise me.”
“I promise. Aisha, look me in the eyes, something’s wrong.”
“Nothing is wrong, I’m just getting nervous with everything that’s happening.”
Ahmed went to shower, and Aisha did the same, each in their own bathroom, lost in their thoughts as the water fell over their bodies.
When they got out, Ahmed was surprised to find Aisha wearing a transparent babydoll; it was part of the lingerie Amira had given her for their honeymoon, which she hadn’t used.
“Wow! Pregnancy suits you very well,” he said, approaching to caress her breasts, which had already started to grow due to the pregnancy.
He began to caress her, inhaling her soft scent, removing anything that got in the way, kissing every inch of her body. She turned to straddle him, and Ahmed laughed in a way that she found very sexy. He leaned closer to her ear to tell her, “I want you to remember me forever.”
Now, she was the one kissing and caressing his entire body. Ahmed let himself go, and she moved on top of him, slowly increasing her pace as her body demanded. They exploded together, feeling waves of pleasure running through their entire beings.
“Wow, that was ufff… speechless,” said Ahmed.
She just hugged him, and they got up to take a shower. Then they returned to bed. In the early morning, Aisha got dressed, placing the extended hijab on her pillow, and on top of it, she placed the note Carlo had asked her to write.
She left carefully, trying not to make any noise. She chose that hour because there was a guard change. She exited through the garden and walked to the right, as Carlo had instructed.
After a while, she saw the dark van in the distance, and Carlo was leaning on it. She didn’t see Caroline and hesitated to approach.
Carlo noticed her and ran towards her, hugging her tightly. Aisha looked pale.
“Mía, my Mía, we’ll finally be together.”
“Where is Caroline?”
“In the van, let’s go.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
“No, I want her to get out.”
Carlo made a gesture of disgust and signaled to a man who emerged from the darkness. The man approached the van and got Caroline out.
Aisha was horrified to see her sister battered. She ran towards her, and Caroline had a distant look in her eyes.
“What have you done to my sister?”
“I did nothing. I just let my men have some fun with her.”
“Peque, Peque, react! It’s me, Aisha.”
“To hell with that name! Your name is Mía, and I don’t want to hear it again.”
“Let my sister go; you promised.”
“She stays here, I promise you.”
He signaled to the man standing next to Caroline, who got back into the van with Mía. She looked back at her sister, standing alone on the curb, praying that someone with a good heart would find and help her.
As the van disappeared from sight, the man emerged from the shadows and approached Caroline, stabbing her.
“I’m sorry, gorgeous. I had a lot of fun with you. This isn’t against you, it’s against Vincenzo.”
Caroline’s face twisted in pain, and she placed her hand over the wound before collapsing onto the ground.
Vincenzo, who was staying in a hotel nearby, woke up with a start, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. He had met with Ahmed that afternoon to include Carlo in their plan. As a mafia boss, Vincenzo couldn’t present the evidence to the authorities, but Ahmed could gather all the evidence he could find and send it to the Sheikh.
A patrol car passed by and spotted Caroline. They immediately called an ambulance; her condition was critical.
Ahmed woke up the next morning, looking for Aisha, but all he found was her hijab and the note on top of the pillow. Curious, he opened it.
“Ahmed, forgive me. I have decided to leave. I can’t handle everything that’s happening. I know you’re looking forward to this child, but that’s precisely why I’m leaving. I don’t want him to grow up in this environment. If you love me, please don’t look for me.”
The Sheikh’s face contorted with pain and fury. He tore up the letter, breaking everything that was there. As he destroyed Aisha’s belongings, he suddenly realized that all her things were still there-her bag, her jewelry, her cell phone, and her passport. She wouldn’t leave without those; she needed money and her passport to leave the country.
He checked her phone and found a record of the calls from Caroline’s number. He knew she had been kidnapped by Carlo.
He ordered his guards to search the area, Zafir to investigate, and then called Vinizzio to tell him what was happening.
Zafir called a couple of hours later.
“Hello, Zafir.”
“Sir, Roman’s private plane took off a few hours ago.”
“Damn it.”
“Sir?”
“A woman was found lying a few blocks from the palace; she was stabbed.”
Ahmed felt like the world was crashing down on him-his wife and his child. No, Allah couldn’t do this to him again.
“Where is she? I want to see her.”
“She’s at the central hospital; I’m on my way there.”
“I’ll come immediately.”
He rushed out of the palace, and when Vinizzio arrived and saw him in such a bad state, he decided to accompany him.
When they reached the hospital, they inquired about the girl. They were told she was in surgery, and the wait felt endless for both of them. One thought it was Aisha, and the other thought it was Caroline.
Finally, the doctors came out of the operating room, and when they saw it was the Sheikh, they attended to them immediately.
“She’ll be transferred to a room; her condition is critical. We’ll know in a few hours if she’ll survive.”
The two men looked at each other, both crying. Ahmed didn’t care anymore if they saw him in such a state.
When they were allowed to enter the room, they saw that it was Caroline.
“Darling, no, not you, my little one, I can’t bear to see you go through this again,” Vinizzio said, tears streaming down his face. Ahmed understood perfectly well what he was feeling, but he held onto the hope that Aisha and their child were still alive.