Chapter 14

Aaliyah told Mahmoud she needed a young man to marry not a man of old age having a wife and children who are in the age of marriage such as his son Omar. Mahmoud felt nervous and shocked of her words as she never told him that before, he didn't find any thing to say, so Aaliyah suddenly stood up and moved to the door to get out, but Mahmoud ran towards her to prevent her from leaving his office then caught her hands strongly and said offensively:

- A young man of your age?! You tell me that now!! Why didn't you tell me that before? You left me dreaming of being your lover, husband and I considered you as my dream that I was about to reach.

Mahmoud was very angry feeling he is losing his dream, love and life and that touched Aaliyah's heart who looked at him with a mixture of shame, embarrassment and fear together, and tried to say something but she stuttered and could not find the words to answer him, especially since he was a raging rebel, but she soon remembered that she would marry Hussam in a month or less as they agreed together. Her silence aroused doubts in Mahmoud's heart and brain as well, so he asked her in a doubt:

- Does your silence mean that there really is some one in your life?! You tricked me and played with my heart and emotions, Didn't you?!

Aaliyah was completely shocked by his anger and raging rebel that collapsed and couldn't prevent her tears then said:

- I can't hide it any more, I love Hossam and we are getting married very soon, sir.

Mahmoud left her hand feeling he was a joke for Aaliyah however he asked her quietly or pretended to be quiet:

- Hossam?! Who is that man?!

She moved away some of her tears then answered:

- Hossam Mustafa, who works with us at the bank here.

Only here Mahmoud felt that he was just a bridge on which she crossed to reach Hossam. He felt that he was suffocating, and his pulses were almost accelerating as if they were leading him to a black hole to swallow him, he didn't know to where he would get to out of it or when he would got out of it if he were to got out of it at all. His shock was great, tears found a way to come out of his eyes at the end, He didn't realize the last time he was collapsed like that, he was never like that before.

Aaliyah felt very sad for him and kept apologizing to him saying:

- Forgive me, please, I'm seriously sorry, forgive me.

Mahmoud remained silent, gathering all his strength or feelings together, but it was too hard for him to do this.

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In the House of Mahmoud Hefzy in Cairo.

Mahmoud returned home with difficulty, so he was groping the walls and leaning on them until he went up to his apartment and pressed the doorbell, he could not get the key to his apartment out of his pocket, his wife opened the door for him, on whom he fell with all his exhausted body, she could not carry him alone, so she screamed at her son Hadi, who rushed to her and carried his father with her and let him into his bedroom. Huda tried to wake him up with some water and perfume until he woke up, she was very worried about her husband, as well as Hadi, who hugged his father when he woke up and asked him in great concern:

- What is wrong with you, Daddy? What has happened?

- Thank God, I'm cool. I feel better, son. Don't worry.

- What happened, Mahmoud?

Huda asked her husband in a worry.

- I am fine, Huda. It's a little pressure at work and I am okay now, no need to be worried and please don't tell Omar or Toka so as not to be annoyed or bothered. You can get back to your room, Hadi to continue your studying.

- I can't leave you, father in this case.

- I am good, son. Please go.

- Listen to your father's advice, Hadi and go to your room and study well.

- Okay, mom. Get better soon dad, see you.

Huda felt that Mahmoud had something to say to her and wanted Hadi to go out so that he did not know what Mahmoud wanted to talk about so that he would not be distracted from his studies by anything. As a wife and a woman she knew it was something related to his second marriage that he told her about a week ago, she asked him quietly:

- What really happened to you, Mahmoud? I know it's something big that makes you like this.

- I felt a big stranglehold and couldn't breathe in. I thought I was going to die before reaching home.

Huda felt very worried and said:

- Why? What happened at work and made you suffer like that?!

- Just forget it now and answer my question honestly, Huda.

- What is it?!

Mahmoud looked to his wife in the eyes and asked her:

- Why didn't you ask me about that woman I was going to marry?!

- And what makes it different if I knew about her, Mahmoud?!

- The curiosity of all the women in the world makes you ask, unless you know all the answers to the questions.

- Even if it doesn't matter at the moment, but I will tell you, in the same day you told me about the decision of marriage, I got a message from a strange number saying " Watch out your husband as he is going to marry that woman named Aaliyah, working with him in the same bank" I didn't care about it and felt that that speech is incorrect, even I deleted the message. In the same day you told me about your marriage then I knew the message was correct.

Mahmoud felt surprised and asked his wife:

- Then who sent that message?!

- I didn't care about it as the message content was correct.

- Of course.

Although Mahmoud knew that Huda's words were logical, it would not do any good to know the secret of this message now, but he thought about it just for moments, then he paid attention to the most important thing, which was his wife Huda, and he looked at her with love, appreciation and regret, and then he said:

- Now I knew that I was wrong, I made a mistake and I regret it, I'm sorry, Huda. Please forgive me; you will remain my first and last love and wife. I love you too much.

Huda smiled and hugged her husband and said in love:

- And I don't want to know what happened between you and that woman, or what made you quit it all, let's let it go.

Mahmoud felt very happy with her love and respect and prayed:

- May our Lord bless you for all of us my beloved wife.