Aisha arrived in Dubai along with the nanny the following night. Ahmed didn’t wait for her to step off the plane; he went up as soon as they arrived. Public displays of affection were not well-received in his country, but he wanted to embrace his wife.
“My love, you have made me the happiest person in this world. A child, Aisha! Soon we will have a little one who will depend on us, whom we will protect and love more than anything.” He took her in his arms and spun her around as she laughed, excited to see him so happy.
When they reached the palace, they accompanied the nanny to her room and then went to their own.
“Now I can talk to and kiss my child.” While she lay down, he uncovered her belly and started kissing it while speaking tenderly.
“I don’t think the baby can hear you yet; it’s still too tiny.”
“Let me have that illusion.”
They slept as they always had since they got married, holding each other, with Ahmed behind her, feeling like that was how he could protect her.
The next day, he would have to appear before the Tribunal. His mother and Arkham insisted on punishing Amira. He couldn’t believe what those two were capable of just to hurt them.
In the morning, after Ahmed left, Aisha stayed with Amira. The poor girl seemed to have lost several kilos in such a short time, and dark circles were marked around her eyes, making them look sunken. As soon as Amira saw Aisha, she hugged her, and later, the Sheikha was sitting on the bed with Amira lying with her head on her lap. She felt calm in the company of her sister-in-law, and Aisha lovingly stroked her hair.
“They made sure to ruin my life. Now I’ll be repudiated and shamed; my friends will turn their backs on me, and I’ll never get married.”
“Ahmed has a suspicion about who might have done this. He had the samples taken by the doctor sent for analysis without the Tribunal or your mother’s knowledge. Foreign experts are handling it.”
“For some, women are nothing more than pieces of meat to be discarded. They refuse to give us the value we deserve. Whoever did this deserves to be punished in Hell.”
“Absolutely. How is the wound doing?” Aisha asked, touching the bandage still on her head.
“I had a contusion; they gave me stitches to close the wound, but it’s improving rapidly. You know, that little one growing inside you will bring light to our lives. I cried when Ahmed told me; I’m happy for both of you.”
“Thank you.”
Ahmed was trying to buy time with the Tribunal until he had the laboratory results in his hands. He wouldn’t hand over his sister even if the entire country turned against him. He threatened his mother and everyone involved; no one else should know what had happened to his sister, or they would be whipped.
In Italy, Carlo received news that left him frozen. He exploded in fury, destroying everything in his path.
“A thousand curses on them! She was right in front of me several times. How they must be laughing now. Come to think of it, I told that idiot some things during my bachelor party; he knows more than he should. We have to get rid of him.”
His men had just informed him that it was Ahmed who had taken Mia. An employee from the hangar had been tempted by the money they offered and told them that on that day, he saw some men take a bride onto a private plane, which belonged to Ahmed Assad.
“Quel dannato vedrá scorrere il suo sangue (that damned man will see his blood flow),” he exclaimed, deeply upset.
Vittoria wanted to see what was happening, hearing that he was breaking everything in his path. Greta wouldn’t let her go; her pregnancy was advanced, and if Carlo saw her in that state while he was so furious, he might hurt her.
“Sir, we found out they were in New York; the Sheikh returned to Dubai first, and the lady traveled yesterday.”
“It was my chance, damn it! It will be very difficult to reach her on his territory. I’ll have to go back and pretend I don’t know. That’s the only way.”
Carlo was a clever man, but he couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed. Several ideas were swirling in his head; he even thought about kidnapping Caroline and exchanging her for Mia so that Vincenzo, even if unwilling, would have to move in his favor.
“I have to see which option suits me best.” His men remained silent, listening.
Zaro signaled them to leave quietly. He noticed a malicious smile on his boss’s face, and staying there would be a huge mistake; he might take it out on anyone at that moment.
“The boss is so obsessed with that woman; he’s almost gone mad,” one of the men said after they left.
“Shut up, idiot. If he hears you, he’ll cut out your tongue, or worse,” another replied.
“Vittoria, Vittoriaaaa,” he started shouting like a madman.
“Poor woman, he’ll take it out on her,” Zaro said. She was beautiful, and he didn’t understand why his boss didn’t love her.
Vittoria rushed to the office; Greta was bathing at that moment.
“What’s going on, Carlo?” she asked, panting, her hands on her belly.
“Mia will be back with me soon. I will start the divorce proceedings today. Once your child is born, you will devote yourself to taking care of my wife.”
“Whatever you say,” she said, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to come out.
“You know, seeing how you’ve become, I think that child shouldn’t be born. You’ll want to put it above mine with Mia.” He lifted his foot and delivered a strong blow to the woman’s belly, and the intense pain she felt made her scream loudly. Greta came out of the bathroom and ran to where they were upon hearing Vittoria’s screams. Zaro, who was standing outside the office, clenched his fists tightly; he knew that intervening would be a death sentence.
“Carlo, please, save my child, it hurts!” Vittoria cried out.
“Shut up! As far as I’m concerned, you and that bastard can go to hell.”
He was about to kick her again when he felt a strong blow to his back; it was Greta, furious.
“You evil son, you’re a demon. There’s not an ounce of humanity in you.”
She cursed him while landing blow after blow, and Carlo only covered his face with his hands. Hitting his mother was the only thing he wouldn’t do.
“Zaro!” Greta cried out desperately. “Call an ambulance right now. My daughter-in-law and my grandson’s lives are in danger; she’s losing a lot of blood. Hurry!”
“Right away, ma’am.”
“If Vittoria or my grandson die, you’ll forget you had a mother. You’ll have to take care of that woman; her life will be in exchange for theirs. So pray to God or the devil that it doesn’t happen.”
The ambulance arrived shortly; there was a nearby hospital where the poor woman was taken.
In Dubai, after seven days of waiting, Ahmed received the results. He had forced some men to provide samples, including Mahib and Abdil Amin. Ahmed called Abdil before him and struck him without hesitation. Zafir had to restrain him because he thought he might kill him.
“Sir, think about your wife and your child; stop this,” Zafir said.
“You’re right. I will hand over this coward, and whether they like it or not, they’ll have to judge him. Our laws imprison raped women while giving their abusers light punishments or nothing at all. Zafir, take him away; let him be locked up, then bring my mother and Arkham before me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Mahib, who had observed everything, approached the Sheikh, nervously daring to speak to him.
“Sir, I love Amira. I don’t care about what happened; if you authorize it, I want to marry her.”
Ahmed was surprised. He hadn’t thought that the timid-looking boy would be willing to go against his family and society by marrying Amira.
“Are you sure? You’ll have to face many difficulties, and you know perfectly what I mean.”
“I don’t care. We had plans to get married even before this; nothing will change that.”
“Very well, if she agrees, I give you my authorization, and I’ll make sure your rights are respected.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Later, Zafir arrived with Basima and Arkham; Aracha was with them.
“How dare you bring me here like a common criminal!” Basima said.
“This will be the last time I speak to you. Listen to me in complete silence because you’ve pushed me over the edge,” two men with large whips stood by his side, so they decided to listen quietly. “Mother, if you interfere with me, my wife, or any of my brothers again, you will be confined somewhere for the rest of your life, and I assure you it won’t be in a palace. Arkham, if you plan anything else to harm any of us, I will reveal the results of the investigation I conducted to the Tribunal and international media. I have evidence that you own several illegal bars, selling alcohol to nationals without a license. Furthermore, I order you to immediately put an end to the prostitution ring you’ve been running in hotels. Stop filling them with foreign women who pretend to be tourists and prostitute themselves. You know it now; now leave.”
Zafir took them away. Aracha thought that if he hadn’t said anything to her, it was because she wasn’t worth it.
Ahmed had turned away and felt arms around his waist.
“I know you feel something for me, that’s why you didn’t humiliate me in front of your mother,” Aracha said, pressing her lips to Ahmed’s ear.
“Get away from me. You’re my brother’s wife, and even if you weren’t, it’s time you understand: you didn’t interest me before, you don’t interest me now, and you never will. I love my wife; now I’m going to be a father, and I don’t need anyone else.”
Aracha was left shocked, her face showed total surprise and disappointment; that woman would have the Sheikh’s heir.
“Please leave. Get out of the palace,” he said and walked away, leaving her alone.
Aracha changed her surprise to fury. She slipped through the shadows to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and headed to Aisha’s room.
“We’ll see if you don’t notice me when your wife and that bastard die,” she hurried, completely unhinged.