How To Get A Divorce From A Billionaire ?

Episode 42

_" You're looking very beautiful Noursine" Eliyas commented once, in the summer of my second year in college.
I remember i was a guest in Ines's birthday party when Eliyas Filladi said these words to me.
when mrs Filladi called our house's line one summer morning and she personally invited me to her daughter's birthday party i was beyond surprised that i initially thought she called the wrong number.  Since we were in college vacations at the time, i naturally had to go through the struggle of going back to D city from my home town in a 6 hours long bus trip, and to stay in the empty student residence risking my own safety in order to attend to that party, it was quite a struggle in fact, but even when i initially wanted to refuse the invitation my grandmother threatened that she will kick me out of the house to the student residence for the rest of the summer if i did that, so i of course had no choice but to go eventually.
At the time, i was so nervous and had no idea what to wear nor what to take as a present to Ines, thankfully Azziz came to my rescue, not only he helped me choose a convenient dress for the party, he even went so far as to ask one of his tutors to draw me a beautiful Arabic calligraphy painting, he draw the shape of a golden peacock on a black background, and the beautifully painted words in the shape of a peacock held wishes of prosperousness and wealth for Ines.
The painting was so gorgeous that i thanked Azziz and the tutor with tears of joy, and they both refused to take any payment for the effort.
I put on the ivory soft dress Azziz helped me pick, since i pretty much invested all my money in renting that dress i couldn't afford to go to some beauty salon to do my hair and my makeup, i didn't even have any jewelry on me except for the bracelet Azziz gifted to me for my birthday. I didn't have much knowledge in applying makeup so i decided that if i were to put it the wrong way and look like a freak then i better not put anything at all and look like a human being. i had the same logic when dealing with my hair as well so i just grabbed it all and pushed it to one side, i had a really long hair back then, i looked like a ghost, after a second thinking i held the scissors and i cut some bangs, as they perfectly hid my forehead and a bit of my cheeks, i cut my uneven hair ends and i pushed it all behind my back, it went straight hugging my back and covered a small opening in the back of the dress that made me feel very conscience, so in the end, i looked like a little sunkissed girl who just woke up in the morning and was wearing her silky sleepwear. I was not satisfied at all, but that was the best i could do.
I spent the rest of the money that i had in hiring a taxi, so i figured i had to call Nana and ask her to send me money to go home after the party because i literally went bankrupt.
Although i did that great of effort and even carried a very decent gift to the filladis, i was still treated like an outcast in the party, as i stood calmly in the corner i wondered why i was invited in the first place if i was going to spend my money in vain and end up treated like thin air!
I wanted to leave, but i knew that Nana will give me hard time if i simply walked out before the party was over, therefore i decided to patiently wait until Ines cut the cake before i leave, I wasn't so sure if that would happen actually, Since that gathering looked more like a business dinner than a birthday party. There was only few young people who i could tell they were friends with Ines, most of the invited guests were elders and famous figures in the society.
I could have easily used that party for my benefit actually, i mean to make acquaintances with them, but i was always quite an introvert in such social events, i just didn't have the courage nor the confidence to walk to them, and this is how i ended up standing alone in the corner sipping orange juice and waiting for the party to end, that was when Eliyas suddenly appeared in my sight from nowhere, he walked towards me.. after greeting me he stiffly commented:
_" you're looking very beautiful Noursine."
I smiled for the first time that evening hearing this comment, as i felt my cheeks heating up i said:
_" and you're looking very handsome as well."
_" mother invited you?" He asked to my bafflement.
_" Yes." I answered.
It was then when i noticed how uncomfortable he was when looking at me, I reflexively looked behind him, soon enough.. I caught sight of Eliyas's father, aka my uncle, and his wife, who were both looking towards us while standing with a group of businessmen, and i immediately assumed that Eliyas was sent by his father to keep me company. As i looked again towards the increasingly uneasy Eliyas with that assumption in my head i said:
_" you better go back join your family and your guests, such occasions are very important to introduce you to the society."
Eliyas smiled gently, then suggested:
_" let's go have a walk in the garden."
At the time i somehow assumed: " i must have been looking like an eyesore, Eliyas was not sent to keep me company, but to get rid of me in fact."
Believe me, if you were put in my same shoes, i bet with my life that you'll share my same line of thinking.
You see, back then, i haven't seen nor heard of Eliyas for a very long time, although when i first came to D city he used to visit me and take me to tour around the city, but by the time i became in my second year in college his visits suddenly stopped, he didn't even come see my grandmother like he used to do. So, for him to appear out of the blue and take me out of the party, there wasn't really any other explanation.
I was initially very uncomfortable in the party, but when Eliyas walked me out of the big hall where everyone gathered, instead of feeling just uncomfortable.. I felt angry.
While we were walking in the garden, My fingers were shaking with anger when i texted Azziz and i asked him to come pick me up as soon as possible, when i was sending my angry texts Eliyas suddenly asked:
_"where are you staying these days in D city? I believe your college is in vacation now."
_" it's not of your concern." I replied coldly.
I lifted my eyes to look at his.. Then i said:
_" you don't have to keep me company for any longer Eliyas, i'm serious, you go back to your party, someone will be here to pick me up very soon. I can wait alone."
My words seemed to hit him unguarded, his gentle composure became icy as he asked:
_" who's coming to pick you up?"
I didn't answer him, i felt a bit shy to do that.
_" your boyfriend?" He asked.
It was at this particular moment when my eyes coincidentally fell on a very beautiful woman who was walking towards us, it was Lydia.
That woman, she never missed a chance in which Eliyas and I were alone without coming to interrupt our private time, very mannerless.
I naturally cut our chat when i spotted her walking towards us, since it was inconvenient to talk about personal matters in front of a stranger, Eliyas who haven't noticed her though acted very much unlike his character and he shouted loudly to our surprise:
_" Are you even aware of your actions Noursine! What time is it now! It's almost nighttime! How do you dare call your boyfriend to come pick you up now? Where are you even going to?"
I ignored Lydia and i turned to look at Eliyas again, his eyes were piercing holes in me.. It was rare to see him in such a state.
At the time, i didn't know about his feelings for me, i hardly knew him at all and i assumed he was just this kind of people who act very spoiled and inconsiderate towards people. Which was a very wrong assumption after all, The only person who ever made Eliyas lose his calm temper was only me. I bet Lydia who knew him better at the time realised this too, that i was very special to him.
_" Eliyas, you're embarrassing your cousin, everyone is watching" Lydia soon commented while she intervened between us, igniting my anger towards Eliyas even more.
As i scanned our surrounding, i realised that many guests were indeed looking towards us. Their eyes were seizing me up and down, i felt like i was nothing in their eyes, this only made me even more furious, i said to Eliyas disdainfully:
_" who are you to question my morals? I do not have as much money as you do but i still have a pride and face to keep. It was my mistake coming here in the first place!"
I left in rage after i said these words not minding people staring at me, i walked until i reached the outer gate of the villa and i stood there waiting for Azziz to come.
When i thought i was finally alone and the matter was over, i suddenly heard footsteps coming closer towards me, i turned behind to see who that was.. And i found Eliyas again.
_"why are you here? Aren't you done embarrassing me yet? Was i invited just to be mocked and disrespected for no reason?" I yelled immediately.
_"does your boyfriend know that you're a relative to the Filladis?" He asked the moment he reached me.
This question was like splashing water in boiling oil, i sneered in total loath:
_" what is so special about your family? So what if he knows! Huh? Plus i'm not a relative to you Eliyas.. You and i are mere strangers."
I walked closer towards him and i said with hatred:
_" i didn't know why you invited me here today, but now i do, you wanted to remind me of my place, rest assured, i will tell nobody about the great Filladi family and i will not use your name, i will never contact you in the future so you can go back to your party now."
You see, in the second year of my journalism major we were taught how to extract a whole juicy news from a thin thread, how to turn a mere word into a full subject. I was clearly using that strategy in the wrong place with the wrong person, and i naturally reached a very distorted conclusion.
What was initially "someone's wish to protect me" turned into "someone's intention to disrespect me", and Eliyas who had no idea how to correct my totally wrong opinion of him felt so desperate that he shouted:
_"Noursine!"
Just that .. He just shouted "Noursine".
Thereby, i send my attributions to Eliyas's weird ways of expressing his emotional distress.
After calling my name in such a dramatical way, i waited for him to say anything else.. But he didn't.
I think at the moment he thought that i will just crook any words that he says, so he chose the torturing silence. I naturally had nothing more to say to him, so i just kept waiting for Azziz to come. As for Eliyas.. He just stood behind me and kept waiting for a long awkward time.
It seems like all the times i attended the filladis parties ended up with a disaster now that i recall them, somehow, Eliyas ended up being the victim every single time.
As for this particular party invitation, it came at the time when Eliyas started to become even more powerful than his father and the whole family felt increasingly threatened, i was invited to remind him that they still got hold of his weakness spot and they could use me as a pawn in whichever way that they pleased.
I can't believe i fell for their plans every single time!!
I remember the poor Eliyas just looking at my angry back without knowing what to say.
_" i'm sorry" he uttered finally.
I didn't even mind to turn and look at him, not to mention that i didn't say not even one word regarding his apology, after few other minutes,  he calmly walked back to the villa and never showed again, Azziz came in a taxi soon after, and he took me back to the dormitory then he left to his.
Back then, i threw Eliyas's matter to the back of my head, what kept my heart busy was the fact that Azziz came all the way from the far west of the country just because i was in D city and he wanted to spend few time with me, i was too in love to notice anything else.
We kept touring D city and taking pictures everywhere for the next days waiting for Nana to send me money to go back home. She was simply too lazy to go to the post office for days.
By the third day after the party i was walking back to my dormitory carrying a meal in a plastic bag with me after my Grandmother finally felt energetic and she paid a visit to the post office, when i was about to walk pass the gates i was surprised to see Eliyas waiting there.
I checked my surrounding only to find a very luxurious car parked not so far from the gate, so apparently he was waiting inside that car, and he walked out when he saw me coming.
The moment i reached him, i had the intention of ignoring him, but he said while following my steps:
_"I called Nana, she said you were not home yet, i was worried."
_" i'm going home tomorrow."
_"Noursine! Will you stop and talk with me properly!" He said imposingly.
I coldly stared at him, then i said:
_"i don't want to talk with you again, i'm going to treat you as a stranger from this day onwards."
Then i left him behind and walked inside the dormitory.
He didn't try to contact me after that, Nor i did, so we remained on a very bad terms ever since that day, until Nana gathered us all one fateful day and she said:
_"Eliyas shall marry Noursine!"
When i think back about our relationship, i can only say that this man, Eliyas Filladi, really loves me so much.
He really does.
Very much.
Otherwise why would a prideful man like him still walk back to me every time i left him behind?
Although i'm well aware of this now, i still like to cheekily ask him about this, i mean: whether he loves me or not, like the morning when we were going to the prison to see Azziz, i woke up to find an extremely gloomy looking husband, it's actually funny to observe the daily drastic changes of his mood.
_" are you awake?" He asked while fixing his attire in the mirror, the room was very brightly lit because someone opened all windows and didn't mind me sleeping.
I noticed that he was wearing an "extremely" classy suit, he was in the process of fixing "very expensive" buttons on his sleeves when he spoke with me.
Seeing how serious he was, i naturally had the urge of making fun of him, so i stood up, walked carefully towards him, and as i extended my arms under his and i hugged his back i said:
_" i had a very bad dream yesterday, i dreamed of that period before our engagement when you and i were on bad terms, it seems like i always gave you a hard time, are you sure you still love me?"
_"you sound very idle today, did i not punish you enough yesterday?" He coldly said to my reflexion in the mirror.
I hugged him even tighter, and i refused to let go.
After long moments, he finally gave up, he sighed and replied:
_" yes.. i still love you very much."
I kissed his back, then i let go of him and said:
_"and i love you too."
When i walked to the bathroom, and i had a proper look at my reflexion on the mirror, i sighed observing "the aftermath of an attack by an animal". I looked very indecent.
I washed up, put on a dress, then i tried to fix my skin with make up, although i was successful in hiding most of the "love marks", they were still faintly showing.
When i finally walked to the breakfast table and i sat in front of Nana, she suddenly commented after taking few bites from her breakfast:
_" hijab really comes handy in some situations."
I felt so embarrassed!
Nana had poor eyesight yet she still noticed them and couldn't help but throw a comment.
I gazed at Eliyas blaming him for my embarrassment, that shameless man though! He looked so proud!
When we finally walked out of the villa and sat inside his car, i couldn't help but say:
_" Eliyas, if you do this again then i will not let you touch me!"
_" wasn't you who initiated?" He replied with a chuckle.
_" i'm serious! If you deliberately do this in the future then i will send you back to the life of abstinence!"
He unfastened his seat belt, then he gave me a gentle peck to my forehead before he said:
_" today is a special occasion, i want some people to release that only i could truly get you."
As he retreated to his seat, fastened his seatbelt and started driving the car i thought:
"Isn't he just acting excessively childish?"