Coming Home (English Version)

55. Sorry

Hamdan

"You talked to her? What do you mean you talked to her?" Layla yells as the wind blows the hair away from her face on the private beach in front of our villa.

"Hey, I thought the deal was that we were going to be honest with each other without getting mad," I remind her.

She growls, turns around to take a couple of steps on the white sand and then comes back. "But this is Nafisah we're talking about! After everything I told you!"

"What was I supposed to do?" I shrug.

"Leave!" She replies bug eyed. "Get up and leave!"

I exhale and bring my hands into the pockets of my shorts. "There's more."

Her face falls. "More?"

I tell her everything. I tell her how Nafisah followed me, the conversation that happened, that she got a hold of my phone number and even texted me.

Layla covers her face with both hands. "This is unbelievable," she says with a muffled voice.

"At least her number is blocked now, unlike Farouk's number on your phone," I had to say it. I had to! It's been bothering me since she finished telling me her side of the story.

Her hands go down to her hips. "I didn't have to, it wasn't necessary, you know? He understands, he is respectful."

Oh, please, tell me more about all the wonderful things he is!

The conversation is already heated and for the sake of my marriage I won't say what I'm thinking. Well, only some of it.

"I can't believe you went to him instead of me when you got those pictures," I accuse with my index finger pointing at her. "Do you know how dangerous that could have turned out to be? I am going to track those people down and we're getting back those pictures! The— the computer or hard drive or whatever they're stored in! I won't rest until we get it all back."

"It is settled, Hamdan!"

I lift my arms up and let fall back down. "Don't be naive, Layla! They will come back! Sooner or later!"

She sighs, crosses her arms and stares at the ocean for a while. "How did it feel?" She finally asks.

"What?"

"When you talked to her, when she said those things to you, when you got her messages," she elaborates with her voice on the verge of breaking. "Because when I talked to Farouk it was— it was nice, you know? It felt good and I hate that I got that type of feeling from someone else other than you."

I have to remind myself that she's only trying to be honest because it makes me sick to think that any other man made her feel what I couldn't make her feel.

I look down at my feet and then lift my head again. "You should've come to me but I understand why you didn't. I should've never entertained Nafisah with any sort of conversion but I did and for that I am sorry."

She wipes a tear from her cheek. "I'm sorry too."

My feet sink in the sand as I take two steps forward. "You're right, it's nice having someone showing interest but it's definitely not worth the risk of losing everything else," I swallow the lump in my throat. "Layla, we fought so hard for this. We were ready to leave it all so we could be together."

A sob escapes her mouth. "I know... but I guess that wasn't our biggest battle yet."

"Definitely, but now we have our beautiful son waiting for us back home," I remind her.