With hearts, Destined.

Chapter 47

"If we need anything, we will get in touch, Zayan. Don't worry. This is your job. You can't just ignore it."

"I know but what if you need help with everything happening?"

"I won't. Unless you are a lawyer who could win this case in a second for us."

Zayan sighed.

Zaira had a hard time convincing Zayan it was okay for him to return to the army. And Maher had a harder time accepting his father was leaving again. The poor child had ended up crying throughout putting Zayan on the verge of tears too and possibly thinking about not going to the army. But that was when Samia came to the rescue. She hugged him and assured him that he'd be back. Her father had also gone to the Academy and left her back home at one point but he came back. And Maher did believe her. He'd believe anything Samia said.

Zaira walked into the kitchen to see Tawfiq's parents there already.

"Zaira. How are you?" Naima spoke first.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

"Did Karim eat anything today?" She asked again with a look that said she knew the answer to that.

Zaira shook her head. "I haven't seen him since I woke up. I don't think he has left the kids room."

That was the new thing now. Karim woke up earlier than usual. He'd move around like a robot and when it was early enough he'd go to Samia's room which she shared with Maher and homeschool them. Since they couldn't leave the compound without being flocked by news agency let alone go to the school.

They however did have a teacher to homeschool  them but who was currently on a Karim imposed vacation because Karim decided to do the teaching himself.

He'd stay there even when the kids ran downstairs to get food to eat. He'd just sit there. He'd go downstairs randomly to pick up something to eat and just go back to the room, staying there untill Samia and Maher were asleep and just watch them sleeping.

By the time he got back to their room, Zaira would be dead asleep. She barely saw him. They barely talked. But when they did he'd try to smile and reply to anything she said but it felt forced and rehearsed. Like he was struggling to keep up with reality.

"I don't have the heart to tell him to leave the room and get something to eat." Zaira confessed.

"I understand. I feel like every time I tell him to stay downstairs and eat something, he feels I'm trying to take Samia away." Naima added.

"He's eating away at himself." Tawfiq spoke for the first time.

"Is there nothing you can do? You're the king..."

"Trust me. I don't want them to take Samia away either. She's my granddaughter. If the country wasn't aware of this I could try my best to make everything disappear. But everyone in the country knows. And they are looking at the steps we will take. If I manipulate the court it will go against everything this country stands for. I know that and Karim does as well. I am the king. Unfortunately, I am not the law. " Tawfiq exhaled.

"But we can't win. If the date for the hearing is scheduled it would take a little less than a two weeks until they win."

"Everyone is trying as hard as they can so we even have the slightest chance of winning this. The only sure way we win is-"

"If we threw Shamsiya under the bus. Let her take the fall." Zaira ended.

"But Karim is against that plan and I understand him. On one hand he would lose his daughter. On the other he would keep his daughter and she'd probably lose herself from the hate she will receive. He was there with Habiba everytime people targeted her. And she didn't have any history just that she wasn't...ours." Tawfiq said the last words like it hurt. "With Samia? It would be worse. They would put her head on the line for Shamsiya."