The Bound Princess (Dark Romance)

Chapter 67

Emma 

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting against the harsh hospital lights. Something gentle stroked my hair, and I focused my gaze on the person sitting beside me. It took a while with my disoriented mind to realize who it was.

Ahmed!!!

What was he doing in the hospital? Ahmed watched me with an expression filled with concern.

"Ahmed? What were you doing here?" I asked, surprised to see him.

He took my hand gently. "I heard you got admitted. I had to come."

Tears welled in my eyes as I looked at him, overwhelmed by his presence. His concern was palpable, touching a deep chord within me. "Thank you, Ahmed. I didn't expect you to be here."

"I felt you needed me. Were you okay, Emma?" he asked, squeezing my hand.

His touch brought a flood of emotions. Relief, gratitude and a hint of guilt washed over me. "I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "No, Ahmed, I wasn't okay. Everything is falling apart."

As I spoke those words, a surge of vulnerability swept through me. Ahmed's presence was like a lifeline in the chaos of my emotions. I needed him to understand and offer comfort when I needed it the most.

"I am going to kill that bastard," Ahmed declared with a ticking jaw and sprang to his feet.

I grasped Ahmed's hand, feeling my heart race. "Is he here?"

"Yes, and I am going to kill him with my bare hands," Ahmed announced, his voice tight with anger.

"Ahmed, please," I pleaded, tugging at his hand and motioning him to sit.

Ahmed glared at the spot on my bed where he was seated until a few seconds ago and then squeezed his eyelids together in frustration.

"Is he okay?" I asked, my heart squeezing, thinking about Dawood.

"Are you still worried about that asshole?" Ahmed's voice was laced with bitterness.

"I love him," I admitted in a defeated tone, feeling a pang of guilt as I confessed my feelings.

Even if I decided to leave Dawood, I couldn't deny the fact that I still loved him. He might not be the caring and considerate man I fell in love with, but I was still the same. His past might have poisoned my image in his mind, but for me, he still was the man who had turned my world upside down.

"What did he do?" Ahmed questioned, his tone demanding answers.

I averted my gaze away from him, feeling torn. It was only for us to know whatever happened between Dawood and me. I had told Dad because I needed someone to guide me, but telling Ahmed would only worsen everything. He already hated Dawood, and if he learned the truth, he would kill him once and for all. I didn't want him to get hurt, no matter how much Dawood hurt me. If not for his traumatic past, Dawood wouldn't be what he was. It wasn't his fault that the two women who were supposed to love and cherish him were the ones who broke him and scarred him for life.

"What did he do, Emma?" Ahmed's strained voice snapped me out of my thoughts, his eyes searching mine for answers.

"He did nothing, Ahmed. Fate played a cruel joke with us by bringing us together when we were nothing but toxic for each other," I sighed, trying to push back the tears that threatened to invade my eyes.

"I am not here for your philosophical bullshit. I want to know what Dawood did to hurt you?" Ahmed's voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a knife.