When Skies Are Exposed

Chapter 42

Salaam.
This might be the last chapter before the ending. Let's hope.. In Shaa Allah 🙃

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Have you ever felt like you were dead but yet you could walk?

Have you ever felt numb but yet the only thing you could feel was pain?

Ever felt like you had everything you ever dreamed of but lacked the one key thing?

That's how Naima felt, dead, numb and lacking the one key thing.

She wasn't dumb. She knew why she felt like that. She knew how she stop the pain. Feel alive and not be numb.
But she just couldn't do it.

She couldn't fight for their love. She was the coward. Always had been. Tawfiq made her a better person. Made her feel stronger. She still loved him with all her heart and soul. She just wasn't brave enough to fight for that. She had fought for a long time but she lost the battle. She wouldn't be able to afford losing the war.

"Naima it's been two days already. If you are going to sit there just wallowing in guilt and not eating, I will be forced to send you to the hospital. They will put tubes in you if they have to, to get you to eat something. I have done it once. I won't hesitate to do it again. " Naim threatened.

The first month they arrived in the UK she didn't eat, just cried all the time. When she lost so much weight, Naim was forced to send her to the hospital to get liquid food in her system. That was when she realized that she was pregnant.

Two days later she was released and she started to eat on her own because of the baby, mostly.

"I will. I'm just not hungry now. I ate something a few hours ago."

"You drank juice with one cracker." Naim pointed out.

"I just don't want to eat, Naim! Why don't you understand that! I'm tired of this! I just want my life to go back to normal! I hate this feeling....."

"Shhhhh.... It's alright. I know you are hurting but you gotta eat something. Karim didn't choose to stay with you so he could watch you starve. You have to eat something. If not for me at least for the kids. Karim asked me to tell you to eat too." Naim hugged her tightly as he placed her head on his chest.

"You will get over it. You will be okay. It will take a while but you will be okay. Life will go on. You will grow. The kids will grow. Everything will be okay. You just have to fight."

"I wasn't even able to tell him a sensible goodbye. Now he is gone and I don't know when I will see him again." Naima cried into his chest.

"But he will be back, right? He will come and visit the kids. You will get to see him." Naim assured him.

"But that is not enough! He will be here just for a few hours. And only to see the kids. He won't be here to see me." She cried.

What was happening? Isn't this what she wanted?

Naim pulled her back to look at her.

"Wait. I thought you wanted him out of your life." Naim questioned her.

"No! I don't want him out of my life! I just wanted the danger out of our lives." Naima exclaimed.

"What? Didn't you know he was a crown prince with a mother who hated you? Yet you forgave him when you found out his secrets. It means you knew what you were in for." Naim stated.

"I did. But I didn't know it would get so dangerous for Karim." Naima tried to get him to understand.

"Sister, are you okay?" Naim asked sarcastically.