The Broken Tale

I'm Begging You

       

                         .....the present...
         Layla spent the entire night in the guest room. She could hear the woman's moans and screams down the hallway. Layla never loved Ali, but she certainly loved her dignity. She hated the way Ali belittled her so much. But she loved the irony. Ali always claimed he was religious and a firm believer of Islam, yet he would cheat on his wife Infront of her very eyes at least twice a week. His hypocrisy never failed to astonish Layla. Botan was Muslim too, wasn't he? Why was he not disgracing men and relish the way Ali was? She wondered what had went so wrong in the strings of fate for her to end up with a man like Ali.
          Layla couldn't sleep that night. She kept thinking of Talya. How she must be now? Was she happy? Would she be mad at Layla for not coming to see her? And most importantly, could Layla bring herself to trust her best friend with her secret? Could she tell Talya about the abuse she was suffering? If she did, Talya would be the only person besides Layla and Ali themselves who would know about the abuse and humiliation Layla suffered.
        But Layla was glad she had agreed to going to the beach with her friends. The summer sun was shining bright and the ocean was roaring. Layla loved the beach, Iraq had no beaches except lakes. Layla loved feeling the warm sand beneath her feet, she loved playing in the water and feeling the heat of the sun on her skin.
       Noah and Raina were Layla's favorite couple. She loved how cute they were. Almost like children dating not adults. They would play, chase each other with water guns and curse at each other. Layla had always wanted a healthy relationship like theirs. But that, like a lot of other things in her life, she did not get.
        In the afternoon, they decided to go home. And for the first time, Raina asked if she could come over to Layla's house. Layla never brought her friends over, excuses were in abundance for every time they asked. But she knew her friends would get suspicious and maybe even offended if she kept that up. So she finally agreed.
        Layla's brother-in-law, Tariq, had taught her how to drive when she was seventeen. She loved driving, it was one of the few tastes of independence she could get.
        Raina gazed at the mansion with her mouth opened wide. Layla laughed almost like she had expected her reaction. The mansion was big, antique and in the middle of nowhere. Ali's father had built it himself a few years before she and Ali had gotten married. But during their engagement, Ali had altered the house to meet their own needs. Layla parked and went inside, Raina followed her slowly, admiring every inch of the place. Layla hung her beach bag and put on her home slippers, setting a pair out for Raina. "When the media said your house was big. They were not kidding." Raina said and out on the slippers.
"It was the only estate Ali had in California when we got married." Layla answered.
"I'm hungry." Raina said.
Layla laughed, "okay sure. What do you want to eat?"
"Anything." Raina shrugged.
"How about some noddles?"
"Yeah sure." Raina answered. Layla walked to the kitchen, Raina followed her, "do you want some help?"
"Nah, I'm good," Layla replied, pulling out a bag of noddles from the cabin, "just go sit. I'll get it ready."
Raina nodded and went back to the living room. She sat down and began texting Noah.
"Hey. Are you home yet?" She sent. The reply came fast.
"Yeah I am. What about you? How's the place?" He sent back.
"Yeah, and omg. This place is humongous!"
"Really, Sweetheart, what did you expect from the CEO of Elmar Corprations?"
Raina rolled her eyes.
"Anyway. What are you doing?" Noah sent.
"Nothing. Waiting for Layla to make dinner. What about you?"
"I was playing video games with Leah before your majesty interrupted all so rudely."
Raina giggled, "oh well then, I'll leave you two alone." She sent.
"No, no. That wasn't what I meant."
Raina heard the glass front door shut. She turned off her phone and looked behind herself. Ali came inside, he was talking on his phone so he didn't notice Raina at first.
"Alright, alright for fuck's sake. Just tell Allen to handle it," He yelled and hung up the phone.
Raina got to her feet, waiting for him to say something. Raina was an incredibly shy person, and this was the first time she actually met Layla's husband. Ali's anger and furrowed brows all washed when he saw Raina. He smiled and walked towards her. Layla came out of the kitchen and quickly walked next to Raina.
"You're home already?" Layla asked.
Ali gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, "I didn't have that much in plan for today. But if you told me you were having friends over, I would've stayed at Allen's."
"I forgot to tell you," Layla answered, "this is Raina. Rai, this my husband, Ali."
Ali shook hands with Raina, "nice to meet you." Raina said.
"Likewise," Ali replied, "well. I'll leave you ladies alone. I'll be in the office if you need anything, Laili."
Layla nodded and waited until Ali had gone upstairs.
"He's so nice." Raina said, "he ain't an idiot like Noah at least."
Layla just gave an ill fated smile and went back to the kitchen.
       Raina sat back on her phone and looked through her social medias. She was glad to finally meet Ali. Layla never let them come over nor had she ever introduced them to her husband. Raina was offended at first, thinking that Layla was ashamed of being seen with them. After all, she was the wife of a millionaire and they were just normal people. But after Layla got pictured in so many public articles and news with them, Raina began to get more worried. She would sometimes see bruises and cuts on her, but Layla would say she fell down the stairs, or got hurt during a game of soccer at college.
        Raina began to suspect the worst. Ali was middle eastern after all. And Raina always saw the deep resentment Layla had towards her culture, who was to say he wasn't hurting her? But from the way he talked to her, the way he kissed her and the way he looked at her, Raina knew he wasn't someone who would hurt her. She was glad, overjoyed. Layla was one of the most precious things Raina ever had in her life, she couldn't bear it if she knew she was getting hurt.
"Raina? Raina, you little bitch?" Layla called from the kitchen.
Raina ran to the kitchen, "what? What? Who's dead?"
Layla laughed. Raina could smell the food in the air, it made her stomach growl.
"Could you get me my charger? It's up in my room." Layla said.
"Charger?"
"Yeah. It's up in my room. Either in the shower or on the cabinet. Third room on the left."
"Yeah, sure."
        Raina's breath was taken away. The hallways were beautiful just like every other corner of the mansion. Paintings were hanging on the red wall, complemented by dim lights. Raina could have gotten lost in the seemingly endless hallway with doors on every side.
"What are these rooms? How many bedrooms would two people need?" Raina thought.
         Third room on the left. Raina counted the doors and found it. She didn't bother to knock, Ali had said that he would be in the office so no one would be in there. She went inside and stopped. Ali was sitting on the bed, texting on his phone. He had changed out of the black suit he was earlier into a red t shirt and black ripped jeans. Raina's eyes never saw anyone except Noah but she couldn't deny how unbearably attractive he looked. Ali looked up at Raina and put his legs down on the floor, almost getting up.
"I am so sorry!" Raina said, her cheeks were flaming with embarrassment, "I thought you were in the office."
"No, no. It's fine," Ali replied, "Did you need something?"
"Layla asked me to get her charger."
"Oh. I saw it in the shower. On the sink." Ali gestured to the shower on the left, "come in, it's fine."
Raina's legs could barely carry her from the shock load of embarrassment she just suffered. She forced herself to go inside. She nodded at Ali with a smile and went into the shower. "Holy shit!" Raina whispered. The shower was almost as big as Raina's own bedroom. The glass shower was modern unlike the exterior of the mansion, the large marble sink  had a big oval mirror with lightings around it. But Raina was too awkward already to awe at yet another marvel of Layla and Ali's mansion. She looked around for the charger. She found it plugged in next to the sink. She quickly grabbed it and left. Ali was still sitting on the bed, texting.
"Thanks. Sorry for bothering you." Raina said.
Ali only nodded once with a gracious smile. Raina turned to the door no tried to open it. She turned the door knob and pulled and pulled but it wouldn't open.
"Uh, I think the door is stu-" Raina turned to talk to Ali.
But he was already behind her. The kind and polite look was replaced with a deadly smirk. Raina's stomach quickly took a confused turn.
"What's Layla doing?" Ali asked.
"Sh-she's getting dinner." Raina said and pressed herself up against the door.
"Well," Ali held her face, "why don't we have some fun while she does?"
Raina pulled his hand away and pushed him, "are you crazy? Your wife is downstairs!"
Ali's smirk only grew in response, "what she doesn't know won't hurt her."
Raina pulled at the door, "let me go! Open the door!"
Ali laughed and dangled the keys Infront of her, "oh? This? Sorry. You can leave after you entertain me a bit."
Ali's hand crept up inside her shirt. Raina turned around and pushed his hand away.
"Leave me alone!" She screamed.
Ali quickly silenced her screams with one rock hard slap across her face that sent Raina flying to the floor. His shadow blocked out the lights above. Raina quickly stumbled to her feet and ran across the room.
"Don't touch me!" She screamed.
The wall gave her a dead end. The bed blocked her left. And with Ali standing Infront of her, Raina only had one other place to run to.
       She quickly ran to the bathroom and shut the door before he could follow her inside. Key, key! Raina tried to lock the door but there was no key. Raina now understood what Layla meant when she said Ali had altered some parts of the house to meet their "needs."
        Ali's fists banged on the door and pushed it. Raina backed herself against the door, trying to fight Ali's enormous strength.
"You're only making it harder for yourself, Raina." He yelled.
"You better hope you kill me or else you're gonna rot in prison!" Raina shouted back.
With one hard push, Ali bolted the door open and sent Raina crashing to the floor. A painful feeling of steel-like coldness flooded her head and made everything go blurry as her head hit the bathtub. Ali grabbed her hair and pulled her to her feet. He dragged her out of the shower and threw her on the bed. All of Raina's panic and anger now melted into desperation and fear.
        Tears raced each other down her face, she tried to kick Ali in the crotch but he grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He pinned her hands down and came down to her neck.
"No! No, no, no, please no, I'm begging you, don't do this to me!" Raina screamed desperately.
Ali didn't listen, he tore her shirt off, leaving her in just her bra. He molested her, making her scream even louder.
"Layla! Layla, help me!" Raina screamed, hoping Layla would hear her.
Ali pulled her shorts off, tossing them down on the floor. He gazed down at her, admiring her body. Raina felt bands of sweat running down her face. He kissed every inch of her, Raina was at her Absaloute wits.
"No, no. Please! I'm a virgin, don't take this away from me, Ali, I'm begging you! No!" She begged.
"It'll only be a little sting, Raina. You'll enjoy it." He said.
Raina couldn't give up, she stared at the ceiling, pulling her mind around any choices, any ways, anything she could do.
"Leave her alone."
Ali stopped. Raina never believed in miracles but all her beliefs were turned up side down. If anyone asked Raina from that day on wards what the singing of an angel sounded like, it would be that saving voice that would come to her mind. Ali got off of her, Raina immediately took advantage of her one opportunity and sat up against the backboard of the bed, pushing her legs against her chest.
        Ali and Layla stared at each, the sweet, loving couple from just little less than an hour ago was replaced with a hateful pair of wolves. Layla's face was expression less, her eyes were full of anger and the hate she possessed was further shown by the knife in her hand. A large kitchen knife. Ali only looked amused, and he was defiantly entertained.
"Did my beautiful wife miss me?" He asked.
"Get out." Layla said firmly.
"You can join us, Laili, the more, the merrier." He added.
That pushed Layla off the edge. She threw the knife at him. He dodged it, the knife pierced the beautiful black lamp next to the bed.
"Get the fuck out!" Layla screamed.
Ali only smiled and looked down at Raina, "until next time, Raina."
He winked at Raina before he left the room.
       Layla shut the door. She took out another key from her own pocket and locked the door. Raina had always believed that trauma would never come her path. Why would it? She had had a perfectly normal life! But now everything with a pulse, anything that could move terrified Raina. She felt as if though everything was going to jump at her. Layla was the first to take notice.
       She slowly slid across the bed and sat next to Raina. Raina could see guilt and fear in her blue eyes.
"Raina..." Layla's voice cracked.
"He...he was going to do it...he was going to take me." Raina coaxed.
She wanted to cry but her voice was stuck. She wanted to run but her body was frozen.
"You're safe now, Raina, he didn't take you. You're gonna be okay." Layla said, holding her cold and sweaty hands in hers.
Raina finally broke down. She threw her arms around Layla's neck and let her sobs out. Layla hugged her tightly, running her hands through Raina's blonde hair.
"It'll be okay, Raina, I'm right here." She ressured.
Raina couldn't stop crying for a long time. Layla didn't let her go, holding her tightly and rubbing her back. Finally Raina stopped and pulled away, looking at her wrists. Her wrists were bruised from where he grabbed her. Raina could see her freflection from the mirror behind Layla. The side of her cheek where he slapped her was red. Her forehead was bruised and bleeding. Her eyes were as fearful as a child's.
"I'll get you something to wear." Layla said, noticing Raina's torn shirt on the bed.
         Layla handed Raina her shorts and fetched a red hoodie with embroidery on the sleeves and chest. Raina dressed silently while Layla got detergent, cotton and bandages from the bathroom. She sat down by her side. She carefully wiped the blood from Raina's forehead with some detergent on a piece of cotton. It sent a horrible burn through her face as the detergent came into contact with her wound. Layla carefully put the bandage on the wound and got up. She poured some water from a jug on the cabinet and handed the glass to Raina. Raina drank it down and handed the glass back to her silently.
"Are you better?" Layla asked.
Raina ignored her question. She already had one big and obvious question of her own on her mind.
"He abuses you." Raina said. It wasn't a question, it was more like a statement of a fact.
Layla didn't answer but her silence was the truth she should have told Raina long ago.
"This isn't new to you. That's why you came up here and knew something was wrong. That's why you never let us come over. That's why you always have bruises. He hurts you."
"This is all my fault. I should've never brought you here. I shouldn't have sent you up here," Layla said, she herself was beginning to break down into tears, "I'm so sorry, Raina. I know an apology won't change anything. You almost got raped because of me. I didn't mean to hurt you, Raina, I swear."
"I know that, Layla."
"But, Raina. I know I have no right to ask you for this but," Layla wiped her tears away, "you're the only one who can help me."
Raina didn't blame Layla for what Ali was going to do to her. All that she felt was admiration for Layla's strength. She could not help but feel like she owed Layla. Layla had kept them away from herself, she had come home to be hurt like this everyday but never spoke a word to protect them from that monster's clutches?
        But one thing was very clear to Raina. She knew that now she was ready to call the police, speak up in court and even go to the media with Layla against Ali.
"Layla, I'm ready to be by your side every step of the way to get this bastard in prison." She said after a pause.
Layla only shook her head tearfully.
"No, Raina, that's not an option." Layla replied in dismay, "I need your help in another way."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
Layla took a deep breath.
      Her blue eyes met Raina's. Raina saw another Layla at that moment. Another woman. Not the rich, happy trophy wife Raina thought she knew. But instead, a woman who's hurt every single day. A woman who had never tasted anything else except desperation, pain and uncertainty.
"Raina, you're the only one on this planet that knows what I'm going through. Raina, you don't know who Ali is. I can't fight him neither can you."
Anger boiled up in Raina's head.
"So what the fuck do you want me to do? Pretend this never happened? Forget that I was almost raped by my best friend's husband?" She yelled.
"Raina, I will lose more than I'll gain. Please don't do this to me." Layla pleaded as she lowered her head in shame.
"What the fuck is that even supposed to mean?" Raina yelled back, "You ask me to forget this and piece your life story together myself? You can at least explain it! So I know what the actual fuck I'm doing!"
Layla clutched the bed sheets and broke her gaze from Raina. Her dark hair fell over her eyes. She pushed it away and took a deep breath, "Okay. Okay, I'll tell you."
Raina sat back down and waited.
      She felt guilty for being so hard on Layla. But she knew that she needed to be to help both of them.
"I tried to run away from Iraq when I was eighteen," Layla started, "A Greek friend helped us. We had everything planned out and everything went fine in Athens for two weeks."
Raina felt the pain that was in her voice. Best friend? Greece? Layla had told Raina about her long time friend, Talya, who was staying in Greece. She had said that Ali had helped Talya move to Greece. So this was her true story?
"Honor killings aren't rare in the Middle East, Raina, and running away from home defiantly qualified us for the bullet. My parents had already told me that I was betrothed to the Elmars' eldest son before I ran away. It was why we sped up our plans in the first place."
"Ali?"
She nodded.
"Things were fine and we really thought we were free. Until one day, we just heard a knock at the door. It was Ali. I had only ever seen him from news headlines and I was shocked. He was panicked and in a hurry. He explained that my parents and Talya's family had asked for his father's help to find me. That they were just a few hours before finding us and putting an end to the disgrace we had brought on them."
Layla's voice became more tearful, more afraid as she continued the story, "I was absolutely desperate. Not for myself but for Talya. But he had a way out when all seemed lost."
"Marriage?" Raina asked.
Layla nodded, "He said that if I agreed to the marriage, he'd say that he brought me here. My parents won't be able to say anything. He said that he'd hide Talya away and we could say that we had no idea where she was. That as long as we were married, Talya would be safe from her family. No one would find her. He said we could move to the United States after we got married and I'd never have to set foot back in Iraq."
      Raina held Layla's hand in her lap to comfort her as she told her story. Raina had never seen Layla in so much pain.
"It may sound like it was too good to be true. But it wasn't. I was going to have to throw away my chance of ever finding actual love. He said we won't have to have children. He already had a baby son from one of his girlfriends. But he made it clear that I'd be his wife in every other aspect. That I'd have to be loyal to him and his family and he'd protect both Talya and I. I would never have to move a finger and I'd be able to go to university and have friends. My family and death were on my tail. Talya was absaloutly helpless. What was better? Agreeing to the marriage and saving myself, Talya and having some of the freedom I always wanted or turning it down and wait for our families to kill us both? Kamal Elmar was one of the richest men in the world, there was no doubt they'd find us sooner or later." Layla stooped and sniffed, "I had little choice and I agreed. Ali kept his promise. He protected us both. He hid Talya away and we got married. He was really kind at first. He tried to be there for me, to not hurt me. We moved to the U.S and were fine. I wouldn't see him that much, he was always out. Talya was happy as well and for a time, I thought things were going to be okay. But Ali began to change. He became more demanding and fired the maids, leaving me alone to take care of this huge house. He began to hit me for the smallest things like not answering him immediately when he would call or for making his coffee too sweet. And then..."
Layla's voice trailed off. Raina knew what part she was going into.
"One night, he came home drunk. He had already bruised every inch of my body earlier that morning. So when he demanded that I have sex with him, I refused. He got mad, he...he said if I didn't give it to him, he'd take it himself. I couldn't fight him off and he did what he said he'd do. I cried and begged him to stop but he didn't listen. It's sad how I never thought marital rape would be just as bad as rape itself. He didn't stop until the sun began to rise. Once he finally did, he was sober and let me cry and shiver in a corner. He told me that I was his, his property and I had to listen to everything he said. And from that day onwards, he made abusing and harassing me his hobby."
"Why didn't you call the police?" Raina asked.
"Even if I didn't, he'd find a way out. And once he did, I'd be over. Talya's older brother, Samir, is Ali's friend. He always made it clear that whatever mistake I made, he'd hand Talya over to Samir and make me watch him put a bullet in her head. And trust me, Ali isn't someone who would bluff. I learnt that early on. I couldn't do this to Talya, I can't end her life in a hopeless effort to save my own."
Raina was speechless.
       She understood Layla but it wasn't going to be easy to forget what happened to her tonight. And could she really just sit and watch Layla be abused for the rest of her life? But yet again, what could she do if Layla wasn't ready to be with her?
"If you say something, Raina, Ali won't go to prison. He'll buy his way out and kill us all." Layla looked at Raina with tearful eyes, "Raina, I know what I asking is impossible, impractical and unfair but please try to understand."
"I...I don't know..." Raina said.
Layla got down on the floor. She knelt down and lowered her head to the floor, holding Raina's feet.
"I'm begging you, Raina." She pleaded tearfully, as if she was begging for her life. Which she was in a way, "I won't ever let you be hurt ever again, Raina, please! He'll kill Talya and me!"
Raina's will immediately melted.
      Even if Layla was begging for Raina's own life, she would've given it to her if she begged her like this. It left no room for Raina to argue. She grabbed Layla's hands and pulled her back on the bed. Layla was sobbing heavily, as if she was sobbing out what she had been keeping in for so long.
"Alright, Layla, I promise I won't say anything until you want me to," Raina said. Layla pulled Raina into a sob filled hug, "shhh. It's okay, Layla, you're not alone anymore."
"Th-thank...y-you so m-much." Layla sniffed.
Raina held Layla until she stopped sobbing. The thought of revenge on Ali quickly flew away from her. It was as if it never happened. The one thing on Raina's mind was helping Layla. Getting her out of the prison she has been living in was the only thing Raina wanted. Layla finally pulled away and dried her tears with the sleeve of her hoodie. "You have to go home." Layla said, she was calmer than she was a few minutes before.
"What? No! I can't leave you alone with that bastard!" Raina blurted.
"Raina, I've been with him for two years, I can handle it," Layla answered, "he won't kill me. But he will do what he wanted with you if you don't leave. And this time, I may not be able to protect you."
Layla got up and took out car keys from the purse on the bedside.
      Layla pulled Raina to her feet. She pulled her to the door, Raina had no choice but to obey her. She was right of course and Raina knew it. Layla stopped at the door and pulled out the key.
"I secretly copied the bedroom keys, in case I ever needed them," Layla said.
"So, now he knows you have the keys." Raina said coldly.
"He'll only punch me a few extra times, but it saved you and that's what matters." Layla answered with a smil, "stay behind me, Raina. And don't argue with him."
Raina nodded reluctantly and waited for Layla to unlock the door.
Ali's eyes locked in Layla's. He was leaning against the wall facing their bedroom. A shiver was sent up Raina's entire body and Layla could feel it. Layla pushed Raina behind her. All the sobbing, all the pain of the confession she had given to Raina left no trace on her face. She didn't want to show any weakness in that tension full moment.
"Did our little girls finish thier tattletale?" He mocked.
Layla put the car keys in Raina's hand.
"Take the red Porsche and go home." Layla demanded without looking away from Ali.
"Are you sure?" Raina asked one last time.
"Go."
Raina obeyed.
        As Layla had hoped, she didn't look behind her. Ali waited until he was sure that Raina was gone. Layla braced herself for what was going to follow.
      Ali gripped her arm and pulled her back into the bedroom. He searched her for the key and found it in her hoodie's pockets. He snatched it away and put it in his own pocket after he locked the door with it.
"What did you tell Raina?" He demanded angerily.
"After trying to rape my best friend, you are in no position to make demands!" Layla shouted back at him, "how much hornier can one pig be?"
Ali punched her in the mouth. The mirror cracked as her head flung against it.
"Watch your mouth, you little whore!" He spat at her, "What did you tell her?"
"I told her you were drunk! That this was nothing more than a mistake! She bought it and swore to forget it ever happened!"
He stared at her for a few moments, unable to believe her entirely so easily.
       But to her relief, Ali slowly nodded. Obviously satisfied with his results. Why wouldn't he be? In his mind, he had both Layla and Raina between in his own fingers.
"Good." He said, "With that out of the way, there's something else I have to teach you."
Layla looked up at see him pull the knife she had thrown at him from the lamp. He grabbed a handful of her hair and held the sharp end of the knife against her neck.
"So when did you learn to use knives, Laili?" He asked.
Layla felt his warm breath on her face and the coldness of the steel blade against her throat .
"What? You're threatening to slit my throat now?" Layla said, "Well, go ahead. Go ahead and put me out of this misery!"
Ali laughed. After a pause, he brought the knife down but he didn't let go of her hair.
"No," he replied calmly, "not now at least."
Layla knew she should have been relieved but she wasn't. Layla knew Ali and she knew how life was to her. And her worries were well placed. Ali tore the skin on her forearm down until her elbow with the knife. Her lungs burned as she screamed. He let go of her hair and let her drop to her knees.
       Layla tried to hold her arm to stop the bleeding but the pain only strengthened with her touch. She pulled her hand away. The blood from her arm had already tainted her palm. She tried to take deep breaths and fight the pain. But the breaths became contaminated with sobs threatening to escape her lips.
"If you wanted to learn how to use a knife, all you had to do was ask, darling," Ali said as he knelt down next to her, "I'd do anything for my beautiful wife."
He threw the blood tainted knife down on the floor next to her and left the room. He didn't even bother to lock the door behind him. He knew she wasn't going anywhere this time.
Anything for my beautiful wife.
Those very lines had given Layla hope two years ago.
        Hope that they might be able to fall in love, to have a family.
       But today, they were humiliating and haunting her. Layla felt sorry and hateful towards how stupid she was two years ago. She hated herself for trusting him. But she also hated life and the creator of life for forcing her into a situation where she had no way out without Ali.

Well that took an even darker turn, didn't it?
Oh wait and see! We haven't even started yet!
But that was Layla's backstory in a nutshell.
Thank you all for reading!!!
I love you all!
Byeeeeeeeeee:)))))))