Afterward when we cooled off, Nidal looked tenderly at me, and I noticed a shiny glint in his eyes. He was up to something.
I looked at him curiously. "What is on your mind?"
He straightened up next to me and took my hands in his, and I held my breath waiting for him to speak. My heart was pounding so loud that I thought it would burst.
Nidal looked deep into my eyes and spoke in a serious, loving tone, "Loula, you know how I feel. You know I cannot exist in a world without you. You are the very reason for my existence. I love you with all my heart and soul. I waited patiently for you all these years until you were ready for me." He took my hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. My heart pounded rapidly. "Loula, you know how much I love you," he whispered with deep emotion. "I want to make you my wife, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want you to have my children. I want to grow old with you. Loula, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked hopefully as he waited patiently for me to answer.
He took my breath away, my prince, the love of my life. He looked at me now as if his life depended on my answer. He stopped breathing, not wanting to disrupt my response.
"Nidal," I whispered his name softly as tears of joy sprang to my eyes, "I love you so much, and I could love no other. It is you to whom I lost my heart to, and it has always been you," I cried. "Yes, I will marry you. I want desperately to be your wife."
I threw myself in his arms and sealed our love with a passionate kiss. It was a moment that neither of us would ever forget, a beautiful moment full of love and promises. I treasured every second I had with Nidal. My heart burst with joy. My prince had asked to marry me, and I felt blessed.
After sharing this beautiful morning with my lover, I was reluctant to get out of bed. I wanted his warm body next to mine forever, but he announced that he had a meeting with his men. He slid out of bed and picked up his clothes. I stared at his lean, muscled body as he dressed, and for the life of me, I could not tear away my gaze. He looked so sexy that the butterflies in my stomach started dancing again. Nidal noticed and gave me a wolfish smile, and my eyes begged him to come back to bed, but in that instant, I noticed that Nidal was staring at something other than me. I followed his gaze and saw that his eyes had rested on the bracelet that Billal had given me. It had somehow made its way to the other side of the bed. My heart stopped beating as Nidal leaned over and grabbed it.
He held it in his hand and examined the expensive trinket. He lifted his gaze to me and asked in a low, dangerous tone, "Where did this come from?" I froze, knowing not what to say. "Where did this come from?" he barked again and shook the bracelet in my face.
Fearing the worst, I jumped out of bed and searched for my clothes, ignoring his question. I slipped into my gown, and with shaky fingers, I fastened the clasps to the front of the gown and frantically looked around for my slippers. Nidal's patience ran out.
He marched up to me and asked again a third time, "Where did this come from?"
Again, I ignored him because I was afraid to tell him the truth. Just that second, I saw Nidal's face tighten as he finally realized on his own. I waited for the explosion that was for sure going to follow.
"This is from Billal, isn't it?" He took a step closer to me. "You dare to accept a gift from the traitor as soon as my back is turned? Like a fool, I trusted you and asked you to be my wife! You are not loyal to the love that I thought we shared for one another! I will never marry a tramp like you!" he roared.
If he had stuck a knife in my heart and twisted it, the pain would have been less than what I felt at this very moment. With trembling lips, I said simply, "Then don't, but I tell you this. You are making a mistake talking to me in this manner. I shall never forgive you!"
Nidal threw his head back and laughed wholeheartedly. "Madam, the only mistake I have made was falling in love with you."
Those words cut deeply into my wounded heart and killed everything I held dear in this life. "No, Nidal, it was I that made the mistake, not you." I was unable to stop the tears that flowed down my face.
Nidal's jaw clenched, and his eyes turned a darker shade of blue. I turned and walked away, not knowing what else to do. Nidal grabbed my arm and turned me around to face him. Then he grabbed my hair with his two hands, twisted it, and pulled me forward. Our foreheads touched, and I cried out in pain, but he did not loosen his grip. He held me in this position. His hands were still holding my twisted hair tightly. I could feel his heavy breathing on my face. A single tear escaped and rolled down his face as he looked deep inside my eyes, searching for answers that would stop the agony in his heart. My head went numb as I stared into his beautiful eyes. My heart already regretted accepting the gift from Billal. What was I thinking?
