The Untamed Sheikh (a Fazza novel)

Chapter 10: Sins of the Past

Author's POV

"Is he asleep?" asked Hamdan.

"He's knocked out and his cat is crawled into a ball next to him" said Piper, showing Hamdan the candid photo she just took of her brother.

"Wow, the cat has a better relationship with him than I do" said Hamdan, disappointed.

"Your Highness" Piper said.

"Call me Hamdan" Hamdan smiled.

"Ok, Hamdan it is" she chuckled.

Hamdan looked pensive and Piper knew that his son was on his mind. "So you know him better than I do, sadly."

"Yes, and to be quite honest, he is quite headstrong. But he's not a bad kid. Definitely not the way my mom has pinned him to be."

"I want to get to know him but he won't let me. He resists me, gets defiant, and can be pretty bold with his words and the phrases he tosses."

"Yes and I could suggest how you could get close to him, but it ultimately has to come from you. As his father, I'm sure your heart will guide you so you can reach him. He's been through a lot and since our father was killed last year, he hasn't been the same, and my mom never even tried to help him through his grief."

"I'm sorry to hear about your dad. What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

Piper felt her eyes watering but she held back her tears. "He and Faisal were going to hang out and I was supposed to join them but I stayed behind because of a test I had. They were going to the beach and the promenade to shop and have dinner. Our mom was in New York on business and so it was just the two of them. They went to the bank and there was a robbery. I don't know what happened really except that my dad took the bullet so that it didn't hit Faisal. Turns out the bullet hit an artery and he..." she started crying.

"I understand, you don't have to tell me the rest" Hamdan went and hugged her.

"So as you can see, it was rough on him and he hates talking about it and even remembering that day. He watched him as he took his last breaths."

"And your mom, how did she take it?"

"She was a mess. But she was so grief-stricken that she took her frustration out on Faisal and he was hurting so much that he had an anxiety attack so bad that he ended up in the hospital. The doctors had to sedate him because his heart wasn't coping."

"How else did she take out her frustration on him?"

"She would yell at him, tell him he was useless and a waste of space at the house. He even once accidentally knocked a glass cup and she lost it and slapped him so hard he fell on top of the glass and cut his hands. She didn't even bother to help him with his bleeding hands and I had to help him."

"So in other words, she was abusive towards him?"

"Yeah, she was. He doesn't know this and please don't tell him because then he will feel guilty. But I originally wanted to go to a university here in Dubai, but gave it up and decided to go to USC instead because I could not leave my brother alone with her. He was only sixteen years old when I graduated from high school and I knew I could not leave him behind like that. I helped my dad in raising him because my mom never paid any attention to him and in good conscience, I couldn't just leave."

"So you gave your dreams up for him?"

"I don't like to see it that way. I know he would have done the same for me had it been me in that position. But I don't regret it and I never will. I would do it again in a heartbeat."