37~Fixing it #2
"So... soon?" Hanan asked weakly.
"Yes." He nodded without hesitation.
"I've waited long enough."
"I don't want to waste another second."
She forced another smile.
"Okay."
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too suffocating.
Her head spun.
She quietly walked toward the mini fridge and took out a bottle of water.
"Hanan..." Faruk gently reached for her hand.
"Are you alright?"
She carefully slipped her hand out of his grasp.
"I'm fine."
Her voice was barely audible.
"You should go now."
He searched her face for a moment before smiling again.
"Alright, my fiancee."
He lifted her hand one last time and kissed it.
"I'll see you tomorrow at noon."
With one last cheerful wave to both Hanan and Amina... He walked out of the room.
The moment the door closed...
The smile on Hanan's face vanished completely.
Despite clutching the bottle of water with both hands, Hanan's trembling fingers gave way.
The bottle slipped from her hand, hit the tiled floor and rolled across the room.
She slowly lifted her tear filled eyes to Amina.
Disappointment.
Anger.
Heartbreak.
Those were the only emotions reflected on Amina's face.
"Why?" Amina asked quietly.
"Why did you choose to hurt yourself?"
"You said you are not going to marry him, so what changed?"
Hanan lowered her head without answering.
"I saw your face when you accepted his proposal."
Amina took a step closer.
"You looked miserable."
"So tell me... If saying yes made you this unhappy, why did you do it?"
Silence.
Not even a whisper escaped Hanan's lips.
Amina let out a frustrated laugh.
"Your tears won't save you."
"They won't change anything."
"If you keep running away from your true feelings, you will spend the rest of your life regretting this decision."
Again...
Silence.
"Say something!" Amina snapped.
Still, Hanan remained motionless.
Only her tears could speak for her.
Amina shut her eyes briefly before exhaling.
"Fine."
"If you've decided to ruin your own life, then I won't stop you."
She bent down and placed a shopping bag beside the bed.
"I bought you another dress."
"Change into it."
"The party is over."
Without waiting for a reply, she walked out.
She slammed the door so loudly that the sound echoed through the room.
The moment Hanan was alone...
Hanan ran into the bathroom.
She turned the shower on full blast and stepped beneath the freezing water.
The cold water crashed over her head and shoulders.
Still...
It wasn't enough to cool the fire raging inside her.
Her back slowly slid down the wall until she collapsed onto the wet floor.
She wrapped both arms around herself as though trying to keep her shattered heart from falling apart.
"Don't cry..."
She whispered to herself.
"You made this choice."
"So don't cry."
She bit down hard on her trembling lip.
The tears came anyway.
A broken sob escaped her throat.
Then another.
Within seconds she was crying so violently she could barely breathe.
"I said... don't cry."
Her voice cracked.
She slapped her own cheek in frustration.
The pain barely registered.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"What's the use of these tears?"
She choked between sobs.
"They won't fix anything."
"They won't make the pain disappear."
"They'll only remind you of how badly you've broken yourself."
Her breathing became uneven.
Then...
Her gaze landed on the ring glittering on her finger.
She froze.
Slowly, she pulled it off.
She stared at it for a long moment.
A fresh wave of tears blurred her vision.
With a cry of frustration, she hurled it across the bathroom.
The ring struck the wall before crashing loudly across the tiles.
At that exact moment...
The bathroom door burst open.
"Hanan!" Abdul rushed inside.
The sight before him stopped him in his tracks.
She sat on the soaked floor, drenched from head to toe, trembling uncontrollably as tears streamed down her face.
Amina didn't exaggerate when she told him all that happened and that she looked completely broken and miserable.
Without saying a word, Abdul hurried over.
He knelt beside her, gently lifted her into his arms, and carried her back to the bedroom.
He wrapped a thick blanket around her shaking body before pulling her into a comforting embrace.
"Enough..." He whispered softly, rubbing slow circles across her back.
"You don't have to cry anymore."
Her sobs gradually weakened.
She rested her forehead against his shoulder.
"Why does it hurt this much?"
Her voice was barely audible.
"I thought I had moved on."
She closed her eyes.
"I thought I stopped loving him..."
A small, bittersweet smile crossed Abdul's face.
"So... You finally admitted it."
She didn't answer.
She didn't have the strength to.
He brushed a damp strand of hair away from her face.
"We're going home."
He looked at her with quiet determination.
"And I promise you this... I will never let you marry a man you don't love."
Moments later...
He realized she had cried herself to sleep.
Without another word, he lifted her into his arms and quietly carried her to his car straight home.
"Ya Najib! Open the door, please... let me in!"
Amina had been knocking for almost thirty minutes.
No response.