LOGINShare
XLIV: Shattered
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Shattered
⚠ Proceed with caution•••Lale pushed through the door of the apartment and walked in, the click of her heels echoing through the quiet building.
"Aslan? brother are you in here?" she called out, advancing through the abandoned building. The last time she had been in there was when she was five and yet, she still felt uneasy being in there. Her memories in the apartment were something she had locked somewhere in the back of her mind with no access to them, but as she walked further in, the memories came back to her in a rush. Her head began to spin as a wave of nausea hit her, making her knees grow week.
Lale halted -mid-step, contemplating whether to go in or not. Her memories in the house were gruesome and little as she was, she promised not to return there, but now, she had broken her promise all because of her brother's reckless decision to let go of the only person who was ab
Related chapters
Flawed Hearts XLV:Mending Ties
Lale's hand faltered as she struggled to sketch in the book she was holding, guilt gnawing at her conscious. She tore the paper and curled it into a ball, throwing it into the other piles of her messed up sketches. That had been her state ever since her talk with her brother.Could she have been too harsh on him? It was his fault anyway, he was the one who had made the stupid mistake of letting Najmah go, and she was only doing what a responsible sister would have done. Lale knew that telling him he was the same as the man who had fathered them was rather too harsh. In her defense, he was so stubborn and perhaps that was the only thing that could break through his charade of nonchalance.Sighing, she dropped her pencil and leaned her head on the headboard mulling over their conversation. She only hoped he would forgive her for what she had said. Lale picked up her vibrating phone from the nightstand, a smile gracing her lips before morphin
Flawed Hearts XLVI: Finding Peace
Aslan tapped his foot gently on the ceramic floor, looking down on the visitor's badge pinned to his shirt. His face was calm and collected, a varying degree from the turmoil raging within his heart and mind as he gazed around the visitor's lodge in the precinct before looking down at his watch.Lale was the opposite of calm, she could feel the four walls of the lodge closing in on her with each passing second yet she couldn't bring herself to leave. She had to be there for her brother and mostly for herself. She needed to know the reason why they were brought up the way they were; she needed closure in other to move on with her life.Her eyes wandered around the lodge till they settled on a little girl sitting on her father's lap, playing with his beard. A look of forlorn flashed across her face as she got transported back to the time when she was just the same age as the girl."Baba Baba," she called out joyfully, ho
Flawed Hearts XLVII: Broken
Swinging her legs on the ledge, Najmah couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to jump off the balcony of the two storey building.Either one of two results would occur; if she didn't die on impact then she would surely break her neck and maybe a couple more bones if she was lucky.'Man, that would definitely suck.' she shivered, drawing her shawl closer not because she was cold or anything but the thought of breaking her bones or initiating her death brought shivers down her spine.She wondered what others who had taken the leap thought in between the moment of letting go and making impact. Did they ever regret the decision of ending their lives? Did they ever look at the ground as they surged towards it and wondered what it might have been like if they hadn't jumped? Maybe not."Najmah what are you doing?" Hanifa gasped, rooted in the doorway."Just thinking," Najmah replied coo
Flawed Hearts XLVIII: Walk Away
Najmah dipped her paintbrush in the palette and stroked gently on the canvas, humming softly to an unknown tune. She had been in that state ever since her encounter with Aslan. She had refused to think nor talk about it. Instead, she focused all of her attention on her canvases."You are sulking," Hanifa spoke from behind her, patting her two months old baby on the back. Her gaze roamed around the room which was filled with lots of painted canvas before settling on Najmah."I am spiraling," Najmah responded, her voice void of emotions."Is this how you are going to be for the rest of your life?" she furrowed her brows, laying her daughter who was fast asleep on the bed gently."Do I control my life?" Najmah challenged, stroking lightly on the canvas. "You see, as Klaus once said, painting is a metaphor for control. Every choice is yours, the canvas, the color, what you paint, it's all under your control."
Flawed Hearts XLIX: Letting It Out
There were moments in her life when all she ever wanted was to talk to someone, someone who understood her and there were moments when all she wanted was to be left alone. There were also moments when all she wanted was...something but nothing; she had no idea what she wanted, but she knew she wanted something.Najmah paced the length of her room, wondering about what she wanted at that moment. Her heart was in turmoil and her mind was muddled, her hands numb from all the painting she had done from the day before and the day before that.Mayhap she had exerted too much pressure on herself she thought as she wriggled her hands. A searing pain wound its way through her whole body and with a sigh, she arched her back to relieve herself of the pain.She dropped down on her bed with a huff and stared at the ceiling, refusing to think about the events that transpired the day before.As if pricked by a thorn, she
Flawed Hearts L: Liar Liar
Aslan scrubbed a hand over his face after his Zuhr prayer, wiping away the tears on his face. He had cried his woes to Allah during his sujood and after his salah, he felt better.Since childhood, Anne had always thought them to put trust in Allah whenever they made du'a and to have faith that things would work out well and so he did, every day and every night for the last three months she had been away from him.He could still feel the pain, the agony and turmoil raging within him like wildfire; nothing he had done was able to calm the fire, and he knew that only she had the ability to do so and yet, she kept on denying both of them the solace they needed. And now, she was willing to give it to someone other than him; she was willing to find it somewhere else.He knew that she could be a handful sometimes when he annoyed her or when he said something that triggered her emotions but the look she gave him when he kissed her
Flawed Hearts LI: Dark Reality
Walking around the hospital hallways, Najmah felt a bit nostalgic as memories of the last six years of her life in there came rushing back. She had just came out of her therapist's office, where she had terminated her therapy sessions for good.She knew it was a bit reckless on her part and a risk concerning her emotional instability, but it was a necessary risk she had to take. While her sessions had helped improve her condition, she knew that the fate of her recovery laid in her hands. She was able to fall in love with Aslan, that was a definite progress.While she thought she might no longer need her therapist, she had asked the woman to write a new prescription for her just in case of emergencies.Terminating her therapy sessions was a long time coming, and she could now address other issues with a clear mind now that it was off the plate.She had made up her mind to give him a second chance, after all
Flawed Hearts LII: She's Come Undone
Najmah tiptoed across the living room, hiding a package behind her back as she surveyed the area. Just as she placed her foot on the staircase, cheering victoriously for slipping in and out of the house undetected, she heard her mother call her."Waye ne ya zo ganinki?" (Who came to see you?) Hajiya Salma questioned crossly, folding her arms over her chest. Najmah swore in her head before turning around to face her mother.Hajiya Salma looked rather displeased as she stared at her youngest who looked more annoyed than guilty at being caught."Fahad ne," (It was Fahad.) she replied, sucking in a breath."Fahad?" Hajiya Salma gasped. "Najmah are you in your right senses? How dare he come to see you? You refuse to give your husband a listening ear yet you have the time to talk to your ex? Has he no shame? He dares to come to my house to speak to you knowing that you're still married?""
Latest chapter
Flawed Hearts Epilogue
•Te Quero Pa' Mi ?An hour later, Najmah found herself alone in an office again. What she had to wait for, she had no idea. The room was dimmed, illuminated only by an overhead lamp.She closed her eyes and vowed to never forget what that moment felt like. The heart flutters, the joy, the happiness, she was definitely going to remember every second of it.Najmah was right on the edge, standing on a thrilling and amazing precipice of happiness, where thoughts of a flawless and perfect evening that would lead to a happy union flickered through her mind.She felt like Dorothy, gazing down at Emerald city for the first time, like Wendy rising up in the air after tasting her first pinch of pixie dust, like Cinderella, stepping out of her carriage to meet her prince charming.That feeling, she would cherish and savor every moment of it, and when she found herself alone, she would remember
Flawed Hearts LVII: The Runaway Bride
There are moments in life that define us, there are also moments that divide us into two different beings; who we were before an incident and who we are after.Whether happy moments or sad moments, they change our lives forever either for good or for bad or for worse.The same could be said for Najmah Haroun as she stared at herself in the full-length mirror, reminiscing over the past couple of weeks.Her life had changed for good the morning after her reconciliation with her husband. It was a whirlwind of family gatherings, dress fittings, cake tasting, event preparations and much more.If it came down to her, she would rather skip the festivities, sign the marriage certificate and just take off to Puerto Rico.Lale would probably kill her; she thought smiling. The fashion diva would not miss a chance to party and if Najmah were to deny her that, only Lord knew what would happen to
Flawed Hearts LVI: A Story To Tell
"Do you plan on staying in bed for the whole day?" Aslan questioned, twirling a strand of her hair with his finger."Mm-hmm," she nodded, inhaling his musky oudh scent. "I like it better here where I am.""As much as I'd like to stay here with you," he chuckled, untangling their legs. "At some point, we're going to have to get out of bed so why not do it now?""I'm not going anywhere," she pouted, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Neither are you.""Sevgilim," he kissed the corner of her lips, taking her hand into his. "I'd like very much to stay in bed with you, but we need to eat, I'll just order for room service and then I'll come back to you okay?""Fine but-"The shrill ringing of her phone interrupted her and she groaned, silencing it without checking who the caller was."Aren't you picking up?" Aslan's brows furrowed as he got down from the bed.
Flawed Hearts LV: Sailing Ships
He lifted his head which he had burrowed into her hair and gazed at Lale who had barged into the room unannounced."Are you going to explain to me what's going on here? I was outside waiting for you, and here you are cuddled with the enemy," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We've missed our flight.""Lale," he called out in a hushed tone, pressing a finger to his lips. "I will meet you in the living room okay? I don't want her to wake up."She made a sign of not complying but seeing the look on his face, she turned around and left the room, banging the door loudly for effects.Najmah shifted in her sleep, burying her face in his neck. He sighed, not wanting to leave the bed even for a second but knowing Lale, she would burst right through the door again and wake Najmah up.Slowly but reluctantly, he slid his arms from under her then set her head on the pillow before liv
Flawed Hearts LIV: Only You
Najmah stood at the entrance of Bristol Palace Hotel taking deep breaths before ambling in, heading straight towards the receptionist, scrolling through her phone for a picture of Aslan."Hi," she smiled at the lady, showing the phone screen to her. "I was hoping you would help me with something, my husband's been staying here for a month now, and I don't know his room number.""Why don't you call him? There are lots of guests who...""Listen, lady," Najmah smiled sardonically, locking her phone screen. "This is really urgent, and I don't have any more time to waste, okay? So you're gonna check your computer right now and look up his room number or so help me God, I will cause a scene here.""I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't give out guest's information, it's against the hotel's policy.""Hotel policy? You either give me the information I asked, or I swear to God, I'm gonna scream so loud that
Flawed Hearts LIII: Resolutions
Najmah blinked, staring at the door of her room expectantly. She had no idea what she was expecting but deep down, Najmah knew it wasn't a what but a who but after how she treated him, he wouldn't be bursting through that door not then not ever.Was she foolish to take such a decision after coming to terms with her feelings for him? It was getting hard for her to make a decision.I hate you.I love you.I want you.I need you.I can't stand you.You complete me.She was still indecisive and direction-less without him. The night she had pushed him away, she had slept peacefully. The second night, she had a nervous breakdown and couldn't sleep. The third night was worse. Her indecisiveness had taken a toll on her, and she couldn't stop thinking about all the memories they had shared
Flawed Hearts LII: She's Come Undone
Najmah tiptoed across the living room, hiding a package behind her back as she surveyed the area. Just as she placed her foot on the staircase, cheering victoriously for slipping in and out of the house undetected, she heard her mother call her."Waye ne ya zo ganinki?" (Who came to see you?) Hajiya Salma questioned crossly, folding her arms over her chest. Najmah swore in her head before turning around to face her mother.Hajiya Salma looked rather displeased as she stared at her youngest who looked more annoyed than guilty at being caught."Fahad ne," (It was Fahad.) she replied, sucking in a breath."Fahad?" Hajiya Salma gasped. "Najmah are you in your right senses? How dare he come to see you? You refuse to give your husband a listening ear yet you have the time to talk to your ex? Has he no shame? He dares to come to my house to speak to you knowing that you're still married?""
Flawed Hearts LI: Dark Reality
Walking around the hospital hallways, Najmah felt a bit nostalgic as memories of the last six years of her life in there came rushing back. She had just came out of her therapist's office, where she had terminated her therapy sessions for good.She knew it was a bit reckless on her part and a risk concerning her emotional instability, but it was a necessary risk she had to take. While her sessions had helped improve her condition, she knew that the fate of her recovery laid in her hands. She was able to fall in love with Aslan, that was a definite progress.While she thought she might no longer need her therapist, she had asked the woman to write a new prescription for her just in case of emergencies.Terminating her therapy sessions was a long time coming, and she could now address other issues with a clear mind now that it was off the plate.She had made up her mind to give him a second chance, after all
Flawed Hearts L: Liar Liar
Aslan scrubbed a hand over his face after his Zuhr prayer, wiping away the tears on his face. He had cried his woes to Allah during his sujood and after his salah, he felt better.Since childhood, Anne had always thought them to put trust in Allah whenever they made du'a and to have faith that things would work out well and so he did, every day and every night for the last three months she had been away from him.He could still feel the pain, the agony and turmoil raging within him like wildfire; nothing he had done was able to calm the fire, and he knew that only she had the ability to do so and yet, she kept on denying both of them the solace they needed. And now, she was willing to give it to someone other than him; she was willing to find it somewhere else.He knew that she could be a handful sometimes when he annoyed her or when he said something that triggered her emotions but the look she gave him when he kissed her
