Chapter Four

Third Person's POV:

Maryam closed the door behind her and dropped her bag to the floor. An empty room stood in front of her painted with a contrast of white and brown. Normally, she would look around and explore it but the event that had just occurred was too much for her.

Her wrist still hurt and she felt water collect at the brim of her eyes.

No, I'm not going to cry because of that idiot. 

She told herself that again and again but whenever she thought about how she felt when he grabbed her hand and demanded an answer from her, she fell into gloom again. She walked over to the mirror that was hanging a few meters across from the bed and looked at herself.

Her eyes were watery but she didn't dare shed a tear. She had barely started her new life and he showed his dark colors without any hesitation. He could've at least thought about the fact that she was new there or that she was a person that was his responsibility.

But no. It seemed like he was getting back at her for something she didn't know she did. It was his fault that he couldn't convince his parents, why was he taking it out on her?

But Maryam recollected herself quickly. She was used to harsh treatment from others, after all, she spent six years with the Mehmoods and they taught her how to be rigid as a rock. She tied up her hair after taking out the pins that had been fitted inside her hair by the stylist.

Her jet-black hair was long enough to form a perfect bun. After that, she took off the rings and the bracelets she was wearing. Then she removed the silver chain around her neck and finally, her pearl earrings.

Amna had forced to get ready like Pakistani brides usually did for the first few months after their marriage and Maryam didn't mind. But, the heavy sets of jewelry and massive dresses that even a queen would be afraid to wear didn't interest her much. She liked simplicity and wearing a nice floral maxi or a short shirt with long and wide trousers was good for her.

Anyway, after changing into her pajamas and getting ready for the night, she walked over to the bed and jumped on it, knowing that she was free to do whatever she wanted. Sharing a room wasn't easy, especially when you had to do it with a moody person like Abdullah.

She spread her arms and legs on the soft, feathery mattress and enjoyed it when her feet touched the cold parts of the bed. It was June and even though the weather wasn't as hot compared to the summers in Pakistan, it was still a bit humid. She didn't realize when her eyes closed on their own and she fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning when she woke up for fajr, she was feeling energetic and fresh. She had made a promise to herself not to feel down because of Abdullah because he wasn't anything to her. She didn't need to ruin her day just because a certain coward couldn't get his way.

When she was called for breakfast by a maid, she asked her if Abdullah would be there or not. The answer was yes but of course, Maryam didn't care. After changing into White trousers and brown kameez with a pinkish tint. There was a small slit in the neckline and beaded button-down till the waist. She wrapped the semi-transparent dupatta with pink and rosy overtones and tassels on the edges around her neck and let it fall freely behind her and put on flats with beaded covers and opened the door to walk out to the breakfast table. 

When the large door of the dining room was opened by her, she saw that Abdullah was already there, eating toast with jam. A cup of dark coffee was placed beside his plate and he was reading something on his phone. She quietly entered and sat down far away from him, at the 6th chair of the table. 

Her eyes glinted as she saw the croissants, bread, omelets, and fruit salads laid out on the table. There were two teapots, one with black coffee and one with green tea. A jug of juice was also there. 

"Mom called to tell me to get you enrolled in a school," he spoke up, almost startling her. She glanced at him once, noticing the black tux he was wearing with his hair pulled back. "Any special reason?" she asked, a bit sulkily to try not to sound friendly or frank. 

"She said you should complete your graduation. Besides, it's not like you have anything to do here," he said it like he was actually taking her responsibility and Maryam didn't like it one bit. She hated being dependent on him. 

"Okay," she simply replied. She didn't mind completing her graduation or even continuing her studies especially since she really didn't have anything to do. She could only imagine the boredom she would have to face if she didn't take up some kind of activity to spend the day. 

"Where did you study before?" he asked her, looking up from his phone for just a nanosecond before turning back to it. "Cape Coral High," she said. "I've got one year left." 

Abdullah nodded knowingly. "Fine. Rashid will take you there and fill out all the documents. Start whenever you want." with that, he got up and walked out, Maryam's eyes following him as he went. 

"Wait, who's Rashid?" she asked quickly but he had already left. Grumping, she folded her arms over her chest and started munching on her cheese croissant, turning back to her food. "Idiot," she mumbled under her breath and decided she would ask one of the maids about Rashid. 

After breakfast, she took her dupatta and wrapped it around her head in the shape of a hijab, and like that, she went to Mila, a young girl who was working there as a cleaner with her mother. "Do you know who Rashid is?" she asked her. 

The blonde-haired and brown-eyed girl stood up straight as soon as she heard Maryam address her. "Oh! I'm sorry I didn't see you!" she quickly apologized, bending a little. Maryam flashed a smile at her and patted her shoulder assuringly. "I'm sorry for startling you like that." 

"Rashid is Master's attendant. If you'd like, I can tell him to wait for you in the car if you need to go anywhere." she told Maryam, who cocked an eyebrow at the word 'Master'. She didn't like such titles. They gave off the wrong kind of vibes and honestly, it just sounded arrogant. 

"Thank you, I'd like that." she smiled one last time at the nervous girl and left to grab her phone and bag from her room. As she passed Abdullah's room, she stopped to wonder whether he was affected by her absence or not or if it created a sense of guilt in him. Yes, it was a dumb thing to think about but she couldn't help herself. 

She remembered Amna telling her that husband and wife were so close that the absence of one person was really painful. It never felt right. She also gave Maryam an example from her own experience and it would be wrong to say that Maryam couldn't help but want that for herself. 

The thought quickly left her because she knew that with the way things were, it probably didn't affect Abdullah at all that his new wife had separated herself from him right on the third day of their marriage. 

When Rashid parked the extravagant car in front of Cape Coral High, Maryam started to feel a little nervous. Telling the Principal, Mr. Craig that she stopped coming to school because of her wedding was really weird. Of course, he wouldn't deny her request to continue because now she wasn't just Maryam Mehmood, she was also Mrs. Abdullah Saleh, wife of the famous CEO of Saleh textiles. 

"Well, Ms. Maryam–I mean, Mrs. Abdullah," Mr. Craig moved his grey eyes to Maryam as if seeking permission to call her that. She gave him a polite smile. "Maryam is fine, sir," she told him, not wanting to be acquainted with that jerk in any way. Mr. Craig smiled nervously as if embarrassed and continued, 

"Ms. Maryam," he corrected himself. "You can continue your studies whenever you like. The new semester just started and thankfully, you didn't miss out on much," he said. "Your subjects are the same?" he asked and Maryam nodded, looking once at Rashid who stood by her seat like a loyal guard, and then looking back at Mr. Craig. 

"Well then, you won't need to do much. You can start from tomorrow. I'll inform the teachers about you." In the end, he gave her a smile which she was not used to. She didn't remember Mr. Craig to be the type who smiled at the end of every sentence. In fact, she heard that he was a pretty salty person. 

It took her a while to guess that it was because of her changed status. Rashid's presence was a clear message to him that Maryam wasn't the old Maryam anymore. She now had power and money unlike before. 

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Craig," Rashid spoke in his raw Indian accent and shook hands with the Principal, giving off a serious aura. To her surprise, Mr. Craig went through the extra trouble to stand up and return the handshake. 

"It was my pleasure," he said before turning to Maryam who just looked at them with confusion written all over her face. "I'll be expecting you tomorrow?" he asked and Maryam nodded slowly. "Sure," 

Rashid held the door for her as she got inside the car. After closing the door, he jumped into the driver's seat and started driving. "Do you need to go anywhere else, Mistress?" Upon hearing the word Mistress, Maryam sat up straight. 

"No. Please take me home." Rashid nodded loyally at that, his poker face fixed on his face as if he were a lifeless puppet. "And, please don't call me Mistress. I'd prefer Ma'am," she said. 

"But, Master told me to call you Mistress." Rashid's reply surprised Maryam. She didn't think that Abdullah would even care what the servants of the house called her. It made her feel a bit strange but she quickly waved it off. Surely, Amna must've told him to. 

"I'd still ask you to call me Ma'am. I'm sure Abdullah wouldn't mind."