Rakia stared at the ring on her left finger with a half-empty mind. Everything seemed to have happened just like that: Ben’s betrayal and the man’s demands, and then she met Dashtan, and finally they tied the knot, and soon they would be married. Rakia blinked and turned her attention away from the ring. Dashtan said their wedding would be held in a week, after which they would fly to Dubai to meet Dashtan’s family.Her ringing cell phone startled and panicked her, so she picked it up quickly without looking at the caller.“Hello,” she greeted quickly and stiffly.“Hi, it’s me,” said the person there, which made him frown deeply. She recognized him and then said, “Ben? Is it you?”There was a sigh before there was an answer.“Yeah, it’s me, hey I-“Without listening to the following sentence, Rakia turned off the phone. She felt like she couldn’t bear to hear the man’s voice. Her cell phone rang again, but she quickly rejected the call and then turned off her cell phone. The corridor
Dashtan lowered Rakia’s body when they were inside the bridal boutique. Rakia was a little dumbfounded at the bridal gowns displayed in this boutique with various models complete with groom’s suits.“Hi, Ash! How are you?” greeted a bespectacled woman wearing a black blazer and a knee-length pencil skirt the same color as her blazer. Her blonde hair was neatly curled behind her head. Rakia stared flatly at the woman’s interaction with Dashtan, which she felt was quite close. They gave each other a brief peck on the cheek. Rakia couldn’t guess the woman’s age, so she kept staring at the woman, assuming.“I’m fine; this is Rakia, my future wife,” Dashtan said, touching Rakia’s heart when he said ‘my future wife.’ Rakia smiled and wanted to shake hands, but with her friendly smile, the woman immediately gave Rakia a quick peck on the cheek.“Oh, finally, I can do something special for you. Are you ready?” Hamira asked Dashtan; he smiled and then looked down momentarily to hide his shynes
Silence stretched between them on the way back from Aunt Hamira’s boutique. Still feeling a little dizzy, Rakia tried to relax her shaken state while wearing the wedding dress. Ever since Benjamin broke her heart by secretly marrying another woman behind her back and then canceling their wedding, she was traumatized. But right now, her mind was, on the other hand, curious about the conversation about Dashtan at Aunt Hamira’s boutique.“What has that man done in his past? Could he have impregnated someone and left her? Or maybe he aborted a baby from his relationship with a woman so as not to ruin his career? Or....”All these assumptions flew through her mind like arrows on a battlefield. So many and so many. She had to take a breath many times because her mind was too noisy, so it increased her curiosity level to the highest level; if it had reached that level, she would not hesitate to ask whether she was embarrassed or not was a later matter. The most important thing is that curios
Papers were scattered around her as she sat on the bed reading the letters on the paper she held. Rakia sighed loudly and shook the list from her face roughly."Why are there so many guests?" she muttered, then looked at the papers scattered around her and shuffled them with stress. He went to her laptop. She typed in the names she could remember from her life and the list she had read."It's just a charade wedding between Dashtan and me. Why should I invite so many people? He must not have invited many people either," Rakia grumbled as her fingers nimbly typed on her laptop keyboard. Then, her other self said something that made her stop ordering."But they believe that if you get married, you and Dashtan will really get married, for them this is not an act."Upon hearing that, Rakia hit her desk somewhat hard, then got up and said, "That's enough!" She snapped at the sentence she had just heard in her mind. She grabbed her cardigan from the hanger, put it on, and headed out. She des
The ring looked amazing on Rakia’s hand when she wore it, but not on her heart. Just a call would bind them together in marriage vows. Rakia swallowed as she removed the ring from her ring finger and gave it to Dashtan, trying to smile so as not to look so stiff and nervous. Her heart was beating uncomfortably, and she began to feel dizziness coming on. She scanned her surroundings for a place to sit and found a bench with a backrest on the right side of the back. Rakia immediately approached the bar and sat there. She caught her breath and neutralized her feelings, suddenly attacked by panic.“Oh, come on, Rakia... It’s just a ring.” She encouraged herself in her mind. She hoped it would work, and slowly, the bad feeling receded. She turned her gaze towards Dashtan, who was still struggling with their wedding rings. Rakia once again let out a long sigh, but Dashtan noticed it, so he joined her on the bench.“Are you okay?” Dashtan looked at Rakia worriedly. He knew something was goin
Since five in the morning, Rakia had been feeling extremely nervous. It started when she was getting made up until now. As her body was dressed in the wedding gown, she became even more nervous. Today, in a few hours, she would officially become Dashtan Al Ghani's mistress until the deadline they had agreed upon. Rakia sighed nervously; she had finished her makeup a few hours ago and was waiting for the marriage vow to be completed. She would join Dashtan in the reception hall with the guests to show off this marriage contract. She sat dumbfounded in a small backless chair in front of the dressing table; since the wedding was in a star hotel, she was in a luxurious suite that Dashtan had specially booked as a bridal suite. Rakia looked at the decorations of this room, which were pretty beautiful and elegant. Still, when she looked at the bed, she immediately discarded all thoughts of doing something in bed with Dashtan, who would officially become her husband in a few hours."Oh, God!
It was an exhausting reception for Rakia and Dashtan. They were now in the suite that was their bridal suite. Rakia was taking off the heels she had been wearing for hours and lightly massaging her throbbing calves. Dashtan took off his tie and outerwear in the suite's living room. He also undid the cufflinks and one shirt button at the top. Remembering the buttons at his wrists, he rolled his sleeves to his elbows. It was five o'clock in the afternoon. Dashtan and Rakia had agreed to limit their reception hours to avoid getting too tired, but they were already tired enough. Most of the guests they had invited had come, especially Dashtan's business colleagues and Dashtan's father, As well as guests from Rakia's side, her friends at Daily Singapore, her father's colleagues, her mother, and Pedro's doctor. Rakia didn't expect many guests even though she had limited them, but it turned out that her wedding to Dashtan was not just a wedding. Local and foreign media covered the event—espe
Rakia and Lizzy were seen sitting at the hotel restaurant where Rakia and Dashtan had their wedding. After Lizzy helped Rakia remove her wedding dress, they promised to meet at the hotel restaurant. Rakia said goodbye to Dashtan after they took turns showering and dressing. Dashtan, who seemed to be getting ready for bed first, heard Rakia say she was going to the hotel restaurant with Lizzy. Now, the two women were silent after Rakia explained what had happened to her.“Why didn’t you tell me? I can help you, Kia...,” Lizzy said, looking at Rakia sympathetically. Rakia just let out a long sigh.“I didn’t think of you at the time, all I could think of was how this problem would only be known and inconvenience me.” That was the only reason she could give to Lizzy, and it was an honest confession.“Oh, Kia... You guys will definitely suffer because of this ridiculous marriage. Oh, my God. Rakia....” Lizzy couldn’t understand why there were creatures like Dashtan and Rakia who could easi