Chapter 26

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