Chapter 39

They ended the kiss by closing their eyes, resting their foreheads against each other, and inhaling as much air as possible to fill their oxygen-deprived lungs.

"Don't ask for my heart, Rakia...," Dashtan said after she gained the strength to speak.

"I won't ask for it; I just want us to be honest with ourselves in this marriage." Rakia tried to get the Man to open up to her and go through this marriage without any pretense. Dashtan opened her eyes while Rakia immediately distanced them as she turned to the other side. She took a deep breath and then let it out regularly.

"I'll try, but if I feel it's beyond my limits, I'll stop."

That remark made Rakia look back at the Man; a small smile broke out on her face.

"That's the spirit. Now, I have to eat and take my medicine; then we'll talk about the excavation later," Rakia said before getting up from the sofa and leaving Dashtan, who was thinking about his decision again. He turned to Rakia, who was hobbling out of his office. He had on