LylaI couldn't believe how strong Rashid was.Telling off his mother had been a long time coming and not something I ever thought he'd be able to do. Of course, this was never something I'd ever blame him for, seeing as how I'd grown up in a similar situation with my parents, and my only solution to getting them off my back was temporarily blocking them every so often for my own sanity.It took serious guts to actually tell a parent to fuck off—even with Rashid doing it as eloquently as he had.I wished there was a way that we could go out and celebrate. It might not have seemed like a momentous occasion but that's sure what it felt like. Now we weren't the only ones backed into a corner. In fact, we were starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Something I never thought was possible even a few days ago.My video had made its rotations on social media quite a few times, with the mass majority of people praising me for my 'raw and unfiltered' vers
Lyla"All right.... All right, thank you. You too." I looked over to Rashid as he pulled his phone away from his ear, reveling in the excited energy that poured off him the moment he stood and walked over to me."So, Anton Wright will be here tomorrow to do our exclusive. The network is going to be sending over a crew to help us set up a good spot for us to do the interview and walk us through what they're going to be doing."I nodded. "When are they coming over?""Some time today, I believe."I rubbed my hand over my belly, it was kind of my comfort as of late to feel our baby moving under my hand. I couldn't wait to meet him and his squirmy little self.Rashid and I had joked many times over the past few weeks that he was going to be some kind of soccer player with the way he liked to kick at everything, including my poor ribs and bladder."Should we make them food?"He laughed. "I think they'll be all right. But, maybe a snack or some
Rashid"Wow, this is looking really good." Zayed nudged me, his arms crossing over his wide chest.I scanned the room, looking at all the muted tones the crew was bringing in to drape over the walls to make the entire place a little more 'enclosed' as they said. "You don't think it's a little… drab?"Zayed laughed. "Of course, you would think that. You come from a gold palace."I rolled my eyes, nudging him back. "You're the one that was stressing about what tapestries to bring over to your fiancée's family.""They quite loved those tapestries, thank you very much.""Uh-huh.""Mr. Al-Aryani." I turned around to look at one of the light crew coming over with a clipboard in her hand. "We were wondering if you could sit in a few of the chairs we brought. You're pretty tall, so we want to make sure that your wife doesn't look too small next to you when you both sit down.""Of course." My eyes darted around the living room. Speaking of
LylaBy the time I came to, the sound of a heart monitor beeped softly in my ear.It was hard to peel my eyes open, so swollen from crying that I could barely see as I blinked them a few times. I had no idea what happened to me after the emergency team arrived and they put me onto a stretcher. I had no memory of being whisked away in the back of the ambulance or even if Rashid got to ride with me or if they'd forced him to take a separate car in case they needed the spare room if I crashed. Honestly, I didn't even know what hospital they were bringing me to in the first place.Would it have enough security to keep the paparazzi out? Oh god, what if they tried to come up here and take pictures of me?The monitor next to my head started to go off, screeching loudly in my ear."Hey, hey." A hand grabbed mine. "You're okay. I'm right here."Tears leaked down my cheeks as I turned my head to look at Rashid. He smiled at me softly, squeezing my
RashidThe moment Anthon Wright walked through the front door, I could tell he was a man of business. He wore his suit and tie in a polished way, giving the impression that he was not only fashion smart, but looked the part of the dashing reporter that he'd been portrayed to be.He was cordial as he shook Zayed and Melanie's hand and went out of his way to bring Lyla a basket of fresh fruit dipped in chocolate as not only congratulations for the baby, but as a condolence for what had gone on yesterday."I heard through the grapevine you weren't feeling well." He flashed a smile at my wife, handing it over to her. "Chocolate and fruit, I hear, is the best way to make one feel better."Lyla smiled and instantly plucked a chocolate-covered strawberry off one of the skewers before popping it into her mouth, her groan going right to my groin."It's good to meet you." Anton held out a hand to me, shaking my own with a firm grip. "I've met my fair share of royalty, bu
LylaAs the sun rose the next morning, I felt Rashid shift next to me, his breath tickling my cheek.We'd spent the entire night staying up and talking while also shedding a few tears. I knew getting it out of our systems was healthy but oh, boy… it had been a lot. Hearing Rashid talk during our interview had not only been eye-opening for Anton and the rest of the world but for me too. I knew his parents treated him poorly, but hearing him recount details from his childhood and the ways that they controlled him was horrible to hear. There were a lot of people in this world that was going to listen to Rashid talk about his childhood and dismiss it because he grew up privileged and rich beyond compare—something that I absolutely hated for him. No amount of privilege discounted the very tight leash his parents had around his neck from the moment he was born. He had no freedom in his choices and even if there had been, it was little and insignificant at best.
LylaWe watched it ring and ring in his hands.I could feel the tension budding in the air, a sour taste in my mouth making me wrinkle my face as Rashid's fingers tightened around the phone. Wanting to reach across the way and grab it out of his hands in order to toss it away from him so he didn't have to look at it any longer was a strong impulsion.His parents calling was never a good sign, no matter how often either of us had tried to see the good in him getting into contact with his family. They were toxic and would soon throw us both under the bus in order to satisfy their own agenda.How they could do that to their own son, their heir, was beyond me.I'd had my fair share of strife with my parents, but at least I'd grown up not being able to trust them. Rashid had over two decades, almost three, of pretending that they were looking out for his best interests. It wasn't until I came around that he'd been able to see them for who they truly were.
LylaA few months later…"Push, Lyla! You're almost there!"My hand gripped the one wrapped around mine, my entire body bearing down on the pressure between my legs. I gasped when I felt the baby shift, my entire body on fire while sweat dripped down my face.I'm already so exhausted. Laboring for two days straight with hardly any food and water here and there had made for a miserable experience so far.But it was nothing compared to this—feeling my body come completely undone as I birth my baby."That's it, Lyla," Rashid praised me. "He's almost here.""He's crowning!" the doctor shouted to the nurse next to her, both of their hands came down between my legs to catch him. "One more big push, Lyla!"I held my breath, bearing down again. It hurt and it completely wiped me out the second I felt our son leave my body. I fell back against the bed, panting heavily while stars clouded my vision."He's here!" The doctor held up the newborn baby—our
RashidThree Months Later…"Rashid! Can you come grab the milk out of the microwave!" Lyla called out through the house.I looked up from the laptop resting in my lap, my eyes readjusting from looking at the screen for too long and watering slightly. "I got it," my sister said, pulling herself up from the floor."Thanks." I stretched my arms over my head, feeling my shoulders crack as I did so. Who knew trying to find accommodations for a former princess was going to be this much of a hassle?Salama and I had been working on finding her a place to live on her own while Lyla and I's house was being built. After her breakup with Javier, my parents had disowned her as well, cutting her off before she had a chance to explain that he'd masterminded an entire campaign into trying to steal my wife away to Spain with him.According to our parents, Salama was just as much of a failure as I was and since she'd gotten back into contact with me and come ov
LylaJavier smiled at me. "I told you that. Remember?"I shook my head at him, trying to move backward but was only met with the hard bodies of the guards surrounding me. In my arms, Nasir began to cry. The sound made my heart ache. It fucking sucks that my newborn child has been put into this situation. It's not fair. "What is going on!" Salama tried to jerk away from the guards surrounding her too. "Javier, what are you doing!"He sighed. "I'm sorry to tell you, but I have to break off our engagement. Don't worry, I won't make it look like you were at fault.""I don't care about that!" she snapped back. "You're not actually taking her back to Spain with you, right?""I am, actually."I shook my head. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Javier. You know that."He frowned at me. "Lyla, we had a deal. I help you get your baby back and you come with me to Spain. You agreed to that.""I got my own baby back! No thanks to you!" I cried, holding m
RashidI wasn't completely familiar with the palace but I had a general sense of where things were from the copious amount of times my father had gone into great detail about the intricacies of how this palace had been rebuilt after he'd become king.Why my father had been so obsessed with discussing architecture with me was beyond my comprehension at the time, but today I was grateful for it. Thankful even. Maybe I'd send the old bastard a thank you card after this was all said and done.After we'd closed Hafsa inside the nursery, we hurried down the hallway on the opposite side of where we'd come up from the staircase. I remembered there being a door to the outside toward the back of the palace, used for any of the waitstaff that came and went as they needed to.I didn't have any worries getting past them. By the time any of them realized who we were and what we were doing in order to call someone, we'd be long gone in a car to my jet sitting in the hangar w
LylaI instantly wanted to cry.All of my emotions over the past few days that I'd bottled down in favor of trying to remain headstrong were finally coming up to the surface at the mere thought of finally being able to see my child again. Was this it? Was this really it?"Is he…?" Rashid asked from across the room.Before I actually broke down though, I reached over the side of the crib and gently folded my hands under the bundle lying there, lifting him gently until I had him out of the crib and tucked into my chest. He made a small noise as he readjusted himself, pressing his face into my neck and sighing softly against my skin.Oh my god.Finally.My hand came up to curl around the back of his head, my entire body folding around him to protect him from everything. Like I was his own personal human meat shield. My baby. My son.Finally, back in my arms.I rocked him gently, feeling that familiar weight I remembered on my chest
LylaDucking and weaving around corners to remain hidden was more annoying than I thought it would be.With Salama guiding us through the palace, she was constantly grabbing my arm and yanking me into a dark room, the sounds of others passing by or even the remnants of someone moving down a corridor had us both spooked beyond belief.I wasn't sure as to why Salama's parents wanted her back just as badly as they wanted Rashid, but I tried to stop understanding them a long time ago. It was easier to just assume the worst at this point.We wandered around what felt like every single damn hallway we could find. Having no clue as to how we were supposed to get out of here, or where to find Rashid in all of this as well as where Hafsa had run off to. Both of us were slowly growing more frustrated with each hallway we stumbled upon."This place is so horribly mapped," she spat as she dragged me down another corridor. "Who in their right mind would design a palace like
LylaI had no idea how long I sat there on the floor before I remembered I had my phone still tucked into my jeans pocket.Sometimes past-me really had future-me's back. That was for sure. I had no idea who the hell I was going to call, but I had to try someone.Pulling my phone out, I dialed Melanie first. Her groggy voice answered me only a moment later."Mmm… Lyla?"I gasped into the phone. "They have me locked in a room!""What?" There was rustling on the other end. I sobbed into the phone, my entire body shaking as I spoke. "They locked me in a room! They took Salama away too! Javier's going to take me to Spain with him and I'm never going to get to see my baby again!""Hold on, I can't—hold on." There was a groan on the other end from Zayed before Melanie came back on the phone. "Lyla, where are you?""The palace in Abu Dhabi," I choked out. "They… I don't know, had this plan to give me to Javier to take back to Spain. I don't k
LylaI pushed past Salama to get into the room, a gasp leaving me the moment I laid my eyes on the scene in front of me.My heart pounded so wildly in my chest that I was afraid it was going to split my ribcage open and jump out. It felt like a dream to see what was in front of me—to finally lay my eyes on the one person who'd completely ruined my life and the one that had completely changed it too.There was Hafsa, seated in a large round chair with her arms cradling a small bundle. She smiled down at it, rocking slightly as she murmured something softly. The scene was so domestic and sweet looking that for a moment I felt delusional. There was no way that someone looking that content with life could have done all of this.But as soon as I heard a soft cooing sound, my dream-like state crumbled, forcing me back into the reality that was and not the one that my brain wanted me to believe in.I stumbled forward toward her, a hand quickly jerking me back from the
RashidWe followed the attendant to an unmarked room away from the waiting room we'd been kept in for a little over half an hour. I wasn't surprised they were all taking their time. It was normal for officials to draw these kinds of things out, either for their own benefit by starving their clients, or making them too aggravated to think properly.And while normally it had the potential to work, both Javier and I were above falling for such things. We'd been trained in it, after all.Although, I am becoming a little jittering having to wait for so long. Because I know that if all goes well with this meeting, I'll be one step closer to getting my son back and holding him in my arms, and witnessing Lyla be a wonderful mother to him like it's second nature and she was born to do it.We're missing out on so many firsts with our newborn baby all because of that selfish fucking woman. The thought of Hafsa with Nasir caring for him like Lyla and I should be at this t
Lyla Waking up the next day to Rashid's grave face sent me into a small panic attack that I ended up locking myself inside of my bathroom to deal with it while he got the rest of our stuff ready to head out.I didn't want to bother him with more of my head-shit, having seen him stressed way too much about the other things on his plate he had very little control over. It wasn't fair of me to monopolize him with all of my problems when he had his own to sort out too. Dumping everything onto him, especially right before we were going to be heading out, was a shitty thing to do.Finally, after what felt like an hour, I gathered myself and splashed some water on my face before finally leaving the bathroom and heading out to join the rest of our group in the living room. Surprisingly enough, they all looked just as stressed as I felt, even Salama who I'd suspected only came on this trip to supervise her fiance looked like she'd barely slept all night. I didn't know whet