as a reply. She raised an eyebrow and I pretended to be busy admiring the box.
“Can I open it?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
A nod.
My eyes widened once again, but for a completely different reason. Laid upon the silk that filled the inside of the box was a necklace, designed to sit only on the collarbone, decorated with at least a hundred gemstones or so all over it, shaped into roses. Large and small diamond gemstones.
“Wow! This is for me?”
“I’ve already said it is.”
“Uh, thank you.”
“Put it on.”
I didn’t feel like putting it on while she stood there, but didn’t want to get into an argument with her. I thought it wouldn’t really hurt me if I did as she requested, so I did.
“I think it’d look better if you removed that...thing.” She pointed with her finger and a disgusted look to my necklace.
My hand flew to my cross, holding it in my hand protectively. It felt like she was going to take it away from me, even though I was so sure she wouldn’t dare do so. But then again, I didn’t know her and knew nothing of her personality. I only knew that what I had seen so far was very unlikable.
“Uh, I don’t ever take it off,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Hmm,” she hummed. “Listen, Yabent,” she started with a cold gaze and an undeniable sneer, “Mazen is a very good man; he’s kindhearted and more than nice. He deserves the best, and even more.” She eyed my hand that was still holding my cross with disgust before looking back into my eyes. “I’ll do anything in my power to prevent that kind heart from being hurt. Anything.”
I gazed at her with shock. Her words weren’t hurtful, per se, but it didn’t mean that those words weren’t full of what seemed like a warning.
“I would’ve really loved for my only child to marry someone who knows how to treat her husband well, someone who knows her duties towards her husband, his rights over her and how to make him happy,” she paused. “Someone who’s a Muslim.”
Wow!
Now it wasn’t only a warning that laced her words, it was also hatred. Plain and simple.
“But, we can’t really always have what we want, can we?” she said with a shake of her head. “However, we do know how to accept what fate has forced on us.”
Is she speaking about me or herself?
Hello! I was the one forced into this here!
“If you ever hurt Mazen in any way, I’ll make sure to make you regret it.”
And then she left. Leaving me standing right where I was, too shocked to speak or even move.
Guess my queen/mother-in-law doesn’t like me, after all.
How much I would like to tell her that the feeling is so mutual. To her and everyone else in this stupid kingdom.
God!
I put the box with the other boxes from yesterday, determined to leave them behind when I finally leave this hell-hole and never look back. It was really nice, but all of those diamonds didn’t belong to me. I wasn’t the prince’s bride, nor would I ever be.
Mona came in after a few minutes with breakfast, and the prince arrived before she’d left the room. He told her something in Arabic, which she responded to with a nod and left the room.
I gazed at the prince as he stood beside the door. His angry stare was no longer there; it was replaced by a blank expression, so I couldn’t read him – yet again.
For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. It was like I was waiting for something, only I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t wonder for long, since my thoughts were interrupted the second his soft voice filled the silence.
“We need to talk.”
I held my breath at his words. I had no idea what he would tell me, ask from me, or what that would be about. I didn’t know anything. I dreamed of him letting me go. But I knew he wouldn’t. He’d probably keep me in here and torture me to death. His kind could be sadistic like that – no surprise.
I eyed him for a moment, trying to discover his hidden intentions, to hear his silent thoughts, to see the future. But nothing worked; I couldn’t read his mind.
I won’t lie, I was scared, so scared. Not knowing anything was not very pleasant.
I felt so lonely, in a country that wasn’t my own, with people who didn’t speak my language,