Chapter 33: Chapter 33
Rakia and Lizzy were seen sitting at the hotel restaurant where Rakia and Dashtan had their wedding. After Lizzy helped Rakia take off her wedding dress, they promised to meet at the hotel restaurant located inside the hotel itself. Rakia said goodbye to Dashtan after they took turns showering and dressing. Dashtan, who seemed to be getting ready for bed first, heard Rakia saying that 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 easily play with a marriage.
“I know it’s wrong,” Rakia admitted with a deep look on her face.
“Definitely wrong. You think I won’t care about you by doing this?! I want you to be happy, Kia... Not torture yourself. I thought when I heard you were going to marry Dashtan you’d actually managed to heal yourself from the pain Ben left you with, but the truth is you’re just going to make it worse by doing this wedding and lying to everyone just because... Your ego.” Lizzy spoke at length with fierce and overwhelming emotions. Rakia could only look down like a child who was scolded by her mother for making a fatal mistake.
“Don’t scold my wife in public.” The voice startled the two women. The downcast Rakia immediately raised her face and found Dashtan standing behind Lizzy’s chair. Lizzy who managed to control herself immediately rolled her eyes then got up and faced Dashtan.
“You will receive the consequences for daring to lie in the name of a marriage,” Lizzy said to Dashtan then the woman passed away leaving the newlywed couple who were only silent with mixed feelings.
“Did you tell her?” Dashtan asked later. Rakia nodded. This time she couldn’t be evasive anymore. Dashtan rubbed his face roughly then sat on the chair Lizzy had occupied a moment ago.
“Why?” Dashtan looked at Rakia curiously.
“I accidentally talked about something that made Lizzy suspicious of our marriage.” Rakia said softly but honestly.
“Tell her not to tell what she heard from you to anyone, otherwise... I could throw her in jail for spreading someone else’s private information without anyone’s consent.” Dashtan’s threat had an effect on Rakia. The woman nodded with certainty.
“We can go home now if you want,” said Dashtan who then left Rakia for their suite. Rakia’s heart sank after the unpleasant situation. She had to immediately tell Lizzy about Dashtan’s threat and then she had to be able to repair the atmosphere that was currently building between her and Dashtan. Although this marriage was just a cover for them, Rakia did not want to create an unhealthy relationship while being Dashtan Al Ghani’s wife. She left and followed Dashtan back to the suite.
Rakia and Dashtan decided to leave the hotel and go straight to Dashtan’s house. Rakia’s belongings would gradually be taken by the woman from her mother’s house later. When they entered the house, there was no word of welcome from the owner of the house for Rakia. She just followed him to the door of a room.
“This is your room, I’ve partially filled it with things you might need, you can use all the facilities in this house.” Dashtan explained everything Rakia needed to know about the house. After that he handed over the room key along with a duplicate key to the main door and all the doors in this house excluding his room and his workspace. After Dashtan left, Rakia opened the door to her new room and gazed for a moment at the cozy atmosphere of the room with a relaxing view of the side garden, she smiled and then decided to go inside and close the door. She placed the items she had brought on top of the three-drawer cabinet near the dressing table. The room was equipped with a bathroom and Rakia was grateful for that, but on the other hand she wondered if Dashtan seemed to have prepared everything well in advance.
She turned to the glass wall that displayed the side garden that was as wide as the glass wall. There were only a few plants there, Rakia thought of adding more later by asking for her mother’s plants. The position of the garden when viewed from the direction of the bed is on the right side. So it would be a private view for Rakia when she lay in bed facing the right side. There is a glass door for access to the minimalist garden. And a light brown curtain that will cover the glass wall that separates the garden and the room. Rakia sat on the side of the bed facing the garden. She rested her hands on the mattress. She took a moment to look at the mattress she was currently sitting on and decided to compete on it facing the garden. It would soon be nightfall but the light was still able to illuminate his new room. The calm and quiet atmosphere of the room made Rakia sleepy so she decided to take a short nap.
She woke up because she was hungry and realized that it was already dark. Rakia got out of bed to turn on the nightlight on the nightstand beside her bed. After that, she turned on the light switch for the mini park and closed the curtain. She hurried to take a shower and change her clothes. She opened the wardrobe in the room and the contents surprised her. There were many clothes there that she could wear. She chose a pair of t-shirt suits with long pink cherry blossom patterned pants. She looked at herself in the mirror before finally stepping out of the room. There was an empty center room illuminated by a large chandelier. Rakia walked towards the center room and followed her instinct to find the kitchen of this house. She wanted to eat something soon. She found a kitchen that looked clean and tidy after she turned on the main light. It was spacious enough for a kitchen and only occupied by a workaholic bachelor like Dashtan. Without wasting any time, Rakia immediately checked the contents of the refrigerator and cabinets in the room. The ingredients were all there so she eagerly decided what she would cook this time. She opened a rice cooker and found a portion of untouched rice. She observed the long shape of the rice.
“It looks like basmati rice,” Rakia muttered and then smelled the distinctive fragrance of the rice. She thought of making biriyani rice. She quickly checked the spices for the dish and found them all. Half an hour struggling with the dishes that she cooked herself, finally the appetizing aroma of the dishes immediately ravaged her stomach which was getting louder and louder, asking to be filled immediately. Rakia immediately took a plate and spooned rice from the rice cooker complete with beef that she had cooked and put in the rice to add to the flavor. Rakia inhaled the fragrant aroma of her own cooking and smiled as she closed her eyes.
“What are you cooking?” Dashtan’s voice momentarily interrupted her attention which was enjoying the aroma of her own cooking. Dashtan approached Rakia as he stared at the rice on the woman’s plate. It made his stomach churn. Rakia opened her eyes and turned to Dashtan.
“Hungry?” asked Rakia who then handed her plate to Dashtan. The man smiled embarrassedly and accepted the plate of biriyani that Rakia handed him. Rakia picked up another plate to take her own portion.
“Did you cook the rice?” asked Rakia as they sat at a high table made of black granite with high bar-style chairs. They sat facing each other.
“Sometimes, but usually my housekeeper does,” Dashtan replied before shoveling the rice into his mouth with his washed hands. Rakia noticed the way the man ate, like most Middle Eastern men who ate with their hands. She said it was sunnah and tradition. Rakia actually preferred to eat with her hands rather than using a spoon, it felt better. She also ate because she couldn’t stand the hunger that was starting to bother her.
“You don’t have to cook for me every day, there are household assistants who do that. You are not required to do that while being my wife.” Dashtan said that just to remind Rakia so that she wouldn’t feel used by him. Rakia nodded in understanding.
“Tomorrow, my mother will come here with my father, they have something to say,” Dashtan told her. Rakia was instantly curious about what her in-laws had to say.
“Should we get ready to welcome her?” asked Rakia to which Dashtan replied with a nod.
“Tomorrow, our first role will begin,” said Dashtan who then looked at Rakia with a serious look.