Chapter 84: Chapter 84
A week after Rakia regained consciousness, the woman asked to go home because she didn’t feel at home in the hospital. But that didn’t mean she was free from medical treatment. She still had to keep resting and using IVs to support her recovery. The wound she had sustained on her shoulder had not completely dried up and still left her with pain that Rakia could not tolerate. As a result, Dashtan hired a doctor who would come every three days to monitor and check on Rakia’s condition. And also, he asked the gynecologist where Rakia consulted and checked herself to come to the house to check on the woman’s womb. Dashtan became super protective which bothered Rakia, but she tried to understand.
Actually, she asked Pedro to do it, but Pedro was a heart specialist who had a busy schedule every day so he couldn’t make it.
“Don’t forget to eat and take your medicine, I’ll be home by lunchtime. Call me quickly if anything happens or you need anything.” Dashtan babbled at length and it made Rakia roll her eyes. Because, that sentence was repeated by her husband every day before leaving for work.
“Don’t you have any other words? I’ve even memorized my medication schedule and names. Go away, you’ll be late,” Rakia chided which made Dashtan chuckle. The man kissed the top of her head long and deep then moved on to his wife’s stomach, stroking it gently then said, “Dad go first, take care of mom....”
Rakia could only smile as her heart warmed every time Dahstan did that. Even lately, the man had been communicating regularly with his future son. When Dashtan came out of the room, he found Dalilah waiting for him near the sofa in the living room. She looked at him and then approached him with hurried steps. She grabbed Dashtan’s arm and said, “Ash, please, don’t divorce me. I confess everything, ok?! I promise not to spread anything about the case against your stepfather’s petrochemical plant. I will keep my mouth shut, I promise.”
Dashtan sighed loudly. He let go of Dalilah’s hand that was roughly holding his arm at the moment.
“Is that all you want to admit?” Dashtan looked at Dalilah with a probing gaze. Dalilah was confused as well as surprised and nervous.
“What do you mean?” Dalilah tried to look less guilty here. Dashtan chuckled sarcastically and turned away from the woman.
“I don’t know why you’re doing all this but I’m very disappointed in you. Sign our divorce papers when I bring them to you.”
Dashtan walked away after saying that. Leaving Dalilah who just stared at the man wide-eyed. Feelings of sadness and anger were mixed inside her. She then turned to stare at Dashtan’s bedroom door with a sharp gaze.
“I will not let that woman have Dahstan.”
Again she echoed that promise in her mind. After that she went to her room to plan something that would make her promise come true immediately. Dalilah quickly grabbed her cell phone and dialed someone.
“Hello, we need to start our next plan. After that, your job is done leave the rest to me.” Dalilah said with her sharp gaze as if she could kill anyone with just that look.
“But how? The woman is at home, we can’t do anything.” The person she was talking to said his tone was confused.
“You just prepare everything. I’ll call you when the time comes. But it won’t be long. Soon, that woman will meet her end.” Dalilah said that with full confidence that it would happen. After she contacted the person she had been working with to carry out her evil plan. Dalilah rushed out with the bare necessities from home. She wouldn’t be here when it happened so it would strengthen her alibi.
“Mrs. Hunt, I’m going out, I have business with my colleagues. Probably until the afternoon.” Dalilah also deliberately told where she was going in order to further strengthen her alibi later. Although in truth, she was lying about meeting someone. Mrs. Hunt nodded and resumed her activity of cooking lunch for Rakia. However, Rakia already knew Dalilah’s plan thanks to the CCTV she installed in the woman’s room. Rakia smiled sarcastically after knowing Dalilah intended to harm her in this house.
“You think you’re the only one with a grudge here? I suffered the most because of your presence at my marriage with Dashtan.” Rakia monologued with hatred on her face. She grabbed her cell phone and called Dashtan.
“Hello, Habibti? Are you okay?” Dashtan’s voice sounded when the man answered her call.
“Yes, I’m... Fine, but can you leave early? There’s something important.” Rakia waited for the man’s response.
“Important? What is it? Do you have any more secrets?” Dashtan sounded a little surprised. Rakia smiled in response to her husband’s suspicions which were not entirely wrong.
“You go home quickly first, I’ll tell you later. If necessary, before Mrs. Hunt leaving, you’re already here.”
The sooner Dashtan was home the better and whatever Dalilah planned she could overcome with Dashtan’s help.
“Alright, I’ll be home soon, do you want anything?”
Rakia took a deep breath then said, “Just make sure you get home fast and safe.”
“Alright, Habibti, see you in the afternoon.”
Rakia placed the phone on the nightstand after her conversation with Dashtan ended. She tried to get out of bed with slow movements. Rakia grimaced at her shoulder which still hurt because the wound had not completely dried. But she could still tolerate the pain compared to the first day she opened her eyes and felt as if her body was broken into seven pieces. The car that was destroyed in the explosion would soon be replaced with a new one.
As for her job, she temporarily appointed someone to replace her. Some trips abroad were also unable to be made and were replaced by someone she appointed. Rakia opened the door with her other hand and walked out of the room. She looked around the living room that looked deserted. She faintly heard sounds from the kitchen, she did not know what Mrs. Hunt was doing at this time. Rakia approached the piano and sat on the bench. Opening the cover that covered the piano keys with one hand, then playing the notes she could play with one hand.
The doorbell interrupted her piano playing. She was just about to leave but Mrs. Hunt was already seen coming out of the kitchen and heading to the front door. Rakia sat back down at the piano and continued playing. However, when she was in the middle of the note she was playing, someone interrupted her.
“Stop that note, or I’ll shoot her.”
Rakia turned her head in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see Mrs. Hunt being held hostage by someone wearing a black robber mask. The man pointed a gun at Mrs. Hunt’s neck. Rakia tried not to be afraid and stood up from her seat with slow movements. Her gaze did not leave the man.
“What do you want?” Rakia asked in a tone trying to sound unafraid.
“Jewelry and money,” the man replied. Rakia thought for a moment. She felt something odd about the man.
“Let go of that woman and I’ll give you what you want.” Rakia began to make her deal.
“No, give me the jewelry and money first.”
Rakia swallowed compulsively.
“Okay, wait here.” Rakia went to the key cabinet and took the spare key from Dalilah’s room. She entered the room with the key and checked the cupboards and storage areas in the room. She found some jewelry in the closet and a bag with a famous brand that contained money that Rakia didn’t know how much but she thought was enough to bribe the robber.
“I have nothing to lose here,” Rakia said as she took the jewelry and the bag of money. She put all of Dalilah’s jewelry into the bag of money and walked out, locking the door again. She placed the bag a few steps in front of the robber who was still standing in his place with a frightened-looking Mrs. Hunt.
“Everything you want is in that bag, now let the woman go.” Rakia said with her heart beating fast.
“Your ring too,” said the robber man who suddenly made Rakia look at the ring on her ring finger.
“Big No. This is my wedding ring.” Rakia thought and then she stared at the robber with a sharp gaze.
“No,” Rakia refused with a stare as hard as steel. The robber chuckled dismissively at Rakia’s refusal.
“Then this woman’s life will be the price.”
“Are you sure? Why not my life?” Rakia stared intently. Mrs. Hunt stared wide-eyed at her employer.
“You want to die? Why?”
Rakia was silent for a moment thinking of the right answer.
“Aren’t you here to kill me? I’m the mistress of this house, unless you have other intentions.”
The robber seemed surprised by Rakia’s guess.
“Is that what you think?” The robber threw a question upon a question. A faint smile played on Rakia’s lips. Whoever Dalilah sent to kill her, she would not let the woman win.
“Am I wrong? If you’re here to deal with me, don’t include others, you don’t want to, do you?! What if your boss gets angry because you made a mistake and drags her to jail for messing up her plans?!”
The robber was ignited by Rakia’s words. He pushed Mrs. Hunt to one side until she fell to the floor. Mrs. Hunt looked at the two people who were now arguing. Then, she stepped away from there to go to the kitchen, calling for help. The robber pointed the gun at Rakia.
“I just want to know, what will you get from your boss if I die.” Rakia tried to buy time. She was already resigned to what would happen in the future, if she died then all the suffering she experienced would end and let Dalilah do what the woman wanted, even if Dashtan let her.
“You want to know? My boss says I’ll get my job back that you took away.”
The robber’s words made Rakia frown. She spurred her brain to work harder to remember the people who might have been angry with Dashtan’s decision to appoint her as program manager. It didn’t take long before she found the answer she was looking for.
“That’s it? Nothing else?” Rakia tried to dig for information.
“Shares in several companies,” the robber replied again.
“What if you fail to kill me?” Rakia’s question jolted the man and instantly a shot was fired at her through the skin of her right thigh and the bullet lodged there. Rakia was shocked and shook violently then collapsed to the floor as the pain spread rapidly throughout her nerves. Blood immediately seeped out of the bullet wound.
“I’ll make sure not to fail to kill you, one more shot to your heart and it’s all over.” The robber readied himself to fire but, the next second, a heavy blow hit the back of his head and the robber immediately collapsed to the floor unconscious.