EIGHT

It’s been five days since I was here. And the fact that shocked me was I was still alive. I thought he wouldn’t leave me alive or at least with both legs after hearing Jameel’s death. Hearing his death shocked me but I couldn’t say I was sad over his death. I couldn’t mourn over his death but I did feel bad for Beela. She was head over heels for him. Might be she loved him but she was selfish too. Selfish people only think about themselves. If she wanted Jameel than there would be a reason behind that too.

Taking a long sigh, I turned around to walk back towards the kitchen. I, for the first time, came in the garden located at the backside of the mansion. It was filled with plants of vegetables and fruits as it lacked flowers.

I was thinking of asking about this from Suzi as there should be flowers too. So that the garden should look more cheerful and colorful. Everything about the mansion seemed dull and dark. Nobody here lives cheerful life. My life wasn’t filled with all the colors but I had seen my aunt and Beela enjoying to their fullest. They weren’t well off like these people but still they used to live their lives.

But here in the knight’s mansion everyone acted like they just want to spent their life without living it. As if they just want to spend the given time as if they were caged by giving a life and they were dragging their feet to reach the end of it.

“It lacks colors right.” I almost jumped when I heard Fahad Shah’s voice from behind me.

“No…yes…there should be flowers.” I continued walking as he also started walking with me. He was wearing a dirty green colored sweater with jogging pants. The color was going with his black pepper-colored hairs.

“Then plant them.” He suggested as he took a deep breath.

“Oh…how can I? This isn’t my home.” I mumbled as I had to take permission before everything.

“Why is that?” He asked as if he didn’t what was his son made off.

“I am not your son’s wife sir.” I stated with a smile on my face as we kept walking. Through my peripheral vision I could see him smiling too.

“But if you stop calling me sir and start calling me dad then you can have more authority than him. Daughters are more precious than sons after all.” He said and I stopped in my track.

Is he asking me to call him dad? I never had a dad. My dad ran away when my mother was pregnant.

“You can think fast and decide so that we start talking about the plants we have to buy to make this garden colorful.” He said in his authoritative voice as he kept walking. I didn’t know why my throat clogged up with tears making my eyes misty but deep inside I felt happy. I felt relieved. I felt so many things at a moment but the conclusion of all of them were that I was happy.

“I like chrysanthemum.” I announced as I ran to match my steps with his as he started walking slow because of short legs as compared to his.

“I like jasmine.” He added his plant too.

“And seeing your son I can say he must like roses but in black color.” I added as he laughed. It was like a small chuckle.

“I think he likes lilies too.” He said in a mischievous tone as we both said the next sentence in rhythm.

“But in black color.” We said but the moment we were about to laugh I became as dead as a flower would in autumn.

“You two seemed to be like getting along while judging my personality.” The coldness in the voice could seep through my body and shook my soul in a slow torturous way.

“Should we turn around.” Fahad sir…I mean Dad said we both had our back facing him.

“You should. You are his father.” I mumbled under my breath as I could see through my peripheral vision that he glared at me as I meant by my words that you shouldn’t be afraid of your son.

“Jealous that I got someone to talk to.” Dad said as he turned around. I followed too because no matter how much I wanted to avoid him but that was ill-mannered.

Like kissing you wasn’t?

My conscience like always made the worst comment. Although it was right and true.

It wasn’t a kiss. He just bit me. Beast

I mumbled back inside my head as it was true. My lips were swollen for the whole day but I was glad Suzi didn’t ask anything although her eyes lingered on my lips for a while but she ignored.

“Do you think I would get jealous over things like her. I am not like you.” The coldness in his voice made me finally look at him. He was wearing a navy-blue colored suit with tie loosely hanging around his neck. His hairs were a little disheveled as if he had run fingers in them. Seeing how tired he was looking I assumed he just came back from office.

In these past days I was doing my best to ignore him. I was sleeping in the kitchen although my back aches. Suzi cleaned a room for me but that was in his wing. I objected a little but she shut me off saying that no matter what I was his wife so I belonged to his wing. She could have made me sleep in his room but the way he acted that night alarmed her very much but still she made me sleep in the room next to him.

I was glad that his father was with me at that time as his actions from the other night still haunted me.

“I know. You don’t get jealous. You just snatch the thing as if it belongs to you. Still, you say you aren’t like me.” Dad chuckled bitterly as they both were glaring at each other and I felt the air got tense. They both didn’t seem to be in a good relation. Seeing him it’s had to say he could be good with someone.

“Don’t f**king ever say I am like you. I would rather die than be like you.” He instantly growled as his jaw was clenched as he could shatter his molars by grinding them. I couldn’t help but flinch seeing his eyes filled with rage before I tried to hid behind Dad. He was an inch smaller than him but still he was large enough to hide my petite frame behind him.

“Why are you fighting?” I couldn’t help but mumble because I never saw about two men fighting. I was never in company of men so I never knew they looked this much dangerous when they fight.

“We are not fighting. It’s just a lovely talk between a son and his father, baby girl.” Dad said casually as he was still looking directly at him in the eye as his words erupted a lava inside him as he looked fierce all of a sudden.

“She isn’t your baby girl. Don’t ever f**king talk to my wife like that. You don’t have any relation to those who belong to me.” He clenched his teeth as if trying to resist an urge inside him but the thing that shocked me was his words.

Wife…

…belong to me

A few seconds before he was saying something else and now, he was completely negating his statement. He said everything in anger as he didn’t seem to be in his mind at that time.

“But…” Dad was going to say something but stopped as a smile captured his lips when he added. “…yeah. You should take your wife. She belongs to you.” I was dumbfounded when dad moved aside and exposed me to him. Now I wasn’t hiding anymore behind him. I wanted to move and hide behind him again or at least run inside but my feet were frozen when I caught all of his attention.

His forest green eyes were fixed into mine honey brown ones. I felt a gush of wind fanning my cheeks as I felt shivers ran down my spine making me feel cold all of a sudden. It was just a start of winter so I should not be feeling cold but the coldness in those eyes made me feel like December.

My fingers started fidgeting with each other as I couldn’t avert my eyes from his forest green ones. I was fascinated by them but I was too scared to move an inch. Gathering courage, I looked at Dad who was smiling which seemed more like a smirk. He wasn’t looking at me but his son who was throwing daggers at me as I had stolen something from him.

I looked at Dad again with helplessness in my eyes as he finally threw his attention towards me from his precious son but then what he did…he just shrugged his shoulders and walked away not before saying. “Don’t forget to buy her flowers or otherwise she will come to me.”

My jaw almost dropped as he just said I was his daughter and now he left alone in the dungeon with his beast of son.

I couldn’t stand there it could be the end of me. Taking a deep breath, I gathered my senses and then…

I ran.

I ran towards the kitchen for my life without looking back leaving him alone in the garden.