Trust Me (An Islamic Love Story)

Chapter 12

I stare at her as she continues to wave at me. I am unable to look away. I wait for her to vanish, to vanish into thin air like he does when I see him, but she doesn't. She stays as the car moves away from her, her cold gaze pierces through me. My soul is screaming for the moment to end, struggling to run away, but it seems as if everything is happening in slow motion.

She is in this city. She is truly here. That means he is here too. No. Please no.

"Pops?" I call out, my voice barely coming out.

"Yes, Abeer, are you okay?"

"I..."

"I told you, angel," I hear him so clearly as if he is speaking in my ear. "I'm going to get you. I caught you."

I feel as if the air has solidified, and my vision starts to blur. All the colors seep into one other until I see nothing but black...

"She had an anxiety attack," I hear a business-like woman's voice. "Has she had one of those before?"

"Yes, she has," I hear Mom answer worriedly. "She used to have them a lot before almost every day when she was younger, and then it reduced to two to three times a week."

"But she hasn't had them for months now," Maliha informs,, and I try to open my eyes, but they feel too heavy, and I have no energy to muster.

"Hmm, did something upsetting happen right now?" I hear the doctor ask, "Maybe something strange or bad might have triggered it?"

"No, we had gone outside to eat with her fiancé's family," Pops answers. "Before that, we had gone shopping for the wedding, and she was completely fine."

"Something happened between her and her fiancé?" The doctor inquires.

She is here. My heart throbs. She is going to get me. He has come for me. He has found me. He has found me. The words were few, but they held all my fears; all of them.

All these thoughts were running a marathon in my head, but none would come out. My body was failing me.

I force my eyes open and start coughing. The nurse gives me water and slightly pats my back. "How are you feeling, Abeer?" Mom asks, her hand clasped on mine. I look at her, fighting back the tears. I wish you were my real mom, I almost say. I wish you'd believe me.

"I want to go home," I say in a small voice.

"The discharge papers are ready," the doctor tells. "But first, you have to promise me that you are going to be happy. You are going to try to be happy. Do things that you love, and don't put too much pressure on yourself."

I smile at the irony. She doesn't know what she's asking for, but I assure her just the same, "I'll try."

The doctor hesitates before saying, "Something happened between you and your fiancé or their family?"

"No," I reply truthfully. "Nothing of such sort happened. Don't worry."

"Good, because he and his family are waiting outside," she tells me with relief, and I feel like going back into unconsciousness. "Judging by your skin and under eyes, and what your family has told me, I suspect you were deprived of vitamins, so I am prescribing these. I also had your blood tested just to be sure. I'll email the results tomorrow." She leaves the room with that to get the discharge papers.

I want to run away from everyone and everything. How weak I am. What a coward I am. What if both of them followed me here? What if they come and take me away?

That is still not the worst. What if they do something to Maliha, and to Pops and Mom, and Azar and his family? What about them? They don't deserve it. I would never want something to happen to them because of me. I'd rather die than live with the guilt.