Arranged Marriage: The Prince and I

3

"Ziza, Aziza?" Ferran shook her awake.

"Hmm?" Ziza girl groaned. He watched for as her groggy eyes scanned her surroundings. Confusion was the first emotion he read in her red eyes, then when reality kicked in, it tore at his heart when the sadness glazed over her eyes. The only thing that was stopping him from beating that bastard into a pulp was he had to stay at her side and get her back on her feet. Not even Aziza's worst reaction to that could stop him. His little sister needed him. Maybe he'll pay the jerk a visit tomorrow.

"Wake up, I made a snack for you. You need it after all the throwing up you did earlier." He whispered, gently nudging the small tray bearing a bowl of hummus and some pita.

Aziza rubbed the sleep from her red, puffy eyes caused by all the crying she had done for five straight hours. She told Ferran everything that transpired before she ended up a sobbing hot mess on his doorstep. Ferran's fiancée hadn't minded the girl's unannounced arrival, she'd seen the state she arrived in and immediately understood the situation, and since Ferran knew her better, he'd let her do most of the consoling.

"Oh?" She said in a small voice.

"Yeah, I brought you something to drink if you want that too. I made it just the way you like it." He smiled sympathetically down at her.

"So it really happened?" Her question tore at him and at first he didn't want to answer, but the sooner she accepted her reality, the better, "Yeah."

Aziza simply nodded and sluggishly sat up on the bed, took the plate in her hands before digging in. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she had taken the first bite. The meal was history within a few minutes. She practically inhaled everything given to her, and she didn't feel embarrassed in the least bit.

"What time is it?" She asked after having swallowed the last of the food in her mouth, washing it down with a glass of water. Her head was pounding, and it felt a bit stuffed like a pillow.

"Just after six." Ferran replied after checking his watch, "I have to go to work tonight, are you going to be okay staying with Cala and Fiya here?" He asked. Fiya was his currently sleeping five-year-old daughter.

"I'm going to work too." She said.

"You don't work Friday nights." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. I'm filling in for Lulu, she wasn't feeling well, and so she called me while you were out. I had offered to help her if she got any worse, So, I'm coming with you." She shrugged.

"Ziza, I don't think that's a good idea. You're hurting right now and I think you should rest." Ferran argued.

"Exactly. I'm hurting and what I need is to forget Kevin, so I'm going to work whether you like it. Plus, I need the extra cash." She raised an eyebrow as a way of challenging him. He didn't need to know this, but she was barely holding herself from bawling again by a thread. It had taken her five hours to say something or even think about Kevin without crying buckets, this was progress. So yeah, she had to get on with it at some point, why delay it and mop around over a liar? A liar who'd tried to call and text her so many times to feed her more of lies. After she lost count of them, she blacklisted his number, then deleted it from her phone. Good riddance.

"Okay, okay. But know that this means I'm getting a ride from you." He stood up from the bed.

"Fezza your car is back from the garage." Aziza remarked.

"You think I don't know? I just want to save fuel." He rolled his eyes, causing both of them to laugh before exiting the guest room.

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