Forgiving You (Dublin Sisters #2)

Chapter 69

Full moon was glowing in the early morning skies. The winter short days delayed the eminent sunrise. Darkness etched across the Celtic city even at the early hours of morn. Susan gazed out the glass balcony doors that overlooked the Liffey River and the urban landscape of Dublin. Last night Daud didn't further question her about him. Her nerves were on the edge waiting for Daud to probe. In the glass door, Daud's reflection stood behind her. Their eyes met. She took a deep breath and turned around to face her husband.

"I never told you." Her gaze slid downwards. She was ashamed to reveal the ugliness of her family. "He is addicted..." her voice trailed off.

Daud stood motionless, waiting for her to go on.

"Drugs...it's been..." her eyes scanned the clean wooden floor as her mind recalled the horrified past, "nearly 15 years. Since the death of our parents, he just slipped away. Spent more time with friends... the wrong kind of friends which eventually led him from good to bad to worse."

She was hot suddenly, her hands perspiring. She loosened the hijab that was still tightly wrapped around her head after Fajr salah. "When you supported me and Yousef, there were times he came to me in desperation for money. I ... I ..." she was mortified of revealing further but she had to go on, "I gave him whatever I could. But when you left, he persisted even when I had nothing. He even stole from me, forced his way in the house and took whatever he could find. That's when I started to resist him. He didn't know my previous address but now I guess he found out about our wedding and was here."

Tentatively, she glanced at him, Daud's penetrating gaze pierced through her.

She hastily added, "I didn't give him anything."

He imperceptibly nodded and took a step closer.

She didn't want to reinforce his belief that she was shallow who used his money in the wrong sense. "I ... I ... am sorry I gave him your hard earned money."

He took another step closer.

"You don't have to worry I will never do it again." She said breathlessly as he took the final step towards her, closing all distances.

His warm hands firmly gripped her upper arms making her look up in his fierce blue eyes, "I don't care what you do with your money. I gave it to you for yourself and Yousef. If you believed you could have helped your brother by giving him money. I understand." He shook his head slowly, " I don't care about money. I care for your and Yousef's safety. I didn't like the way he treated you. He has no compassion for his sister." His fingers trailed up to her shoulders touching her bare skin above the collar of her pyjama top. "Promise me you will never let him come in our home. I don't trust him. I don't want anything happening to you or Yousef." His fingers brushed against her neck, a shiver passed down her back.

His hands cradled her face, "Promise me Susan."

The doubts that lingered at the back of her head were easing as she saw the concern he had for her and their son, "I promise."

He kissed her sealing their promise.

****
Salman's eyebrows drew together and his forehead wrinkled in concentration as he read the report on the laptop screen. Idly, his left hand fingers tapped on desk as he scrolled down the report. Biting his lower lip, he was intercepting and analysing the figures on the screen. That's when he felt her. Her unique scent even before her hands glided down his chest.

Nawal perched on the arm rest of the black leather swivel chair and breathed in his ear, "You have a wife waiting for you," she playfully nipped his earlobe.