A/N: IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE OF THE CHAPTER! PLEASE DON'T SKIP IT!

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Damian has been up for hours, watching Sahara's calm breathing, the way her chest goes up and down when she breathes in and out. The way she is cuddled unto his side and fits right in as if she was made for him. Everything about her made him calm, it was as if one glimpse at her washed over some kind of relief over him. He doesn't know much about love, in fact, he doesn't even know what he's feeling towards her: is it love? Is it infatuation? Is it sensual? Is she getting too close? What if she hurts him? He doesn't know anything, but, the one thing he does know is that he can't ever let her leave him or else it might crush him.

Damian looks at the clock and it read 7:24AM, "oh shit, I'm bloody late for work." He kisses Sahara's forehead. He was about proceed to go to the bathroom when Sahara grabs his hand, "Do you have to go today?" Sahara says in her groggy, morning voice. Damian could already feel his body reacting, she sounds so damn sexy.

He sits down beside her as she props herself up on the headboard. Sahara couldn't help but stare at Damian's physique, the tattoos, the muscles, his tan skin, everything about him has her drooling over him. Damian smirks, "Round two?"

Sahara looks at him with crinkled eyebrows, "Round Two? I– oh, oH, OH, OH NO, PLEASE GET TO WORK." Sahara suddenly blushing uncontrollably and pulling up the blankets up to her neck.

Damian's smirk becomes even deeper as he places a hand on her cheeks and inches closer and closer until Sahara could feel his breathing on her nose. "Are you sure about that?" Damian asks in a breathy tone sending shivers down Sahara's back.

Not being able to control herself any longer, "Kiss me." Sahara says impulsively, surprising herself.

Damian didn't even react, he crashes his lips onto her as if he was waiting for her to give him permission. Their kiss becomes deeper and deeper as Sahara could feel herself sink into the headboards of the bed. His hands wrapped around her body to get as close as he could possibly be to her physically.

She stops to catch her breath. She's looking into his eyes, looking for answers of her own: is this lust or love? Is he going to make me or break me? His eyes soft and almost loving. She could tell he wasn't giving it his all but she remembered what Elizabeth had told her, he just doesn't want to get hurt.

She caresses his cheek, leaving a kiss on his forehead, both of his cheeks, his nose, and finally a peck on his lips. Sahara has her legs wrapped around his waist as she rests her head on his shoulder, with her arms around his neck. His grip around her body becomes tighter as if he wants to hold her from running away.

She whispers in his ears, "Go to work." Damian could feel Sahara's smirk against his ear. Accepting defeat, he makes his way to the bathroom to get ready for work.

• • •

Sahara takes a shower and reads Fajr Nama'az (morning prayer). She thanks Allah for the sudden change in Damian's demeanour, it was a miracle because Sahara was sure her life was going into the depths of insanity if Damian kept up his frightful ways.

As she finishes Nama'az, she sits there and wonders, what if he didn't change? What if I'm being used for my body? Those thoughts filled Sahara with disgust, she felt sick to her stomach. But something inside her wiped out that thought almost instantly: You will be fine, he really does care, Sahara. Stop over-thinking the blessings in your life.

Sahara's head snaps in all different directions, trying to find the voice because it almost sounded real, however, there was no one there. God is really out there looking out for her, He will protect her, she knows it.

She finishes her Duas (another form of prayer) and makes her way downstairs.

• • •

"Ma'am, you're glowing!" Jennifer chimes.

"Yes, it's almost as if you've become more youthful and happier overnight..." Katherine says as she cleans the kitchen countertops.

"Right? Even Sir seemed a bit too jolly this morning and in all the years I have worked here, he has never been so jolly." Jennifer says as she jokingly gives Sahara a suspicious look. "What have you two been up to?"

Katherine elbows Jennifer and gives her the warning look.

Sahara chokes on her eggs, "I– He–"

"OooOoH, I see!!! That's why you have been walking like you're a bit sore." Jennifer teases Sahara, making Sahara turn almost tomato red.

"Jennifer! Please! You work for Mrs.Vasiliev, for God's sake!"

"Oh, no, Katherine! It's okay!! My best friend, Ria, has been too busy with med-school to be able to joke around like this with me. Jennifer is really filling that empty void right now, it's totally cool, I promise." Sahara smiles and nods at Jennifer.

"Oh, yes, that reminds me, your friend-" before Katherine could even finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a high-pitched squeal, followed by another squeal mentioning Sahara's name.

"EEEEEEEEK!!! SAHARAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" It is Ria. Ria runs towards Sahara, giving her the tightest hug. "Oh, how I've missed you."

The girls catch up on the whirlwind of a marriage Sahara is in.

"Soooo... is Mr. Vasiliev better? I'm just very confused and flabbergasted." Ria couldn't process everything because it is so much to take in.

"I– honestly, I don't know myself. I just hope for the best." Sahara said.

"Insh'Allah, it'll be all worth it. Believe it or not, I'm starting to believe in your Devil-Like husband." Ria laughs.

That comment had Katherine and Jennifer choking.

Sahara smiles apologetically, "Ria doesn't know when or how to hold her tongue."

Ria rolls her eyes, "If I wasn't blunt, then you'd be somebody's puppet by now, Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes."

• • •

Ria had left and said she will try to visit as often as she could. After reading her afternoon prayers, Sahara decides to explore the house. She's barely seen the house aside from the kitchen, garden and the two bedrooms she went back and forth from.

Sebastian had told her this house has over 12 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. Damian is one man, Sahara doesn't understand why the wealthy have to have so much space when they don't have people to fill it, doesn't it get lonely? She'd rather live in a nice small cozy home, where she won't have to feel as alone.

Sebastian did warn her not to enter the west wing of the mansion... But why? What is he hiding? Do I have the right to know? Or am I invading too much of his privacy? What on Earth could he be hiding? So many questions, but no one to answer them.

"Sebastian?" Sahara taps his shoulder.

"Yes, Madam?" Sebastian says in his comforting voice.

"Why am I banned from going into the west wing of the mansion?" Sahara tries to look as innocently curious as possible.

Her question seems to have had an impact on Sebastian as he looks a little nervous but he quickly collects himself, "It is Master's private lair. He prefers that area of the mansion to be his own and his own only." He puts emphasis on the last three words.

"Yes, but as his wife, shouldn't I at least know what's there? I mean, what he does there." Sahara tries using the 'I'm his wife and I have the right to know' excuse, hoping Sebastian would say more on it.

Sebastian looks uncomfortable talking about this further so he tries his best to end the conversation, "Master unwinds and relaxes there. It's his own little world where no one can interrupt him. Even if anyone accidentally walks into his part of the house, he will not show mercy." It was as if Sebastian was trying to warn her by threatening her of the consequences. "Madam, it is best if you stay away."

Sahara nods. She grows concerned about how Sebastian is making it sound. Am I going to be the idiot who tries to investigate and dies because of my stupidness? Probably. Why? Because a girl's curiosity overpowers her sensibility.

"Damian isn't coming back tonight, it should be perfect to snoop around... Ugh! Oh Allah! Is this right? Is this wrong?" Sahara says as she paces back and forth around her room.

But she has made up her mind, even if it's a peek, she just wants to know.

• • •

While making her way to the west wing of the house, she was expecting it to be locked with passwords or some high tech security stuff. But instead, it was open. She just guessed no one wanted to face Damian's wrath so they stayed away.

It's quiet and dark, making this even more horrifying. "Why am I like a goddamn white girl in every horror movie? I'm literally leading myself to death." Sahara whispered to herself.

She loosened her hijab and started to walk further in. There are so many doors. So. Many. Doors. Which one should she open first? Her mind is all over the place.

But there was one door, at the end of the hall that stood out to her. It's an extremely large double door with detailed door handles in the shape of a lion's head. The look of the door gives her the chills.

Sahara laughs to herself, "I'm going to take a lucky guess, this is his secret man-cave? If I wasn't so keen on knowing what's behind the door, I would've just turned the heck around."

The halls were so empty, her own whispers echoed back to her. She put her hand on the door hand and pulled open the door.

• • •

The room was dark, obviously. She takes out her phone and turns on flash. "Ou, I found the light switch."

The flips the switch and her eyes start to settle to the light. As she looks around the room, her heart drops. Her whole body stiffens and her blood runs cold. Her heart starts beating so fast that she thought she heard it echo throughout the whole room.

"Ya Allah (Oh God), w-what in the w-w-world did I walk into t-to?" Sahara stutters as she speaks out loud.

The contents of this room have her so shaken up, she became sure that if Damian found her in here, she'd be as good as dead. Why? Because it looks like it's filled with, in Sahara's eyes, things that are straight from her nightmare.

• • •

"What the fuck? I know for a fucking fact that Sebastian told you not to come here. You little Muslim whore, do you not know how the bloody fuck to respect privacy?" Damian yells as he inches dangerously close to Sahara, trapping her between the wall and his body.

"Damian– please, I didn't know it was–" Sahara stutters.

"–such a bloody big deal?!" He finishes her sentence as his fist hits the wall beside her head, making her flinch. He grabs her wrist, twisting it behind her back.

Sahara's vision became blurry from the tears at the edge of falling, "Please, it hurts, Damian. Please..."

(A/N: I repeated the Sneak Peak because of some edits I made to my plans for the upcoming chapters and couldn't fit this into this chapter! Sorry about that!)

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A/N: Ahhhh! Do you guys hate me for ending the chapter so intensely after being gone for so long? 😂

: okay, so, I had the chapters ready, BUT, I wanted to change the direction of the story last minute. So, I had to redo some of the upcoming chapters! I wanted to give you guys my best material and I didn't want to rush through it and give you guys something horrible so I had to take my time!!

Insh'Allah!

I hope you guys liked the long chapter!!! YOU GUYS DESERVED IT FOR BEING SO PATIENT!!!! 😁😁😁

♥️