Leilah's POV

He's been gone for three days now.

Five days after the wedding and Waleed is in Paris while I was left alone with Mama Naomi . He had left his office the second day after our marriage without a physical goodbye. He texted me to say he had something to take care of in Paris. No information on what bsuiens it was or when he would be back.

He couldn't call.

It had been the longest three days of my life. There hasn't been a single call or text from him except the last for the last text. I fought y he relentless urge to call him to call him and when I eventually did, both calla went straight to voicemail. He was completely incommunicado.

Mama Noami on the other hand, kept feeding me like I was going for war. It had been as If being a size 8 unlike the size 2 and 4 I have noticed Waleed is crazed for, wasn't enough.

Yes... I Got so bored and insecure that I started placing pictures of his rumoured exs together.

Those women are skinny as hell.

What do they eat?.

I kept taking pictures in my new home And With my new phone and skyped everyday with Amal and Asah As part of my "getting over Waleed' task. Countless times, I Pleaded to them to come over and they Refused. Insisting that my parents Wouldnt't let them see me Untill after two weeks as it Was assumed I was on my honeymoon.

A honeymoon without a husband. The pathetic life of Leilah Haseeb- Akhmad

I couldn't bring myself to tell his mother when she had called that he Had traveled to Paris but she had Noticed all the same. and her voice had changed instantly while she talked to me.

"Leilah, can I come in? " I turned around, following to where mama Naomi was standing at the door oF my room.

It was already past 11pm.

"I thought you left to your flat already, what are you still doing up? mama Naomi"

I wasn't at all shocked to see her. The woman worked too much for her own good.

" Mrs. Akhamad....your husband is back and he is very angry" she was visibly shaking while she talked.

" I will be down in some minutes... You should go to bed. You look tired "

Five minutes later and I heard ceramics clashed with the floor downstairs. I hurried downstairs to find Waleed sitting on a chair with hands stained with blood.

For a second, my horror movies freak-self thought he had killed Mama Naomi so I raced round the sitting room for her body until I noticed her purse gone from the cabinet.

Well.. It's a good thing it's his blood and No anyone else's.

"Waleed? What the hell is wrong with you? " I asked him.

The built-in anger wasnt because my darling husband crashed the flower vase that has become my favorite picture object but because he had the nerve to return from Paris at 11pm on a work day... Drunk!

"don't you dare! " He turned around to face me. Eye to her.

His eyes, Red and scary.

I shouldn't be standing here.. I should be back in my room with my door locked.

As he approached me, I started to pull back.

"you think you are too beautiful or what? You ugly piece of shit. I was out there trying to mend our Deed and sort things with my perfect life in Paris and what do you do? Take a fucking selfie that has got the whole world talking about our marriage again! this damn frustrating marriage that is ruining my perfect life daily." he kept ranting.

"please stop Waleed.... Please stop" I was mentally begging him.

"You think I love that I am married to you? huh? Answer my question Leilah Haseeb! .... "

I can't deal with this. I have never been in a position like this before.

"You are the worst thing that has ever happened to me and you will not talk to me like that...... Not today and not ever again! " his nose flared while he talked.

Shaken by all he said, my knees turned weak, then It hit me. He had gone to Paris to Alice, While still being married to me. It hadn't been entirely to mend the deed. He cheated on me without caring if I will be hurt or not and I am not even given the chance to be hurt by life itself.

He walked past me, pushing me out of his way while he did. I fell to the cold hard floor.

There is no way I am going to survive this marriage.

I started asking my self questions made out of self pity.

What have I gotten myself into?

for a start, I realized I had to find a way out of this. To begin with, my body was hiring from crashing to the floor in tears, I held my heavy head in my hands a and for the first time, I thought deeply on how we got here in the first place.

I really should never have agreed to this.

I could have rebelled against my family.. I could have ran away back to London or somewhere no one will find me. I messed up and now I was stuck with a man who gets drunk whenever he was upset.

.........

"Leilah.. Get up from the floor"

Was I dreaming? No, had all of these been a dream?

I was on my bed, sleeping when I heard someone, tell me to get up from the floor.

Two seconds later....

"Leilah! " "Leilah! " the voice kept calling. Soft hands massaged my thighs gently. As if trying to wake me up.

"what! What! Who died!"

I jumped up, only to hit myself against a hard wall.

"who died? " the voice repeated. Waleed stood Above me. His arms across his chest, ready to nag.

"I don't appreciate you sleeping here... There is a reason you were given a room! "

His voice collided with my now sane self. Memories of the night before flashed through my head.

Mama Naomi walked in while I was about to open my mouth like a child and demand apologies for all he had said to me the night before but closed my mouth once my eyes caught the pictures of the both of us on TV. A thunderbolt strike-like arrow drawn between us.

What was happening?

"" the reporter said as pictures were continuously flashed across the screen, with an unlooking Waleed holding hands with Alice.

"......"

"

my eyes stayed glued to the TV, Unmoving.

"I was going to tell you... Leilah" he says without an iota for emotion.

I hate this man.

"tell me what?"

I turned around to him.

"You tell me to stay away from the reporters and then you pull a huge scandal and come home drunk .... blaming me for your misfortune? Do I look a bit like your grandfather, the man who did this to you... to us ? "

I turned to the woman present, Mama Naomi stood there with a pity look on her face, then back to Waleed... Who quickly turned his eyes away.

I was done with the pity party.

If this was going to be hell for me, I could as well make it hell for the both of us.

"and that open marriage thing, it isnt going to work. so you had better get your acts together and find your way out of this mess because I have never done anything to you to deserve this humiliation."

He turned to me to say something but sealed his mouth shut.

Much better. Asshole.

"Not a single call, Waleed! Not even a text. You cancelled our honeymoom for this?.... Oh Waleed. You are more shameless than I thought. I held you too high. "

The tears in my eyes dried up instantly. I was tired of leting him see my tears for this sham we had both been both locked in.

I am not supposed to care...then, Why am I so hurt?

"we should visit a lawyer today" he finally said. Head, still down.

"for the deed? "

He nodded in response.

"it takes two to dissolve that deed, Waleed Akhamad and right now.... This woman here isn't going to give you that joy because I do not believe in divorce. So, husband, bloody Get used to it! "

His eyes flared up in anger.

"Are you joking right now?" he screamed. "You fucking agreed to this! "

"Read my lips Waleed." his eyes turned wide open. As if shocked to see me this way.

Yes.. Take your time to Look through what you've turned me into.

" You better get ready to discharge your mistresses because I won't have you ruin me for life. Once I walk out this door. No man would ever marry me again. You are a famous Man and that has ruined me. You think I like being married to someone who storms off to Paris Instead of being here with his wife?"

He said nothing.

"you are an Asshole, Waleed! A Freaking Asshole! "

An additional presence in the house caused me to turn. His chauffeur Abdel, Was visible now waiting to open the door for his boss. Only then did I notice Waleed was impeccably dressed in a suit.

Without a word, he angrily walked out of the house into his car and they drove off.

I must have jumped the stairs ,upstairs.

Within the safety of my room , I stood beside my bed looking out the window. Starring at reporters who stood in the way of his car, Abdel kept hitting the horn too loud, to discard the reporters for minutes. until he was finally let go and the car drove off.

I switched on the TV in my room to continue feeding my selfhurt.

Another channel flashed same pictures plus pictures of his car leaving the house .

My phone kept ringing. First it was Amal only, then His mother. my parents took turn to send massages. my twin elder brothers were on Skype trying to reach me. Just like Asahd well... Who was going extra to trying to reach me on every social media account I owned.

I needed to scream. I needed to let it all out.

I shouldn't be jealous but I was buttered beyond jealous. I didn't care that I woke up hungry.

A man who won't even make moves to consummate our marriage because I was too ugly and fat for him.

I have never had the Cause of self-pity and insecurities, unroll Waleed. He had dashed to Paris for some stupid business meeting or so he said , while we were supposed to be on our honey moon. Meanwhile, he had ctually been with his mistress.

Who would have thought my life could be ruined in Just a week. Despite my perfect Harvard results.

Thinking back , there had been no iota of remorse on his face. He wasnt sorry for his actions.

I need to get out of here myself. I can't keep being a prisoner.. I need to go out.

I picked my phone up and texted the only person who I think might be able to calm my infuriating state down,

Amali.

"Amal, meet me up at our favorite coffee shop in 10minutes, Alone. I need you Amal..

"I need you"

Just then, A text crawled in:

Waleed: do well to stay indoor today. There are tons of reporters everywhere.

Me: I think you should be telling this to your partner in crime. Not me.

He replied almost immediately.

Waleed : I am not asking you. I am ordering you to stay indoors. And stay indoor.. You will.

Me: you don't own me. Do not text me ever again.

Of course. I know he will at home in few hours and yes, I will have to face him. But right then.... All I had for Waleed Akhmad was Hate!

Pure undiluted Hate.