Altered

Chapter fifteen 👑

I

gnore the typos ☺️

Nazneen 💕

It was certainly the shadow that loomed over my sleeping form on the floor that roused me from my sleep that I unintentionally fell into after concluding my Subh prayer. Me and sleep didn't get along so much at any part of the day and even at night but given that I didn't sleep at all last night, I somehow managed to fall asleep on the ottoman.

The morning sunlight had enveloped the room in such a way that the glass chandeliers glistened in bright hues. And I finally got a good view of the room which I wasn't able to get from last night. I was sure it was Zulfa that designed the room because it was just like my room at my parents house. Except this time,the walls were white and baby pink. The queen sized bed though,had a nice combination of lavender and pink which matched nicely with the curtains.

There were two very tall shelves standing on each side of a reading table with neat piles of notebooks and plain papers. The shelves were filled completely with books of all genre which I knew I  would have a good time exploring.

I could see the overview of the morning sun and a small dining table through the glass doors that led to the balcony and the two other doors which I could only guess were the ones that leads to the walk in closet or en suite bathroom.

Khalil cleared his throat "Good morning, Nazneen" . He too was dressed in a casual attire of a white t-shirt and khaki shorts. His hair was dripping wet which only gave the impression that he just came out of the shower.

I peered closely at his face to try and see if I could read out his  expression. For someone who got married on short notice,he really looked indifferent about it. His eyeballs looked as clear as water unlike mine which were probably red and swollen from all my crying. He wasn't smiling though, but he mouth was slightly opened and he looked like he had had enough sleep.

His voice was clear, not croaky like mine and it was that voice that brought me out of my trance. "Do you always do this?"

"What?"

He shrugged before he answering "Staring at people like you are trying to read them?" He turned and flashed me a small smile, he didn't let me reply "Breakfast is ready" his eyes trailed over my nightgown "I'll leave you to get ready" he said and stood up, his smile grew a little wider.

A sigh that I didn't know I was holding escaped my lips when I heard the door shut after he left. This prompted me to stand up from which I regretted immediately because a powerful wave of vertigo hit me making me stagger. I used the edge of the bed to support myself in standing up again,and held my my throbbing head all the way to the en suit to have a quick and hot shower.

After showering,I wandered to the closet which was still empty. My luggage still lying haphazardly on the floor. Making a mental note to arrange the closet later,I hurriedly picked an outfit and dressed into so as not to keep him waiting,then sauntered downstairs.

By the time I had already found my way to the dining room without much effort,I found Khalil already sitted at the table. I wasn't sure he noticed my arrival as he was engrossed in his phone probably to while away some time before I arrived. After clearing my throat to announce my presence, I slid carefully to the chair opposite him and then greeted him.

He raised his head up and regarded me with a smile. How come he's always smiling whereas I was completely freaking out. Or maybe he was but he was trying to conceal it with a smile.

After the maids had served our meal and stood on standby,he dismissed them with a wave of his hand. I dared myself to peek at him as he did and then the realisation hit me like a nail on a coffin. The man I was married to wasn't an ordinary person. He was an Al Farsi, even the air around him carried a kind of eerie confident and dominant aura.

The dining room was enveloped in an awkward silence, only the sound of the cutleries hitting the plates which helped to reduce the silence. Well Khalil did most of the eating, I didn't and it didn't take too long for him to notice.

"Why aren't you eating?" I heard him ask making me shoot my eyes at him "Is the food not to your liking?"

I picked up my fork and threw a piece of fried eggs in my mouth "No it's not,I like it very much" my lips twitched into a wide fake smile and I knew he noticed it but he didn't say anything, maybe he didn't have anything to say.

After we had finished eating and the dishes were cleared,we were finally alone in the dining room. The reason why I didn't leave was because he hadn't too and I thought it would've been inappropriate. So I began fiddling with my thumbs underneath the table.

"Nazneen"

I shot a gentle gaze at him. I knew what he was going to say. He could say that I'm not one he likes blah blah blah and then give me a divorce,so I mentally braced myself.

"Look,I don't know what happened and how it ended up in this because I am very confused" he released a sigh before continuing "I know that you still like Farhad"

'How about you? I'm sure there's someone that you like too' my subconscious questioned him. He narrowed his gaze slightly at me and I gulped in fear that he had heard what I said in mind.

"Let's just get straight to the point, I have no feelings for you" ouch "And I'm not going to force you to stay here. I'll divorce you so that you can get together with Farhad or any man of liking, so for now we can just be friends"

"When are we getting the divorce?" I asked him.

"Five months latest" he answered smoothly "By then she wouldn't be mad anymore" I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear the last part because it came out muffled but I heard it anyway. I didn't ask who the she was because it was none of my business,if it was,he would have told me.

"I agree with you"

His eyes met with mine and he smiled "Great" he said and left.