Mending You And I

Chapter Thirteen

Third Person's POV:

Cornelia slammed her hands on the table, startling Maryam. Her eyes were burning red and she gritted her teeth like she would explode. "He hit you?!" she almost yelled out. Maryam shushed her because everyone in the parlor was looking at them.

Cornelia sat back down on her seat and cleared her throat, calming down a little. "Your husband is so dead, Maryam." she sounded very dangerous. "How dare he do that to you? I won't ever forgive him for this. I'll talk to dad to—" but she was interrupted by Maryam who had wiped her tears with her sleeve and wasn't crying anymore.

"Let it be, Corn. I don't want Mr. Wilson or anyone else to get dragged into this," she said with a poker face, looking into her cup of ice cream. She took a bite and savored the sweet flavor that flooded into her mouth. "Let's enjoy this ice cream and forget about that jerk," she told Cornelia who wasn't ready to accept defeat at all.

"Tell me everything. From the start. How did he get to know about the rumors?" she asked her not sparing her sundae even a glance. Maryam sighed but did as she was told to. "Noor told him. She said that one of her friends broke the news to her and obviously, Abdullah believed her without letting me say anything in defense.

He said such disrespectful things to me, Cornelia. And you know what? Mila told me that he used to bring girls over and Noor did come home the night I was staying at yours. And despite that, he dares to tell me that I'm an immoral person."

Maryam shoved another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth in anger. The taste made her calm down again and she looked at Cornelia.

"That ******!" she started a series of swearing and after letting out all her anger, she stopped. "Who's this Noor, by the way?"

"It's a long story, Cornelia. For now, I just want to relax and enjoy the few moments of peace I have before I return to that hell hole." she tched as she said that, rolling her eyes. Cornelia wanted to press the topic further but she didn't.

"Why don't you just ask for a divorce, Maryam?" Cornelia questioned, fed up. At first, she wanted Maryam to have a happy life with Abdullah who was charming, handsome, and rich. The perfect combination for a perfect husband. But, after hearing what happened, she just wanted her friend to leave that man.

Maryam shrugged at the question. "Where would I go? I don't want to go back to the Mehmood house," she said. "But you can't let that man abuse you like this. You need to leave him. Period." she folded her arms over her chest and stated as if it was her final decision.

"I can just continue living with him like a stranger without any interaction. Maybe, he would just mind his own business from now onwards," she suggested but it didn't convince Cornelia. "What if he hits you again? What if he starts to abuse you?" no one spoke for a minute.

"You can tell his parents about his behavior. I'm sure they would help you." She said, hopefully. But, Maryam shook her head. "They're nice people, Corn. But do you really think they would choose me over their son?" Maryam took another bite before continuing.

"And even if they did help me out, I still don't want them to know about the rumors. Abdullah and Noor would convince them that I really did commit such a disgusting act, further ruining my reputation. I wish I could get some kind of proof of my innocence." she sighed, hopelessly.

"Don't let yourself down. We'll find a way out of this. Until then, just relax and don't let anything bother you." Cornelia smiled at her assuringly which surprisingly brightened up her mood. Nodding, she gave her a wider smile in return. "Thanks for being here for me, Corn."

After that, Maryam called her driver to pick her up. She went home and fortunately she didn't have to see the jerk's face because he wasn't there. She felt depressed and upset so she went straight up to her room. When she changed into some comfy clothes, she made herself comfortable on the carpet where she prayed and started reading the Qur’an.