Released From The Past
Ahmed was determined to heal; he needed to talk to someone about everything he carried inside.
“I want to tell you, if you’re willing to listen. This has nothing to do with you, I love you unequivocally. It’s the past that I need to heal from because I feel guilty.”
“I’m here to listen, you know that, and I’m here to support you.”
“When I met Lyna, I was immediately captivated by her. I was on a yacht with some investors when a storm caught us off guard. The boat was large and withstood the storm perfectly. On our way back, we came across some tourists who had ventured far from the beach to snorkel and were in trouble. We jumped into the water to help them, and fortunately, I was able to save Lyna. Her friends were rescued by the others who were with me.
At that moment, I was enchanted by her, her reddish hair, and her green eyes. I didn’t know that my brother knew her and was interested in her too. We went out while she was in Dubai, and that’s when my brother started hating me. She had to go back to Switzerland, but we kept in touch for a long time. Eventually, she returned to Dubai, and I proposed to her, and she accepted immediately.
My mother made a scene and wanted to force me to marry Aracha, but I refused. Lyna had to endure the worst humiliations you can imagine. My brother had turned to vices, and there were rumors that he organized large orgies filled with alcohol, drugs, and women. My father had to pay to keep his excesses from coming to light.
He was the crown prince by being the eldest, but my father grew tired and appointed me as the heir instead. This only fueled Arkham’s hatred towards me, and that’s something I feel guilty about as well. He had fallen in love with Lyna, and losing her made him irresponsible. It was his way of venting all the frustration and anger he felt.
When I became the crown prince, my mother’s pressure increased, and she started arranging my wedding with Aracha. I tried to abdicate, but my father wouldn’t allow it. So, I fled the country with Lyna, and we got married in New York. I used the money I had to start my own company, and during that time, Cambell came to work at Astech. We became great friends in a short time.
Lyna was a wonderful wife, and she got pregnant. Our son was born, and I felt like the happiest man in the world. Our marriage was perfect, and later our daughter was born. By then, the company had grown enormously, and I was considered one of the most powerful businessmen in the country and the continent.
Success had gone to my head, and beautiful women constantly threw themselves at me. I went from one to another, sometimes not coming home to sleep, and Lyna endured it because she loved me. Several times, I returned with my shirt stained with lipstick, and I was perfectly aware of it. I believed she had to put up with all of that. She forgave me time and time again.
It had become a habit for me to fail and then apologize. It had become automatic. She couldn’t take it anymore, and she gave me an ultimatum: either I changed for real, or she would leave me. I saw the determination in her eyes; the way she looked at me had changed.
I promised her that I would never let her down again, and for a month, I dedicated myself to her and our children. I tried to come home early, and she regained the loving look she used to have when she saw me.
My son would eagerly wait for me, and every afternoon, we played football in the garden. It was fun to watch him run after the ball, his little legs moving as fast as they could. My little daughter loved to fall asleep in my lap; she was a true angel.
At the company, I had hired a new secretary, and to be honest, I didn’t choose her for her skills or excellent resume. I picked her because of her enormous rear end.
Aisha listened attentively, trying to remain calm; she didn’t want to lose his trust.
One day, Lyna wanted to surprise me by coming to the company. She rarely did that; she was completely devoted to the children. She wanted to invite me to lunch that day.
Ahmed paused for a moment, wiped his tears, and took a deep breath before continuing his story.
On that day, I couldn’t resist the temptation. I succumbed to the advances of my secretary, who had been flirting with me all the time. It was just to satisfy my ego; there were no feelings involved. I loved my wife.”
He returned from a meeting, and upon entering the office, he found her naked, sitting on my desk. She was very beautiful, and I let myself be carried away without thinking about the consequences. Due to the surprise of finding her in that state, I didn’t lock the door, and minutes later, Lyna walked in. Not seeing my secretary at her desk, she entered without knocking.
I can’t forget the horror on her face when she saw me in the midst of that scene. It must have seemed atrocious to her, but she didn’t say anything. She just turned around and left. And foolishly, instead of following her, I stayed to finish what I was doing. My secretary smirked sarcastically, mocking Lyna, but I didn’t care about that.
Lyna returned to our house, took our children who had been under the nanny’s care, packed a few belongings, called for the plane to be prepared, and that same afternoon, she left for Switzerland. She had already spoken to her parents and told them what had happened. She never spoke about what was happening in our marriage; everyone thought it was perfect.
When I arrived home, the nanny informed me that they had left, and stupid and arrogant as I was, I thought it was just a tantrum, and that she would eventually come back because she loved me too much.
The next day at the office, Cambell asked me to turn on the news. The plane had crashed in a forest reserve near Zurich.
I felt like I was dying in that moment. I was the worst human trash, and I was sure of it. Cambell, who had warned me about what would happen if I didn’t change my behavior, stood by my side, supporting me at all times.From NôvelDrama.Org.
We traveled to Switzerland, but her parents prevented me from attending the funeral; they blamed me for what happened. I listened to their insults and accepted the beatings I received. I couldn’t defend myself because they had no valid arguments for me.
Through the news, I learned that they had only found some remains of the bodies among the burned wreckage. It drove me crazy to imagine their mutilated bodies. Ahhh, God! It hurts to remember all of that.
Aisha embraced him, and they cried together. It broke her heart to see him so devastated.
“I don’t know what to say. I never imagined all of this happened. I’m truly sorry.”
“Now that you know what a piece of trash I am, will you still love me?”
“I love you, and this won’t change how I feel. You are not the same man anymore; you have changed.”
“Thanks to you, I’ve been able to move forward. My life used to be so mechanical-work, eat, and sleep, basically. Many times, I thought the best thing would be to end my life and go with them. But since they passed away, the constant nightmares tormenting me have ceased. Now that I’m with you.”
“I’m glad to hear that I could help at least in that way.”
“I love you, Aisha, never forget that.”
She tenderly kissed him. She appreciated being there for him in those moments. When she saw him enter, she felt angry at first, as if she were invading his privacy, but then she understood that she was a part of all of this. If he wanted to feel liberated, he had to tell her everything. Only then could they be truly happy without so many ghosts haunting their lives.
“I believe you’ve paid enough; you have to transform all that suffering into pure love. Remember the beautiful moments and keep them in your heart. Let go of all that pain; free yourself and free them from that pain. Allow yourself to be happy.”
“I am happy with you, although I won’t lie to you. Sometimes I blame myself for being happy.”
She hugged him again, and he gradually calmed down until his crying stopped.
“I’ll sell the house; I’ll only take a few things with me. I’m worried about the nanny; she’s older now and has no family. I’ll talk to her and give her a generous amount to help her get by.”
“You can’t abandon her. She’s been alone in this house all this time. If you want, and if she agrees, we could take her with us.”
“Would you do that for me?”
“If it’s important to you, it’s important to me too.”
“Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I was thinking of asking you, but I didn’t want to impose something like that on you. I hesitated because I thought it might be difficult for you to have someone who is part of my past with Lyna around.”
“Not at all, don’t worry about that. We all have a past that affects us whether we want it or not. You accepted me despite all my problems, so why wouldn’t I do the same?”
He approached her and hugged her tightly, and they stayed like that for a while. They left the room to talk to the nanny.
“Nanny, I need to talk to you; please take a seat.”
“What’s going on, son?” The woman looked bewildered, glancing between the two.
“I’m going to sell the house.”
“Wait, didn’t you plan to do that a long time ago, son? It’s not healthy for you to cling to all of this.”
“My wife has asked me if you agree, to come and live with us. You are part of my family, you know I care about you.”
“Of course, I agree. You are my only family, and I love you like a son.” She said, tears streaming down her face. “I hope I won’t be a bother to you, ma’am. I’ll do everything I can not to be a burden.”
“There’s no way you’ll be a burden. It’s important to my husband, and I’ll be glad to have you with us.” Aisha replied, smiling sweetly.