Chapter 2 SATHARA NAZAL

Sathara Nazal

I feel his hands run over my skin like a caress that sets my senses on fire, and my body responds instantly, tense. His hands... they are that fantasy that devours me inside, the desire from which I cannot, and do not want to, escape. Without him, I am sure I would not know how to live.

Her lips glide slowly down my belly, igniting every corner of my being until they reach my chest. As I look up, I see his eyes, those diamond-green eyes in the sunlight. Jael, with his night-black hair and cinnamon skin, has me caught in his spell....

"Sathara, my beloved," he whispered. "When are we going to get married? I'm dying to be your love officially."

A shiver ran down my spine, and my fingers slid through his hair, unable yet to reveal to him the plans my father, the great sheikh of the south, had for me.

"Jael, I told you that you and I can never get married. You're different, you don't have enough money for my family to accept you," I said softly, trying to persuade him, preparing him for the truth he hadn't yet revealed.

But before I could continue, his lips met mine, disarming me with an intensity that leaves me on his feet.

"I give you what no Arab king can," he muttered against my skin. "Pure pleasure... and happiness you won't forget."

His kisses, wet and persistent, continued to go down to my nipples, eliciting an involuntary moan from me. My hips arched in response, unable to resist his touch. It wasn't the time to talk about separations, not while his tongue ran over my skin and the world seemed to stop, leaving just the two of us.

Suddenly, he held me firmly, placing my hands on my head, leaving me at the mercy of his desires. He made love to me with an intensity that overflowed through my body, pushing me to the limit, as if our forbidden love was the inevitable temptation we couldn't resist.

When my body shuddered and I gave in under his weight, he slowly pulled away, and lay down next to me, his breathing was agitated, and his hand again fiddled with my nipples.

"I'm going to kidnap you, Sathara," he whispered with a dangerous smile. "We will leave this city. You will be mine alone. Mine, and no one else."

I turned to him and began to caress his chest. His body sweat, it was a fascination for me, his face, I loved him, and what we did behind the veils of my room, was pure passion, Jael had been my first man and the only one, and I wanted him to be the last, but they threatened me with jail, and I had to marry him, the damn monster Khaled Hashimi.

"Jael, we must talk, my love."

He looked at me with his smile still present, not suspecting what was to come. He leaned back on his elbow and nodded gently.

"Tell me, my love. What's going on? "

"Tonight, will be our last meeting. My father has arranged my marriage. It's time for me to get married to secure Raid's reign. I can't watch you anymore. I love you, but I don't want to risk being discovered. I can't stand it. Forgive me... You have to find someone who loves you like I do."

As I pronounced those words, I felt my heart break into a thousand pieces, and Jael's too, I saw it reflected in his expression, which twisted into deep pain.

"What? Are you getting married? Don't you care about what we've been through? You can't be serious, Sathara! You have to stop this madness."

"I tried, more than a year ago. They've pushed me to marry him, but I don't want them to hurt you, Jael. Forgive me."

"It's because of my lack of money, right?! Because I'm just an operator. Damn it, Sathara! But I can give you everything you need, I'd do anything for you."

"You don't understand... They could kill you. Now, please go. You have to leave forever. Find true love, Jael. You have to save yourself."

He shook his head, his face was submerged in disbelief. He got out of my bed as the guards' shift change approached, and at any moment he could be discovered escaping through the balcony. He dressed quickly, but before leaving, he walked over once more.

"Sathara, please... see you at sunset tomorrow at six o'clock at the exit of Riyadh, were always. Let's run away together."

"Yes... yes, wait for me there. Now run, please, before it's too late. See you tomorrow."

I kissed him passionately before he disappeared off the balcony. Determined, I rested my head on the pillow. The next day I would go with him, no matter what happened. My love wasn't tied to money, and I wouldn't marry Hashimi. My future children would not bear his last name, and I would break tradition without remorse. There was no prison more cruel than a marriage of convenience.

Exhausted by the intensity of the moment, I fell asleep. But as soon as dawn broke, my father burst into the room. He took off my sheets all at once, tearing me out of sleep.

"You are an insolent person who has stained my family's name, Sathara."

I opened my eyes, stunned, not understanding what was happening.

"What's the matter, Dad?"

"Did you really think we wouldn't find out about your affair with that penniless? But this is over. You enlist right now, you will go live with your new husband. The wedding will be this very afternoon, disgraceful!! "

I didn't even have time to speak. I was paralyzed, as if the world had stopped. I couldn't escape with Jael at dawn, and I didn't even know if I was still alive, nor could I escape at sunset, I wanted to die, just that.

"No, Dad, please. What did you do with Jael? What did you do to him? "

"He will no longer be a hindrance to our plans. You will be Khaled Hashimi's wife, and he will put you in your place. I have authorized the Hashimi family to take care of you."

"No, Dad, no. Please," I crawled on the floor. I don't want to, I can't. Dad, listen to me.

Two of his men grabbed me by the arms and dragged me out of the room. They took me to the bathroom, where two employees were waiting to purify me for my wedding. They soaked me in the bathtub and rubbed my body as tears ran uncontrollably down my cheeks.

My heart was broken, consumed by the pain of a raptured love. I cursed the day I was born into such a cruel and macho world, where a woman's feelings were mere side notes, ignored and trampled on.

I cried the whole time as they put on my wedding dress. The makeup burned as it mingled with tears, and my legs trembled with every step. Everything around me seemed to conspire against me, and on the way to the hammam, my vision was cloudy, I could barely make out the world through the puddles that formed in my eyes.

Life played me one of its worst cards, cruel and implacable. But I swear Khaled Hashimi would pay me for this, because I couldn't imagine life without Jael. A life without him would be a perpetual exile, a condemnation to pain, an empty and withered existence, impossible to survive without his love.

The path to my misfortune was perfectly prepared. Everything was decorated with the greatest splendor and color, and there I was, riding an elephant, completely oblivious to that celebration. I didn't want to get married. I had only seen Khaled twice in the past, and that was too much. She didn't even remember his face, his body, anything about him, only the rumors that described him as a cruel man, incapable of love. It was said that she had a daughter... what a thrill to be her stepmother!

Finally, we arrived at the altar. The servants helped me down, and my father took my arm to guide me. When I saw Hashimi, I fixed my gaze on his honey-colored eyes, the only ones visible, since my face was covered. I didn't find joy in him either, his expression was somber. That imbecile was not interested in conquering my heart. In that moment, I knew for sure that my life was over.

I walked beside my father, but when he handed me Hashimi, I felt myself fainting. In my plans it was always to run away with Jael, the only one I really loved.