You hurt me where I'd never heal

Listen to this song once at the end; 'Lost without you' by Freya Ridings. It was suggested by a reader in my first ever written book and I think it fits here. And for those who are bilingual, you can listen to, 'I forgive you' by Sia. Thanks.

"No, son! You don't touch a lady when she's bleeding. That's unclean"

Myla's eyes grow wide. What?

"Mom, Stop!" his deep voice scolds.

Mrs. Mehdi flinches and steps away. Myla is like a statue as she watches Jamal lean into her and crosses his suit over her waist.

She inhales his signature whiff, her eyes occasionally ogling his, but he doesn't look back as he brings the hands of his suit forward and knots. Once done, he stares down at her but not for long as he looks away and tugs back.

She regains consciousness and opens her mouth but he stops her saying, "Please, I need everyone out . . . Except you, Myla"

Her heart flips. What could he want to tell her?

Latif frowns and Patricia smiles. She hopes they sort things out. Mrs. Mehdi looks at Myla with rage before leaving along with the others.

Silence

They have been staring at each other for a moment now. No one's ready to speak.

"Are you finally going to tell me what happened?" Jamal inclines, his hands jamming the pockets of his pants.

"What happened?" she repeats questioningly

"Your friend dying the night I left?"

Myla blinks her eyes "She was poisoned", she thinks of telling him who, she deems it is but her mouth hooks. Will he believe her?

He nods, eyes squinting and she mimics. He displaces himself, moving towards the desk and she follows his movement, her eyes studying his steps.

He pauses and takes out photos from his folder. He rounds the table and gives her "Do you know who that is?"

She looks at the pictures and her brows come together in a mere confusion and suspicion. "Who gave you this?"

"Answer my question first"

She shakes her head, gawking him in bewilderment. "There only person I know in this picture is Eliz and you know that"

Jamal sighs staring at her "But she looks just like you. What can you say about that?"

Myla is annoyed. She hits the picture on the desk "I can't believe you right now. Do you think I killed my friend?"

He robs his knuckles over his chiseled jawlines trying not to lose control.

"Why are you silent? Tell me. What do you think about this? That I did it? I made you lose your company? Common, take it all out"

"Yes!" he roars and she twitches, her heart being stabbed by his words. Her eyebrows scrunch and he looks angrier. She's never seen him this way. His face is extremely red. She can see the veins protruding over his tone skin, blood rushing through all of them.

He's more than a beast right now and she hates seeing him like this. But that's not what hurts most. It's his words. That simple 'yes' is causing havoc in her in blood cells.

She bits hard on her lip as he proceeds "Ever since you stepped into my life, I keep losing things. You brought me bad luck. I should've stayed away from you. I should've listened to my mom. Now, look at where I am. I have nothing left. Absolutely nothing!!"

Myla promised herself never to share tears in front of a man. But now she breaks this promise. Her eyes are blurring and she let the first drop of tear roll down her cheek.

He forks his dark curly hair staring away from her and facing the large transparent wall ahead of him, his eyes reddening. " . . . I want you to leave . . . Stay away from my sister. And never return"

Another silence

Myla takes her time to absorb his last words, the hurt from it and something flashes in her mind. Today is her birthday. The day she always have a disappointment. But now, it's worse than anything she has experienced.

"I've never asked to meet someone like you. I remember standing alone and thinking of my life when you came towards me. You made me feel secure. You accepted me for who I was. You did all sort of thing to annoy me. But this-I will never forget" her voice cracks in each word.

His heart melt and he feels something hollow forming over it.

"How you made me cry after so many years of not shading tears. How you wounded me without mercy. How you allowed your fiancée's family to murder my friend and put the blame on me. You have greatly disappointed me Jamal. You hit me right on the spot. My weakness. Where you know I'd never be healed. Thank you so much for-finally putting me in my position. I'm a woman . . . who is despised and treated with hate, because I am weak. I'm vulnerable towards the people I care. I'm downgraded, abandoned and violated. I'm a punching bag. I'm unclean. I am I."

"Hope you stay well. And I wish you the best" She turns around and leaves the office, her eyes swollen, cheeks damped and cloth soaked.

Her steps are brisk as seconds. Patricia frowns after seeing her friend and Latif's smile returns. Her plan has worked. Mrs. Mehdi walks into the office and sees her son faced at the glass wall.

He turns around and her heart sinks. Her son is pale. She has never seen him like this. Not even after his father's death.

"I'd be ahead. No one should come looking for me", he says walking past his mom, and giving her limited time to question him.

Latif walks in and is bewildered by the speed Jamal uses to leave the room. She shrugs her shoulders. Maybe he needs time to clear his head. After that she can still get close.

...

Myla is starting her car engine. She wants to get out of here ASAP. The smell, fragrance of this place irritates her. Her life will never be the same after today.

She feels like . . . disappearing, letting the earth swallow her up. What is she even living for?

She takes off the lot and Jamal comes out almost immediately doing the same action. He wants to go somewhere far away, somewhere quiet and still. He hopes he gets over the sharp pain in his heart.

It was necessary for him to tell her that. He needed to get the hurt out of his heart. He thought he wouldn't feel that pain again. Rather, it keeps adding every second and he wishes he took back his words.

Her words reflect in his mind and it drives him crazy. It deepens his fresh wounds. Did she mean what she said, because he didn't mean his? He was just so angry. How could be such a coward?

Why couldn't he control his emotions like he has always done? Those tears she let out for him keeps tormenting him. He would've sworn that he would never be the reason of her pain. Little did he know the future had plan against his joy? And she is his joy.

He hit his steering and press hard on the gas. Fortunately for him he's on a high way. On a complete opposite direction to where Myla is going.

Myla is crying all the way home. The tears just keep flowing like a river. No boundaries. Her voice comes out louder with every second.

She hopes her friends won't be at home to interrogate her. And as she arrives home, not just her friends are there but her family. She halts in her step for a second due to the shock before running to her room.

The worse always happens to her at the worse times of her life. She locks her door, falls in bed, and buries her face in the sheets, pouring a river of tears and the screams in.

She cries like a child. She doesn't care how loud she gets. She's just too hurt. Too hurt. HURT!

Her nails dig into the sheets of her bed, tearing them apart.

Everyone was ready to wish her a happy birthday but now, the surprised is spoiled. No one goes up to check on her until she is calm. But Myla doesn't get calm.

She keeps sobbing, non-stop.

"WHY?" Myla screams. "Why Lord! Why did I ever meet him? My heart hurts!"

She buries her face in her pillows after soaking the entire bed. She can't control it. His words just keeps hunting her mine.

' . . . I want you to leave . . . Stay away from my sister. And never return'

'You brought me bad luck'

"You hurt-me Jamal. How can you-occupy such a place in my heart? I can't believe I just let you shatter my soul"

...

Myla decides to leave town. She wants to regain her life but she wouldn't be able if she stays in this city.

She wants to heal and start afresh. It's almost impossible but who knows? She finally signs a contract with a production house and starts her movie career as a Hollywood actress.

She changes her telephone number, gets a lady manager. And her fans start judging her towards Jamal's situation. They say things like,

'He made her become who she is and now she gets promoted and he gets downgraded.'

'She's a hypocrite and doesn't deserve Jamal. She made him separate with his fiancée and now she abandons him.'

'Who knows what she used Eliz to do in other to get the position she has. She must have joined a cult.'

People even go to the extent of making gossip videos about her and what she does that are not true.

Latif adds fire by telling about her breakup history and how she's lonely yet, she's still standing for the man she loves. People believe her and her followers add up.

Myla is fed up with the tortures from haters. She's trying to recover her wounded heart from the incident that happened and they are here talking shit about her personal life.

She decides to make a video in accordance their questions after persevering for a long time.

"Hello everyone! I'm going to head straight on why I'm making this video. I've heard many gossips about my personal life and some, which are true and most, which are not. Normally, things like this are common for people like me because no matter what, there's always going to be a story about every celebrity's life. So, that's not a problem. But I want all of you, to try and engrave yourselves in my position for second. I don't owe anyone an explanation to what's going on around me.

It's my will to share my experiences and hard times with my-beautiful fans. And I understand that you all want to know about . . . Jamal and I. Yet, your way of doing it is very rude and disrespectful. Like, y'all don't even know me. I go through tons and I don't even need to share that pain with you. Because it's something . . . no one can understand. But I'm struggling to get on my feet and keep on this race-all-alone. And your gossips are not helping anyone.

If you have nothing to do, just sleep. Stop bothering and talking about the things you can't change. And stop judging me. This must not apply to everyone watching this video but I know some people got me. And I'm grateful for that. Stay blessed"

People start commenting over it and she doesn't pry at them. It's given her a bad feeling. Her manager controls her way of communication on social media and what she's supposed to read or not.

"When is this whole shit gonna stop?" Myla asks leaning her head over her chair.

Ms. Grayson answers, "Maybe when you stop thinking about him"

"That's impossible. I need to do a check up. I think I'm sick. I have a heart failure"

Ms. Grayson smirks shaking her head then comes close to the young lady "Your something else you know that?"

"Exactly why he told me to leave", she responds plainly

Ms. Grayson sighs, "Don't push to hard. Give yourself sometime and take a break. We could attend a party tonight. What do you think about that?"

She looks at her manager "I'm not ready to interact with people. Just call my doctor already."

"Ok, if you insist. But make sure to eat tonight. I'd order you something soon"

Ms. Grayson walks away and Myla falls into a deep sleep on the couch.

...

Jamal relocated into a new state after selling his house. He wants to start afresh and hopes things get better.

Latif follows him wherever he goes and he doesn't mind because he knows she's wasting her time. He'd never feel for another woman the way he felt with Myla.

He can't drive Latif because it'd only attract other women towards him so he'd just use her as a company while he tries order his life and career.

He has been reflecting on what Myla told him; 'you allowed your fiancée's family to murder my friend and put the blame on me'

There's clear prove in front of him that Latif is behind his downfall. Firstly, she's the only who had access to his house and knew how to unlock his personal files.

She was the one who brought the CCTV footage which after some more investigation by the aid of Amid, his loyal assistant, it was a mere camera picture. Meaning they paid someone to do it.

Thirdly, Latif has always been jealous of Myla and he knows what she is capable of doing when it concerns him. Just like she did to his ex, he knows she can do more.

He knows who her family is and the power to hold in every society. Always willing to kill for what they want. He'd make sure to revenge Eliz's dead and get back what belonged to him. Including Myla. Though that'd take a while.

As for Latif, he knows just how to handle her now that he truly acknowledges who she is and how vulnerable she can get about anything.

To be continued...

The next chapters are part II of this book.

Please, do not forget to vote and recommend my book. I'd be pleased and motivated.

And for those who have been, doubting: I'm almost 100% the female protagonist. This is a future tail, Lol.