Chapter 17 : The New Couple in Town.

The wedding just finished an hour ago. Ava stared at her reflection in the dressing table's mirror in the room. She was still in her white wedding gown. Her light makeup and maroon lipstick perfectly accentuated her features, but her eyes revealed the turmoil within her. 

She gazed at the diamond ring on her finger. The weight of the diamond ring on her finger brought back the memories of the wedding ceremony.

 Her mind wandered back to that moment, and the Imam's voice echoed in her ears, "Do you, Ibrahim Rahman, take Ava Lim to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?" 

Ava had looked into Ibrahim's eyes during that moment, searching for any sign of compassion or understanding. She had found none.

Ibrahim, looking into Ava's eyes and smiled. He said, "I accept."

"And do you, Ava Lim, take Ibrahim Rahman to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?" The imam asked again. 

Ava had hesitated for a second that felt like an eternity. Now there was no turning back. She had reluctantly whispered, "I do."

She remembered the sincerity in his gaze as he slid the diamond ring onto her trembling fingers. It marked the beginning of her journey into a marriage she hadn't chosen for herself, a life she had been forced into. As she relived the moment in her mind, her eyes filled with sadness.

Back in the present, Ava opened her eyes, and her gaze returned to the diamond ring that symbolized the reality she couldn't escape. The door to the room creaked open, and Ibrahim walked in. He was dressed in his wedding black suit. Ava quickly wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes. She couldn't let Ibrahim see her cry. 

Ibrahim stood at a distance and cast his gaze upon Ava, admiring her in silence. After a moment, he couldn't help but comment, "You looked beautiful at the wedding."

Under this situation, his compliment felt like a cruel irony. Ava chose not to respond and focused on removing her earrings. And then she caught his reflection in the mirror, she noticed he was unbuttoning his shirt.

Panic set in, and Ava quickly turned to face Ibrahim, her voice shaking as she asked, "Why are you undressing here in the room?"

Ibrahim paused for a moment, his shirt undone halfway. With a hint of a smirk, he asked, "Where should I go, baby girl?"

Ava retorted, "You can change inside your room. Why are you changing here in my room?"

Ibrahim finally removed his shirt, revealing his well-built, muscular body under the bright glow of the tube light. He smiled and said, "This is my room."

Shit !! Ava's thoughts raced. She had been living in his room since she lost consciousness !! Ava shifted her gaze to the side, "Then give me another room. I won't share a room with you."

Ibrahim walked in front of the mirror, where Ava was sitting. His reflection was showing on the mirror. Then he stated, "We are husband and wife now. Ofcourse we'll live under the same roof and in the same room."

Ava looked at their reflections in the mirror. She clenched her fists and reminded him, "You agreed to my condition that there won't be any physical contact."

Ibrahim casually put his hands in his pants pockets,"Baby girl, That doesn't mean we have to live in different rooms. I didn't marry you to live in separately."

He then took out a phone from his pocket and showed it to Ava, saying, "You can use your phone now."

Ava turned towards Ibrahim, her gaze falling on his hand, which held her phone. She quickly grabbed it and continued, "If we have to live in the same room, then you can't move like that." Ava pointed to his upper naked body.

Ibrahim leaned on Ava, placing his two arms on the dressing table, effectively trapping her. And Ava instinctively leaned away from him. With a teasing tone, Ibrahim said, "Well, I can't promise to cover up all the time. After all, you're my beautiful wife now, and you have to get used to this view."

Ava gulped nervously, "Don't forget our condition, Mr. Ibrahim. There won't be any physical contact."

Ibrahim smirked, "I can still have some fun with you while abiding by your conditions. We can enjoy....."

Ava didn't let Ibrahim finish his sentence. She pushed him away, "I don't want any of your 'fun.' Don't come closer to me, Mr. Ibrahim." 

With that, Ava left the room and went to the bathroom. Ibrahim remained standing by the dressing table, gazing at the mirror where Ava had touched his chest while pushing him. He smiled, as if he could still feel the warmth of her hands on his chest.

....

Ava stirred on the sofa, her eyes struggling to adjust to the sunlight, coming through the window. Last night she was sleeping on the sofa while Ibrahim sprawled on the bed. She had kept the lights on; trust didn't come easily with this man. As her phone continued to ring, Ava slowly opened her eyes and saw that her Professor was calling her. She quickly sat up on the sofa and answered the call. "Hello, Professor Siti."

The professor greeted her warmly, "Hello, Ava. I heard you got married last night. Congratulations, dear. I hope you're enjoying your married life."

Ava clenched her jaw and politely replied, "Thank you, ma'am."

Her professor continued, "By the way, Ava, you have two assignments left for this semester, and you haven't submitted them yet."

Professor Siti continued, "By the way, Ava, you have two assignments left for this semester, and they haven't been submitted yet."

Ava's heart sank; she couldn't mention the kidnapping, so she said, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I've been really busy." 

 Professor Siti understood, "I can give you ten more days to submit them, but you must do so as soon as possible. Without those assignments, you won't pass this semester. I'll send you the topics via message."

Ava replied, "Sure, ma'am. I'll submit them as soon as possible."

"When do you plan to come back for your classes? I hope there won't be any issues studying from your in-laws." The professor inquired. 

Ava assured her professor, "No, ma'am, there won't be any problems. I'll be back in class tomorrow since it's Monday."

Ava glanced at Ibrahim, who was still snoozing on the bed. He had placed a pillow over his face, blocking out the light she had left on all night.

The professor concluded the call with well wishes, "Good to hear. Have a great day, Ava."

With the call was cut. Ava leaned her head on the sofa. Now she had to organise all the materials of her assessment. She gazed toward the balcony and saw Faisal. She have seen Faisal two times, when he was beating Kamir that day and last night at the wedding. 

She saw Faisal was busy watering the garden and talking with the helpers. She rose from the sofa and made her way to the balcony. The balcony was positioned close to the ground, making it easy to communicate with anyone below. 

Faisal spotted Ava on the balcony and handed the water hose to a helper, then approached her. He was wearing a black hoodie and black pants. He also have well built body like Ibrahim and Samir. 

He greeted Ava warmly, "How are you, sister-in-law?"

Ava was irked by the term and tightly gripped the balcony railing. She retorted, "I have a name, and it's Ava. Don't call me that."

Faisal raised his hands to stop her anger early morning, "Okay, okay, Ava sister. Is that fine? You see, I can't call you by your name; it's just not right."

Ava, still frustrated, asked, "What's your phone number?"

Faisal replied, "In your phone, Ibrahim already saved everyone's numbers you might need."

Ava's eyes widened, "This man went through my phone?"

Faisal chuckled and gave a straightforward answer, "This man is now your husband."

Ava sighed and shook her head. She checked her phone and indeed found that many new numbers had been added to her contacts. While looking at the phone Ava asked, "Are you Ibrahim's brother?"

 "Not blood-related, but they consider each other brothers. They're friends and business partners." Faisal explained. 

"And criminals, too." Ava added.

Faisal just nodded, and at that moment, he received a message on his phone. Taking it out of his pocket, he glanced at Ava's message. Ava informed him that she had sent money and a list of items she needed.

Faisal suggested, "Sister Ava, you don't need to send money. You can just let us know what you—"

However, Faisal didn't finish his sentence because he noticed Ibrahim had silently approached Ava from behind. Ava also became aware of Faisal's gaze and turned around to find Ibrahim standing there - behind her. Even though he had just woken up, Ibrahim still looked exceptionally handsome as ever.

Ibrahim inquired with a sleepy voice, "Can't you tell your husband what you need?" 

Now his voice was more deeper than his normal.