Sweet Obsession (36 page)

I looked at her, confused. I did not understand what the queen was trying to say. “Mother, why would Shaeena want Natalie dead? She is but a child. What threat can a child have on Shaeena?” All this information that I was trying really hard to process baffled me.

“About eight years ago, the king raped one of the servants. He got her with child. When he found out about the pregnancy, he ordered her death sentence to cover up his crime. I overheard her beg the king for mercy, swearing her silence to the identity of her baby, but the king wanted her out of his way, and he ordered her to be beheaded. The night before her death sentence, she went into labor, and she sent for me. She pleaded with me to save her child. My heart went out to her. I did not know what to do, so I sent a message to the doctor to come immediately. He is my good friend, and he is very loyal to me. When the young mother delivered her baby, the doctor took the baby and hid it in his home. He told the king that the baby was stillborn. He kept the baby for a full year, and then he brought her to me, and we put her in the orphanage with the other children. The king has no idea that she is his. The few who know have been sworn to secrecy. Natalie’s mother went to her death knowing that her child was safe,” the queen said tearfully.

My heart went out to the queen. She had endured quite a lot from her husband, the king. He should be feared, for he was a ruthless man. I leaned over to her hugged her. “My queen, you have a big heart. Should the king find out the identity of Natalie, he will hurt her.” As soon as I mouthed those words, my eyes widened in surprise. “Does Shaeena know the truth?” I already suspected the answer to that question.

“I think she does. She is a very smart woman, and I think she figured it out somehow. I think she is the one who started the fire and killed the children,” the queen said. “Natalie is Nidal’s sibling, so she has royal blood in her. She is a threat to the princess. Shaeena wants to secure her position to the crown, and she will stop at nothing to accomplish it. Shaeena does not love my son. She wants to be his wife only to wear the crown! She is not to be trusted,” the queen said angrily.

I was at a loss for words. My mind was spinning.
If the princess were such a manipulator, then who’s to say that the child she carries is Nidal’s?

“Mother, are you saying that we have to watch our backs where Shaeena is concerned? Shouldn’t we warn Nidal?”

The queen smiled sadly. “Nidal does not accept the idea that Shaeena is so desperate. He thinks highly of her. Remember that he grew up with her, and he loves her as a sister. He knows she is not perfect, but he would never believe her capable of starting the fire.” The queen looked down at her lap, where her hands rested. She sat silently as a teardrop escaped and rolled down her face. This was too much information for me to process so quickly. My thoughts were running wildly from one thing to another.

I thought back to the many times when I looked at Natalie’s face and commented on her eyes. They were the same color as Nidal’s. She resembled him, and he had a sister he did not even know about. My heart bled for Nidal. He was in for a rude awakening.
And Shaeena, what do we do about her? How can we protect Nidal and Natalie from such an evil woman?

“Mother, if the king finds out that Natalie is his child, what will he do?” I asked, tired now of all the lemons that life was throwing at us.

“I’m afraid, my dear, that he would kill her, for he too will see her as a threat. As a matter of fact, I think the princess has already told the king of her suspicions. I think the both of them set the fire. We must hurry and figure a safe hiding place for Natalie before it’s too late,” the queen said nervously. “I promised Natalie’s mother that I would keep her safe, and if it is the last thing I do, I will keep my promise!” the queen said stubbornly. And I believed that she would, for she was a loving and kind person.

“What about Nidal? Should he not know that he has a sister? And should we not tell him of Shaeena’s evilness? He needs to be warned,” I told her eagerly. “The baby is not his. Nidal would never betray me like that. Shaeena is a liar! Mother, we have to stop the wedding. Nidal cannot marry her. He is mine, and I love him with all my heart and my soul! And I know he loves me too.” I was now crying hysterically.

Everything was a mess, and I knew not what to do. We had to find a way to fix everything before it was too late. It was the queen’s turn to comfort me, and she did. She held me close to her and whispered words of endearment.

I pulled away from the queen’s embrace. “What do we do now? We must find a way to prevent Shaeena from accomplishing her goals. Natalie is in grave danger. She is a helpless child who has been tormented from birth, and Nidal can’t marry Shaeena, Mother. I love him, and I want him back!”

The queen said Shaeena was not as big a problem as the king was. The king was the one to fear the most. He was the one who held all the power.

I asked her, “Who do you think is the father of Shaeena’s baby?”

The queen looked at me troubled, unable to speak. Finally, she whispered, “That remains a mystery to be solved. But my suspicions point to the king. I think he fathered her baby. I am not sure, but I believe this to be true because he is adamant about the marriage between Shaeena and Nidal. He wants the child to remain in the family, and what better way than to bring Shaeena into our family as Nidal’s wife and claim the child as Nidal’s. But this is all speculation, Loula. I am not certain of the truth. I cannot accuse the king of sleeping with Shaeena. How can I prove that?” She was clearly distressed.

I hesitated, not knowing how to answer that question. The queen was right. There was no way of proving it. My shoulders slumped. I felt defeated.

And just then, the queen surprised me by asking me the one question I dreaded answering. “Tell me, Loula. I trusted you with all I have told you, but you withhold from me the truth about who fathered your baby. I know it is not Billal’s baby that you carry. It is Nidal’s! You have my grandbaby in your womb, and you keep the truth from me! Why, Loula? Why are you hiding the truth?” She was eagerly waiting for my reply.

I did not know what to say. To reveal the truth could put my child in jeopardy. It was like the queen said. Even the walls had ears. I trusted no one with the information, not even the queen. My baby was my life now, and I had to protect it with my life.

“The baby is Billal’s, Mother.” I felt my heart race faster.

The queen’s eyebrows arched. She knew my secret, and she smiled knowingly. “Loula, do not worry. Your secret is safe with me. I know it is hard to trust anyone at this point in your life, and after everything you have been through, it is safer for the baby to be Billal’s than Nidal’s. The king and Shaeena will come after it if they find out it is Nidal’s.” She smiled, and I stared at her, apologetic, knowing she understood my reason for keeping it a secret.

I knew I was in a tough situation, and I had to figure out what to do. The answer to my problems was Billal. He was the only one who could help me pull off the lie. In the meantime, we had to have the memorial service for all the lost souls who were innocent victims to the fire.

“Mother, when are the victims going to be buried?” I knew this question would bring tears to the queen’s eyes.

The queen looked like she had aged ten years in the last hour. My heart went out to her. She had endured a lot in her lifetime. She wiped away the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and answered softly, “Today. They are preparing as we speak. We must hurry and go back now before they start getting suspicious of our talk.”

We both rose at the same time from the couch, and as we walked over to the connecting door, the queen opened it slowly, afraid she might awaken Natalie, who still slept peacefully in her bed. We walked past her, and as we entered the hallway, the queen told the servant who was standing outside not to leave Natalie’s side. The queen took me by the hand and walked me over to my room.

“Loula, change into something more appropriate quickly and meet us by the cemetery as soon as possible, I think we will be summoned for the burial in a few minutes. I too have to hurry and change.” She smiled sadly and hugged me. Then she hurried along to the king’s chambers. Even as she walked away, I could hear her sobs, and my heart went out to her.

I opened the door to my room and found Billal sitting on the bed. He quickly jumped up when he saw me and walked over to where I was and took me in his arms. I felt really safe in his embrace. I surrendered to every whisper that came from his lips. Comforting words of love and adoration, words that spoke the truth, truth that defied reality, reality that provoked the soul, and the soul that burned with desire, and I became a slave to all that was whispered, for there was no place else for me to go.

I allowed Billal to touch me as he caressed my back. I closed my eyes and thought of Nidal. His hand lowered down my back, and his lips claimed mine. Nidal’s arms pulled me closer to his body as I arched my back in total submission. But my tears spilled down my face, and my sobs tore from my throat as I cried aloud for everything I had lost in this lifetime. Reality stuck the knife deeper into my heart, and I was lost forever.

Everyone was wearing black. It seemed as if all of Arabia were there. Everyone was crying, even the men. I looked over at Shaeena. She had her veil over her face, and it was hidden from us, but I knew a face full of evil was behind the veil. She was not mourning the dead. She was pretending, and Nidal believed her. But the queen and I knew better. Nidal was holding on to her, and she was leaning on him, pretending she was suffering like everyone else was.

I heard the wails from all the people, but the queen’s voice was the loudest by far. Her cries were piercing my ears, and a few sobs tore from my throat. Billal instantly put his arms around me. Nidal was staring. His piercing gaze was making me feel uncomfortable, so I quickly looked away.

The coffins were all laid on the grass, one next to the other. There were thirty-five in all, five big ones and thirty smaller ones. It was a horrible scene, heart-wrenching. When it was all over, everyone started to walk away. The cries were unbearable. No one would forget the lives lost. This day marked a day of the year that would be remembered for ages to come.

The king looked indifferent to all the lives lost. He looked impatient to be done with the funeral. He was in a hurry to leave the premises, as he pushed everyone out of his way and marched back to the palace. I wondered if his guilty conscience had gotten the better of him and that he was looking for solace in the privacy of his chambers. But knowing his cold heart, he wasn’t suffering the loss of all the humans who died in the fire without a cause. He was angry that Natalie was still alive. A cold chill ran up and down my spine at the thought of that.
Is he planning the next fate for Natalie? Does he want to finish the job himself?
The queen and I needed to protect Natalie as best we could. She was blameless, innocent of any wrongdoing, a helpless child of God.

We ended up in the tearoom with a select few. I drank my tea quietly, looked around the room, and noticed that Nidal was not sitting next to the princess. He was sitting at the other end of the room with a few gentlemen engaged in conversation. Shaeena was sipping her tea by herself, and she looked as if she were in deep thought, as if she were emotionally disturbed.
Good! Let her suffer for the rest of her life for what she has done!

Billal was sitting next to me, and he gently rested his hand on my thigh. I quickly looked over at Nidal and saw him immediately tense up when he witnessed Billal touching me. I wondered why I still cared after what he had put me through. Billal, on the other hand, was so good to me. He wiped away my tears when Nidal punished me without reason. Billal’s warm embrace brought serenity to my life. Without thinking, I placed my hand over his.

Nidal jumped up that instant and marched out of the room. Shaeena went running after him. I glanced at the queen, and she winked at me. We both knew the mind and heart of the princess. She was heartless, and she was someone to fear. Billal squeezed my hand, and I smiled at him. He was so kindhearted, and I wanted to make him happy. He deserved it. We both rose from our chairs at the same time and exited the tearoom. We climbed silently up the stairs to our room, and once inside, I fell into his arms and kissed him hungrily. No words were needed as he kissed me back. Billal lifted me up in his arms, walked over to the bed, and gently dropped me on it. He lay next to me and continued to kiss me passionately. His kisses were hot and sweet. I enjoyed his lips on mine, but they were not Nidal’s kisses I tasted, and my heart sank into oblivion.

I closed my eyes and pretended Nidal was kissing me. I wrapped my arms around him and slid my body close to him. I fantasized Nidal’s lips on mine, his shaft rubbing against me, as his hands undressed me in the heat of the moment. I lost my senses as I accepted this emotional encounter with Billal. He knew how I felt. He knew exactly what was going on here. Billal could not blame me for anything. He was taking advantage of me, not the other way around. I was the one who was vulnerable, not him. This was like a game to him. I had played this game before. I never won. I was never good at it, but I played anyway.