Sweet Obsession (47 page)

But I just sat there, trying to understand everything he was saying to me, and I tried to put what he was telling me into perspective.

Billal continued bitterly, “At first, I thought she was insane, but as I considered what she was saying, against my better judgment, I thought that, if she claimed the baby as yours, then I could have Loula all to myself. I made a huge mistake, Nidal. Loula’s heart belongs to you. It always has, and it will always be that way. I know she loves me too, but I also know that the love she feels for me is not as powerful as the love she has for you. It hurt me to come to that realization. And in the beginning, I thought I could change her mind if I played my cards well, but try as I might, I never accomplished it. I have come here today, not as a prince, but as your cousin who loves you dearly, to ask for your forgiveness,” he said sincerely.

A miserable silence fell as I tried to stomach everything that he had admitted to me.

Billal’s voice sounded bitter as he continued, “When Shaeena pushed Loula down the stairs and Loula lost the baby, I had no idea she would do that. When I found out, I was devastated that she had hurt Loula in such a way. I went to her palace and slapped her so hard that she was bruised for days.” Then Billal sat on the chair, the one opposite the couch I was sitting on. He dropped his head in his hands and wept.

Alarmed, I wait for him to continue. I knew he needed to tell me more. A few minutes later, he continued, “Listen carefully to my next words, Nidal. They will be very hurtful, and you will suffer a pain that no one before ever has, but I must tell you everything and warn you before it is too late.” He averted his eyes and started to cry, and I knew that what he was about to say would impact me in a big way. I braced myself for his next words.

“Nidal, Loula has fallen into depression. She has been sick for three months now. From the day she witnessed you and Shaeena having sex. The king told me that, if I so much as uttered a single word to you, he would exile me from Arabia. I knew not what to do,” he muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair and swept them away from his eyes.

I regarded him, and I knew he spoke the truth, but I could tell more truth was about to be told. I knew in my heart that what he was about to say next would kill me, and I blinked and waited patiently for him to continue.

“Nidal, Loula gave birth to twins this morning, and they lived. The king took them and swore us to secrecy, saying it would be treason if we told you the truth. He took the babies and left. I told Loula that she had only one child and that he was stillborn.”

My heart stopped, and I let out a loud scream. It did not even sound as if it is coming out of my mouth. It sounded as if it were from somewhere far away. I lay back on the couch, my head rolled to the right side, and I wailed like a little baby. I wept for Loula, I wept for my babies, and I wept for the love that was almost lost to me. More screams tore from my throat as my head rolled from side to side. I pulled my hair, and I ripped my shirt. I cried and cried until my voice disappeared and my tears were all wasted, and I was left with nothing, absolutely nothing, but an empty feeling.

“Nidal, listen. We are running out of time. You must listen to the rest of the story. The queen took the babies from your father and took them to a hiding place. They are safe. No harm will come to them. She went against your father’s wishes and stole the babies and hid them. Do not worry about them. It is Loula I came here for. She is dying slowly, a death beyond the doctor’s help. You need to go to her and take her away from here. I fear there is not much life left in her. You must go now! Only your presence has an effect on her. Only you can save her. Please go now. Do not waste any time. She is not doing well, Nidal.” He ran out of breath. Billal placed his hand on his heart and tried to calm it.

“Why do you tell me this now, Billal? Why do you run to me with all this information and go against my father’s wishes, knowing full well the consequences of your actions? The king will excommunicate you. He will punish you in the worst possible way.” I got up from the couch and stood on my wobbling two legs, fearful that they were not able to carry my weight.

“Cousin, I feel remorse. I feel guilty for coming between the two of you. I never wanted all this to happen. The love I felt for Loula blinded me. I did not know that my game would kill her. Please, Nidal, go to her now before it is too late.”

Alarmed by the tone in Billal’s voice, I ran out the door, raced up the stairs, and headed straight for Loula’s room. I pushed past the guards, and I kicked the door open and ran inside to an empty room. Fear gripped my soul as I looked around. Loula was nowhere to be seen. I run to the window, looked outside down below, and saw that the guests had started to arrive.
Is it time for the wedding? Where is Loula? Where has she gone?
I walked out into the hallway and demanded to know where they had taken Loula. The guards looked at me confused, and pushed past me to see for themselves if what I claimed were true.

I wasted no time as I sped to the back stairway, not wanting the guests to see me. Running quickly down the stairs, I pushed past a couple of servants who were in my way and reached the back doors. As I opened them, the fresh air caressed my face, and I closed my eyes and swallowed the oxygen. As it flowed down my lungs, the tears rolled down my face, and I just stood there and allowed myself a few minutes to meditate and clear my head.

Two men who worked the gardens came up to me and asked, concerned, if I were feeling all right. I reassured them that I was fine and asked them if they had seen Loula. The taller of the two men pointed east and said he saw her a while ago, walking toward the cliff. I started to run as fast as I could in that direction, and my lungs are about to burst, but I could not afford to slow down. Just then, I froze in my tracks. I saw Loula. She was standing on the edge, and she was looking down the cliff. I called out to her, and I ran as fast as I could to her. I called her name over and over again, but she did not turn to me. And as I got closer, I saw Loula put her right foot out and step forward into thin air. Right there in front of my eyes, I saw my Loula take the leap.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, “No!” But it was too late. I collapsed on the dirt floor and wept like a child. I knew my life was over at that moment. There was no reason for me to go on.

My mind took me back to the very first time I saw Loula. She looked like an angel from heaven. She stole my heart from that first day. I thought back to all the times we made love. Each time I touched her, it felt like the very first time. I was born to love her. She was mine, and I did not take good enough care of her. I did this to her. I killed her. I was the reason she killed herself. I pushed her over the edge. It was all my fault.

I lifted myself up from the ground, and walked slowly to the cliff, and looked down. Loula’s body was broken among the rocks. The sobs tore from my throat and I screamed like a crazy man. My voice echoed back from the rocks. And then everything went still. My heartbeat slowed down, and I was calm. I inhaled, and the fresh air traveled down my lungs. I heard my name being called and I turned around and saw my mother racing toward me. Billal followed not far behind her. He too cried out my name. Everyone was coming. My father and even Shaeena were running behind them. They all called desperately out to me, but I heard only the calling of my love. And as I fell to my death, I thought of my babies and knew that my mother would watch over them.

There was a peacefulness as I was falling that came to me. I knew that I was going home. It was time. And I smiled and released all the poison out of me before I hit the ground.

The Burials

T
he rain came down lightly as the two bodies were put into their graves. They were laid to rest next to each other. It was an awful sight as the queen, dressed in black, threw herself on the ground next to her son’s grave and wailed so loudly that everyone started to cry with her. It was her right as a mother to release her feelings in such a way. The onlookers held each other for comfort, for they too were in torment. The bells rang loudly and echoed throughout the air. It was the sound of death. Death was in the air.

The king stumbled to the ground next to his wife and cried for the first time in his pathetic life, but no one matched the wails of the queen. No one felt such pain as she did, as she pounded the dirt that covered her son. Her fingernails scratched the surface of the dirt, and her fingertips bled.

The king clutched his heart with one hand, fearing another heart attack, and his nephew flew to his side and kneeled next to him for support. Billal was also mourning both deaths. He loved his cousin Nidal, and Loula would always be the love of his life. His tears rolled down his face with great pain and remorse. He felt responsible for the deaths.

Blinking away the tears, he looked around the graveyard. Thousands were lined up around the graveyard. They were all dressed in black and mourned their prince and his love. Billal’s eyes fell on the princess. She too was dressed in black from head to toe. He looked at her with hate. She was the poison that dripped in everyone and caused all this. Her jealousy and greed brought forth all the poison that caused this outcome. She singlehandedly master manipulated everyone when she threw her net and caught them all in her web.

The princess caught the look that Billal gave her. She was wearing a black veil that covered her face. No one saw her dry eyes. No tears were in them, only hate and poison. She hid the poison well behind her veil. No one suspected the anger in her heart. She looked at the graves, and even now, jealousy coursed through her entire body, shaking her to the core. She hated losing, and the thought of Loula winning even though she was dead ate at her nerves. She knew now that she would never be queen. Her child would never have the chance to become the queen of Arabia either. Knowing Billal, he would come and acknowledge his daughter, and that would spoil all her plans.

She grieved for Nidal. He was the only one who could have given her what she so desperately wanted, to sit on the throne and be worshipped. Her eyes fixed on the queen who lay on the ground weeping her heart out. A grin settled on the princess’s face.
Cry, you old crow
, she thought.
And cry until you croak!
Then her gaze fell on the old king.

Shaeena licked her lips. Her head hung sideways as she swept her gaze over the king’s body.
Fat, old, but very powerful
, she thought. The wheels of her mind started spinning, calculating her next moves. Nidal was gone, but there was still the king.
He was easy prey
, she thought as her eyes settled on the king’s manhood.

Shaeena’s gaze swept over to Billal. He was still staring at her with tears rolling down his eyes.
So melodramatic
, she thought with distaste as her gaze focused and settled back to the king. She licked her lips and thought of all the different things she could try on the king in bed.
He is nowhere near as sexy as his son was, nor
would his manhood be anywhere near as huge as Nidal’s
, she thought dryly. Her forehead crinkled with distaste at the thought of the king’s naked body on top of hers. But she did not have any other choice. The king was her only way to ensure that she wore the crown one day, and if she got lucky enough to get pregnant by the old geezer, then her child would ensure her position on the throne permanently. A smile formed on her poison lips as she looked down to her feet and pretended she too was crying.