BETROTHED ✓

32

"I should leave." Larai blinked, fighting back tears. What she had been afraid of was happening.

"Wait." Yusuf stopped her and turned to his mother. "Larai and I have been in love from the very beginning. I didn't tell you then because I felt it wasn't the right time, but now that she has graduated and-"

"Enough!" Mrs. Hadiza raised a hand. "That's enough for today. I can't take any more. you're not making any sense. You should better think about what you just said because I won't have any of it. Rubbish! " She finished and walked away.

"Can we talk?" Asked Larai. "Alone."

Yusuf nodded and followed her outside.

"You didn't have to tell your mother that." Larai began. "It was uncalled for."

"Why?" Yusuf raised a brow. "We did decide to tell them today, didn't we? How much longer do you want to hide this from her?"

"Given the situation, you shouldn't have and besides, we don't know if this is ever going to work out."

"What do you mean?" Yusuf grabbed her arm, but she shrugged it away.

"Let's stop playing oblivious, please. After what happened, I don't think I know you anymore. I thought we trusted each other, but today, you proved to me that you don't trust me. It hurts, you know? Of all people, I thought you'd believe and defend me, but you didn't. You just stood there and allowed your family to insult and question my character. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, until now. I really am. But I don't know what I want anymore. I'm not so sure about us anymore. I just want to go back to where I came from. I can't do this anymore."

"Please don't say that, Larai." Yusuf beseeched. "I know you're angry because I didn't defend you earlier, but you should understand I was shocked. Everything happened so fast, I couldn't think properly."

His explanation made sense, but Larai wasn't having any of it.

"I'm sorry if my silence made you believe I don't trust you. I do." He clarified. "On behalf of my father, I'm sorry. I will make sure he pays for what he did to you. He needs to pay for his mistake."

"You don't have to do anything for me. I can take care of myself. What I needed from you was trust. Nothing else. So just leave me alone, please."

Yusuf heaved an exasperated sigh and massaged his forehead. He had explained things to Larai, but she was still proving difficult. "Trust? You also don't trust me!" He accused.

"Oh! Really?" Larai sneered. Was he trying to turn the situation on her?

"If you had trusted me, you'd have told me about what he did the first time, but you didn't! What do you call that? What do you call that, Larai! Stop making it look like I'm the only one at fault here! Yes, I was confused and too shock to react. What do you expect when you didn't tell me sh*t?"

"I didn't keep it from you because I don't trust you." She retorted. "Get your facts right! I had your best interest at heart. I was afraid of what you'd do when you find out. I was protecting your family! Don't you dare act like the victim here! And like I said earlier, I didn't want to cause a ruckus in your family and that's the only reason I didn't tell you. Don't turn this on me! Don't you even dare! If I think you don't trust me, and you also think I don't trust you, then I don't think we're ready to move forward. We're just wasting our time then. I should have known from the very beginning that we are not compatible. But it's fine, it's not too late to rectify things. We need time apart-time to think things through. Maybe this is a mistake."

Yusuf shook his head in disagreement. There was nothing to think about. He was sure of what he wanted and it was on one else, but Larai. Ever since he set his eyes on her, he already knew she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. "I'm sorry." He lowered his head. "I'm truly very ashamed of what my father did. I'm sorry for not standing up for you. On behalf of my family, I'm sorry. Please don't punish me for a mistake I made unknowingly. I had no idea what came over me. I suddenly lost my voice and ability to do anything. And I'm not trying to pin anything on you. I just want you to know I feel hurt-hurt that you hid something as big as this from me. I feel you don't trust me enough to protect you."

Larai covered her face with her hand; her shoulders slightly shuddering.

"I'm sorry, Larai. Please don't leave me. I'm sorry for not standing up for you."

"I understand," Larai responded. "I do because he is the man that raised you, but it still hurts to think you were there when Yusrah slapped me and accused me of being a despicable person. If you can't defend me now that we're not even married, I wonder how it's going to be if I decide to get married to you. Will your sisters keep disrespecting me this way? I know I'm just a girl you helped but I deserve some respect still."

"I will make her apologize for that, I promise you."

"You don't have to. In any case, I can't stay in this house for a minute longer. I have overstayed indeed."

"You're still angry with me, aren't you?"

Larai looked away and quickly wiped a tear from her eye. Why was she tearing up again?

"I don't like it when we fight. Please forgive me, I love you so much, Larai. I can bear anything but not your anger. Please don't destroy the dreams we've been nurturing for so long."

"I don't hold a grudge against you." She clarified. "I'm just so disappointed in you. I also don't like it when we fight but what needs to be said should be said."

"Can we just make up, please?"

Larai sighed. "What's the use now? Your mother doesn't like me anymore. This was what I was afraid of. She obviously doesn't want me for you."

"She still likes you. What she said was a result of what happened earlier. She's just confused. I'm sure she's going to come around soon. She just needs time to be able to digest the news."

Larai hummed. "And your sisters?"

"I haven't spoken to them yet, but I'm sure they won't have a problem with it and even if they do, there's nothing they can do to change my mind. Their opinions don't matter. We promised to fight for our love, didn't we? Don't give up on us, please."

"I don't want to give up on us, I just need some time to think things through, but if I have to, I will. Truth is, I don't even want to have any relationship with your family anymore." Larai knew she sounded ungrateful, but that was exactly what was in her mind. She was still deeply hurt by what happened.

Yusuf hesitated for a while before speaking. "I will book you a room in a hotel." He understood she couldn't keep staying in the house. With his father still there, Yusuf didn't even want that.

"No, thanks, I still have some money left with me. I will do it myself."

"But-"

"Please just let me do this my way. I don't want to keep depending on you for the rest of my life. Please just let me be. Let me do things my way. Don't make me want to distance myself from you forever. Please."

Yusuf nodded. Despite being under the same roof, he failed to protect her. He didn't want a repeat of the mistake. "Okay, but let me be the one to take you there. I want to know where you are."

"Are you afraid that I will run away?" She asked. "Just like I ran away from home?"

"I know you won't do that to me." Yusuf gave a small smile. "I trust you completely."

Larai pressed her lips together. She didn't like the way things were going between them. She felt a tad bad for Yusuf for she felt they were never going to end up together. It broke her heart to harbor such a thought but she wouldn't live in denial.

"Let me take you, please?"

There was something about how he said the words that Larai agree. "Okay, but I'm still paying."

Yusuf nodded.

•

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