LOGINIris always knew her marriage was on thin ice, but she’d expected it to pass like a phase. Until her husband divorced her and went for her stepsister instead. At the same time, her company is snatched from her grasp. Betrayal. Heartbreak. Dejection. Iris makes a friend of this pain…until him. Orchard Hector. He offers her a four-year marriage contract and a new purpose, being on common grounds. “You’re only my ex-husband, Dave,” Iris replied darkly. “And whatever plan you have to get me back, they won’t succeed.”
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وفي الغرفة الواسعة نسبيًا، امتلأ الجو بأصوات أنفاس متسارعة جعلت الوجوه تحمر خجلًا. كانت أنفاس رجل وامرأة تتداخل وتتتابع بلا توقف. وعندما نُزعت آخر قطعة من الملابس السوداء ذات الدانتيل، ظهر كتف أبيض ناعم بشكل خافت. ضغط الشخص الذي فوقها عليها بقوة، ثم انحنى وعضّ كتفها بشدة. وبسبب الألم، أطلقت الفتاة على السرير تأوهًا مكتومًا. كان صوتها الناعم كفيلًا بأن يجعل جسد الرجل القوي يتجمد للحظة قبل أن يقترب منها أكثر. شعرت رغد وكأن جسدها قد انقسم إلى نصفين في تلك اللحظة. “تبًا، من الذي أخبرها أن الأمر ليس مؤلمًا كثيرًا؟ ومن الذي قال إنه ممتع؟ أي متعة هذه؟ إنه مؤلم حتى الموت!” لم تكن أصلًا من النوع الذي يتحمل الألم. تصلب جسدها للحظة، ثم بدأت تتحرك بعشوائية محاولة قول شيء، لكن الرجل بادر بتقبيلها ومنعها من الكلام. أطلقت صوتين مكتومين. فأمسك بذقنها بقوة. كانت القوة نفسها التي استخدمها قبل قليل، فهذا الرجل المليء بالقوة لم يكن لطيفًا حتى في مثل هذه اللحظات. وربما لأنه بذل مجهودًا كبيرًا قبل قليل، كانت أنفاسه متقطعة بعض الشيء. رفع جسده قليلًا، ففتحت رغد عينيها لترى ملامح وجهه. لم تكن واضحة تمامًا في الظلام، لكن رجولته الطاغية كانت واضحة بشكل لا يمكن تجاهله. قال بصوت منخفض وأجش: “ماذا؟ خائفة الآن؟” كانت ذقنها لا تزال بين أصابعه فلم تستطع الرد. ابتسم باستهزاء خفيف وقال: “إذا كنتِ لا تريدين أن أتسبب لكِ بالمزيد من المتاعب، فلا تتحركي.” كان جسدها متصلبًا جدًا. كما أنها لم تتعاون معه إطلاقًا. كان يظن أنها صاحبة خبرة، لكنه اكتشف أنها فتاة عديمة الخبرة تمامًا، بل وكانت هذه تجربتها الأولى. ولهذا أبدى قدرًا نادرًا من الصبر. وبعد فترة قصيرة أطلقت همهمة خافتة. فانحنى نحوها مبتسمًا وقال: “يبدو أنكِ سهلة الإقناع.” فكرت رغد في نفسها: ”…” “هل هذا حقًا ليث؟” “كلامه كثير جدًا!” وبعد أن تجاوزت الألم الأول، بدأت تستعجله لإنهاء الأمر بسرعة. لكن عندما خفف سرعته شعرت بالاستياء، فدفعت الرجل فوقها قائلة: “هل تستطيع أم لا؟ كلامك أكثر من اللازم، إذا كنت ستفعل شيئًا فأنهِه بسرعة!” قال: “هل تشككين بي؟” “…” أطلق ضحكة ساخرة. ثم شعرت بيده حول خصرها تشتد فجأة. وفي اللحظة التالية أصبحت كقارب صغير يتقاذفه البحر الهائج. تصعد وتهبط وسط الأمواج المتلاحقة. ولم تعد تعرف كم مر من الوقت. وقبل أن تفقد وعيها تمامًا فكرت بتشوش: “هذا جزاء لسانك الطويل!” ⸻ الساعة الخامسة فجرًا. فتحت رغد عينيها، واستعادت وعيها بالكامل فورًا. كانت تعرف جيدًا ما فعلته الليلة الماضية وأين هي الآن. كانت هناك ذراع قوية موضوعة على خصرها. بحذر شديد أبعدتها، ثم رفعت الغطاء. وقبل أن تنزل من السرير تذكرت شيئًا مهمًا. أمسكت هاتفها من الطاولة الجانبية. فتحت الكاميرا الخلفية وعدلت وضعيتها بجانب الرجل، ثم التقطت صورة. ثم ثانية. وثالثة. والعديد من الصور. أما الرجل فكان يبدو نائمًا بهدوء. وهذا كان أفضل شيء بالنسبة لها. لم تجرؤ على إضاعة المزيد من الوقت. قفزت من السرير، وجمعت ملابسها الملقاة على الأرض، وارتدتها دون أن تهتم بنظافتها، ثم غادرت الغرفة بسرعة. فتح الرجل عينيه فورًا. كانت عيناه الحادتان تلمعان في الظلام. مد يده فأضاء المصباح الجداري الخافت. وسقط الضوء الأصفر على وجهه الوسيم ذي الملامح الحادة. نظر إلى السرير. كانت هناك بقعة حمراء واضحة على الملاءة البيضاء. بدت كزهرة حمراء متفتحة. كما كانت هناك آثار أخرى تؤكد ما حدث الليلة الماضية. وبأن تصرفاته لم تكن لطيفة تمامًا. خصوصًا أنها كانت المرة الأولى لها. في الحقيقة، عندما استيقظت كانت عيناه مفتوحتين أصلًا. حتى عندما التقطت الصور كان يعلم بذلك. فكر في شيء ما، ثم ارتسمت على شفتيه ابتسامة خفيفة.OrchardIris made the most adorable pregnant woman ever. Maybe it was just my sentiment—I would always believe that. Maybe it was still my sentiment to want her to have another baby just because she made the most adorable pregnant woman ever. And perhaps those sentiments couldn’t be shared with her. But when it always came down to the delivery room, I found myself pacing. "It’s a normal reaction," the nurses said. "It’s normal," they said eventually. "Why don’t you come hold her hand?" the half-face-covered nurse stretched out a hand. "Are you okay?" I whispered in her ear. "Oh yeah, I’m amazing," she mumbled. "But sure, if we want to make this mountain out of a molehill, we can. Besides, I already requested an epidural," she rolled her eyes at me. "Maybe you’re just being dramatic," she waved me off. Maybe I was. Maybe I was just shy. After all, it wasn’t every day a man got to witness this perfect being born. "Okay, I feel something," she gripped my hand. The secon
Orchard Nothing, except the mild silence of the humidifier beside my bed, the steady beeping of the heart monitor, and, of course, the gentle hum of the air conditioner, filled the room. Aside from having to convince my wife—well, I wasn’t sure what we were now, but we surely were something—convincing her to go home, take a shower, get dressed, and look prettier the day after was more than enough. The same could apply to Mom. Partly, it was because of the text message I had received from Dad. “Is it all right if I come see you?” he had texted earlier. “Me telling you no isn’t going to change your mind, so why bother?” I texted back. And, as they say, speak of the devil, and he shall appear. An hour later, Dad walked into my hospital room as though he owned the place—which was mildly accurate. He was one of those with the largest holdings in the hospital. Or, well, he had some of the largest holdings in the hospital. While he didn’t own it specifically, neither did I, but he d
IrisHarold couldn’t be fast enough. Or maybe it was the fact that the speed limit was simply too slow, and Harold was dancing just at the edge. Either way, I kept pounding my heel against the floor of the car while biting my lips, and it seemed the buildings were moving apart too slowly. “I’m going as fast as I can, Mrs. Hector,” Harold said, and turned towards the rearview mirror, his eyes darting towards me. “I’m driving as fast as I can,” he said again, his eyes meeting mine this time. “We’ll be there soon.” His eyes crinkled at the edges, smiling at me. He offered little comfort, I thought to myself, as my face strangely cracked into a small smile. “Thank you,” I said, letting out a huff of air and pulling my fingers together, trying to calm them from the shaking earlier. Who’d have thought talking to the stepmother who effectively bullied you your whole life would cause some form of shakiness? Eventually, we reached the hospital in one piece—mostly. I bolted straight u
IrisPerhaps it was not just me but the entire court, but everyone seemed to let out a breath of relief. I caught sight of Karen sitting somewhere at the back of the room.Simply, I got sight of her because I was jittery, my eyes darting all over the place.Perhaps I was so eager to keep my eyes off Dave that I simply couldn’t look at the person—the wicked person—he had become. He was so unrecognizable.He was not the man I had known all my life; he was not the man I had fallen in love with. No. Buried far from those things were the sweet smiles he had given me when I was younger and the messages of conviction. *"You’re the only woman I could ever marry,"* he had said. Well, perhaps that part was true. I was the only one he married—but probably not the only one he could love. No. His love went to other places; his love had a knack for doing that, going to various places. But none of that mattered for the children. At least that chapter was closed. I raised my eyes to the prose
Orchard…After I dropped Iris off at her father’s house, a deep frustration simmered inside me. She wouldn’t even talk to me, wouldn’t let me explain or even comfort her. But somehow, she was willing to hear Dave out, Dave, of all people. It hurt more than I wanted to admit.I tried to shake it off
Dave….The phone on my desk buzzed for the tenth time in the last hour. I glanced at the screen and saw my father’s name flashing again. With a frustrated sigh, I hit ignore. The man was relentless, always demanding answers, always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.A minute later, my phone
Iris’ Pov The house felt too small, too quiet. It was suffocating. I needed to get out, even if just for a little while. I put on my jacket, grabbed my purse, and made my way out the door. I had no destination in mind, just needed to walk, to clear my head.As I walked down the street, the cool ai
OrchardI drove back to my house that night, my mind swirling with confusion and pain. I had never felt so helpless in my life.I knew I had to give Iris space, but my heart couldn’t bear the thought of her hating me. How could I prove to her that I hadn’t betrayed her? That I would never do someth
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