Home / Romance / NELLIE AND NAOMI / Chapter 3 - Episode 1_ "Naomi and Anas, love and affection begin like this."

Share

Chapter 3 - Episode 1_ "Naomi and Anas, love and affection begin like this."

Author: mookhalil
last update Last Updated: 2025-12-20 05:21:15

– The Beginning of Attraction

Ghadeh, the stepmother, treated her with a cruelty sharp enough to bruise the soul—no kind word, no gentle gesture, not even the slightest attempt to embrace Naomi, who was already living on the margins of endless losses.

As for her father, Sameh, he was nothing more than a faded presence—passing by his daughter like a shadow sliding across a wall, offering neither protection nor anger nor warmth… only a silence that wounded more than it shielded.

That particular night was no ordinary night;

it was the night something shifted inside Naomi.

She felt utterly alone…

No father, no mother, no embrace, no hand reaching for hers.

Even her tears had no shoulder to fall on.

She did not think of Anas much that night; exhaustion was stronger than every emotion.

---

The next day, at exactly one in the afternoon, a soft knock echoed on the door, as though coming from a distant world. Naomi rose slowly, weary, the traces of sleeplessness and worry still clinging to her eyes. She yawned, stretched her arms lazily, and walked with the unsteady lightness of someone emerging from a heavy sleep that cured nothing of the heart.

She opened the door…

And found Anas standing there, holding a bouquet of red roses, a small smile on his lips—part embarrassment, part longing.

In a gentle voice he said,

“Good afternoon, Naomi… how are you feeling today?”

She took the bouquet from his hands and murmured softly,

“Thank you…”

She lifted the flowers to her face to breathe in their scent…

but suddenly froze when she noticed small calming pills tucked discreetly between the petals.

She raised her head and looked at him for a long moment—a look whose meaning she herself could not fully grasp—before she said quietly,

“Come in…”

She stepped aside, letting him in, then closed the door behind him.

Anas stood awkwardly, not knowing where to sit or how to begin. His nervousness was unmistakable. Naomi gestured toward the chair:

“Come… sit.”

He sat in the living room, giving her a moment of silence.

Meanwhile, she went to her room.

She stood before the mirror for a breath; her eyes half-asleep, her hair scattered, her clothes unfit for receiving anyone. She placed the roses on the small table, removed the pills and set them aside, then inhaled deeply.

She combed her hair carefully.

Changed into something simple yet elegant.

Sprayed a touch of perfume along her neck…

and then stepped out.

When she sat across from him, Anas looked at her with an unfiltered gaze—a gaze of admiration… or perhaps something just a little deeper.

In a low voice he asked,

“What happened last night? You looked really exhausted…”

His voice felt like a hand gently resting on her shoulder.

Feeling a rare sense of genuine concern, she told him what Sameh and Ghadeh had done, and how cruel the night had been. As she spoke, Anas’s expression shifted—concern sharpening into anger—before he said:

“I’m here… anytime you need me, you’ll find me. And I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

His words were simple, yet they sank into her heart like warm light.

He left shortly after, leaving behind a comforting silence.

Naomi sat alone, thinking…

Thinking of Anas… of his care… of the way he made her feel seen, important, protected.

Admiration began to slip softly into her chest…

And her heart, without her noticing, began to move toward him—slowly, gently—drawn by something she could no longer deny.

- The Birth of Love-

The days weighed heavily on Naomi, burdened by something she could not carry, something that clutched at her chest. She lived alone in the house that felt smaller with each passing night, wandering through its walls like a spirit searching for shelter.

Her days offered nothing new… only endless solitude, and pain that reminded her of Samah’s harshness and Ghada’s cold heart.

She would wake, eat a little, remain silent for long stretches, then return to her bed, waiting for another day that would mirror the one before.

Yet… something different began to seep slowly into her mind. A name. Anas.

Each day, without intending to, he claimed a small corner of her thoughts—his quiet manner, his subtle attentions, his presence softening the weight of her silence.

---

One day, Samah decided to visit Naomi.

He entered the house formally, carrying nothing, offering no gift, no warm word. He sat for a few minutes, speaking sharply, as if she were a stranger unworthy of either anger or tenderness.

He showed no concern for her, no apology for the nights he had left her alone, then departed as he came… cold, hard, leaving no trace but his absence.

Naomi stood still for long moments after he left, as though the door he had closed had also shut her heart. Then she walked heavily to her room.

Her gaze fell upon the bouquet of flowers Anas had brought her days ago… now wilted, yet their fragrance lingered. She held them close to her nose, inhaling the last of their warm scent. There was something in that bouquet she had clung to… perhaps because it had been the only gentle touch in her recent days.

---

Minutes later, a soft knock echoed on her door.

She opened it… and found Anas standing there, as if he had arrived at the exact moment she needed him most.

He stepped in and sat, and Naomi still held the faded flowers in her hand. She began to speak in a broken voice about Samah’s visit, about the cruel words that had left her deeper in pain than before.

Anas listened with full attention; his eyes never left her face, and when he spoke, his voice carried a hint of restrained anger… wrapped in clear tenderness.

With every word Naomi spoke, something new was forming between them. It was no longer mere sympathy or friendship… it was closeness, a connection taking shape like two threads intertwining without their conscious realization.

In that moment, Anas revealed something he had never shown before: care that went beyond reason, lingering looks, a tone imbued with open affection.

And Naomi… she reciprocated. Her gaze changed, her voice grew warmer whenever she spoke his name.

Yet… there was a silent, unspoken barrier between them, a mystery neither dared to breach, as if announcing love before it had fully blossomed might shatter the moment.

They sat together, their conversation light and calm… but beneath the surface, what stirred between them was far deeper than words could capture.

Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App

Latest chapter

  • NELLIE AND NAOMI    Chapter_ 10 Episode - 10“In Your Arms, the Story Was Complete — What Remained of a Lifetime Was Yours.”

    Evening descended over Paris with deliberate slowness,and the Seine flowed as it always had—indifferent to human sorrow, to their ages, their colors, their identities—a silent witness only to the emotions of lovers along its banks.They sat by the river, Naomi and Adham, close to the water,far from the noise,as if the city itself had decided to grant them more time for farewell,as if time had paused to gift them a few minutes of pure love.They remained silent, watching the trembling reflections of light on the river’s surface.Naomi pulled her coat tighter around her frail body.Then suddenly she spoke, her eyes fixed on the waters of the Seine,without turning toward him:“Adham… I’m not afraid of death.I’m afraid of leaving you.I love you so much.I’m afraid for you after I’m gone—as if I were leaving behind a child, alone after my death.”He nodded in silence.He turned toward her, his gaze taut, his heart racing ahead of his words, and said:“I can’t imagine my life with

  • NELLIE AND NAOMI    Chapter 10 _ Episode _9 “Not today we die—we will steal from life a handful of loving minutes, against all odds.”

    Between Treatment and the Postponement of the EndTreatment… or a Delay of DeathOn a cold morning, Naomi entered the hospital feeling as though the air was breathing her in, not the other way around—heavy air, laden with expectations and the weight of illness.The place was not frightening, but it was honest—more honest than one could bear.The corridors were clean, the faces calm, the machines humming in an orderly silence.Everything suggested that miracles were not made here; probabilities were managed.Naomi stood before the glass window of the room, looking outside, and said in a quietly aching voice:“Is this treatment, Adam… or merely a postponement of death?”He did not answer at once.He knew that any word he might offer would be incomplete, or false, or unbearably cruel. He himself felt the burden of expectations circling his mind with every glance at a machine, every look into a doctor’s eyes.He stepped closer, took her hand, and said:“I will hold on to you. I never lear

  • NELLIE AND NAOMI    Chapter _10 Episode _7 “When Love Becomes a Shield Against Illness”

    In the evening, Adham and Naomi stepped out to walk slowly along the street. Walking was not easy for Naomi; exhaustion was clearly visible on her, growing heavier day after day as the illness tightened its grip. Yet she wanted to feel like an ordinary woman—not a patient, not a rare case in a medical file. She insisted on appearing strong, normal.She stopped in front of a shop window. Her reflection appeared in the glass—pale, yet still beautiful, like a moon worn down by illness but refusing to surrender its name as a moon.She suddenly said, “You know, Adham? Here, I feel that I am still alive… truly alive. In our last days in Egypt, I felt as though I had already left life behind. Listening to the doctors—each one whispering in his own way that there was no hope of recovery, that today might be the last day for Mrs. Naomi…”Naomi burst into laughter, mocking what she had heard from the doctors.Adham laughed with her.He stopped, looked at her for a long moment, then said, “You a

  • NELLIE AND NAOMI    Chapter_ 10 Episode _7 “In Your Arms, the Story Was Complete — What Remained of a Lifetime Was Yours.”

    Evening descended over Paris with deliberate slowness,and the Seine flowed as it always had—indifferent to human sorrow, to their ages, their colors, their identities—a silent witness only to the emotions of lovers along its banks.They sat by the river, Naomi and Adham, close to the water,far from the noise,as if the city itself had decided to grant them more time for farewell,as if time had paused to gift them a few minutes of pure love.They remained silent, watching the trembling reflections of light on the river’s surface.Naomi pulled her coat tighter around her frail body.Then suddenly she spoke, her eyes fixed on the waters of the Seine,without turning toward him:“Adham… I’m not afraid of death.I’m afraid of leaving you.I love you so much.I’m afraid for you after I’m gone—as if I were leaving behind a child, alone after my death.”He nodded in silence.He turned toward her, his gaze taut, his heart racing ahead of his words, and said:“I can’t imagine my life with

  • NELLIE AND NAOMI    Chapter 10 _ Episode _6 “Not today we die—we will steal from life a handful of loving minutes, against all odds.”

    Between Treatment and the Postponement of the EndTreatment… or a Delay of DeathOn a cold morning, Naomi entered the hospital feeling as though the air was breathing her in, not the other way around—heavy air, laden with expectations and the weight of illness.The place was not frightening, but it was honest—more honest than one could bear.The corridors were clean, the faces calm, the machines humming in an orderly silence.Everything suggested that miracles were not made here; probabilities were managed.Naomi stood before the glass window of the room, looking outside, and said in a quietly aching voice:“Is this treatment, Adam… or merely a postponement of death?”He did not answer at once.He knew that any word he might offer would be incomplete, or false, or unbearably cruel. He himself felt the burden of expectations circling his mind with every glance at a machine, every look into a doctor’s eyes.He stepped closer, took her hand, and said:“I will hold on to you. I never lear

  • NELLIE AND NAOMI    Chapter _ 10 Episode 5 _ “When the body failed us, love saved us, and hope was born on the banks of the Seine.”

    A New Morning in Paris — The Doctor Who Makes No Promises of MiraclesMeeting Dr. Laurent DuboisThe white corridor of the Parisian clinic felt longer than it should have—or at least that was how it seemed to Naomi.Her steps were slow, her hand tightly entwined with Adham’s, as if she feared this place might swallow her the moment she let go.They stopped before a glass door bearing a name engraved in calm, restrained letters:Dr. Laurent DuboisThe door opened to a man in his late fifties. His gray hair was neatly arranged, his glasses thin-framed, his features unmarked by false warmth. He did not resemble doctors who sell hope, but rather those who confront truth without embellishment.“Madame Naomi.Monsieur Adham,”he said quietly, extending his hand.Adham shook it. Naomi offered only a faint smile.They entered the office. The doctor sat behind his desk without attempting any comforting pretense.He spoke directly:“I will not promise you a miracle… but I promise you honesty.”

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status