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last update publish date: 2026-09-10 18:53:29

She remained motionless, her fingers still resting on the door handle; with eyes glistening with unshed tears, she observed the scene before her. His massive office chair stood empty, while the sounds of a little girl’s joyful, high-pitched laughter echoed through the room, breaking the somber atmosphere of the impeccably tidy office.

Mazen had cast aside his air of authority and status among his staff; he was kneeling on the floor, cradling a little girl—no more than three years old—who was playing with him in sheer delight.

Almost instinctively, she walked over to them and gave a soft, polite cough.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

She spoke in a playful tone, though a deep-seated sadness lingered beneath the surface. Mazen was smiling and happy—joy radiated from his eyes; it was the first time in a long while she had seen him look so truly happy.

"Come here, Reem. Let me introduce you to my youngest friend: Lauren, Hadi’s little girl. I brought her in today because his wife is visiting family."

She bent down and knelt right in front of the little girl, who gazed at her innocently for a moment before becoming engrossed in playing with Mazen’s expensive watch—tossing it so it clattered against the floor. He remained indifferent to its value, simply letting her have it as long as it made her happy.

He stood up and kissed her hands like a refined, noble husband

: "Are you alright?"

"Yes... I’ve just finished my visit with the new doctor."

"What did she say?"

He asked expectantly, yet she detected a note of indifference in his tone—as if he already anticipated the outcome and was merely humoring the situation.

"She reassured me that my vital signs are good, as are my test results, and she asked me to schedule an appointment for the..."

He cut her off, quickly rushing over to the little girl, who had burst into tears after bumping into the table while trying to walk.

He held her close, patting her head and tenderly kissing her tiny hands. It was as if fate had conspired against her that night,

highlighting her own shortcomings and placing every possible trigger for her jealousy right in her path.

She stood rooted to the spot, watching them in heavy silence, a painful ache tightening in her chest.

It wasn't the little girl she envied... but rather the ease with which his heart opened to her—the tenderness she had long yearned for, and the family she had always imagined herself a part of.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned her face away before her eyes could betray what she was struggling so hard to conceal. Yet, the sound of the little girl’s laughter—clinging to his neck now that she had calmed down—struck her like another blow.

She offered a faint smile and whispered to herself with bitter irony: "Even my jealousy has become trivial... I’m jealous of a child!"

Then she turned and walked away, trying to salvage what remained of her pride before he could catch the fleeting glimpse of heartbreak in her eyes.

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  • The Heir in My Womb   133

    And so... we have reached the end of Part One of Asia and Mazen’s story.A story that began under circumstances unlike the usual beginnings of love stories, with a marriage that was not built on love from the very beginning. Yet, little by little, feelings found their own path, and the lives of two people became intertwined in ways neither of them had ever expected.We lived through so many moments with Asia... We watched her try to understand her place in Mazen’s life, struggling with feelings she did not know how to describe, and with a child who became the strongest bond between her and the man who had entered her life in a way she had never planned.And we lived through Mazen’s contradictions, his decisions, his mistakes, and the things he kept hidden. The secrets he carried away from everyone, until we thought that perhaps the greatest things the days could hide had already been revealed...But it seems that the days had been hiding something else.Something that not only Asia kn

  • The Heir in My Womb   132

    Two weeks had passed since Mazen’s death.Two full weeks, and yet no one in the house felt as though time had truly passed.Everything remained exactly as it had been.The heavy silence that had settled over the house, the seats that were no longer occupied except during condolence gatherings, and the photographs hanging on the walls, which had suddenly taken on an entirely different meaning.Even the sound of the doors seemed louder than usual.Asia spent most of her time in her room, barely leaving it except when absolutely necessary.Since Mazen’s death, something inside her had gone dark.She no longer cared about anything around her.Not food.Not money.Not work.Not even the things that had occupied her mind before he was gone.All that remained in her mind was the one question she could find no answer to:How could a man who had been here yesterday become absent forever?Her mother stayed by her side most of the time, while Salma never left her alone either.She would sit with

  • The Heir in My Womb   131

    The morning felt heavier than anything Mazen’s family had ever known.From the early hours, the house filled with the faces of relatives and acquaintances who had come to offer their condolences. Phone calls continued one after another, while the sounds of prayers and Quran recitation echoed throughout the house. Meanwhile, his mother sat at the head of the gathering, her face pale as she struggled to keep herself composed in front of everyone.She was not crying as she had cried at the hospital.Perhaps because the shock had not yet allowed her to fully comprehend the truth that her son would never return.She sat with her hands clasped over her lap, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Whenever a woman approached her to offer condolences, she would raise her head, listen in silence, then respond with only a few words:— “May God reward you.”But her eyes betrayed everything she was trying to hide.She was a mother who had lost her son.And nothing could ever make that easy.As for Asia, s

  • The Heir in My Womb   130

    Another hour passed. For an entire hour, they remained seated in front of that closed door, each of them clinging to a small fragment of hope, even though none of them had anything left to reassure them. Asia had been standing for so long that her throat had gone dry from praying so much. She could no longer feel her feet. She no longer knew how many times she had looked at the clock, how many times she had raised her eyes toward the emergency department doors, or how many times she had imagined those doors opening and the doctor stepping out to tell them that Mazen was fine. But the doors remained closed. Until they finally opened. This time, it was not a nurse who came out. It was the doctor. He walked slowly. And his face did not carry the expression they had been praying to see. Asia almost stopped breathing. Mazen’s mother rose from her seat and approached him with trembling steps. Reem, who had returned after having her tests done, stood as well. A heavy silence s

  • The Heir in My Womb   129

    Only a few minutes had passed since the doctor left them when the emergency department doors opened again.This time, a nurse hurried out, his eyes searching among the faces gathered outside the department.— “Who is from Mazen Al-Dahshan’s family?”His mother immediately sprang to her feet.— “I’m his mother.”The nurse quickly approached her, holding several papers in his hand.— “We need to provide blood for the patient as soon as possible.”She stared at him for several moments without understanding what he had said.— “Blood?”— “Yes. His condition requires a blood transfusion, and we want to begin the procedure immediately.”Asia stepped closer, her face growing even paler.— “Is his condition getting worse?”The nurse exchanged a quick glance with the doctor who had come out behind him, then said:— “The doctors are still trying to stabilize his condition, but he has lost a significant amount of blood, and we need to provide the required amount as quickly as possible.”Mazen’s

  • The Heir in My Womb   128

    There was nothing worse than waiting.Ever since Mazen had disappeared behind the doors of the emergency department, time seemed to have stopped completely, while the hands of the clock moved with cruel slowness. Every passing minute only deepened the fear inside their chests instead of easing it.Asia stood in front of the closed doors, barely moving unless she had to.Her arms were crossed over her chest, her fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the edge of her hijab, while her eyes never left the door for even a moment, as though she were waiting for it to open at any second and for Mazen to appear before her—angry, exhausted, or even in pain... she simply wanted to see him standing on his own two feet.But the door remained closed.And no one came out.Beside her, his mother was sitting on one of the chairs, and all her attempts to pretend she was holding herself together had finally collapsed.At first, she cried silently, wiping her tears with the edge of her hijab, only for the

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