Chapter 2

                                  ☆Samira☆

Changing diapers, feeding him and bathing him.

These were my responsibilities, and I embraced them wholeheartedly.

After all, it was my role as his wife.

Yet, the presence of Linda and Kate made my responsibilities seem like I was being treated like a maid. 

Everytime I finished tending to my husband, they would force me out of the room, and called me back only when Daniel needed another diaper change or a feeding. 

I wasn’t allowed to sit by his bedside.

I tried to voice my concerns, but my protests fell on deaf ears, leading only to arguments that were not good for Daniel's recovery.

Everytime the nurses would come into the room to break up the fights.

I was the type that always disliked airing my family's dirty laundry so I always gave in to avoid embarrassing ourselves.

Linda on the other hand was a loud mouth and did not care that our confrontations were embarrassing especially to Daniel’s reputation.

To be honest I was tired.

But this morning, Daniel opened his eyes but I wasn’t there to witness it.

I only saw the doctor running into his room.

Kate's brother

The moody cold doctor.

I was deprived of the precious moment of being the first face he saw or the first voice he heard.

Linda and Kate robbed me of that opportunity.

I tried to go into the room but the way the doctor looked at me.

It was like he was one of Linda’s tools.

He allowed only one family member to stay and Linda insisted that I leave.

I had no option but to comply.

Quarreling was not good for Daniel.

What ate at me was that Kate remained in the room.

How could they allow her to stay?

My mother in law favored her, and with the doctor being her brother, it felt as if she was the one in charge.

So there I was, waiting outside like an outcast instead of being by my husband’s side.

I had to wait.

Why confront them? 

It was only going to lead to quarreling, a sight Daniel did not need to see.

Finally the door swung open, and the doctor walked out.

This time, he didn’t even glance my way.

He completely disregarded my presence and walked off.

I chose to ignore him too and hurried to open the door, but it was locked tight.

I twisted the doorknob repeatedly, but it wouldn’t budge.

How could this be?

I started knocking, but there was no answer.

I knew they could hear me.

Why wasn’t Daniel asking them to let me in?

He had seen me?

Or was he too exhausted to notice me?

I stepped back from the door, staring at it in frustration.

I was tempted to call Linda, but I knew she wouldn’t pick up.

As always, I was left to wait.

Daniel was going to need to be fed or a diaper change.

They were going to call me.

I sat on a bench in the hallway, counting the minutes away.

At last, after what felt like an eternity, the door swung open, and Kate walked out.

She actually stormed out.

“Daniel is asking for you,” she remarked before striding away.

She seemed pissed, but I brushed it off.

A huge smile spread across my face as I walked into the room.

There was no way my husband would just sit idly by while the two women treated me like a fool.

As soon as I entered, his tired bruised pale face fell upon me.

My husband.

Daniel Norwood, always with a radiating face. Handsome, with curly dark hair and thick lashes.

But now he looked frail..

But he was awake.

“Sami…” he murmured, his voice fading.

I ran to his side, clasping his hand tightly.

“Yes, my love… yes, I’m here,” I kissed his hand gently. “I was just outside,” I reassured him.

“Wa… ter,” he whispered.

I hurried to the other side of the bed and filled a glass for him.

He wanted water from me and not from his overbearing mother.

I shot a glance at her.

She was standing in the corner, vibrating with anger.

I ignored her and focused solely on my husband.

I assisted him with the water.

He took only a couple of sips before turning his head away and closing his eyes 

I set the glass on the table and held his hand.

He didn’t look well, but he was awake.

That was a promising sign.

That was all that mattered.

I cradled his hand and leaned on it, thanking the heavens for bringing him back to me.

I wanted to cry, but I held it together.

I needed to wear a smile, to give him strength.

He cleared his throat and spoke, “You were supposed to be here when I opened my eyes,” he whispered. “Please don’t leave the room again.”

I lifted my gaze and turned to face his mother again.

She shot me a venomous look before turning away.

“You’re my wife, you need to take charge,” he murmured. “I only trust you,” he added.

I looked down, fighting back tears.

He had no idea how much I craved to hear those words.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut.

I looked up.

The old woman was gone.

It was just my husband and me now, and I knew the nonsense from his mother was finally over.

“Samira..?” he called softly.

“Yes love…”

“I need you to handle everything, can you do that for me?” he winced in pain.

I stared at him, uncertain of what he meant.

“The company, the house, my care here…” he clarified.

My eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re my wife… you need to be incharge,” he coughed. “What if I don’t make it?”

“No, no, no,” I stood up, alarmed.

What was he saying?

He coughed again.

“Samira, I’m serious. You have a business degree… why let my mother take control?” he pressed. “Why let her intimidate you?”

I lowered my gaze, not sure how to reply.

Did he really mean managing his multi billion dollar seafood empire?

Sure, I had ideas, but…

“No arguments, it’s decided. Kate will be bringing work here for you to sign. I’ve already instructed her,” he declared.

“Daniel…”

“Kate has no place at my bedside, nor does my mother. I don’t trust either of them,” he insisted. “The vultures only want money from me.”

I looked at him, absorbing his words.

“I only trust you, Samira. Can you run the company for me?” he asked earnestly.

I hesitated to respond, caught in a wave of emotions. 

He was choosing me over his mother and that conniving secretary who always seemed eager to take my place.

 How could I possibly turn him down? This was a huge responsibility, and he was placing his trust in me, his entire estate.

“I love you, Samira,” he murmured softly.

“I love you too,” I replied, leaning in to kiss him.

“Does that mean yes?” he asked.

“Yes, absolutely! But you’ll be here to guide me, right?” I asked, seeking reassurance. 

“Of course the papers you will be signing are only for loading and docking documents and of course the checks to keep the company running” he said, pressing a gentle kiss on my hands.

The following day, Kate arrived with a stack of files in hand. 

Linda’s icy gaze was fixed on me, radiating disapproval.

She tried to protest but Daniel yelled at her to back off.

I had noticed she always behaved well when Daniel raised His voice at her.

She was clearly against me taking charge of the company or standing by my husband’s side, but her opinion didn’t matter anymore.

Her son had made his choice, and it was me.

I took the files and began to go through them.

 Daniel cleared his throat and gestured toward a bottle of water.

“I’ll get it for you,” Kate offered.

“No, my wife will bring me the water,” he asserted, his voice firm. “Are you my wife?” he asked. “know your place Kate!” He warned her.

Kate lowered her eyes, apologising.

“Samira… sweetheart, just sign the papers. I’m starving,” he said impatiently.

I flipped through the pages quickly.

“Samira, I’m hungry,” he repeated.

I scanned the front page, it was a loading document.

“Samira!” Daniel raised his voice. “I told you the managers already approved those documents! All they need is your signature!”

I apologised, signed the documents and handed them to Kate. 

“I am done, you can go now,” I said, shooting Kate a challenging look.

She stared back at me, her expression revealing a storm of unspoken words, but she held her tongue. 

Grabbing the files, she exited the room, leaving me with a smile.

 That woman really needed to find her own life, perhaps a man of her own, or at least stick to her work.

But the tables had finally turned.

This became our routine.

Kate would bring papers for me to sign, and Daniel would insist she left immediately the second I was done signing.

She no longer had the luxury of sitting by his side like she did when he was unconscious.

So I always made sure to sign in seconds so that she could leave and I would be with my Daniel alone.

Linda on the other hand seemed preoccupied with the police officers.

They had come into the room the other day asking Daniel some questions.

I had stepped outside but when I returned Daniel reassured me the police were only looking into what caused the accident.

Everything was falling in place.

My family, uncle Ben, his wife and their daughter were set to return in a week.

They were on vacation in Italy.

 I had finally filled them in on the accident, assuring them that Daniel was recovering well and there was nothing to worry about. 

Daniel was now using the bathroom independently and feeding himself. Although he still relied on crutches to walk, we were nearing the day for his discharge.

It was almost evening when the door swung open, and Linda walked in. 

“Daniel, we need to talk privately,” she insisted, urgency lacing her tone.

Something was definitely wrong. 

Daniel glanced at me, his expression uncertain.

“In private,” his mother pressed.

I stood up quietly. “Of course,” I replied, stepping out to give them space.

As I walked down the corridor, I spotted two police officers.

The same ones I had seen talking with Linda. 

They exchanged glances with me before walking away. 

I brushed it off and went to get myself a cup of coffee.

When I returned to Daniel’s room with my coffee, I could hear raised voices. “You don’t have time!” Linda shouted as she stormed out.

What a piece of work she was, not even allowing her son a moment’s peace.

 I rushed into the room.

 “Daniel, honey, are you okay?” I asked.

He rubbed his temple, clearly exhausted. 

I regretted leaving him alone.

“I’m fine, she just needed some money,” he replied.

“What? What’s wrong with your mother?” I asked.

“Let’s just forget about her, you know how my mother can be,” he said.

I fell silent.

It was high time I confronted that woman.

I had kept my thoughts bottled up for far too long.

She was only delaying her son's recovery.

I got onto the bed and snuggled closer to him.

“You didn’t give her any money, did you?” I asked.

“No chance in hell,” he assured me.

A wave of relief washed over me, and I closed my eyes.

I promised myself that, come morning, I was going to persuade Daniel to keep his mother out of the room.

As I settled in, I tried to drift off to sleep.

I was slowly dozing when a loud voice jolted me awake.

“Samira,” Daniel called out to me.

“Yes,” I mumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“These officers,” he said, glancing up.

I turned my head to see four men, two in jackets and two in police uniforms.

The same two officers I had seen earlier.

“Mrs. Norwood, I’m detective Derk from the Cleveland Police Department. Is this your signature?” one of the plain clothed officers asked, holding up a document.

I blinked at him, then glanced at Daniel, confusion etched on my face.

“Your husband claims this isn’t his signature,” the officer clarified.

I looked at the paper.

Yes, it was my signature.

“He also states that you are the one running the company, correct?” the officer asked.

I nodded and glanced back at Daniel.

His expression was unreadable.

“Mrs. Norwood, I need a clear answer,  is this your signature?” he pressed.

Gathering my thoughts, I stood up from the bed.

“Yes, I only recently started…”

“Mrs. Norwood, you are under arrest for money laundering and for using your company’s ships to transport illegal migrants,” he declared, signaling for the other officers to restrain me.

My heart stopped, confusion etched on my face as the two uniformed officers pushed me against the wall and began to cuff my wrists…