جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 49

Crystal's POV Two weeks passed like fog. Thick, gray and suffocating. Crystal stopped leaving the east wing entirely. She ate the meals Fatima brought, took the vitamins Fatima dispensed, and let the doctor examine her growing belly every few days. Amelia often came to cheer her up and update her on things going on in the house, but she was elsewhere, floating somewhere outside her body and watching her life happen to someone else."You need to get out of this room," Amelia said one morning, pulling back the curtains to let in sunlight that felt like an accusation. "Fresh air is important for the baby.""I'm fine here," Crystal replied from the bed where she'd spent most of the past fourteen days."You're not fine. You barely eat, you don't sleep properly. Mrs. Crystal, I'm worried about you." Amelia sat on the edge of the bed, her face creased with concern. "Is it depression? I heard it sometimes starts early, during pregnancy…..""I'm not depressed. I'm just tired." Crystal pulled

Crystal's POV Crystal woke to sunlight slicing through her curtains. Her body swelling with life while everything inside her felt dead. She touched her stomach where the baby kicked, stronger movements now and insistent reminders that time was passing whether she wanted it to or not."Good morning," Fatima chirped, entering with breakfast. Her forced cheerfulness grated like sandpaper. "How are we feeling today?""Fine," Crystal lied, the word automatic now."You said that yesterday. And the day before." Fatima set down the tray. It was filled with eggs Crystal wouldn't eat, toast she'd pick at and juice she might manage. "Mrs. Crystal, your weight is concerning the doctor. You've lost three pounds in two weeks. During pregnancy, you should be gaining.""I'm eating.""You're moving food around your plate. That's not the same thing." Fatima sat on the edge of the bed, her face creased with worry. "I know something is wrong. I know you're unhappy. But you have to think about the baby

Crystal's POV Crystal woke in the hospital for the seventh morning, sunlight streaming through blinds that divided the world into strips of light and shadow. A psychiatrist with the name tag - Dr. Nadia,sat beside her bed with kind eyes and a clipboard full of observations."How are you feeling today, Crystal?" Dr. Nadia asked, her voice gentle but probing."Better," Crystal said, and for the first time in weeks, it wasn't entirely a lie."Better is good. Better is progress." Dr. Nadia made a note. "You've been eating consistently for three days. Sleeping without medication for two. The baby's vitals are strong."Crystal's hand moved to her stomach, where the baby kicked with increasing frequency. "The baby is fine. I made sure of that.""But you weren't fine. And the baby needs a healthy mother, not just a living one." Dr. Nadia leaned forward. "Crystal, I want to discharge you today. But I need to know, are you ready to go back?""To the mansion?""To your life. To the situation t

Crystal's POV Crystal sat in the library, surrounded by textbooks she hadn't touched in years. Marketing Strategy in the Digital Age, Financial Management Fundamentals, Corporate Acquisitions and Mergers. The words on the pages felt foreign and familiar all at once, like a language she'd once spoken fluently but had forgotten."You're studying," Amelia said from the doorway, balancing a tray with tea and crackers."Relearning," Crystal corrected, looking up from a chapter on hostile takeovers. The irony wasn't lost on her. "I was a marketing student before everything happened. Before I got married to Amir and before all of this.""You never finished your degree?""I was in my final year when I got married and besides." Crystal closed the book, her hand resting on the cover. "But I'm five months pregnant now. I can't change my past, but I can prepare for my future. This baby will need a mother who can think and plan. Someone who understands how the world works.""Mr. Amir won't like

Ahmad's POV Ahmad sat across from Rebecca in an upscale London restaurant, watching her lips move without really hearing the words. She was attractive. Blonde, sharp and successful in finance. Exactly the kind of woman his London colleagues thought he should be dating."So after the merger collapsed, I moved to derivatives trading," Rebecca was saying, sipping her wine. "Much more exciting than equities. Don't you think?""Mm-hmm," Ahmad responded, pushing food around his plate.Rebecca set down her glass, her smile fading. "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?""I'm sorry. You're right. I'm distracted." Ahmad set down his fork. "This was a mistake. I shouldn't have agreed to this.""Let me guess. Recently out of a relationship?" Rebecca's tone was sympathetic rather than accusatory."Something like that.""How recent?""Three weeks." Ahmad signaled for the check. "I apologize for wasting your evening.""You didn't waste it. I've had worse dates." Rebecca studied him. "Whoe