"I am not involved with Brianna. How could you even think that I would do something like that?" Zayed choked out, hurt slicing through his heart
"You once believed me capable of doing such a thing. Why shouldn't I ??" Ava retorted unapologetically
"I deserved that" Zayed mumbled almost inaudibly
"Aveline, habibti. I know I have hurt you badly in the past. Nothing can be changed. Give me a chance to change our future Please. I am so sorry for everything that happened" Zayed said, tentatively taking her hands in his and pulling her on to the couch, and he kneeled in front of her.
"You were telling me about Brianna" Ava prompted
"Yes Brianna. I don't know if you are aware that I was a drug addict, Aveline" Zayed mumbled shamefacedly.
He was a coward. He used used drugs to escape his painful life
"I know" Ava whispered. She had known about this from his sister Mizna.
"Brianna supported me a lot during that time. Helped me in healing. And that was one of the reasons I asked her to move in with me once" Zayed said and Ava stiffened.
"That was before I met you, Aveline" Zayed said, squeezing her hands.
"The day of the business party, I received a call from one of our mutual friends saying that he heard something about Brianna's drug addiction. She had a messy divorce last year. The guy cheated on her and took off with another woman, leaving her with nothing" Zayed said
"So you couldn't bear the thought of your ex girlfriend in pain" Ava asked sarcastically
"Damn it Aveline. You are hell bent on believing the worst. That's not how it is. I owe Brianna. She helped me once. And I felt it was time to repay the favor. I didn't want to be indebted to her in any way" Zayed grit out
"So how did you help her in healing??" Ava asked
"I got her into a rehabilitation program. Visited her every weekend. Talked to her. That's it. Nothing more" Zayed said, pleading her to believe.
"Why didn't you tell me??" Ava asked
"Our relationship was very fragile, Aveline. I didnt know how to tell you about Brianna. I was worried how you would react??" Zayed said
"And this apartment. If you have an apartment here, why would you make us stay in the hotel" Ava asked
"Look around, Aveline. The pool is not fenced, and there is no door separating the pool area from the living room. I can't have the triplets here, without baby proofing the apartment" Zayed said and that made sense to Ava.
"Hmm. Then let's talk about the other thing" Ava prompted
"What other thing??" Zayed asked in confusion
"You said something about love and all. Let me hear that" Ava said and Zayed felt the first burst of hope in him.
"I have always loved you Aveline. I was not ready to admit it to myself. I have been betrayed too many times in my life. And the by the time you entered my life I was too broken. And having you in my life felt too good to be true. So I waited for you to slip up. I thought everything you do has a hidden agenda behind. Because life has never been fair to me, Aveline. I know these are no excuses to what I did to you but when I heard
you saying I love you to someone on the phone, I completely lost it..." Zayed said, remembering the pain her experienced all those years ago.
"I said I love you to someone??" Ava asked in wonder.
"The day you returned, after going missing during Salim's wedding. I heard you talking to Arif Mehaboob on phone" Zayed mumbled.
"Oh. I was- I was learning how to confess in arabic" Ava said and Zayed groaned.
"I know that now. I was blind with jealousy then. You were avoiding me and going out without telling me where and I felt like I am losing you. And with my own actions I lost you" Zayed said groaning at his own stupidity.
"Can you forgive me, Aveline? Is there any chance you will learn to love me again??" Zayed whispered, and the vulnerability she saw in his eyes was her undoing.
She could make him suffer if she wants. Can withhold her love and punish him. But wouldn't that be punishing herself. She would never be able to see him in pain.
"I never stopped loving you, Zayed. And I will always love you" Ava said, cupping his face with both her hands.
"I dont deserve you, Aveline" he said
"That's right. You don't. But you can work at being deserved. We have a lifetime ahead of us." Ava said and Zayed kissed the tip of her nose.
"I will do everything in my power to keep you happy, Aveline I will always love you" Zayed said
Ava wound her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her.
"Love me Zayed" Ava whispered making Zayed groan.
"Abstinence with you around has been a torture, Aveline. Sheer torture" he said picking her up in his arms walking towards the bedroom. He kicked the bedroom door shut and dropped her gently on the bed before worshipping every inch of her body.
****
Ava was drawing patterns on Zayed's naked chest when she heard him asking.
"Did you really think I would cheat on you, Aveline"
"No" Ava said without skipping a beat.
"Then what was all that about" Zayed asked in disbelief.
"I was hurting. And simply wanted to hurt you" Ava said and Zayed looked at her in horror.
"What? Dont look like that. I am no saint. And maybe I wanted you to know how it feels when accused of doing something you wouldn't even dream about" Ava said and Zayed made a pained sound before flipping over and looking in her eyes.
"God! How am I going to atone all my sins" Zayed asked
"Just love me" Ava whispered.
"I have something for you" he said jumping out of the bed.
"What??"
"I have been carrying this around for a few months now. It's time I gave you this" he said bringing a velvet box to the bed.
Ava opened it to see the most beautiful ring she has ever seen. With Zayed-Aveline forever carved on the inside.
"I never asked you before our marriage. So now I am asking. Aveline Dupont Ahmed al Zidra, will you do me the honor of staying married to me for an eternity" Zayed asked, slipping the ring on to her ring finger.
"Oh yes" she said hugging him as tears of happiness threatened to slip out.
"My heart now belongs to you and the triplets, habibti" Zayed said, kissing her forehead. And Ava smiled at that. Isn't it time she told him their happy news.
"Do you think you could make space for one more person in here" Ava said pointing at his heart.
Zayed looked confused for a moment before the words sunk in.
"Are you? Are we?? Oh my God Aveline! That's the best news so far. I love you, habibti" Zayed
pulled her into a hug and smiled blissfully.
True happiness is never too far.