‘She is very…’ The King halted. ‘Layla has accepted all her punishments instead of fighting me.’
‘Can I speak with her?’
‘Of course—she is not a prisoner.’
Trinity smiled at Jamila, who opened the door of Layla’s room as Trinity approached.
‘I don’t want to talk about it any more,’ Layla said. She was lying on her stomach, reading the card Mikael had sent with the flowers. ‘If I do I will cry, and I don’t want to be sad when I think of him. I have this.’ She handed Layla the card. ‘This makes me smile.’
‘Do you want me to read it to you?’ Trinity offered.
‘No, Mikael did, and I remember every word. “Layla, thank you for an amazing end to a difficult day and an even more amazing night. Mikael.” And he gave me three kisses.’
Trinity smiled, but then frowned at the ‘amazing night’ part. ‘I thought the doctor said…?’
‘Trinity…’ Layla would let her in on a very big secret! ‘You don’t have to have sex to have an orgasm—there are other things you can do.’
‘I’ll bear it in mind.’ Trinity laughed—she just loved Layla.
She handed her Zahid’s phone.
‘You wanted to speak with him one more time,’ Trinity said as Layla stared at it. ‘Mikael just called Zahid to see how you were and asked if he could speak with you.’ She put the phone down on the bed. ‘I will go out on the balcony.’
Trinity couldn’t hear the words, just the love and tears in Layla’s voice as she tried to be brave and not break down, as she tried to sound upbeat for Mikael.
It was enough to make Trinity cry as she did her best not to listen to one side of their final conversation…
* * *
When his phone rang and he saw that it was Zahid Mikael answered it on the first ring—and then nearly folded when he heard Layla’s voice.
‘Mikael.’
‘Layla.’ Thank God. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Of course I am.’
‘How was your father?’
‘Disappointed, cross. I am to choose a husband tomorrow…and I cannot use my computer ever again. But I will work on that soon. Trinity has smuggled me Zahid’s phone. This will be the last time we speak.’
‘Don’t say that.’
‘It will be,’ Layla said, and knew, for his sake, that she had to somehow keep this a little light—for even Mikael could not fix this. ‘Our minds might meet now and then, but we won’t speak or see each other again.’
Mikael frowned. Was she talking about dreams?
But Layla had changed the subject. ‘How is work?’
‘I don’t want to talk about work. What do you mean, our minds will meet?’
‘You will work it out,’ Layla said. ‘Now, I want to know about your work—how is it?’
‘Nauseating,’ Mikael admitted. ‘I’m crossing to the other side.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Prosecuting the bastards.’
‘Go you…’ Layla smiled.
‘How are your students?’
‘I am banned from teaching at the moment. After the wedding perhaps I will get to teach again, but I don’t think so.’
‘Layla?’ he asked, and she closed her eyes at the depth of his voice. ‘Did I look after you?’
‘Beautifully.’
‘Is there anything you regret?’ he said, for he worried that they might have gone too far.
‘Just one thing,’ Layla said. ‘That I laughed when you proposed. Mikael, I laughed only at the impossibility, not the sentiment.’
‘Can I please speak to your father?’
‘You will not get a fair hearing.’
‘I thought he was a fair man?’