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Chapter 58
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Scarred For Life Chapter 59
*They headed to the McDonald's on 3rd Avenue, just two blocks away. Adnan ordered a 'Double Pounder with Cheese Deluxe', while Afrah ordered the 'Quarter Pounder'. They also got 'Hot Caramel Sundaes' to go with the burgers, and a side of fries. "You should have gone for a 'Big Mac'," he said, eyeing her 'Quarter Pounder' with a look of disdain. "Don't trash-talk my burger," Afrah said as she took a bite. "You and I have very different stomachs."Adnan turned his nose up as he took a bite from his own burger. "Anyway," he said, "I was hoping we could take a tour of Fifth Avenue today. If there's still time, we can head over to Central Park afterwards. We can go to the zoo, the lake, or Strawberry Fields. I'm sure you'd love them.""What about Chris?" Afrah raised an eyebrow, trying to hide her irritation at the thought of him butting in on their honeymoon. "Don't worry about him," Adnan waved dismissively. "We'll be done with him in a short while. Then you and I can spend the entir
Scarred For Life Chapter 60
*Afrah had never been a nag.Throughout her childhood, she'd seen her mother constantly become the stereotypical nagging housewife. There was always something to complain about. It was either the fact that their father came home an hour too late, or he had forgotten to buy something she'd told him about in the past. Sometimes she even nagged over trivial matters, like the way their father chewed his food, or the way he couldn't seem to drink water silently. Either way, she had witnessed firsthand just how much her mother's nagging had ruined her relationship with their father, effectively pushing him away and putting a damp on their marriage. She had sworn an oath one day, in the confines of her bedroom, that she would never become a wife that nagged. No matter how bad things got, or how awful she felt, she would never complain about something indirectly rather than confronting the problem head-on. She had always been proud of that particular decision, and throughout the years, she'
Scarred For Life Chapter 61
*As suspected, Afrah had returned to the hotel. Relief swept over Adnan when he called the front desk and found out that she had arrived just over an hour after she left him - abandoned, rather - on the street. Before heading back, he googled 'How to appease an angry wife'. One can never be too sure, especially when it came to women. If indeed Afrah had spoken to Chris about what he thought they had spoken about, then he was definitely in deep trouble. As the cab took him back to the hotel, Adnan stared out the window solemnly, wondering if he wasn't re-enacting a scene from a sloppy romance movie Afrah had made him watch. Any minute now, the background noise would fade out, to be replaced by a sad and slow tune, most likely Alan Walker. The subtitles would probably show '(Sombre music playing)' at this point, and he'd be forced to lean his head against the glass and watch the streets of New York zipping past, random strangers hurrying about their business without paying any atten
Scarred For Life Chapter 62
*The next morning was spent in the confines of their suite. Adnan called for room service, and breakfast was a stately affair of omelettes, oatmeal, garlic bread with hummus and strawberry-flavored tea. They ate on the terrace, their silence occasionally broken by the clink of cutlery on ceramic. Below, the ever-constant turmoil of a thousand cars, buses and dreaded cyclists rumbling past reminded them that sooner or later, they would have to dive into the chaos at well. Afterwards, the remainder of the morning was spent touring the Upper-East side. Still looking to appease, Adnan took her to every jewelry store in the vicinity. Tiffany and Co. was their first stop, then they swept over to The Crown Building for a pitstop at Bvlgari, lingering just long enough for Afrah to choose a pair of diamond earrings. They crossed over to Trump Tower, where Adnan insisted on taking Afrah's picture before they headed into the Ice Cream Parlor. They popped into Gucci afterwards, where Afrah got
Scarred For Life Chapter 63
*Silence had always been Afrah's companion. Even now, after surrendering half of her soul to be replaced by someone else's, it still hovered around her like a second shadow. It wasn't so bad though. Silence was multifaceted after all, sometimes bearable and sometimes appalling. Silence in the presence of Adnan however was neither. It was blissful. She didn't have to worry about filling it; part of her knew instinctively that he was just as unbothered by it as she was. Ever since he'd returned to the hotel room, she'd studied his face, anxiously looking for a sign that he was uncomfortable with the muted air in the room. He seemed cheerful however, silently nodding his head as he worked on his laptop. They were scheduled for dinner in less than two hours, but neither one of them was in a hurry. Briefly, Afrah glanced over at the clothes she'd laid out for the evening. It was nothing fancy, a pair of dark, slim-fit jeans, a white, long sleeve shirt which her mother had bought for he
Scarred For Life Chapter 64
*Dinner was a stately affair at the L'artusi restaurant on 10th street. Afrah ordered the spaghetti with garlic, parmesan cheese and chilies, while Adnan ordered the Sweetbreads A La Plancha with lemon, capers, olives and currants. Both eyed the other's dish with a look of resigned contempt, but neither said a word. "You've been quiet all evening," Adnan spoke for the first time since they'd left the hotel. "What's wrong?""It's bad manners to speak while eating," she replied, twirling her fork around the spaghetti."Not to your husband, it's not," he said. "Talk to me.""Ever heard the phrase 'Silence is golden', dear husband?" she asked, a mocking smile on her face. "Well if silence is golden, then conversation is priceless," he replied. "Touché," Afrah said, laughing. Adnan laughed as well, reaching for his drink. "I've been thinking about getting a place here," he said, raising the drink up just to stare at it. Afrah sensed that he was trying to avoid her gaze. "You're free t
Scarred For Life Chapter 65
*They left New York the very next morning. Hand in hand, Afrah and Adnan boarded their flight, giddy with excitement at the thought of spending the next 48 hours in Italy.They landed at the Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport just over nine hours later. Adnan tried to hail a cab for them, cursing under his breath when most of them drove past. "Perks of being a black man in Europe," he smiled in disdain. Eventually, a round-faced, very Italian looking man parked in front of them. "Dove stai andando?" he asked, rolling down the window."Rome Cavalieri," Adnan said. The man nodded pointedly, hopping out to help them with their bags. "Your first time here?" he said, his English heavily accented. "Si," Adnan replied. "You welcome to Italy," he said. "Rome is beautiful city.""It is," Afrah agreed. "I've always wanted to visit.""I'm Sebastian," he said, smiling as he reached for her small suitcase. "Afrah," she replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you."He smiled back at her, lo
Scarred For Life Chapter 66
*For the first time since their marriage, Afrah decided to call his mother. She had been apprehensive at first, not wanting to involve her in something that was certainly not meant to reach her ears. But she was scared for Adnan, and she needed the help of the only woman who knew him better than she did. She answered on the first ring. "Assalamu alaikum?" Afrah cleared her throat, trying to sound normal. "Wa alaikum as salam," she replied. "Afrah dear, is that you?""Good evening, aunt," she said. "I hope I'm not disturbing.""Certainly not," she replied quickly. "This is the first time you're calling me, is it not? You don't know how happy I am to hear from you.""I'm sorry I didn't call sooner," she said, glancing up to make sure the bathroom door was still closed. "It's just that...""Don't worry about it," Maryam said. "It's so good to hear from you. How's the honeymoon?""It's fine, Alhamdulillah," Afrah said. "Or at least it was.""Oh. I heard about the news. How is Adnan h
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