“There’s no way we’re married,” the baritone voice said to Naura.
Naura’s happy smile and tears faded. Her arms loosened around Rafa. So did everyone else in the room. They exchanged glances, as if silently asking one another what had really happened to Rafa.
“It’s m-me, Raf. Y-your wife, Naura. I’m your wife!” Naura insisted, her voice strained. She seemed desperate to convince Rafa that she was the only woman who had once meant the most to the sharp-eyed man.
Rafa only stared at Naura in confusion before shifting his gaze to Amanda, who stood beside his mother, Khumaira.
Rafa looked back at Naura before speaking. “Don’t joke around. As far as I remember, Amanda was the one I married. You were the one who rejected me in high school. You haven’t forgotten, have you? How cruel you were back then. Why would I ever marry a heartless woman like you?”
Rafa’s rejection struck Naura like a bolt of lightning. She staggered, her tears beginning to fall without her realizing it. It hurt to be rejected by her own husband—especially when she had only just realized how deep her love for this man truly was. Naura had simply been too foolish all this time. Was this what Rafa had felt every time she rejected him? Why did regret always come too late?
People said that a destined match, death, and divine provision were all part of Allah’s decree, which could not be bargained with. No matter how much you rejected something or tried to run as far away as possible, Allah always had a way of bringing together what was destined to be yours.
The same was true when Naura rejected Rafa’s presence in her life—even in her thoughts. Instead, Allah had thrown open the truth that had made her doubt for so long: the truth about that man’s existence and the immense love he held for her. Naura wasn’t even sure she could atone for all her wrongs and sins.
Blinded by hatred, Naura had ignored one fact: Rafa was her husband. A husband she should have respected, not neglected. And now, when Allah had taken everything away, she finally understood what loss truly meant.
Naura had not only lost Rafa; that man’s love seemed to have disappeared along with his memories. What was Naura supposed to do now? Why had it taken her so long to realize this love? Was she the one who had to fight now? Was she the one who had to hold on in order to win Rafa’s love back?
Naura cast her mind back to the past, to several months before this harsh reality came to pass. If only Naura had a time machine, she would want nothing more than to fix everything. Naura regretted all her proud and arrogant behavior that had ended up hurting other people.