2024-12-24 08:05:10Hakimi felt his heart plummet. “What! What happened? Is she okay?” Panic seeped into his voice, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
“We don’t have all the details yet, but it’s critical. Please come as soon as you can.”
The line went dead, leaving him clutching the phone like a lifeline. Akashi’s wide eyes reflected the same dread clawing at Hakimi’s chest. “Dad, what’s wrong?”
“Your mother… she’s in the hospital,” Hakimi stammered, the words barely escaping his lips. “We need to go now.”
He frowned lightly "Isn't that normal, she works there?"
"No! She has been admitted!" He raised his voice
"Oh my GOD! Is she going to be okay?” Akashi’s voice trembled with fear.
“I don’t know, son. We just have to get there.”
The two dashed out of the house, the night air biting at their skin as they made their way to the car. Hakimi fumbled with the keys, his hands shaking, the world around him blurring in a haze of anxiety. As he started the engine, he stole a glance at Akashi, whose face was pale.
“Just hold on, Akashi. We’ll get there,” Hakimi said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
The drive felt like a descent into darkness, the city lights flickering by as if mocking his urgency. Every red light seemed to stretch on for an eternity, and Hakimi gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles turning white.
“Dad, what happened?” Akashi’s voice broke the silence, laced with confusion.
“I don’t know, Hakimi admitted, his throat dry. But your mother is strong. She’s going to fight.”
As they approached the hospital, the towering structure loomed ominously in the distance. The urgency intensified in Hakimi’s chest as they parked, both rushing out of the car and into the reception area.
“Where’s my wife? Where’s Rashvia?” he demanded, his voice rising with desperation as he approached the reception desk.
A nurse looked up, her calm demeanor contrasting sharply with his panic. “Sir, please calm down. What’s your wife’s name?”
“Rashvia! Rashvia Rajvier!”
“Please have a seat. A doctor will be with you shortly.”
But Hakimi couldn’t sit. He paced back and forth, anxiety gnawing at him. Akashi stood by the desk, eyes darting around, unable to process the situation.
Finally, a doctor emerged, her expression serious but compassionate. “Mr. Rajvier? I need to speak with you about your wife.”
A knot tightened in Hakimi’s stomach. “Is she okay?”
“We did everything we could, but she’s still in critical condition. We need to move her to the ICU.”
The words struck Hakimi like a physical blow, the ground beneath him seeming to shift. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with her?”
“There was an accident. She suffered significant injuries, including internal bleeding. We need to stabilize her.”
Akashi’s breath hitched beside him, and Hakimi felt his heart fracture further. “Can I see her?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“Not yet, sir. We’re doing everything we can. I need you to wait here.”
As the doctor turned away, Hakimi felt time elongate. Every minute felt like an hour, each tick of the clock amplifying the dread coiling in his gut. Akashi clutched his arm, his own fear palpable.
“Dad… what if…”
“Don’t think like that, Akashi. Your mother is strong. She’s going to pull through this. She always does.”
But as the minutes dragged on, Hakimi found it increasingly difficult to believe his own words. The hospital’s sterile atmosphere weighed heavily on him.
Finally, the doctor returned, her expression somber. “You can see her now, but please be prepared for what you’ll see.”
Hakimi’s heart raced as they followed her to the ICU. Each step felt heavy. When they reached the room, the sight before him sent a chill through his bones.
Rashvia lay there, pale and fragile, surrounded by beeping machines that seemed to echo his own heartbeat. An oxygen mask covered her face, and bruises marred her once-vibrant skin.
“Mom!” Akashi cried out, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Hakimi soothed, though his own voice trembled. He stepped closer, taking Rashvia’s hand in his, feeling the coldness of her skin against his. “I’m here, love. We’re here.”
But as he looked at her, the reality of their situation crashed over him. Would she be okay? The thought clawed at him, desperate and unrelenting.
“I can’t lose you,” he whispered, his heart aching. “You have to come back to us.”
The beeping of the machines filled the silence, each sound a reminder of the fight ahead. Hakimi sat there, holding her hand, willing her to stay with them.
But then, Rashvia’s condition took a sudden turn. Her body began to convulse, the machines around her blaring in alarm. Blood trickled from her eyes, and her chest heaved violently.
“Dad! What’s happening to Mom?” Akashi screamed, panic gripping his voice.
Hakimi jumped to his feet. “Doctor! Someone get in here!”
Medical staff rushed in, carrying equipment. “Sir, I’ll need you to take your son and step outside,” one of them instructed firmly, donning a mask.
“I just—”
“Sir, please!” the nurse repeated, urgency etched in her face.
Frustration and helplessness overwhelmed him as he led Akashi out of the room. They waited in the hallway, the seconds dragging on like hours. Hakimi paced, running his hands through his hair, while Akashi sat silently, his head buried in his hands.
When the doctor finally emerged, her expression told Hakimi everything he needed to know before she even spoke. His world shattered.
Hakimi grabbed her by the collar, his voice choked with desperation. “What happened to my wife? Tell me! Is Rashvia dead?”
The doctor’s eyes brimmed with sorrow. “We did everything we could, but her injuries were too severe. I’m sorry.”
Hakimi’s knees buckled, and he stumbled backward, his mind refusing to process the words. Akashi stood frozen, his face pale, trying to grasp the weight of what he had just heard.
“No… no… this can’t be happening,” Hakimi muttered as he staggered toward the ICU. He pushed the door open and saw Rashvia lying on the bed, motionless, the steady beeping of the machines now replaced by a continuous flatline.
Akashi fell to his knees at her bedside, his heart shattering into pieces. He grabbed her hand, cold andV bruised from the trauma. “Mummy, please wake up… please don’t leave us…” he sobbed, his voice barely audible.
Hakimi stood beside him, unable to speak, unable to think. The love of his life, the mother of his children, was gone. Memories of their life together flashed before his eyes—her laughter, her warmth, the way she always knew how to comfort him when the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
He sank into the chair beside her bed, his hand trembling as he reached out to touch her one last time. “I’m so sorry, Rashvia,”
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CHAPTER 37: THE CONFRONTATION
The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the small but cozy living room where Khadijat and Amira sat on the worn sofa. The scent of breakfast still lingered in the air-freshly made tea and the faint aroma of bread Bashir had toasted earlier. Akashi leaned against the wall, flipping lazily through a magazine, his long hair loosely tied back.Bashir entered the room, his sleeves rolled up and a playful grin on his face. "Alright, you three, coats on!" he declared, clapping his hands together.Khadijat frowned, looking up from the book she had been skimming. "Why? Where are we going?""To see your father," Bashir said simply, his smile widening.At those words, Khadijat's face lit up, and Amira let out an excited squeal. "Really?!"Akashi, too, straightened up, his expression softening. "To Dad's restaurant?" he asked, the hint of a smile playing on his lips.Bashir chuckled. "Yes, now hurry up before I change my mind."The room burst into movement as the siblings
CHAPTER 36: A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALLIES AND ENEMIES
The meeting with Malik was set for midnight. Hakimi and Laila arrived at an underground café hidden in the heart of the city, accessible only through a narrow alley flanked by decrepit buildings. A flickering neon sign above the entrance read "The Rabbit Hole." The café's air was heavy with the aroma of roasted coffee beans, mixed with a hint of tobacco and something metallic.Hakimi scanned the room, his sharp eyes catching every shadow and corner. The place was dimly lit, with heavy velvet curtains draped over private booths. The hum of muted conversations and the occasional clinking of glasses filled the air. Laila nudged Hakimi toward the booth in the far corner, where a blonde haired man sat hunched over a laptop. He was dressed in black and wore a dark gloves. Malik.He looked every bit the eccentric tech genius. His wiry frame was wrapped in a mismatched hoodie and cargo pants, his wrists adorned with bands of worn leather and tech gadgets. His thick glasses magnified his rest
CHAPTER 35: THE SHADOWS CLOSE IN
The morning light barely seeped through the heavy curtains of Bashir's house. The air was quiet, almost too still, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Bashir shuffled to his front door, his old cat trailing behind him with a soft meow. He bent to pick up the morning paper but froze when his eyes caught a crimson-colored envelope resting on the doormat. What the hell was that? He silently prayed it was not what he was thinking.His hands trembled slightly as he opened it. Inside, scrawled in uneven red ink, was a single sentence:"You better stay out of it, or you'll regret it."The words seemed to leap off the paper, their menace almost palpable. Bashir's heart thudded painfully in his chest. He glanced around the empty street, the morning fog curling like ghostly fingers around the houses. There was no sign of anyone, but he felt like someone was watching him. Carefully, he folded the note and tucked it into his pocket, forcing himself to act normal as he turned back insid
CHAPTER 34: ALLIES AND SHADOWS
The cold night air was sharp and biting, slicing through Hakimi's coat as he stepped out of the truck. The streetlights buzzed faintly above, casting a dim yellow glow on the empty parking lot of a run-down diner. Hakimi stood still for a moment, his breath curling in front of him in pale clouds. Beside him, Akashi slammed the truck door shut, his movements sharp with bottled frustration."Why here?" Akashi asked, eyeing the flickering neon sign above the diner. The smell of old grease wafted faintly through the air, mingling with the faint hum of a passing car somewhere in the distance.Hakimi didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the lot, the shadows of parked cars, the dark alley to the left of the diner. His hand hovered near his coat pocket, fingers brushing the handle of the knife he had tucked inside. "It's quiet, he finally muttered, nodding toward the door. Let's go inside."The diner's door creaked as they stepped in, the bell above it jingling. Inside, the place looke
CHAPTER 33: ESCAPE BEFORE DAWN
Hakimi's blood ran cold as the words on his phone screen burned into his mind."It's today. Hope you'll comply with your part of the deal and bring what's mine."His breath caught in his throat, and he gripped the phone tighter, the edges digging into his palm. The weight of the threat sat heavy on his chest, making it harder to breathe. He felt trapped in his own body, paralyzed by fear and indecision. How had it come to this?He glanced at the dim glow of the clock on the bedside table. It was barely past midnight, the world outside cloaked in silence, but his mind was anything but still. His chest tightened as a flood of questions and regrets swirled within him. He had known the risks when he made the deal, but now, with his children's safety on the line, regret hit him like a tidal wave."Think, Hakimi, think!" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He couldn't stay here, not with the looming threat. His family came first. Always, and he certainly kne
CHAPTER 32: AKASHI'S SECRET INVESTIGATION
The morning sun streamed through the tattered curtains, casting a pale glow over the modest kitchen. Hakimi sat at the dining table, nursing a cup of tea as steam spiraled lazily upward. A worn newspaper lay open before him, but he wasn't reading. His eyes skimmed over the words without comprehension. His mind was elsewhere-on Riqqo's threat, the cryptic note, the stranger outside his house the other day, and the weight of keeping his family safe.The sound of lighthearted chatter pulled him back to the present. At the far end of the room, Amira was gently braiding Khadija's hair, something his wife has always done, her younger sister giggling at something she had said. The sight of his daughters filled Hakimi with a bittersweet ache. They were innocent, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing around them. He envied their ignorance.At the other end of the room, Akashi silently packed his bag, his expression stoic but his movements unusually deliberate. His mind wasn't on school. He h
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