The phone rang in Rahaf's hand. The notification popped up and she read it with wide eyes then gasped with joy:
"You have been accepted at Rayan Construction & Development. We welcome you to our team. Please come to the office tomorrow morning to officially receive your assignments."
Rahaf jumped up and ran to Tala's room, calling out excitedly: "Tala! Tala! I have very important news!"
When she entered, Tala was sitting at her desk, holding her phone and smiling lost in a chat.
Rahaf raised her voice, and Tala jumped in surprise: "Tala! Are you listening to me?"
Tala closed the screen quickly and replied: "Yes, sorry. I was... just checking something."
Rahaf raised an eyebrow, curiosity in her voice: "Who were you talking to?"
Tala shook her head and said: "No one... just a regular chat."
Rahaf didn't insist, but looked at her sister with suspicion before exhaling deeply and announcing: "Anyway big news. I got accepted at Rayan! I'll start tomorrow."
Tala's eyes lit up with joy. She jumped up and hugged her sister: "Oh my God, that's amazing news! I knew your hard work would pay off."
Then she added with a mischievous grin, Tala said: "And this is the perfect chance to be near Yazan, right?"
Rahaf blushed slightly and replied softly: "I'm just looking for a solid job opportunity... and the rest is up to fate."
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Karma sat in an opulent room on a deep couch, a tray of luxury desserts before her. She was dressed in elegant loungewear luxury she hadn't known before.
Anas entered, holding a jewelry box and smiling: "I saw this and thought it would suit you."
Karma opened the box, then quietly said: "Thank you."
Anas continued trying to win her affection, and Karma felt her resistance fading. She no longer loved him, but she hadn't forgotten Yazan. Still, she knew her life had changed and what once was, no longer existed.
She thought to herself: "Maybe this is life... taking what we love, giving us what we don't want."
The next day, Rahaf dressed professionally and headed to Rayan Construction with a mix of jitters and hope.
At reception, she handed in her documents, and a staff member guided her to her new department. As she walked down a corridor, she locked eyes with someone familiar, Yazan.
He stood frozen, disbelief in his eyes, then slowly said: "Rahaf?"
Rahaf smiled confidently: "Hello... I didn't expect to see you here."
Yazan closed the distance, stunned: "When did you arrive? Why are you working here? Doesn't your father's company need you?"
Calm and poised, Rahaf answered: "I wanted to start from a place where no one knows me to prove myself beyond my father's name."
Yazan studied her briefly before asking gently: "But... why now?"
Rahaf offered a soft smile: "Everything happens in its time, right?"
Then she looked at him seriously and asked: "And you? What brought you here? Weren't you married?"
Yazan sighed and said with hurt in his voice: "I was or thought I was."
He hesitated before continuing: "I'll tell you everything. On the wedding night, I was thrown in jail on a false charge... the next day, I was out but clueless how. When I returned home, I was shocked to find Karma married to Anas. I felt betrayed I couldn't see anything the same again."
After a pause, he added: "I left the village and came here to start anew. Rayan believed in me and gave me a chance one I truly appreciate."
Rahaf listened quietly, her emotions swirling between grief, anger, and compassion. She hadn't realized how deeply things had unraveled.
Rahaf said Softly: "I didn't know... I'm sorry."
Yazan managed a sad smile: "Now you know."
Hours passed. Rahaf finished her first workday, leaving the company burdened by everything she'd heard. Meanwhile, Yazan sat at his desk, lost in memories of seeing her again feeling as if time had rewound.
That evening, Tala lay in bed, chatting with Sami on WhatsApp:
Sami: "Finished your graduation project yet?"
Tala: "Almost but still tweaking some parts."
Sami: "Let me know if you need programming help I'll help anytime."
Tala: "Thanks! I'll reach out if needed."
And Rahaf lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering: "Does fate offer second chances... or just reopens wounds?"
Across the city, Karma tossed in her restless sleep, dreaming of Yazan's face the face she could never erase from her heart.
In a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, inside a small apartment with modern décor, Rima stood by the window, staring at the street below without focus, while the sound of angry footsteps approached from behind.
Marwan slammed the door open, entered with fury in his eyes, and said in a tense voice: "Who was that man you got into the car with yesterday?"
Rima turned around slowly, as if she had expected this question ever since she let him see her from a distance. She replied calmly: "His name is Rayan. He just helped me get home… nothing more."
Marwan laughed bitterly, raising his hand to his forehead like he was trying to hold something back inside him: "Rayan?! And do you accept rides from anyone who offers? No, tell me… are you insane or do you think I'm stupid?"
She stepped closer to him, her gaze steady, and responded: "I didn't have to explain anything to you, but I did. Rayan is a decent man, and I had no other way to get home. I didn't think for a second that it was wrong."
He moved closer, his voice rising: "Always like this… there's always a reason, always a way out where you're innocent. Don't you see that this is becoming a pattern?"
She looked at him, eyes full of disappointment: "You don't trust me anymore. Every time you suspect me, every time you think I'm cheating… I'm exhausted, Marwan. So tired."
He paused for a moment, then said in a low but sharp tone: "Because you're not the same anymore. Something has changed."
She shook her head in despair and said, as if trying to put an end to a long battle: "No, you're the one who changed. You see everyone around you as a threat, and you see me as a problem, not a partner."
She walked to the door, picked up her bag, then turned to him and said: "I think we need a break… or let's just say it out loud we need to separate."
Marwan froze in place, as if her words had landed on his chest with a weight he didn't expect. He didn't respond, didn't object, didn't scream… he just stood there in silence, staring at her for a long moment, then turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving the door open behind him.
Rima stood still, staring into the void… as if she had just lost the last thing she was trying to hold on to.
To be continued...