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“Yeah, I had Paulo run to the store and get some for me to look at. I think I want to have pink accents in here, so I don’t want the walls to be pink too.” He brought me one pink sample, but I kept focusing on the few purple options in front of me.
“Good idea. Which color are you thinking about?” Nazyr questions me.
I walk up to the paint samples taped on the wall and point at the light purple in the middle. It’s not nearly as light as lavender, but there’s a slight plum-colored hue to it. “I think this could be a color the two of them could grow into. I found a local furniture store that has a crib and a twin-sized bed. They convert into cribs or beds, actually, but I like the way the two of them will have matching furniture in here. There is this headboard I really, really like,” I go on to tell Nazyr, and he raises his brows in amusement.
“What do they look like?”
As he’s asking me, I grab my phone and pull the images up.
He immediately releases a chuckle. “They’re big, pink bows.”
“I know, but they’re so adorable, and the girls are going to grow up so fast.”
Nazyr nods a couple of times. “You’re right. They are. You need to enjoy them while they’re small and want to be around you. Whatever you want to get for them in here, you get. I’ll give you a card that you can run for everything the girls will need. Go ahead and get them some clothes and whatnot as well, okay?”
I’m caught in my own surprise and look right into his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“I am, and if I wasn’t, I would have never offered in the first place.”
“Thank you so much, Nazyr.”
“Mmm, you don’t need to thank me for anything, Med.”
There he goes calling me that nickname I love so much. Nazyr slides an arm around my waist and pulls me against him, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
As I’m looking into Nazyr’s eyes, all I can think about is the freedom he’s given me. I’ve been able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life since I’ve been by his side… and now I’m wondering how I was even trafficked in the first place.
Was it circumstantial? Did it solely happen because I was at that restaurant by myself? Did the people who worked at the restaurant do it because they thought I was an easy target? There are so many questions running through my mind right now.
Or was there something more nefarious at play? I’ve always told myself that my uncle didn’t have anything to do with it… but what if he did? What if he arranged the entire thing? I hate to think this way, but after years’ worth of living the life I have… I think it becomes natural.
“Mona,” Nazyr’s speaking loudly, and I think he’s called my name a couple of times.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“I was asking you what you were thinking. You weren’t here for a minute.” He chuckles, and I debate whether or not I should tell him, but I end up deciding to do it.
“Yeah, um… I was wondering how I ever ended up with Duarte in the first place. Like, did my uncle have a hand in it, or was it completely circumstantial? I’ve never gotten an answer about it, and since I’ve been here, the questions have been coming to me a lot more now.
“Do you think your uncle could’ve?”
I inhale slowly and release my breath before I answer. “I’m really not sure. Years ago, I would’ve said he didn’t, but I truly don’t know. Being trafficked made me view the world in a completely different way, and I don’t blindly trust people anymore. I trusted my uncle because he was my father’s brother. Still, people always have their own reasons for doing something so crappy to people. I just want to know how I ended up in the circumstances that I did. It might’ve just been circumstantial, but I do want to know.”
“I understand. You want answers, and it’s only natural. I can look into it if you’d like.”
“Yeah, I’d love that, actually. I… I do want to talk to you about something, Nazyr, something I probably should’ve brought up before.”
“Sure, what is it?” Nazyr cranes his neck a tad as he waits for me to respond.
There’s no easy way for me to bring this up, so I’m going to put my heart on the line right now and pray I don’t get hurt. “Are you so kind to me because I belong to you, or is it because you’re actually invested emotionally in me?”
“First of all, you don’t belong to me. You can walk out those doors any time you want. All I’ve done, and all I’ll ever do, is try to keep you safe. You’ve suffered enough, Mona, and I won’t be the man who keeps making you. I… I have an intense connection with you, and I would very much like to keep exploring it. You took me by surprise, but not in a bad way. I’ve been waiting for a woman like you to sweep me off my feet for a long time, Mona, and I hope you’re that woman for me. What is it that you want?”
I swallow hard, and relief washes through me. “I want to see where this goes because you make me feel things I haven’t felt in a very, very long time. I… I trust you, Nazyr. I feel safe with you. I feel like you wouldn’t let anything bad ever happen to me, and I think that’s rare for a woman to feel so safe.”
“It is, and I’m glad I make you feel this way. You’re always going to be safe with me. No one will dare harm a hair on that pretty little head of yours, and if they even think about it, they’ll have to deal with me.”
Nazyr pulls me against his chest and holds onto me tightly. “The meeting is taking place in three weeks. Think you can get the girls’ room ready for them by then?”
