Chapter 1
She is my friend, and he is my brother's friend. Circumstances made me a betrayer, though I am innocent; my will was taken from me. Come and hear my story. Their selfishness painted me as a traitor.
It felt like there were two of us—two who were brought together by the seats of university classes in a major only the top students could enter. I met her as the daughter of a conservative family, while she was the daughter of an open-minded family, yet still holding on to her morals.
The years of study passed until the penultimate year of medical school. My friend began to lose focus, her daydreaming increasing, so I joked with her:
"Oh my God, Ahlam, have you caught that incurable disease whose letters are L-O-V-E?"
I can’t describe the brightness that washed over her face; I wondered whether I had spoken words or given her the elixir of joy.
I nudged her playfully and asked, “What’s going on?”
She excitedly began telling me about a man ten years her senior, a student in the College of Engineering. He was Arab, pursuing his studies in our country because it suited his many commitments. He was able to arrange his affairs with the professors to complete his studies smoothly. Now, he was in his final year of architectural engineering.
When she finished, I surprised her with a question.
"Ahlam, isn't he Faisal, my brother Hossam's friend?"
She grabbed my shoulder with genuine jealousy and said, "Don’t you dare go near him!"
I reassured her, “He’s like a brother to me if he’s going to become your husband. Believe me, I’ve never even met him. He’s just a name I’ve heard from my brother. You know I don’t believe in relationships before marriage, and my family wouldn’t allow it. You know we have rules that can’t be broken, and I have no desire to break them. Congratulations if your love ends in marriage.”
Her excitement, fueled by the breeze of love that filled her life, returned as she said, “I won’t tell you where we met; that’s a secret I’ll share with you when you sit beside me to congratulate me at my wedding.”
I smiled and sincerely replied, “God willing.”
Days passed, and my brother had a car accident. They brought him to the hospital where I was training—a coincidence that paralyzed my thoughts. Suddenly, I forgot everything I knew about medicine.
When I saw my brother drenched in blood, his friends rushing around him as they placed him on a stretcher, I was horrified. I ran to the paramedic and asked what had happened. He reassured me that it was just some minor facial injuries, but he had a deep fracture in his leg that caused him to lose consciousness due to the pain.
It was then that my medical knowledge returned, and I realized the situation was manageable.
In the midst of all this, I didn’t notice who was with my brother, nor did I see the eyes of the person who later told me that his eyes fell in love with the fear in mine.
My brother survived, and I visited him during my free time at the hospital. I tried my best to visit him when no one else was around so as not to embarrass him in front of his friends.
However, despite my efforts, I sometimes ran into Faisal. When I passed him, I would smile, remembering Ahlam. I often called her after seeing him, just to hear her sighs and her words, every letter of which was filled with love. How happy I was for her.
But wait, don’t judge yet. This is just the beginning. I am not a traitor. I did not fall in love with my friend’s beloved and steal him from her. But fate, destiny—it made me a betrayer.