Chance: Chapter eighteen - Missing puzzle piece

Alaya tried to find out who was helping her in a number of ways. Somewhere in the corner of her head, she could not help but think that it was just one person sending help her way. Subconsciously she had even concluded who it might be but she started to ask around just to validate her assumptions.

She had asked Jia about who had kept the medicine on her table.

"Well that was...that was...that was me!!" Jia had said hesitantly while eyeing someone behind her back. Alaya gave a sudden look to her back but could not find anyone there. She suspiciously turned in that direction and looked around but could not find anyone.

Next, she had asked the kind old driver of hers.

"Well dear I heard that you were stuck with a bad driver in a taxi. So it only befits me to help you since I too am a father of 3 daughters. Hehe...." the driver said with a laugh and Alaya forced a laugh too.

Finally Alaya asked around the office as well but as she heard their answers, it appeared to Alaya that she was in fact being miraculously helped. But that was ridiculous! There had to be someone! The one she has been assuming it was!!! She had to find out.

Raphael's POV

Raphael found it hilarious to see Alaya questioning people around her about who was helping her. He wickedly thought of writing a mysterious letter to her in the name of a Jinn explaining how he loved her and all that. It surprised him how joyful how his soul became even when he thought about her. But he would soon come out of those emotions, thinking of the distance between them. It would hurt him way too much every single time that all his smiles would disappear as though they would never come back. He considered ending his relationship with Laana multiple times but couldn't bring himself to do it due to his circumstances. He thought of telling Alaya why he was not able to go back to her multiple times but he knew that it would only lead to harm if he did that. He would be disrespecting marriage itself if he did so. He did not want to be an example of a bad husband even though he did not have the best wife. He wanted to be someone who does things the way Allah pleases. And he wanted to show to Alaya how beautiful the obedience to Allah could be. He could not help but make dua to Allah to increase Alaya in guidance, since the day he realized that she didn't pray while she was at work. It hurt him to know that she was so far away from deen. He prayed with all his heart for her to be one of those that the Most Merciful loves.

**

One day, Raphael woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He squeezed his eyes and narrowly opened them, reaching out to his phone on the side table. He heard Laana's voice from the other side.

"Hey babe....I'm off to Manhattan on the work trip I told you about. Won't be back for about a week. I told Jia to make you breakfast. Love ya! Bye!" Laana said and ended the call without giving Raphael a chance to speak. Raphael looked at the screen and sighed. Being used to the two-faced behavior of Laana, he just went back to sleep, not being able to care any less about what he heard. But then his phone rang again.

"I got it Laana I got it! You are going to Manhattan and I'm here in Boston. That much is clear enough!" Raphael shouted into the speaker in irritation.

"Well....it isn't about Manhattan or Boston. I just called to tell you that your Rover is pretty fine now and it's ready to hit the road." said John, the guy who was repairing Raphael's Range Rover after Laana had almost crashed right into a house.

"Oh John its only you. Great news buddy. I'm gonna pay you right away for this. Can you by any chance bring it back to Boston?" Raphael requested.

"Yes of course...it will be there by noon." John said and Raphael thanked him. He was content that the first car that he bought with his hard-earned money was now fully repaired. In that contentment, he didn't realize the consequences of bringing that car back home.

Alaya's POV

That day, Alaya was back from work early. Her boss was holding an annual function that night and thus all employees were sent back early to get ready for the night's function. Alaya could say that the function was more like a prom the way her co-workers were asking her about her date. She just smiled shyly without saying anything while she had Raphael's name in her mind.

Alaya was ready for the function by 8 that night. As she wore a red maxi with a red and black striped hijab in front of the mirror, Alaya remembered the night she tricked everyone in her family just to go to the prom. She laughed at the immature decision that she made. But her intention was still not immature to her in her view. She did the right thing running away. If she hadn't, she'd probably be married to that scoundrel Layaan and getting ready to have baby showers or something. Nop! She would never regret running away.

Nonetheless she did wish she could speak to her family members. She tried to imagine them. It worried her to bits to realize how concerned they would be about her. They'd have probably called the police by now. She seriously wondered why they hadn't reached her by now. Was it that the police nowadays were lousy? Or was she really a genius in sneaking away? Either way Alaya could not bring herself to think more about her family. Because the more she did, the more she would see the wrong she did. She NEVER wants anything to be said as her mistake. Not realizing that that's the biggest mistake she could ever make.

**

At around 8:10 PM, Alaya told Jia that she was leaving. Jia said yes but just as Alaya was going to step out of the house, she called out.

"Alaya! I really don't think the driver is home by now. He leaves at 8 you know?" Jia said, coming out from the dining room.

"You cant be serious! I thought he'd be here all day." said Alaya.

"He doesn't." Jia said. Just then, they both heard a car come to life from the outside.

"Oh! Guess he is there. Maybe he heard about you." Jia said the last sentence with a sly smile and a wink. Not being able to comprehend what that meant, Alaya walked out of the house.

Before Alaya could walk any further, she stopped in her tracks as she saw a black Range Rover at a distance in place of the usual car she normally travelled in. Happy feelings filled her heart as she walked closer to it. She knew that a dear memory was coming back to her but she wasn't able to make it clear. As she went besides it she looked towards the driver's seat. But she couldn't see the inside because of the black window. So she got in the car and sat down. As she did, she remembered a night where she was saved and she sat in a car and saw a Range Rover just like this one come back to life. It sounded like that too. This must be that man's car!

Alaya gave a sudden look to the rear view mirror. But he could not see the driver's face because of the angle. She had to know. She just had to know!

"Who are you?!" Alaya asked, out of the blue. Alaya heard a familiar sigh, before she heard the answer.

"Its me....Alaya." the man said and she saw him catching her eyes in the mirror. And all of a sudden, Alaya found the missing puzzle piece of reality that she had been searching for such a long time.