(Thanks for reading my stories and for your ratings and comments.
All characters are over 18 years old and this story is solely a figment of my imagination.
My language is Spanish, I apologize for any grammatical errors I may make when translating the stories into English).
The End-of-Course Journey 22 - The 1001 Nights
I didn't like to leave Selene after what happened with Riley, but both my redhead and the rest of the slave girls have to be taken to the club to prepare for tonight's opening.
Although I should join Yaiza and Andrea to prepare everything, I have called them to tell them that I will arrive after lunch, because I have some issues to solve.
I am crossing the city towards Lady Alina's mansion, I have not stopped thinking about her and her words about my mother, and especially about what Esther told me in the car about Lady Alina and the other Lady of the house.
When the car arrives at the gates of the mansion, they open automatically allowing me to enter, I drive up to the main house and see Lady Alina waiting for me on the stairs, although I don't focus my gaze on her, but on the silhouette, I see in one of the windows.
"Good morning, Jake, I didn't expect to see you back so soon;" Lady Alina greets me.
Who is she?" I ask without returning her greeting.
"I don't know who you mean?" she answers me trying to appear calm, although she couldn't help that her whole body tensed up because of my question.
"To the other Lady of the house. To the figure watching me from the window;" I tell her.
"She is no one, a former palace slave girl I brought with me and freed years ago, I think she knew you from the palace and was curious to see you;" she tells me.
"I don't believe you;" I shout at her approaching her. "In this last month I have discovered many things that had been hidden from me, and I think I have some yet to discover."
"Let him through;" says a female voice from the doorway, "We knew from the time all this was set in motion that this was inevitable."
I look at the figure in the doorway, she is wearing a floor length robe with a hood, like the ones I have seen the tribeswomen wear but this one in white, much like the one I have seen Lady Nabila wear on occasion.
The figure slowly raises her arms and brings them to her head pulling back her hood, revealing a face I know but barely remember, a face that thanks to the photographs Sheikh Hafid gave me I know is my mother's.
"Why?" is the question that comes out of my mouth, unable to say anything or think of anything coherent.
"Let's go inside;" Lady Alina says grabbing my hand, pulling me in without me making any resistance.
We sit in the parlor where I've been talking to Lady Alina, who now more relaxed, as if a weight has been lifted off her shoulders, is pouring three glasses of bourbon.
"Lady Stephanie's fault;" Lady Alina comments to me as I look at the glass of alcohol in her hand, also remembering that it is the same brand I have seen Caleb drink.
"Why?" I ask again as if those words are the only coherent thought capable of forming right now.
"Because I should have died that night, because I wish I had died that night, because with everything I have done since that day I don't deserve to live;" my mother answers me.
"I don't understand you;" I tell her.
"I was riding in the back of the car, when the mine that Ntomi placed exploded both Dinlia, Bungami's wife and I were blown out of the car, Dinlia's sister, poor Dintia died on the spot;" my mother begins to recount.
"From there I could see how Ntomi and his men arrived and picked up Dinlia badly wounded, I could see how Ntomi opened her belly and took out the baby, then he put her in the car and ordered his men to set fire to the remains and I could not do anything to avoid it;" my mother explains.
"I arrived ten minutes later;" Lady Alina comments, "My spies warned me of Ntomi's intentions, but I could do nothing to prevent it, I found her next to the burnt car, with Dinlia's body in her arms, even today I still don't know how with the wounds she had she was able to reach the car."
"I still don't understand why you faked your death;" I tell her.
"I didn't want your father to see me like this;" my mother exclaims undoing the clasp of the robe, letting it fall to the floor to show me a body full of burns and scars.
"For years I hated Alina for saving me, I didn't want to live;" my mother points out, "It was only when you started traveling back to Kanaan and I could see you that I regained the will to live, to take revenge and to protect you."
"Lady Stephanie from the palace, since she took over the regency due to the Emir's illness, and your mother and I from the shadows have been controlling the Emirate for the last ten years, putting an end to any threat;" Lady Alina explains to me. "Only Ntomi managed to resist."
"None of us were counting on Anna;" my re-dressed mother comments to me, "We didn't expect this betrayal."