Benjamin
"Did you sleep with her?" Jasmine said in a small voice, not answering my question.
I closed my eyes and sighed. She already knew the answer, or else she would not be asking. "I have slept with her." I said heavily sighing. "How many times." She pressed. I shook my head. "Jasmine, please." I shrugged.
"Tell me." She asked and her cat-like green eyes seemed devastated. "Countless times." I admitted and scratched in between my eyes. I hated to say this, but I did not want to lie to her either.
"How could you do that to me?" Tears rolled down her eyes. We were already at the restaurant and I thought it wouldn't be a very sane idea to take her in anymore. She would just cause a scene. That was not something I could afford as a knew king with many enemies.
"I'm sorry, you can take us back to the airport." I told the driver. He nodded and started the engine. "Tell me Ben, how could you do it." She urged. I clenched my jaws. "How could I do what?!" I raised my voice and immediately regretted that.
"Do what?!" I shouted in stupidity. "We weren't even together." I said utterly frustrated by her right now. "Oh, I see." She said bitterly. "You wouldn't mind me having sex with someone else either." She said trying to tick me off.
That was definitely working.
"Pardon me?" I said angerly.
"What in the world possess you to say anything like that." I raised my palms. "See, you think you are the only one who gets a free pass in this marriage." She accused me of adultery.
I was literally stunned.
I tried to say something, but her accusation was so absurd, I could not manage a single word through my lips.
I don't know for how long I was quiet. I just stared at her. Did she really think that little of me? Or down-played my feelings for her that severely?
"Why aren't you saying anything?" She said after the longest time.
"I don't know what to say to you anymore." I said giving up. "We have to stop this. I don't care how you think about me anymore, or if you feel anything towards me." I raised my shoulder. "I am definitely done with trying to prove to you that I would never, ever in this world, sleep with another woman besides you." I said looking her in the eye.
"I have chosen you, over all the woman I could have. I know I should not have slept with the servants and who ever, when I first met you. I realize that I should have been faithful to my feelings for you from the get go." Jasmine looked shocked that I brought this up.
"But to be fair." I held her gaze. "I have said it and say it again." She swallowed. "Meeting Saphira was something I did not want, to begin with." I said frowning. "I wanted you and you said to go find someone else and later broke all contact between us!" I was so angry.
"Do you realize she and I only became a thing, or whatever it was, after you pushed me away and broke all contact?" I said licking my lips, which were getting dry from speaking too much.
"I have led Saphira on, making her believe I could love her in ways I only love you." I said continuing my speech. "I will forever regret hurting her like that."
Jasmine just looked at me. Holding her body defensively.
"I am done with chasing you." I said stroking my hand through my hair. "But we are having kids together, so we should at least be civilized to one another." I was on the verge of crumbling down, myself. She always had a way of making me feel desperate, to the point I was unable to breathe without pain on my chest.
"And in regards to you playing the jealous wife card, whenever you feel like it. I am telling you." I said stern. "It does not work that way." I gushed.
"But I am your wife." She quietly said. I laid my head back against the leather seat of the limo and closed my eyes. I needed to control myself.
I looked out the car window and realized we were already parked outside the airport.
"One moment please." I said to the driver. "No problem sir." He replied. He must of think we were out of our minds.
"Habibie." I said almost inaudible. "Yes." She shrieked. Her eyes softened. "Do you want to be my wife?" I asked her meaningfully.
"But I am regardless." She breathed. I shook my head. I felt like breaking something. I counted to three before I spoke. I reached for her hand across the limo and fidgeted her weddinging off. She looked shocked again. Her big eyes, becoming bigger.
I dropped down on one knee and scrurtenized her face. "Jasmine, listen." I said pleadingly. "I am your husband by law, I will forever remain your husband by law." I wanted to make clear there would be no divorce for us.
"But… you have asked me to live your life separate from mine." I had a hard time breathing. "You are showing some signals, I think. That you are regretting that decision and I have the feeling…." I frowned.
"That you want to stake claim on me as your husband again. So I am asking you, if you want me for yourself, and have the right to do so… Do you want to be my wife?!" I said stroking her ring finger.
"I can not handle all those woman around you all the time." She quietly said. "Even if you say you remain faithful, I would always have the feeling that one day you will give in to them." She said.
"You are not willing to trust me when I say, that as long as you want to be my only wife, I would remain forever yours?!" I pouted my lips in frustration.
"Are you sure you are going to push me away again?" I said. My legs were starting to hurt, as I was still on one knee.
She shrugged. I sighed and let go of her hand and put her wedding band in my pocket. She followed my movements with her eyes as I took mine off as well.
"What are you doing?" She said in a tight voice. "I am giving up. I surrender." I said. I give you back your freedom and I want you to give back mine.
"The same rules apply to us, as you referred to earlier on, although I don't want you to sleep with anyone as long as you are carrying my heirs. You can remain living in the palace, or not, after the kids become one. You are free to do as you please. Just never make a scene and if you are to have another man, make sure to do it in secrecy." I warned her.
"The penalty for an adulterous wife of the sultan is death." I said.
Tears rolled down on both of our cheeks. I placed my hands on her belly and planted several kisses. "Daddy will be with you after your momma's tests." I said talking to my unborn babies.
I opened the car door. "Cedric here, is going to arrange a flight for you back to Boston." I said as I got out. "You will be in the air an hour after your last test is finished." I instructed her and closed the door shut.
Guards walked towards me and guided me to the plane that was awaiting me. I did not know how I could manage the planned meeting, but I had to let her go. She did not want me, that much was clear.
I wanted to punch a hole into a wall. Or at least do something.
I got into my private plane and called Saphira. I needed someone sane right now. "Hey Ben." She mused. "What's up?" She said lighthearted.
"Jasmine is pregnant." I choked. "Ok.. okay." She gulped. "Congrats, I guess. I think."
"You don't seem all that happy?" She stated much more than she asked.
"I am happy about my little babies… I can't wait to hold them and raise them." I said in honest truth. "It's just… I can't believe I put myself in this position." I said as I drank a glass of brandy in one go. "I just wanted a simple life and a wife that loved me.
"Where are you?" Saph questioned. "On my way to the white house." I said blowing out sharply. "Can you fly me over?" She asked. "I want to come see you." She said in a warm voice.
"Not a good idea right now." I admitted. "Why not?" Saph pressed. "I… am not in a right mind to clearly think right now…. Jasmine just told me she does not want to be my wife." I poured myself another drink.
"But that was weeks ago?" Saphira said confused. "Yes no… She came to see me and she acted possessively and well we are expecting.. so I don't… I went down on one knee again and asked her to be my wife."
"She refused." She said incredulous.
"Yes.." I said as I was fumbling with both our wedding bands in my pocket.