14-08-2025, 05:26 AM
(This post was last modified: 14-08-2025, 05:28 AM by matiba2025213. Edited 1 time in total. Edited 1 time in total.)
Chapter 23: Wasim & Jamal (Act 15)
Jamal sat on the edge of the bed, his head hung low as Lina wrapped herself tightly in the bathrobe. Her sobs were soft, muffled by the fabric as she tried to steady her breathing. Jamal’s hands trembled, and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Lina,” he whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking. “I… I shouldn’t have crossed that line. I didn’t mean to. It was selfish, and...and I regret it.”
Lina remained silent for a moment, her fingers clutching the robe’s sash. “What’s done is done,” she finally said, her voice barely audible but firm. She turned to face him, her eyes red-rimmed but resolute.
“You’re not like Wasim, Jamal. You’re young, and… you’re just caught up in this mess like I am.”
Jamal let out a long, shuddering sigh, tears spilling down his cheeks. He wiped them away hastily but couldn’t stop the flood of emotion. “Why are you crying?” Lina asked, her tone softening despite herself. She sat down beside him on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly under her weight.
“Because…” Jamal stammered, his voice breaking. “You were so kind, even when I… when I entered you. You didn’t push me away. And now I feel like I’ve betrayed that kindness.”
Lina reached out hesitantly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jamal, listen to me. What happened… it wasn’t just you. I missed Rahim. I missed feeling close to someone. I… I let it happen too.”
Jamal’s breath hitched, and he looked at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. “But there’s more,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Something I need to tell you.”
Lina frowned, her grip tightening slightly on his shoulder. “What do you mean, more?”
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing with the effort. “Wasim… he had a plan from the beginning. He wanted to seduce you, Lina. And he wanted to record it.”
Her eyes widened in shock, and she recoiled slightly. “What? How do you know this?”
Jamal’s tears flowed freely now, and he wiped at them furiously. “Because… because Kartini was behind it. She orchestrated the whole thing.”
Lina froze, her heart pounding in her chest. “Kartini? My friend Kartini? That’s impossible!” Her voice rose in disbelief, and before she could stop herself, her hand shot out, slapping Jamal across the face.
The sharp sound echoed in the room, and Jamal flinched but didn’t move away. “I swear it’s true,” he said, his voice trembling but insistent. He reached for his phone on the nightstand and handed it to her. “Here… look at these screenshots. It’s all there.”
Lina took the phone with shaking hands, her eyes scanning the messages between Kartini and Wasim. Her stomach churned as she read the explicit details of their plan and how they wanted to humiliate her, how they wanted to destroy her reputation. Her heart sank, and she felt like the ground had been ripped out from under her.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered, her voice hollow. “She’s supposed to be my friend.”
Jamal nodded, his expression pained. “She paid me extra money to take nude pictures of you,” he admitted, his voice barely audible. “She wanted to make them go viral if Wasim’s plan failed. I was supposed to do it tonight.”
Lina’s breath caught in her throat, and she stared at him in horror. “Jamal…”
He shook his head quickly, his hands coming up in a pleading gesture. “But I couldn’t do it, Lina. I couldn’t hurt you like that. I didn’t take any photos. I swear.”
She studied his face for a long moment, searching for any sign of deceit. But all she saw was raw honesty and remorse. Slowly, her anger began to ebb, replaced by a deep, aching sadness. She reached out and gently cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing away his tears.
“You did the right thing,” she said softly. “Even if it meant risking everything for yourself.”
Jamal’s shoulders slumped in relief, and he leaned into her touch ever so slightly. “I don’t care about losing my job or being sent back to my village,” he said quietly. “I just… I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.”
Lina sighed and pulled him into a hug, her arms wrapping around him tightly. Jamal hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace, his body trembling against hers.
“We’ll go to the security officer tomorrow,” Lina said firmly, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Together. We’ll make sure Kartini and Wasim pay for what they’ve done.”
Jamal nodded vigorously, his eyes bright with determination. “I’ll be your witness,” he promised. “I’ll tell them everything.”
For a while, they sat in silence, the weight of their shared ordeal pressing down on them. Lina absentmindedly wiped away Jamal’s tears with her sleeve, her thoughts racing.
“Kartini always envied me,” she murmured after a while, more to herself than to Jamal. “Even back when we worked together at the massage parlor. I never realized how much resentment she carried.”
Jamal shifted uncomfortably next to her. “She’s always been jealous of how confident you are,” he said quietly. “And how people are drawn to you.”
Lina sighed again, leaning back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “This day could’ve gone so much worse,” she admitted. “But thanks to you, it didn’t.”
Jamal looked down at his hands, his cheeks flushing with shame. “I still feel terrible about what happened between us,” he mumbled.
“Don’t,” Lina said gently, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “It wasn’t just you, Jamal. I let it happen too. And… in a way, you gave me what I needed when Rahim wasn’t here.”
Jamal’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at her with a mixture of guilt and something deeper, something that made Lina’s heart skip a beat.
“You don’t hate me?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“No,” Lina said softly, squeezing his hand again. “I don’t hate you, Jamal.”
They sat there for a moment longer, the tension between them shifting into something softer, something fragile but undeniably real. Jamal hesitated before speaking again, his voice trembling slightly.
“Lina… what happens now?”
She looked at him, her expression thoughtful but tinged with uncertainty. “Now… we figure it out together, one step at a time.”
Jamal sat on the edge of the bed, his head hung low as Lina wrapped herself tightly in the bathrobe. Her sobs were soft, muffled by the fabric as she tried to steady her breathing. Jamal’s hands trembled, and he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Lina,” he whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking. “I… I shouldn’t have crossed that line. I didn’t mean to. It was selfish, and...and I regret it.”
Lina remained silent for a moment, her fingers clutching the robe’s sash. “What’s done is done,” she finally said, her voice barely audible but firm. She turned to face him, her eyes red-rimmed but resolute.
“You’re not like Wasim, Jamal. You’re young, and… you’re just caught up in this mess like I am.”
Jamal let out a long, shuddering sigh, tears spilling down his cheeks. He wiped them away hastily but couldn’t stop the flood of emotion. “Why are you crying?” Lina asked, her tone softening despite herself. She sat down beside him on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly under her weight.
“Because…” Jamal stammered, his voice breaking. “You were so kind, even when I… when I entered you. You didn’t push me away. And now I feel like I’ve betrayed that kindness.”
Lina reached out hesitantly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Jamal, listen to me. What happened… it wasn’t just you. I missed Rahim. I missed feeling close to someone. I… I let it happen too.”
Jamal’s breath hitched, and he looked at her with wide, tear-filled eyes. “But there’s more,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Something I need to tell you.”
Lina frowned, her grip tightening slightly on his shoulder. “What do you mean, more?”
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing with the effort. “Wasim… he had a plan from the beginning. He wanted to seduce you, Lina. And he wanted to record it.”
Her eyes widened in shock, and she recoiled slightly. “What? How do you know this?”
Jamal’s tears flowed freely now, and he wiped at them furiously. “Because… because Kartini was behind it. She orchestrated the whole thing.”
Lina froze, her heart pounding in her chest. “Kartini? My friend Kartini? That’s impossible!” Her voice rose in disbelief, and before she could stop herself, her hand shot out, slapping Jamal across the face.
The sharp sound echoed in the room, and Jamal flinched but didn’t move away. “I swear it’s true,” he said, his voice trembling but insistent. He reached for his phone on the nightstand and handed it to her. “Here… look at these screenshots. It’s all there.”
Lina took the phone with shaking hands, her eyes scanning the messages between Kartini and Wasim. Her stomach churned as she read the explicit details of their plan and how they wanted to humiliate her, how they wanted to destroy her reputation. Her heart sank, and she felt like the ground had been ripped out from under her.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered, her voice hollow. “She’s supposed to be my friend.”
Jamal nodded, his expression pained. “She paid me extra money to take nude pictures of you,” he admitted, his voice barely audible. “She wanted to make them go viral if Wasim’s plan failed. I was supposed to do it tonight.”
Lina’s breath caught in her throat, and she stared at him in horror. “Jamal…”
He shook his head quickly, his hands coming up in a pleading gesture. “But I couldn’t do it, Lina. I couldn’t hurt you like that. I didn’t take any photos. I swear.”
She studied his face for a long moment, searching for any sign of deceit. But all she saw was raw honesty and remorse. Slowly, her anger began to ebb, replaced by a deep, aching sadness. She reached out and gently cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing away his tears.
“You did the right thing,” she said softly. “Even if it meant risking everything for yourself.”
Jamal’s shoulders slumped in relief, and he leaned into her touch ever so slightly. “I don’t care about losing my job or being sent back to my village,” he said quietly. “I just… I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt you.”
Lina sighed and pulled him into a hug, her arms wrapping around him tightly. Jamal hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace, his body trembling against hers.
“We’ll go to the security officer tomorrow,” Lina said firmly, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Together. We’ll make sure Kartini and Wasim pay for what they’ve done.”
Jamal nodded vigorously, his eyes bright with determination. “I’ll be your witness,” he promised. “I’ll tell them everything.”
For a while, they sat in silence, the weight of their shared ordeal pressing down on them. Lina absentmindedly wiped away Jamal’s tears with her sleeve, her thoughts racing.
“Kartini always envied me,” she murmured after a while, more to herself than to Jamal. “Even back when we worked together at the massage parlor. I never realized how much resentment she carried.”
Jamal shifted uncomfortably next to her. “She’s always been jealous of how confident you are,” he said quietly. “And how people are drawn to you.”
Lina sighed again, leaning back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “This day could’ve gone so much worse,” she admitted. “But thanks to you, it didn’t.”
Jamal looked down at his hands, his cheeks flushing with shame. “I still feel terrible about what happened between us,” he mumbled.
“Don’t,” Lina said gently, reaching over to squeeze his hand. “It wasn’t just you, Jamal. I let it happen too. And… in a way, you gave me what I needed when Rahim wasn’t here.”
Jamal’s eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at her with a mixture of guilt and something deeper, something that made Lina’s heart skip a beat.
“You don’t hate me?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“No,” Lina said softly, squeezing his hand again. “I don’t hate you, Jamal.”
They sat there for a moment longer, the tension between them shifting into something softer, something fragile but undeniably real. Jamal hesitated before speaking again, his voice trembling slightly.
“Lina… what happens now?”
She looked at him, her expression thoughtful but tinged with uncertainty. “Now… we figure it out together, one step at a time.”
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