Page 12 of Obsession

Azadeh opens the refrigerator door before turning to me. “Not yet, but we’re trying. You’d think one of my men could get the job done.”

My gaze moves to the man who enters the kitchen. He has an eye patch over one eye, the other a captivating blue. “Hey, now, you only said you were ready a week ago.”

Wrapping his arms around Azadeh, he twirls her in the air and kisses her passionately. My mouth gapes, and I blink as they embrace in front of Cyrus. He seems unbothered by the sight of his wife with another man as he sits at the island and casually drinks from his mug,

Xander chuckles as his gaze zooms in on me like a magnifying glass. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

Azadeh smiles at Xander. “Amin.”

“Amen,” I correct.

I shiver as Xander places a hand on my shoulder. “Azadeh didn’t grow up Christian. She grew up Muslim. For her, it would be Amin.”

I look at her, my eyes wide. “Muslim?”

Azadeh nods. “I was raised Muslim.”

“Are you Christian now? You’ve been saved?”

Xander drops his hand. “She saved herself. No one needs to hop from one Abrahamic doctrine to another in the hopes it will be any different since they’re all copy and pastes of each other.”

“Xander,” Azadeh says, her voice vibrating with authority and something akin to a warning.

“She needs to know the truth. It’s all bullshit.”

“Xander, you and I know that belief is a spectrum. It’s possible to feel a deep love for God without belonging to a specific religion.The two are not mutually exclusive. One brings tranquility, while the other brings strife. Religion is a prison, while spirituality is a sanctuary.”

I allow Azadeh’s words to sink in, unsure if I place any validity in them. “If you don’t accept Jesus, you’ll burn.”

“Maggie.” Xander says my name as a warning.

“It’s alright,” Azadeh says as she untangles herself from the one-eyed man. She steps toward me and smiles. “I accept Jesus. I think he was a wonderful man. If we all lived like Jesus, the world would know peace and prosperity. No war, no abuse, no greed, and most importantly, no more hate. The problem is that those who vehemently claim to love Jesus have never accepted his message into their hearts. Now, enough with all this talk about God and religion. Let me feed you and set you up in your rooms for the night. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

CHAPTER 8

Hans

We’ve been lying in the giant bed for what feels like hours, silently staring up at the ceiling, hoping for some sort of revelation. Now, we’re facing each other, huddled in the darkness where the reality of our secrets can be uttered without fear of retribution. The ease I usually feel with Margarete is strained, and I know it’s my fault.

I’m not sure if I should tell Margarete everything. She’s still drawn to The Covenant. As much as the life she was pushed to live frightens her, she still believes that if she doesn’t accept her fate, things will be far worse. Telling her my truth could cause my worst nightmare to come to fruition.

“They’re all married,” Margarete whispers in the dark. “She’s a woman, and she has three husbands.”

“I think the husbands are also married to each other.”

Margarete turns to me, eyes wide and lips slightly parted.

“Does that bother you?”

She lies on her back, staring up at the ceiling. I wait patiently, not pushing her for a response. I need to ensure that she trulybelieves her answer without any pressure to respond how I want her to. As I wait silently for her to speak, my heart pounds frantically, and my palms dampen.

When I think I’m about to go mad from waiting, Margarete finally speaks. “I don’t understand it, but no, it doesn’t bother me. Does it bother you?”

“No, it doesn’t. They seem to love each other. Not only that, but the way they are with each other is healthy, unlike our parents. It’s relaxed and easy. I feel like love should be like that, you know?”

“Have you ever been attracted to a man?”

The bluntness of her question is shocking. A part of me wants to lie, but if I do, I’ll be no better than those I saved her from. Margarete has never been direct. I don’t know if it’s the training the women receive in The covenant not to question anything or if it’s her naturally demure and shy personality. But I’ll never lie to her, so I tell her the truth.

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