His Substitute Wife

Conditions of Marriage

The next five days went painfully fast. Aleena wished they times had gone by slowly so she could spend as much time as possible with her father, but good things must come to an end and in this case, it was time for Aleena. 

"Are you ready?" Nihal asked as her driver helped Aleena put her suitcases in the car. 

Instead of responding, Aleena turned to her father and gave him another hug. That seemed to be her favourite thing to do in the past week and although Murat could understand his daughter's sudden need for her father's love and attention, he was getting tired of it. She had started doing things she hadn't done in the past nineteen years of her life and as much as he loved her, he needed her to stop. Otherwise he really wouldn't be able to let go of her. 

"I think that's enough now, sweetie," he smiled down at her before placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Call me when you arrive so I know you're safe."

Aleena nodded and then quickly pulled him in for another hug, causing her father to chuckle. 

"If you don't force her away, this won't end," Murat warned Nihal who watched the father and daughter interaction with a smile on her face. 

"Okay, I'm going now," she told her father who smiled and waved in response. "I'm really going."

"Goodbye my dear, may God be with you!" 

With a sigh and tears in her eyes, Aleena finally forced herself into the car and Nihal followed her shortly after. As the car started and drove away, she turned and continued to wave to her father until they made a turn and lost him. 

"Don't worry, I'll visit him often. I'll make sure he's healthy," Nihal told Aleena. 

Although Aleena was worried about his health, her reaction was more due to the guilt of lying to him than anything else.

"Thank you," she managed to mumble before she looked out the window and started watching the scenery. 

The Arslan family lived in Mardin which was a Southeastern province in Turkey, only a few hours away from where Aleena lived with her father. Since it was holiday season, everyone was returning home from their schools so the planes were all booked out. So Aleena and Nihal decided to drive up to the city. Although Nihal was frustrated that the drive was longer, Aleena couldn't be happier. She really was not looking forward to meeting the people she would be living with for the next six months. 

"Let's go over some of the requirements," Nihal suddenly said when they were about an hour into their drive. The entire road she had been reading through some files and it seemed they were all related to Aleena's future family. 

"Requirements?" Aleena asked, unaware that there were any. She just assumed she had to live with the man for the next six months until their divorce. 

"Yes, requirements," Nihal said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You'll be married to my man for the next six months, there are things we need to discuss before hand." 

Aleena almost felt offended by Nihal's tone of voice but she reminded herself that Nihal was crazy about her husband so it only made sense that she would want to put some sort of conditions down. 

"Although to you and I this is just a temporary marriage, the Arslan family are a reputable family and they will expect that the person marrying into their family is mannered and pure. You will need to listen to everything they say and don't anger them. Respect them and act as a good daughter-in-law."

"What?" Aleena gasped, looking flabbergasted. "I really have to act as their bride?" 

"Of course," Nihal said. "Remember you are filling in my spot. I am the one introducing you to them and the way you behave reflects back to me. Please don't embarrass me." 

She hated it. Aleena absolutely hated what she was hearing. She felt that by acting the way they wanted and doing everything they told her to do was basically just playing with fire. It did not sound like a good idea but since it was what Nihal wanted from her, she agreed. 

"Alright, fine. I'll do whatever they want." 

"Thank you!" her friend smiled at her before she continued to speak about the conditions. "You cannot have any physical contact with Zayd."

Aleena's head snapped towards her friend's direction, feeling dishonoured just by hearing those words. 

"I know you won't," Nihal quickly added, "but I still feel like I need to mention this since his family will expect you to consummate the marriage in order for it to be considered real." 

"You're joking," she breathed out. 

"In their tribe, a union between man and woman is only complete after they have consummated. You won't be accepted and you won't be treated like a woman unless you do. But I beg you not to let him touch you no matter what."

Aleena felt tears fill her eyes. Of course she wasn't going to sleep with him but the fact that it was expected of her was so humiliating. 

"How would I avoid it?" 

"I really don't know," Nihal frowned. "Zayd is a good guy, if you tell him that you don't want to do it, then he won't force you to do it." 

Aleena nodded in response to that. She really hoped he truly was as good as she was claiming him to be. But then she comforted herself by realising that there was no way to prove whether they had slept together or not. 

"Is there anything else?" Aleena finally asked her as they entered the Mardin borders. She felt her heart drop down to her stomach after realising that there was not long left at all until she would be meeting her future husband and his family. She was feeling more and more anxious as the minutes passed by. 

"You can have no contact with Deniz from this moment on. Never forget that Zayd is the leader of the biggest tribe in the country. His woman's honour is his own. And reputation is very important in this tribe. Adultery is often punished with death so if anyone finds out you have a boyfriend, especially while married to Zayd, they won't forgive you." 

Aleena felt her heart drop even further down upon hearing those words. She felt both upset and afraid. She had never actually thought about whether or not she would be able to contact her lover so she hadn't even said goodbye to him. 

"Alright," Aleena said in an almost whisper. The more Nihal spoke the more upset she felt. 

"It might sound like a lot, but you will acclimate easily. They may have some crazy rules but as long as you follow them, they will accept you. It's only for six months anyway so just hold out until the end no matter what."

Somehow hearing Nihal repeat over and over again that this game was only going to last for six months felt like a bad omen. It was as if the more she said it the less likely that would be the case. 

"Do they know that this marriage will only last six months?" Aleena suddenly asked, causing Nihal to stiffen. 

"They were the ones who said that if I want to get married to Zayd again then I'd first have to follow the rules of religion. They were also the ones who said that if I marry someone else, then Zayd also had to. They are expecting me to return to Zayd's side after the six months are over. It was all their conditions and rules and since I'm following it and doing as they like, there's no reason why it shouldn't all go according to plan." 

Somehow it sounded as if Nihal was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Aleena. 

And somehow, that really scared Aleena.