Schizophrenia
A Novel by Asmaa Nada chapter 5
Chapter 5
He hurried across the room, stripping off his clothes as he went, tossing them aside while the servants rushed to gather them. He entered the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of juice, and pulled the food trolley closer with his foot. The maids had already set it with plates of fruit and several kinds of Italian pastries he had prepared himself after she called to say she was coming. He placed two glasses on the tray and called out,
“Everyone out now! I don’t want to see a single shadow in this house before ten tonight! Tell the driver to be back by nine-thirty. Move it—everyone’s off duty!”
The servants hurried away, their footsteps echoing through the hall. Nairoz descended the stairs, watching them scatter with an amused smile, listening to Eric’s voice barking orders behind them. She walked toward the glass doors leading to the indoor pool, where he was already standing beside the food cart, pouring drinks into the glasses. He turned when he heard her laugh.
“My God,” he said, “you’ll be the death of me in that bikini. If it weren’t for your mother, I would’ve killed her long ago for keeping you from me and marrying you off to that rich bastard.”
She approached him with teasing grace, placed one hand on his chest, and took a glass of juice with the other.
“What’s done is done,” she said softly. “Besides, she’s the reason you’re where you are today. Don’t forget, to prove to her that you could be richer than Daniel, you quit your dreams, your college, joined professional wrestling—and now look at you: a famous actor and the top wrestler in the business.”
“Fame isn’t enough if I don’t have you,” he said.
“Oh, Eric,” she sighed, “I’m the only woman the world ever sees with you. Everyone knows about our friendship, even Daniel couldn’t keep us apart.”
“Right,” he laughed bitterly, “sweet, loyal Maggie—the famous wrestler’s best friend and the wife of businessman Daniel. No, darling, I want the headlines to say Nairoz, Eric’s love and wife, with their children.”
“Soon,” she whispered, “very soon.”
“You always say that,” he said, eyes darkening. “And then you vanish into Elise again.”
“I am Elise. Maggie is just the face the world sees.”
“But I want both—Nairoz and Maggie. And I want Elise gone for good.”
He pulled her against him, his hand circling her waist. “When will you finally let me have you, really have you?”
She laughed, pushing him hard so that he fell backward into the pool. “I said soon, Eric! Now come on, let’s steal some time for ourselves.”
She set the glass down and jumped in after him, the water splashing high as laughter echoed through the hall. For a moment, she forgot who she was, forgot the time, the past, the pain. She was that little girl again, the one whose world had stopped the moment her father entered her room with that masked monster whose face she never saw.
In a private hospital in the wealthy district of another state, chaos filled the corridors. Daniel’s body jerked violently from the electric shocks as doctors tried to restart his heart. After several attempts, the monitor beeped steadily again. He gasped for breath, eyes snapping open before closing once more, but his mind refused to rest. Memories surged—years back—of a smoky gambling club where fortune had been on his side. He had won big that night, while the man across the table, a drunk in his early thirties named Philip, had lost everything, tens of thousands of pounds he didn’t have.
Without the money to pay even for the drinks he’d consumed, prison loomed over him. Daniel never forgave a debt. Philip stood before him, swaying, terrified, searching for words to beg for time. A whisper reached his ear.
“You’ve got a pretty wife, haven’t you? Mr. Daniel has a thing for beauty. Why not let her spend a little time with him—in exchange for what you owe?”
“But she’ll never agree,” Philip stammered.
“Who said she has to agree? Just bring her here tomorrow night. Leave the rest to him.”
Before he could answer, he overheard two men talking at the next table.
“Daniel’s looking for a girl—between nine and fifteen,” one said. “He’s paying a million dollars for just one hour.”
“A million?” the other scoffed. “Too little for that kind of risk. Kidnapping a child? No way. Not unless it’s ten million—I might consider it then.”
Philip didn’t wait to hear more. He looked at Daniel, who was rising from his seat, and pulled a photo from his wallet.
“I’ve got what you’re looking for, Mr. Daniel. Look—this is my daughter, Nairoz. There’s no one as beautiful as her, she’s just like her sick mother.”
Daniel sat back down, studying the photo of the laughing girl playing in the sand. He smiled.
“She’ll do. She’s worth the debt.”
“No,” Philip said quickly, “that’s too little. Look at her—so innocent. If the police find out, I’ll rot in jail forever.”
“How much do you want?”
“Three million on top of what I owe,” Philip said, his voice trembling.
“Fine,” Daniel replied coldly. “Bring her to me tonight. You’ll get your money tomorrow.”
“Tonight? But how do I… get rid of her mother?”
“That’s your problem,” Daniel said, rising.
“Alright, just give me half an hour,” Philip muttered.
“No, we go together,” Daniel said. “I’ll wait in the car.”
“Fine, but let’s stop by the pharmacy first—I need sleeping pills.”
“I don’t want her asleep.”
“She’ll scream. The neighbors will hear.”
“I’ll silence her. You just bring her to me.”
“Okay. I’ll only drug her mother then.”
“Deal. Let’s go.”
An hour later, Daniel parked beside a modest house in a poor neighborhood. Philip went inside first. Daniel could hear the woman shouting at her drunken husband for coming home late. Minutes passed. Then silence. The lights went out. Ten minutes later, Philip returned and gestured for him to come. Daniel pulled a mask over his face and stepped out of the car, unbuckling his belt as he entered the house.
Daniel’s eyes shot open. He gasped for air, and the doctors rushed back, thinking his heart had stopped again. He looked around wildly.
“Where’s Philip’s wife? Where is she?” he demanded.
“There’s no one waiting outside,” the doctor said. “Only your mother-in-law was here earlier, but she left. We can call her if you want.”
“No… don’t call anyone,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just… get me my lawyer, David Macrone. Tell him to come. Now.”
The doctor nodded and left to make the call. Daniel sank back against the pillow, whispering to himself,
“I fixed my mistake… I married her. So why can’t I escape that night? Damn you, Philip. Her mother shouldn’t have woken up and seen my face. I should’ve killed her then. If you hadn’t died, I would’ve burned you myself.”