His Substitute Wife

Making a new friend

Miray Arslan sat in her room and stared at the walls the same way she had been over the past week. Ever since her grandmother had locked her in the room, Miray hadn't moved from her position even once. She also did not speak or eat anything. One might think she was trying to kill herself, and had it not been for the fact that she respected her brother too much, she really might have. However, her love and respect for her brother was strong so she dared not die for she knew very well how much that would hurt him. 

Instead, she did the next best thing: she protested with her body. She absolutely hated everything about the Mardin law and the treatment received simply for being a girl. Had it not been for the fact that their mother had made Zayd promise that he wouldn't be like their father, Miray wouldn't even have had an education. But her brother was one to keep a promise so Miray got to leave Mardin and study out of the city for a few years – much to her grandmother's disapproval. 

However, it seemed like it was all for nothing because she was back to square one. As soon as she graduated, her grandmother requested that she return to Mardin and once she did, she was forced to return to being the oppressed village girl that her grandmother wanted her to be so much. She couldn't study, she couldn't work and worst of all, she couldn't even leave the house without a chaperone. 

That was until Aleena entered their household. Although Miray had not made use of her mouth at all over the past week, her ears were working extra hard so she could hear everything that had been happening in the house. So she had heard her brother promise Aleena a job at his office and she had heard her grandmother reprimand him over it only for Zayd to dismiss her words. 

And for the first time in her life, Miray felt hopeful. She wasn't sure what all of this would mean for her, but the fact that Zayd allowed Aleena to do things the normal girl from Mardin could't do, Miray felt as if she finally had a solution to one of her problems. 

So when the day came that she was finally allowed out of her room, the first thing she did was find Aleena. 

"Can I come in?" she asked after she knocked on the door of Aleena and her brother's room. 

She heard shuffling on the other side of the room before finally the door swung open to display a red faced Aleena. She was wearing a shortsleeved but modest shirt-dress that dropped just above her knees. However, despite the dress being considered modest in other parts of Turkey, where they lived, it was too open. 

"I think you should change that," Miray told Aleena. "Unless you want the entire town to gossip behind your back."

"Is it that bad?" Aleena pouted with a sigh. She had been looking for a dress that was suitable for work the entire morning however this was the most modest one she could find. She did think about finishing the outfit with black skinny jeans underneath it, but it was too hot for that. She did not want to burn just to please the unappeasable Rezan Sultan. 

"Not bad, just a bit too short. The arms should be fine but the legs are scandalous," she warned her. "Today's your first day of work, right?" 

Aleena's pouty face automatically brightened, "Yes," she grinned. "I start in a few hours." 

It had been a few days since Zayd had told her she could start working with him, however, because of some other existing schedules and meetings, Zayd couldn't supervise her until that day. So she was forced to wait until he had a day free to get her settled in. And finally, that day finally came around. 

"Would you like to borrow a dress from me?" Miray asked her with a soft and genuine smile. 

"Really?" Aleena asked, feeling a heavy weight lift off of her shoulder. "That's really nice of you!" 

Although Aleena knew nothing about Miray, she felt a liking towards her that she couldn't explain. So far out of everyone she had met, she was the only one that had actually treated her like an equal. She didn't look down on her nor did she completely ignore her and instead, she spoke to her like a friend. And it was something that Aleena welcomed with open arms. 

However, little did she know about the plots developing in Miray's mind. Although Miray had no ill feelings towards Aleena, the main reason she was being so nice was because she had something she wanted from her in return. 

"Over here, above the elbows and above the knees are all considered intimate parts so you need to cover them. As long as your dress goes past your knees, no one will say anything," Miray explained to her as she pulled out a light blue dress from her cupboard. "And of course, it goes without saying that every other part of your body must stay covered." 

She inspected the light blue dress in her hands before she handed it to Aleena. 

"This dress is perfect for the weather, suitable for the occasion and modest. Why do you think?" 

Aleena nodded her head with a small smile on her lips, "I love it!" 

"Then you can wear it today. You can borrow dresses from me from now on whenever you need." 

"Thank you," Aleena told her genuinely, feeling extremely grateful for the girl. She finally felt as if she could make a friend out of someone from Mardin. 

She then quickly dressed in her outfit and showed Miray. Miray looked her up and down and nodded her head in approval. 

Although Aleena was a few centimetres taller than Miray, the dress was still long enough to pass her knees. Not to mention, she looked professional and ready for work. And before they knew it, it was finally time for Aleena to leave. 

"Thank you once again," Aleena grinned at Miray before she turned to leave. However, before she could get far Miray stopped her. 

"We should go dress shopping later today if you have time," Miray told her, her heart beating in her throat. 

Aleena nodded without hesitation, "We can go during my lunch break." 

Miray let out the breath she was holding before she grinned and exchanged numbers with Aleena. She then watched the young and naive Aleena leave, looking like the happiest child in the universe. 

Little did she know just how much her life was going to burn to the ground in only a few hours.