THE
WEDDING RING
Jessica Collins
Multiple Streams Publishing
Copyright ©2012 by Multiple Streams Marketing, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author's creative imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks are not authorized, sponsored nor associated with the trademark owners.
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Other Books by Jessica Collins
First Class Seductions
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THE WEDDING RING
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Dedication 4
Chapter One: The Seat of the Sun 5
Chapter Two: Kyra’s Apple 12
Chapter Three: Ramil’s Passion 20
Chapter Four: Aisha’s Heart 28
Chapter Five: The Mission 37
Chapter Six: The Find 46
Chapter Seven: A Couple’s Story 54
Chapter Eight: Auction 62
Chapter Nine: The Search 69
Chapter Ten: Thea and Felix 76
Chapter Eleven: Revelation 83
Chapter Twelve: A New Start 91
Epilogue 97
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my amazing best friend and lover who has given me the strength and support I so desperately needed to make this dream come true. You are the wind beneath my wings that allows me to soar. Thank you for allowing me the time I needed to make this possible. You are my hero.
Prologue
True love...
Some say that it’s a myth… Others say that it is an essential part of a lasting relationship… There are others who confess that it is just a concept that’s learned as the relationship progresses.
True love…
Is it really that powerful enough to change the lives of two strangers? Can genuinely loving a person result to a better or worse relationship? Can true love be a curse?
True love…
It may exist, it may not. But what matters most is the ability to love even in the midst of mistakes…Love should always be a two way street… No detours… No shortcuts… Just one ultimate direction…
Chapter One: The Seat of the Sun
The sand angrily steams as some of the water from Nedjem’s water jar spilled on it. It was a long line for water, as usual. People gather everyday with their handmade clay containers of water, intricately decorated by paint that they made themselves. It makes the jars unique so that each could easily recognize the jar and return it to its rightful owner just in case it’s left somewhere nearby. Nedjem carries her water jar on her left shoulder. She tries hard not to spill any more water because her mother will surely get mad again. A week ago, Nedjem’s mother scolded her for bringing home a jar of water that was almost half full because of all the spilling that happened on her way home. Since that day, Nedjem’s determination in bringing home a loaded jar of water grew stronger.
As Nedjem passes by the carpenter’s shop, her dark, beautiful eyes secretly glanced at User. She looks away suddenly when she sees User’s eyes smiling at her. Nedjem looks back with a smile, which User returned generously as he drops his hammer on his master’s foot. Everyone in the shop laughs and makes fun of User as they saw Nedjem in his line of sight. The girl blushes and hurries home, hoping that her mother doesn’t notice the small spill that happened earlier.
“At last! You arrive!” Nedjem’s mother, Merypath exclaims, excitement clearly in her eyes. “My daughter, we have been invited to Nefertari’s birthday feast three days from today. Akhenaton must be so proud of her being ready for suitors.”
Nedjem smiles at Merypath, who hands her the invitation scroll. The feast is going to be the celebration of Nefertari’s entrance to the world of women eligible for marriage. Nedjem feels a little apprehensive at the idea of attending such a lavish gathering. She gives back the invitation to her mother and pours the water into a huge stone pot.
“I do not want to attend such feasts, mother,” Nedjem says as she looks down at her feet. Merypath senses Nedjem’s unsure attitude and sits beside her.
“My dear Nedjem,” Merypath starts as she strokes her daughter’s long locks. “You are a beautiful woman with brains on your shoulders. It may not be your feast, but I know that it’s going to be a chance for you to mingle with others your age in such a place.”
Nedjem knows only a few people in Heliopolis. Even if the city is huge, Merypath sees to it that her daughter moves around people she trusts. Ever since her husband died ten years ago, she decided not to trust anyone she didn’t know when her parents were still alive. Merypath raised Nedjem alone and doesn’t have any plans of re-marrying again. Thutmose was her true love. She can never replace such a great husband and father.
Merypath stands up and pulls out a woven box from under a cloth-covered shelf.
“Open it, my dear. It’s for you,” Merypath says as she smiled lovingly at Nedjem. Nedjem’s face lights up and her breathing slightly stops as she opens the box. In it is a dress that Merypath especially tailored for Nedjem. It’s a cream robe that has colorful beads along the waistline and neckline. It flows smoothly with every movement and is clearly made of the softest wool.
“Mother,” Nedjem says as she looks at her proud mother. “This must cost too much! And how about you? What will you wear?”
“Oh Kiya’s mother offered to make us unique dresses for the occasion because they were invited as well,” Merypath replies. She then brings out her dress, which was much loose-fitting than that of Nedjem’s.
Mother and daughter embrace each other as they imagine being in such a gathering for the very first time. At least, Nedjem isn’t going to be alone in her crown of young people—her best friend, Kiya, will be there. All she has to do now is prepare and hope that User will be there, too.
“Are you sure she’s going to attend, Anum?” User asks his friend as they both lengthen their necks in search for the only girl who matters in the gathering—Nedjem.
“Have I ever been wrong? I mean when it comes to women?” Anum retorts. “There’s your Nedjem.”
User follows Anum’s gaze and finally rests his on Nedjem. His breathing and heartbeat races but he tries his best to calm down. Anum gives his friend an encouraging pat on the back. User decides to wait until Nedjem is with the younger crowd. Anum senses some hesitation from User so she quickly gets a tonic drink from a nearby refreshment table. When User drinks his tonic, he somehow manages to relax a little. With a heave of relief, he gathers all his courage and approaches Nedjem.
Nedjem is like a queen in her robe dress. Everything about her is perfect in User’s eyes. They have never been introduced formally. They only see each other several times a week every time Nedjem goes to get water. This is the very first time that a chance to talk is given to both, User stops in front of Nedjem and waits for her to acknowledge his presence. When the girl finally meets his eyes, Kiya excuses herself and nods at her best friend.
“Nedjem? I’m User,�
�� User starts as Nedjem smiles shyly. “Finally, we get to talk.”
“Yes, finally,” Nedjem replies.
The two talk as the feast progresses. Merypath sees her daughter having a great time with a young man whom she has seen in the carpenter’s shop a few times already. She assumes that he is the reason why Nedjem spills her water most of the time. Merypath smiles at the thought. A feeling of youthful bliss overwhelms her as she thinks of her own interactions with the opposite sex back then. As a mother now, she is really happy for Nedjem. Thutmose would be very proud of her; she thinks to herself.
Years pass like a hurrying sandstorm. Nedjem is now a full-fledged woman of marrying age. She has a job minding her mother’s clay pot and embroidery shop in front of their home. She still gets the jar of water for Merypath, but things are a little different now. Every time she returns from the well, User carries her jar of water for her. The two are finally engaged. The wedding will take place after a week. Merypath always smiles as she sees the two together. True love is evident in their every move just like how she and Thutmose were when they got married.
A few days before the wedding, User realizes that he still doesn’t have a wedding ring for Nedjem. He already asked all the jewelers in Heliopolis but none could show him a perfect ring for the woman he loves. One night, after his work as the carpenter master’s assistant, he comes upon a lone traveler who wandered into the city. The old woman carries antique wares of all sorts, including jewelry. User’s eyes catch something shiny among the old woman’s items. The old woman notices his curiosity and tells him to look at her collection. User examines the small jewelry box and finds the ring that he has been looking for. It’s a ring made of white gold. It doesn’t have any gems but the beautiful carvings make it very unique, just like her Nedjem. This will make her hand even more stunning User says to himself.
“I agree with you,” the old woman replies and smiles at her confused, late-night customer. User is left speechless as he pays for the ring. It was evident that the old traveler is a mystical being that just read his mind. User watches in silence as the elderly woman walks away. What a peculiar encounter it was! User didn’t think he would get a wedding ring from an odd old woman.
The ring glistens under the bright Egyptian moonlight, making User’s smile even brighter.
User and Nedjem’s wedding was truly a red-letter event. Everyone who was closest to the couple attended and gave their wishes of abundance, children, and love.
The couple finally arrives at the home that User has built with his own hands. During the ceremony, Merypath moved all of Nedjem’s belongings into the house. It is the formality that her daughter is married to User. The day ends when the newlyweds finally enter their new home together. As the couple kiss, the ring mysteriously glows, as if awakening from a deep sleep.
The following weeks go by beautifully. Everything that the couple does is for each other’s happiness. They don’t argue at all as compared to other newlyweds who practically bite each other’s head off the moment they live together. It is just total bliss for Nedjem and User.
Nevertheless, things start to change when a strange girl visits User at work. She claims that User is an old boyfriend, and that she is pregnant with his child. When Nedjem discovers about the girl, she immediately confronts User. Jealousy fills Nedjem as User tries his best to straighten the issue out. No matter how hard User tries to pacify Nedjem, she just keeps on getting angrier. Without her knowing, Nedjem turns her wedding ring. At that moment, a blinding light comes from the ring and when the light dies down, Nedjem and User are in bed. Nedjem wakes up calm. Her breathing is soft and steady. Her heartbeat is relaxed. She realizes that she and her husband were sent back to the early weeks of their marriage, when the girl hasn’t shown herself yet.
Nedjem looks at the ring on her finger. She senses a strange power flowing from it. Where could User have found such a beautiful, mystical ring? Nedjem decides to keep the ring’s powers a secret. Quietly, she pulls out her journal from under the bed and starts writing. She just can’t contain all that’s happened in her head. She then stops writing when User stirs. It’s time to make breakfast again, Nedjem tells herself as she got up and went into the kitchen.
A couple of years later, User and Nedjem are still childless. One night, User comes home finding Nedjem in tears.
“Find another woman, User,” she says in between sobs. “I am not worth this house that you built.”
“What are you talking about, my love?” User asks in bewilderment. He never wants to see Nedjem cry. He’s confused as to why his wife suddenly wants him to look for another wife.
“I can’t bear you a child, User,” Nedjem blurts out and then cried some more. “Go find another woman who is fertile.”
Like a mannerism she doesn’t know about, Nedjem turns her wedding ring. After the bright light, Nedjem finds herself in bed with User once more.
It’s becoming clear to Nedjem. Everytime she or User commits a mistake in their relationship, the ring makes her turn it. And everything resets back to the time when everything is in total bliss.
The strange time travel happens once again for after a year, when User snaps at Nedjem because of a lost carpentry tool. The argument escalates until the ring makes Nedjem turn it. And as anticipated, Nedjem wakes up beside User once more, feeling calm and happy.
User doesn’t know what happens every time he and Nedjem have an argument. He just knows that he becomes angry and then wakes up in bed, while his wife makes breakfast. He remembers the emotional uproar, but finds it strange to feel such strong emotions that unexpectedly become calm and peaceful. User immediately remembers the old woman who sold him the wedding ring. Could it be a cursed object of some sort? Why does he keep on having such negative feelings but wake up pleasant?
After a few days, User finishes late at work again. He closes the shop and walks home, anticipating a warm, hearty dinner that Nedjem has probably prepared. As he turned into a corner alley, the old woman appears and offers him her wares once more.
“No, thank you, old lady,” User says as he continues walking.
“Beware,” the old woman warns. “Beyond three times, your breaths are taken.”
User stops in his tracks. He thought of the old woman’s words as threatening so he turned to talk to her. But the old lady is gone. It’s as if she only appeared to warn User about something that’s happening to him and Nedjem.
Beyond three times, your breaths are taken…What can possibly happen beyond three times that could take their breaths away? User reflects as he continues to walk home.
User comes in an hour late for dinner. Nedjem is clearly upset because her efforts in making warm dinner seem to be dismissed very easily. User looked at his wife’s wedding ring. As Nedjem raises her voice and says things out of anger, Nedjem unconsciously turns the ring. Beyond three times, your breaths are taken… suddenly flashes into User’s head.
At that very moment, Nedjem and User both start gasping for air. They try to support each other and keep each other from hitting the ground too fast. They lie on the floor, facing each other, their hands intertwine.
The mystical ring glows for the endmost time. The light fades together with the couple’s last breath.
Nedjem and User were buried in a community grave where people who died about the same month or year were buried together. They were all traditionally mummified. Merypath oversaw User and Nedjem’s mummification process and made sure they were buried in the last position they were in. Nedjem still wore her wedding ring. No one dared to take it.
Centuries pass.
The community grave in Heliopolis—The Seat of the Sun—rests untouched. The ring takes slumber as well, silently waiting for the right time to awaken.
Chapter Two: Kyra’s Apple
“Dark choco-cherry espresso frappe for Miss Kyra! Extra two shots!” a petite female barista calls out to the caffeine-starved morning crowd.
Kyra hears her name and squeezes through t
he avid coffee drinkers of The Zing—a well-known café in New York. Life is fast in “The Big Apple” and no one even has time to make their own coffee anymore. Kyra is supposed to be in her museum two hours later every morning but since her assistant called in sick, she has to be in the museum by five in the morning. She told her assistant, Stew (short for Stuart), that it was all right for him to rest for maybe two days. Kyra knows how hard it is to be sick in New York. She may be the top woman in her field, but she has compassion to everyone who works for her.
As Kyra makes it to her five-year-old Audi with a blueberry cheesecake muffin and a roast beef meat pie, she checks her phone for any emergency messages she might have missed while was in the coffee shop. There’s only one message in her inbox, and it’s from an old auction patron—Mrs. Gwendolyn McKinley. She has always graced Kyra’s yearly auction. Being widowed without any children from any of her ex-husbands, she has developed a passion for collecting rare, antiques of different lovers concealed in history. Gwendolyn always wants to attend Kyra’s auction and often purchases the most expensive and the most unique pieces in Kyra’s collection. She’s very intrigued at how the antiques participated in the lives of those who owned them, way before Kyra even acquired them. Gwendolyn is at the museum entrance by the time Kyra arrives. Her wrinkled eyes widened at the sight of the young museum owner whom she has trusted for almost ten years. Gwendolyn’s chauffeur hands Gwendolyn her purse and retreats to the limousine to wait. The two greet each other with a warm embrace of deep friendship before they enter the huge oak doors.
That particular day is a very special one in both Gwendolyn’s and Kyra’s date books. Six months ago, Kyra was able to acquire a rare Persian vial. Gwendolyn paid for everything that Kyra needed to get the object for her. She knows that when Kyra does her job, she already has one foot in the grave because she is not the only one who wants the antiques. There are many armed, stronger, richer people who would want to get their hands on the precious mystical antiques that Kyra looks for but Kyra has the brains and the charm to get ahead of them all. This ability to surpass others in the antique hunt caught Tyler Boston’s attention. Kyra’s name may not be advertised but within their circle, people speak highly of her techniques and skills as a tomb raider or archeologist. Tyler’s breath was taken away when Kyra returned with the ancient lamp used by Cleopatra whenever she faced her mirror. It was believed that the lamp enhanced Cleopatra’s youth and sexuality every time she lit it with a young woman’s blood mixed with olive oil. Tyler was very excited to acquire such a piece. Many experts didn’t believe that it existed but when Kyra took the job, she knew that the lamp was there—waiting for her.
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