**Chapter 1: Dazed In Love**
Parking her car in front of the mall, Laila picked up her bag before stepping out and locking the car, she walked into the mall, she had come to do a little shopping, though her little wasn't always little.
Strolling through the stalls with her cart as she went towards the men's section, she wanted to pick up a gift for Peter, her husband, she smiled as her eyes caught the cufflinks she wanted, she had already looked up on it so she knew that they were the ones. Her hand reached for it as she carefully took it from the display shelf, looking at it as she scrutinized it, it had a chain attached to it, the case transparent. Adding it to her cart, she went back and down as she had passed the kitchen section, she needed some things for the kitchen.
After 2 hours of shopping Laila finally stepped out of the mall with the shopping bags in her hands, keeping them in the cars trunk, she looked at the time in her phone seeing it was already 2:30pm, she made her way to the salon although she had her appointment for manicure and pedicure at 3:00pm, getting to the salon she sat for her appointment, while she was doing her finger nails, her phone rang and she smiled, swiping to answer the call while placing the phone on her ear with her free hand,
"Hey babe," she greeted, a smile in her voice,
"How are you doing my love?," the voice over the phone asked,
"I'm good, doing my nails," she replied, she wanted to surprise him with the cufflinks,
"Yeah, so when do you think you're gonna be back home?," Peter asked,
"I don't know yet, but not anytime soon," she lied with a smile, she decided to surprise him by coming home early so she didn't tell that she would be back soon,
"Ok then, take your time, I'll be waiting,"
"Yea, take care ok, Love you," she wished,
"Love you too, baby" Peter said before the call went off.
Laila smiles sheepishly, she was going to surprise him by coming home early as it was the weekend, but what she didn't know was that she was the one that was going to be surprised.
As Laila settled into the salon chair, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relaxation wash over her. The gentle hum of the nail drill and the soothing music playing in the background seemed to melt away her stress. She closed her eyes, letting out a contented sigh.
The nail technician, a friendly woman with a warm smile, began to work on Laila's fingernails. Laila's mind began to wander, thinking about the surprise she had planned for Peter, he would be so happy to have me home early, she thought.
As she chatted with the technician, Laila's thoughts drifted back to their relationship. They had been married for three years now, and she felt like they were still in that honeymoon phase. Peter was always so thoughtful, so caring. She loved the way he made her feel like she was the only one that mattered in the world.
The technician asked her to choose a nail polish color, and Laila opted for a deep red shade, with a mix of black to suit any choice of clothing. As the technician began to apply the polish, Laila's phone buzzed again, it was a debit alert from her bank card that was with Peter, she frowned as she thought Peter was at home, so why the debit?, she thought, not thinking much about it as she trusted her husband she put down the phone.
As Laila finished her nails, she checked her phone for any new messages, but there were none. She paid for her services and left the salon, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, the warm sun on her skin and the gentle breeze in her hair made her feel alive.
The drive home was uneventful, but Laila's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of her husband and their life together, and although they had been married for some years now she still felt the same excitement and love she had felt on their wedding day.
She felt a little excited while imagining the look on Peter's face when she gave him the cufflinks, she had noticed that he didn't wear one of his suits, so she imagined that he didn't have the time to get the cufflinks himself since he was so busy taking care of her father's company. She couldn't wait to get home and surprise Peter. Little did she know, her life was about to take a dramatic turn.