Malik & Jade

by GroveltoHEA

I thought our arranged marriage had turned into love for both of us.
I discovered how wrong I was the day I gave birth to our premature son and found my husband taking comfort from another woman.
The woman he loved.

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Emotional

ebook

Published August 3, 2024

About the author

Wattpad author

Reviews

[Mairi Swan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit it was quite emotional. And to think that this was based on a real life story (with a lot of alterations) made it even more precious.

[Irene]

I forgot to say this when I read it;

He actually ruined her life, she had a chance to married to someone who could love her and build a life with her but he took it away from her and she doesn’t even have a chance of divorce

You ugly narcissistic prick, I actually think this is one of worst betrayals of this authors

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Jade and Malik are at the hospital after just having their first child Jade sees Malik in an intimate embrace with his ex (not kissing, just hugging and comforting) she overhears the ex say this should have been them and Malik doesn’t disagree. He sees his wife as she watches them and immediately feels bad. You think this is where the grovel stars but then he drops a bomb that he’s not in love with his wife Jade. They were brought together by their parents to get married but Jade was under the impression that they were very much in love. She decides since her husband doesn’t love her she’s going to make herself fall out of love with him. And thus the grovel begins. There’s no cheating but there is OW drama. Malik pushes the OW away the rest of the book. He’s not a bad guy just an idiot. It’s actually a good story and I loved Jade so much!!

[Alina · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf emotional cheating
he's been going behind his wife's back and having lunches with his ex
when his wife has a c section and their son is born premature, instead of going ti his wife to take care for her, he seeks comfort in his ex by hugging her back, and tells her that it could've been their baby and that he misses her and what they had and will always care for her and kissed the top of her head.

he also tells his wife that he doesn't love her because he still has feelings for his ex despite having been married for 2 years

i read books about physical cheating by this author and i wasn't disgusted nearly as i was while reading this book and how Malik treated Jade

[Nix Kharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hard to rate. I hated story and I was hooked. It was a roller coaster. FMC was so adorable that it was heartbreaking that she was in that situation. I never could't accept MC. I guess it was nice that they got HEA and he's character developed to be decent husband. But no, I couldn't let go of contempt towards him. How he twisted what he had said and meant.. oh every time he meant exactly what he says but every time says a bit different. I don't know I would recommend this book. If you want an emotional whiplash. I guess I wanted to.

ps this story is found in Wattpad.

[Ꭿຖᥲ·♡ ྀི · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5✯

Malik and Jade have been married for 2 years
Just hours after she gave birth to their first child she saw him talking to OW, this scene was painful to read: Her arm was wrapped around my husband's waist and, although I couldn't see her face, from the way she was standing, her other arm was probably resting against his chest. That was my chest to touch, I thought. Then I realized his arm was around her waist, and his cheek was resting against her head. If she was our baby's doctor, I did not like her bedside manner. "This could have been our baby," she said. "I know," he said gently. "But it wasn't meant to be for us." "I will never know why you just went ahead and married the girl your family picked out for you. That's a throwback to another age." "You aren't from our culture, so it'd be hard for you to understand, but I had to do as my family asked. It was time I married, and in our tradition, marriages are arranged and they work out satisfactorily for the most part." Satisfactorily? I thought he was happy with me. Or was I outside of the for the most part category in his mind? "But you loved me," she said, "and I think...you still do." "I will always hold you closely in my heart. Of course I miss what we had together, what we could have had. It helps that I see you around the hospital just about every day. Or maybe it doesn't help." He kissed her head and then moved away from her. "I need to go check on my wife." "See you for lunch tomorrow?" "I don't know if I'll be able to make it this week given everything." Why was he being so damn gentle with her?
After overhearing that conversation Jade started pulling away from Malik
Although they had an arranged marriage she was under the impression that he loved her just like she loved him even though he'd never said those words to her
When she asked him if he loved her he said "No, I care about you but I don't love you" he wasn't trying to be malicious he was just being honest but this obviously broke Jade
Jade tried to avoid and ignore Malik as much as she could after that, she wouldn't talk to him unless it was about their son, Nour
Since divorce was not an option given their culture and beliefs Jade decided to go away for a while to think about the future of her relationship with Malik
In the end she realized that she couldn't keep avoiding Malik forever, Nour was her priority so she decided to make her marriage work for his sake, even if that meant settling for a loveless marriage
It took her many months but finally she got to a place where she could co-exist with Malik, she actually friend-zoned him which I loved
After almost 2 years of groveling he confessed to her that he'd fallen in love with her but she wasn't convinced, she still had doubts
She eventually forgave him and decided to give their marriage a real shot, Malik knew she had really forgiven him when she finally returned his 'I love you'

-other info:
-Malik and the OW, Brooklyn, were friends for years before they started dating, he told her they had no future as a couple but she was in love with him so she decided to stay, they were together for around a year I think before he met Jade, as soon as he met her he told the OW that they were over but she asked him if they could remain friends and the dumbass accepted bc he didn't want things to be awkward since they worked in the same hospital (both were surgeons)
-during the 2 years he was married to Jade he had lunch once a week with the OW in the cafeteria of the hospital, he didn't think it was a big deal because the cafeteria was out in the open and he never talked to her about Jade, they only discussed work related stuff
-Malik never told Jade that he was working alongside his ex or that he was having weekly lunches with her
-he was physically faithful after meeting Jade but there was definitely emotional cheating on his part even if he didn't think so
-what made Malik choose Jade as his wife? from his perspective they were compatible and got along really well, they liked each other and shared common goals the most important of which was starting a family, they shared a similar sense of humor and enjoyed doing things together, they also shared their faith and culture which was important to him, basically it was everything he ever imagined a marriage to be, he thought that was enough and maybe with time he could develop feelings for her...
-Malik still had feelings for his ex when he started dating Jade
-in one of the many conversations he had with Jade he told her that he had loved his ex but was never in love with her, he actually never said 'I love you' to her which frustrated her
-the OW showed up a few more times to cause more drama but Malik shut her down
-Malik's excuse for that moment he shared with his ex: Jade had asked Malik to go see Nour -he'd been a preemie baby- he didn't want to bc he'd wanted them to see him together but she insisted, he went first to his office to give himself some time, when he left his office the OW was waiting for him, the bitch followed him to the NICU floor, she was upset bc she could see he was upset and wanted to be there for him to support him but he didn't let her see Nour, when he came out after seeing his son he felt overwhelmed, he said he'd never felt that emotional in his life and the OW was standing there, she saw his face so she put her arms around him offering comfort and he stupidly took it, he pulled her to him and held her not knowing how it might look like, he said he was grateful for something familiar to anchor him in that moment... 🙄🙄🙄
-I wonder for how many more years Malik would've kept the OW in his life if Jade hadn't seen them...
-I didn't like when he said that his feelings for the OW had changed after seeing what she was really like, he didn't know how much of a bitch she was until she started causing trouble for him and Jade, he was so fucking dumb
-I liked that Malik never pressured Jade to forgive him and I thought his groveling was pretty decent
-the epilogue was amazing, 35 years later, Malik and Jade had another child, a daughter who is now married and has a kid, Nour is also married and has twins sons... despite enjoying the epilogue there was a thing that bothered me and that was that I never fully believed that Malik was truly in love with Jade, she was a good match for him so in a way I feel like he forced himself to love her to live a happy life, I don't doubt that he developed strong feelings for her especially after so many years together but, idk, maybe I feel like this bc it took him years to feel love for her when she loved him since the beginning 🤷🏼‍♀️
--------------------------

"Why would I call you?" "Because I'm your husband." "Since when?" I murmured. "Since the day I married you," he said, frustrated. "Mmhmmm, that touching scene in front of the door to the NICU said otherwise. You're much more Dr. Bosemann's than mine. You made me part of a love triangle without my knowledge or permission." "She's a colleague." That made me laugh. "Do you cuddle and kiss all your colleagues and wish for what-couldhave- beens with them? Do you tell them you'll always hold them closely in your heart? That you miss what you had together, what you could have had if only you hadn't caved to your family's pressure?" "Jade, she's a colleague now. That's all." "Well, Malik, I would have preferred to be your colleague rather than your wife because you've given to her the words that you've never given to me. Not once. I chalked not talking about your feelings up to the way you were raised or maybe our culture, but the truth is, my glass is empty because you were filling up another woman's glass. You had nothing to give to me because you were giving it all to her."

*************************

"You don't get it. At all. You just don't get it, Malik. You have no idea what it's like to have everything you assumed about your life turn out to be a lie. You have no idea what it's like to have your husband care so little for you, have so little respect for you that he's seen -- in a public place -- hugging and kissing another woman he used to be in a relationship with. And he did this in the place he works, on the floor where his wife was recovering from a C-section and his premature son was in the NICU fighting for his life... So, no, I have no wish to share this time together with you. I can't even stand looking at your face, and just being around you and having to smell your cologne makes me sick to my stomach. I'm doing everything I can to get through this, knowing I'm stuck with you for the rest of my life, trapped in this dead marriage, and I have to make peace with our circumstances soon, but right now I'm simply trying to get to the point that I can at least be near you without feeling like I'm going to get sick."

*************************

"It was wrong to take comfort from her, but it also finally felt like goodbye when I stepped back and told her I had to go see my wife." "It was humiliating." "I am sorry for that, Jade. That wasn't my intent, and instead of thinking that day, I was running on emotions. I was feeling it that day, and I said some things that I'd pushed down for a long time." That hurt. That meant he'd pushed his feelings for her down for the entire time he'd been with me. "You never said it to her, but did you love her?" I asked. Pain shopping, anyone? Clean up in aisle eight. He hesitated so I knew the answer. That didn't mean it hurt any less when he said, "I did. I had feelings for her." "And me?" This wasn't pain shopping. This was needing to hear it said out loud so I could face it and move ahead and decide how my future would work. "Do you love me?" "I care about you, Jade," Malik's deep, resonant voice was as soft and gentle as I'd ever heard it. "But, no, I don't love you."

*************************

"There is no us. You made sure of that." "Please look at me. Please. We can still salvage this. We can still have a good marriage, still care about each other, still raise our boy together and maybe more children if we're so blessed." "Malik, the thought of you touching me makes my skin crawl so I wouldn't plan on any additional children between us."

*************************

Not being able to fix Jade's hurt was frustrating me, especially since I'd caused it. I'd hurt her through my carelessness. I hadn't considered my actions, hadn't considered the effect they could have, hadn't considered the way my once-a-week lunches with Brooklyn could be perceived by colleagues who'd known we'd been dating before I'd gotten married. The day in the hospital hallway outside the NICU was the absolute worst, the rock bottom lowest in a series of bad choices. Being upset, needing comfort was no excuse, yet I'd allowed it to happen with Brooklyn in front of the nurses and I'd lost Jade in the process.

*************************

"Every time I saw you, I no longer saw my husband, the man I loved. I saw the man who married me because I checked off all of his things I want in a wife boxes. I saw the man who was willing to marry me despite being in love with another woman. I saw the man in that hospital hallway with the woman he loved in his arms when it should have been me."

*************************

"What I'm saying, Malik, is that I'm willing to settle for the friendship and partnership you married me for, for the sake of our son. We'll be true partners this time since we both know the score this go-around, that we're both settling, and I'm even willing to be physical again eventually, only this time I won't read anything into it other than we both enjoy sex and there will be no emotions involved... Looking back, I can see that I set my expectations too high for our marriage by assuming that you wanted the same thing I did. I wanted love. You wanted a partner you cared about. With all that in mind, there's just one thing I'm asking for this time: I'm willing to give up on love and settle for what you can offer, but I want your fidelity. No more Brooklyn. No more lunches with a colleague you love. No more Brooklyn in your arms. You may not love me, but that doesn't mean you can't be faithful to me in all ways. Can you promise me that, Malik?"

*************************

I'm sorry that in a weak moment, I took comfort from the last person I should have. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you everything from the start. I'm sorry I didn't give you a choice before you agreed to marry me. I'm sorry I kept Brooklyn in my life. I'm sorry that her presence took my focus from you, where it should have been. I'm sorry I didn't cherish you and our marriage as I promised to. I'm sorry I ruined our son's birth for you. I'm sorry I wasn't the husband I should have been to you. It was a long list of things I was sorry for and still it wasn't a complete list. None of the I'm sorrys could begin to express the sick feeling that filled me for what I'd done. I'd been arrogant, assuring myself that Brooklyn and I could continue to be colleagues and nothing more.

*************************

I'd loved Brooklyn, I'd cared for her -- but not the way she deserved to be loved, and I'd allowed her to be a barrier in my marriage. There was nothing wrong with seeing an ex if it was strictly professional, I'd told myself. It was a way to hold back and retain my autonomy. So I'd kissed the top of Brooklyn's head, a gesture of good bye, of thank you for the comfort, but one I should have made years ago instead of pushing things down. I could not, in good conscience, keep this woman as even a friend or colleague. The kiss to the head shouldn't have happened.

*************************

"She caught me at an emotional moment and I said some things that I don't even know if I was truly feeling or if I was trying to placate her to avoid a scene... I'm not comfortable with emotions, Jade; they don't make sense to me like facts and statistics do. I was on overload that day, I was scared to death for you and Nour, and it felt like every emotion I ever had was right at the surface when I usually keep everything pushed down. And Brooklyn was there, saying things, but I do know that I never wanted a baby with Brooklyn. The important part of that was when I said it wasn't meant to be for Brooklyn and me."

*************************

"You weren't kidding that you messed up. For a smart man, you're some kind of stupid, little brother," he derided me. "I can't believe you'd hug that doctor and kiss her head in public -- or at all -- when you should have been by your wife's side, and I don't care that Jade told you to go see the baby! You should have stayed with her. What should have been the happiest day of your lives was already marred because Nour came early and his life was in danger -- and then you took comfort from your ex that same day? Malik, what were you thinking?" "I wasn't," I admitted, and had to blink back the sudden burning in my eyes. "There's nothing I can say, no excuse I can make or reason I can give for my behavior. For someone whose entire life is dedicated to causing no harm, I caused devastation that day. I hurt Jade, and trust me when I say that the look on her face is burned on my brain for eternity." "Good," my brother said. "I hope it continues to burn you. Maybe that was the wake-up call you needed."

*************************

"Malik, do you understand why I don't think we should have another baby?" she whispered. "Jade, I'm well aware of all of the ways I messed up our marriage to the point that you left me for four months. I know I hurt you with the things I said and did and with the things you saw and heard that day in the hospital. And I fully realize the way I ruined Nour's birth and his entire first year for both of us so we couldn't share him together. You have no idea how sorry I am about absolutely everything, so I understand that there's nothing I did that made you want to go through that again."

*************************

"I don't want Nour to grow up to be clueless, Nino," I said quietly. "I want him to grow up and do normal things. I don't want him to skip grades and miss out. Someday, when he gets married-- I don't even know how to articulate this -- but I don't want him to be like I was. I want him to be in love with his bride, right from the start, so he never hurts her like I hurt his mother. I want the apple to fall far, far from my tree. If I could wish for anything for our son, I'd wish he could be like Jade, not me."

*************************

"I don't expect anything from you, Jade, and I don't expect anything when I tell you I love you. What I expect is that you probably will never feel for me the way you once did. What I expect is to love you regardless of your feelings for me."

*************************

"I love you, Jade." Instead of the kiss I'd been giving him following those words, I gave him a new response that night. Something he hadn't heard in a long, long time. "I love you." I'd never been put on my back so fast, Malik looming over me. "I know I'm tired, but tell me again, so I know I heard that right." Laughing, I put my hands to his face. "I love you, Malik." "I didn't think I'd ever hear that again," he admitted before he kissed me. Then he leaned in and said in my ear, "I didn't think I deserved to." "You did," I said. "You worked hard for so long, Malik." "I won't stop," he promised me, and his eyes gleamed. With tears?

[BAG of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters are first generation Americans from what I can tell. They come from a culture with arranged marriages. They live in the Western world, so they can't be forced into an arranged marriage. But they agree to it due to cultural and religious beliefs. Malik's family was putting more pressure on him. Jade's family really didn't pressure her.

The story begins about 3 years after the wedding. They have a premature baby in the NICU. Malik is a doctor at that same hospital. Jade sees him hugging another woman and overhears their conversation outside the NICU.

That's when she finds out some things she didn't know before: Malik and this OW were dating when he agreed to meet Jade. His family didn't know because OW is Western and not his same religion. The worst part is that they are still having an emotional affair, and everyone in the hospital knows it. (Malik and OW are both doctors.)

Jade also finds out that she went into the marriage open to the possibility that they might fall in love, but Malik wasn't really open to love. Because he loves the OW. Jade is angry and devastated that she was brought into a love triangle that she never knew about. Of course Malik doesn't see the problem because it's not a physical affair.

This one was difficult for me. The betrayal was really bad because they could legally divorce, but "can't" divorce because of their religious beliefs. Jade is stuck with Malik. She will never be loved, and Malik thought it was totally ok to do this to her - marry her and cut her off from any possibility of real love. It's all the more frustrating because remember, she never had to agree to marry him in the first place, she wasn't being pressured to marry.

Also, I wasn't sure of malik's remorse. He started to regret what he did once he lost all of Jade's affection and love for him. He seemed a bit selfish. Maybe he just wanted things back the way they were because his life was a lot better when SHE loved HIM. Did he really love her, or did he just miss her love and adoration?

I wasn't really convinced until the epilogue which is years in the future when their baby is grown up.

[Hazel · Rating 2 out of 5]

He was so emotionally stunted that he chose to cuddle his ex and humiliate his wife when she had been cut open only twelve hours earlier and their newborn was in the NICU. That was deeply messed up. Every time he spoke it felt like he was gaslighting her. He trapped her by hiding his past and led her on by acting like the perfect husband while secretly having lunches with his ex. It does not matter if he thought those lunches were platonic. Why did Jade never know about them if they were so harmless? Either he knew it was wrong or he cared so little about his wife that he did not bother to share this part of his life. Both options are awful.

On top of that, the way he was written felt mechanical. It was like he was ticking items off a checklist of things to do for Jade. In his point of view I never once felt the growth of love or emotional depth. This is why the story did not work for me. I respect this author and I love many of her other books, but this one fell flat. Malik, Decker and Merrick are the kind of heroes I could never forgive. If the author wanted to convince us that he loved Jade, she should have shown the development of that love clearly, especially since it was established that he did not love her before. His actions without genuine emotion behind them failed to make me connect with his so called love

The only reason I gave this book two stars is because I adored Nour and Jade. They were wonderful. Reading about this fictional Malik and even thinking about the real Malik made me realize that some men simply do not deserve to marry amazing women like Jade!! Ugh I'm so pissed!!

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this book a low rating, but the author's note changed everything. She wrote this story to give the real-life Jade the happily ever after she never got, and that earned my full respect. I also appreciated how the book explored the dark and complex realities of arranged marriages, something I have heard about from friends in Dubai and other Arab countries. Jade was incredible and deserves all the love, while Malik was unbearable. I hated him, and knowing the real-life Malik was even worse made it worse. He trapped her in an arranged marriage and crushed her hopes of love. He gaslighted her throughout and even expected her to love him while he had no love for her. When Jade finally drew her boundaries, he complained. None of his actions redeemed him, and I could not forgive him. I wanted Jade to be happy, but not Malik!!!!

[journey iris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s heartbreaking, full of angst and you will be sobbing each chapter. It hurts hard and the author has done it justice. The argument discourse and the development was excellently written. I’ve been thinking about this story for a while especially when recalling when I got to the end of the story and found that it was in fact inspired from a real life story which has been tweaked for a HEA.

[Athena Que Será, Será · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tags: betrayal, emotional-cheating, grovel-remorseful, hero-loved-or-loves-ow, hero-married-to-heroine, marriage-arranged, ow-drama, read, wattpad-mania

[Nyla Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written!! Seriously, GTH did their big one with this book! It was so deep and profound, all the emotions were felt! And reading that last author’s note was beautiful!

[bookend.besties · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors note 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Lana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[wench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some men should simply not exist.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm no burn lol

[Comet]

DNF@50% (approx)