Original subtitles

When cruelty becomes a form of dignity

I am forced to be cruel

Forgive me for my cruelty in advance

Right now

I have to side with my wounds

I know that I have a dark past And I've made countless mistakes

And that I've done things That you haven't heard about yet

I know that I have a dark past And I've made countless mistakes

And that I've done things That you haven't heard about yet

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

Think long and hard Before you interpret our love

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

Think long and hard Before you interpret our love

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

We're defined by our experiences

We should understand everyone else Before we give an answer

We should be reprimanded for our actions And reprimand others for theirs

And go through difficult times So we know who our true friends are

We're defined by our experiences

We should understand everyone else Before we give an answer

We should be reprimanded for our actions And reprimand others for theirs

And go through difficult times So we know who our true friends are

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

Think long and hard Before you interpret our love

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

Think long and hard Before you interpret our love

The people who know what's right Are the ones who've made mistakes

THE EVENTS, CHARACTERS, AND SETTING OF THIS SERIES ARE ALL FICTIONAL

EPISODE 28

Even though you don't like me,

I'm the one who found Jabal and his family

while the entire country was looking for him.

But damn my luck!

I should've thought it through and surrounded him from every corner.

This is the file. It contains all the information about him.

His friends, his family, his movements.

You will also find an envelope with some photos.

Okay. Call him and arrange an appointment for today at my office.

Right away, sir.

Thank God, this girl can find some comfort now.

Jabal loves her, and she loves him.

He married her because he wants her, not to comfort her.

What matters is that she'll stay here and won't leave the house.

-Right, Um Ali? -Um Ali?

Yes, what about you? Shouldn't you be doing something?

After all these years, Um Ali. You know what? You've got a point.

Seriously? You're getting excited? I meant your son, Ali, not you.

Isn't it time for him to get married?

True, good idea. As for me, I agree.

Me too.

How about I start searching for the right girl tomorrow?

Stop annoying the poor girl. Don't you like her?

I do, but I don't want her to think we're dying to have her.

How clever!

Are the bride and groom still sleeping?

I knocked on their door twice, but no one answered.

Okay, I will go wake them up.

Jabal?

-Son, why aren't you answering me? -Yes, Mother, what is it?

What do you mean? It's getting late. Don't you want to wake up?

Okay, give us five minutes.

Shall I tell Um Ali to prepare coffee?

Yes, yes, let her do that.

I don't get it. What do you mean, they didn't let you pass?

We just brought goods from Damascus yesterday.

It's true. They stopped us next to the eastern fields.

How many trucks do you have?

I have four. I left them there and came to tell you.

Are you sure none of your men spoke to him badly?

Seriously? Is it our first day in the business?

-What's happening here? -This is Abu Nahed.

We asked him for some goods from Damascus.

I know him. Where are the goods?

Your road was closed. When we came near your land,

they stopped the trucks and didn't let anything pass.

Follow me.

-Mohamed, 5,000 LBP. -Thank you.

Speak of the devil! I was going to drop by.

Do you know what happened?

No, tell me. What happened?

-It's Ghazi's turn. -What do you mean?

-They blocked his roads too. -Are you kidding?

It's true. They stopped everything from going in or out of his land this morning.

You mean the people who live in Al Hayba are going to starve?

-We have neither roads nor exits? -It keeps on escalating, Abu Ahmad.

Didn't you know what was happening?

Maybe Ghazi made a big mistake and they're making him pay.

This time it's his nephew's mistake, not his.

It seems all of Al Hayba will have to pay.

Oh, my God.

If you had told us, we wouldn't have come. The trucks are stuck now.

We can neither let them in nor get them back.

Did they seize the goods?

No, no one touched them or said anything. They just stopped us.

Okay. Go now, stay next to the trucks. You never know what might happen.

-Okay. What if they open the road for us? -You come in, of course.

I mean the road to Damascus. Should we go back?

Just go for now, and stay there, and keep me in the loop.

-How are you, Father? -What do you want from me?

What matters is that your cousin is calm and happy.

-So it's true, Father. -Why do you care?

Jabal is on his honeymoon, and your father is--

Father, do you think if Jabal knew about this, he would have allowed it?

Even if we all starve, that lowlife will only do what he wants.

But the people were starving before too, and you weren't this angry, Father.

Now I'm in trouble, and you're still defending him!

I am defending no one. I want you to get out of it.

Let people blame Jabal and not say anything bad about my father.

Good morning, my lady.

What morning are you talking about? Do you know what time is it?

It means good morning, good afternoon, and good evening.

-Your coffee is cold. -It's okay. Better.

It will be tastier now.

Where is your wife? Why didn't you wake her up?

She's inside, freshening up.

What is it with you?

Nothing. I love seeing you happy.

Thank God. It's a blessing.

Aren't you worried you've rushed things a bit?

-I thought you agreed. -I did, and the girl is cute.

I love her, but I have a bad feeling, I won't lie.

Mother, don't worry.

Rest assured, what happened is the best for her and for me.

I fear you might regret it.

Better to regret something I did than something I didn't.

Good morning. Breakfast is ready.

Hello. Thank you so much, sweetheart.

I can see that you switched things up. Wouldn't you prefer coffee first?

No, no, I will drink coffee later. Come and have breakfast with us.

Bon appétit. It's lunch time.

Oh, please, Mother.

Come and eat with us.

-What do you mean? Start eating. -As you wish.

-I am so hungry. -Thank God for this.

-May you always be happy. -May God bless you.

May you live long.

To be honest…

I won't lie to you. I asked about you.

I can't believe I've never met you before, despite your position and background.

We should have been friends a long time ago.

Everything happens at the right time, Mr. Tharwat.

It's an opportunity for us to be friends, and more than that.

Don't you think it's hard for us to be more than that?

I won't say weird, but hard?

If you mean the age difference, those details are for lovers.

No matter the age, there is love and faithfulness between them.

That could be, but everything has a limit.

We are talking about a generational difference,

not just an age difference.

We're men. We understand each other.

I think you know well that when we find our partner in life,

we let go of a lot of things and details.

Are you trying to teach me lessons in my own office?

You're the one who wanted to talk to me.

I just wanted to tell you that the marriage won't happen!

-But Lina and I agreed on everything. -And I said no!

-Is this your final decision? -Don't push me and force me to hurt you.

Listen. Today, they approved your transfer

to the new college branch, with a good salary.

You can start your new job tomorrow.

Can't you see that I am a faithful friend?

-Does Lina know? -Try calling her.

You will find yourself teaching very far away.

I'm glad this happened, so you can see you're on the wrong path.

-How did you figure that out? -Son,

living with such people is nothing but trouble.

Did you see what happened to your boss? You'll get hurt too one day.

Mother, forget it.

Ghazi isn't my boss. He's my father-in-law.

-I must stand by him. -Is this how you avenge yourself?

Not before getting hold of Jabal and Sakher.

I don't get it. How is that?

Remember when your family was hiding at Abu Talal's in Beirut?

Yes.

When they wanted to return to Al Hayba, the police entrapped them.

True. Even Jabal thought they were spying on me

and knew their whereabouts when I visited them.

No, Sami told them.

That bastard. They would have died because of him.

Rima, are you not saying that so you can get rid of him?

-It's a matter of life and death. -I swear, Mona, this is what I heard.

He said so himself.

Rima, act normal. Don't let him suspect anything.

-Don't say a word. -Why? What do you want to do?

I want to throw him a wedding party he'll never forget.

Your uncle Ghazi has been affected too now.

Now that they've cut the road off, it's clear they are in control.

He's merely a pawn. They move him as they wish.

Do you mean they let go of him because of this marriage?

Perhaps, and maybe his part starts now. You should expect anything.

Tharwat will fight you till the end.

And everything is being plotted at Zaidan's.

I always wished I could understand what you say right away.

Tharwat wants one thing from you, and you know that very well.

Zaidan seized the opportunity. He knows how to put pressure on you.

What?

They tried to isolate us and fight me through my uncle,

but they couldn't do anything.

Your fight with your uncle starts now.

If Ghazi gets annoyed, he will harm you.

Someone who sacrificed his own son for his own best interests…

will sacrifice his nephew too.

Sultan, may he rest in peace, didn't hide anything from me.

Life here is dangerous.

One might never come back home at any moment.

God forbid.

Weren't you afraid?

At first, I used to be afraid, but later, you get used to it.

You leave it to God, but you prepare yourself for everything.

Why did he tell you everything?

I mean, do men here depend on their wives?

Yes, here, like anywhere else, men depend on their wives.

Let's take your husband, for example. He has requests and demands.

But with you, he must find peace and security.

And you must keep his secrets.

Your late husband used to tell you his secrets, even about work?

Of course!

Sultan gave me the reins of power so that I could pass them on to Jabal.

Why did he trust him more than his brother Ghazi?

Why?

You will have kids, and you'll know the meaning of that.

Sultan and I dedicated our lives to our children.

So we raised them according to tradition. To this day, I promise you,

I can't sleep or rest if I'm worried about my kids.

-Even at your age? -At this age and till I die.

What can I tell you?

A generation grows over the ruins of the last one.

You know…

you're not just a mother. You are much more.

Won't you tell me why you're asking all these questions?

I feel like I'm in an interview.

-Here, this is what you wanted. -Thank you so much, Abu Ali.

I am at your service.

-Excuse me now. -Goodbye.

-What did you bring her? -Some stationery.

-What do you mean? -Material for her work.

-Books and copybooks… -Yes, right. Goodbye.

Okay.

I told you I don't work for you, do you understand?

If you need anything, go ask your mother.

I am here to serve Mrs. Nahed and her children only. Is that clear?

What's wrong, girl? Did Ali upset you?

No, uncle, but I wanted to congratulate Ali.

-What's wrong with her? -What's wrong with you?

Go make two cups of tea, and then come here so I can tell you.

-Are you still awake, love? -Did you meet Dr. Najib?

-He called you again? -So it's true?

Daughter, I am acting in your best interests.

But against my will. You're acting against my will.

It seems I've missed raising you.

Leave your daughter alone. You will lose her like you lost your son.

How do you want me to leave her alone?

She is merely a child. She doesn't know anything yet.

She still calls him "Doctor"!

She wants to marry him, and yet she can't even call him Najib!

She might kneel and kiss his hand too.

This is what you decided? What did we agree on?

We agreed that I would let my sister die to avoid any trouble.

I didn't mean that for sure.

-Aren't you going to tell Jabal? -Why should I tell him?

This is my sister's problem, and so it's mine too.

But his bigger issue is with my brother. That's why he needs to know.

-Mona, why are you talking to me this way? -You know why.

What's this? What are you doing?

A report.

-Good for you. -Don't you want to ask me about it?

No, spare me.

I'm serious. I'm thinking of doing a report on Al Hayba's society.

-Why? -So we can count everything.

The boy-to-girl ratio. Education, agriculture, trade,

poverty, addiction, criminality, something of the sort.

Okay.

And what benefit will you get if you count them?

When we know the extent of the damage, we can start repairing it.

You, with your computer, paper and pen,

want to repair the world?

These are poor people. Leave them alone.

That's why I want to help them.

Don't you start, Nour.

You are my wife now, and these are your people now.

True, they are my people, but you are my husband.

Yes, but I am one of the people.

You're nagging already?

I didn't mean to.

But I am thinking about what is best for you, us, and our kids in the future.

Jabal, do you remember when you told me about your dream in the interview?

When I asked you, "What will you do if you wake up one day

to see that all the charges against you were dropped? What will you do then?"

-And? -Like many people,

you have a million ways to fix your situation.

And get a clean slate.

A clean slate?

Are you insane? After all you've seen?

-You're saying this? -I'm trying to find a middle ground.

I want to continue my life with you. I don't want to lose you.

Hold it.

When you found out that I was Jabal and Fadi was a lie,

did you stop loving me?

I don't get it.

I mean, if you want to have me, you need to accept me as I am.

I am trying so hard to understand you.

But I need you to understand me too. Don't be hard on me.

Okay, so let's stop talking about this and creating problems.

What do you mean?

I want you to shut down the computer and put away the paper and pen.

And forget all about this subject.

I thought you'd be happy for me and might give me a hand.

I will help you.

Come here.

Come, and let us discuss the population of Al Hayba.

I am thinking about a small amendment.

Great!

-Is this working? -Are you here to open a workshop?

Go mind your own business, and we'll see about it later.

-I will keep these with me. -Okay.

DAMASCUS, SYRIA

What time is it?

It's almost noon.

Why didn't you wake me up? Did you have breakfast?

I must go. The guys are waiting for me at the warehouse.

Why? Has something happened?

Today, by God's will…

I will solve Al Hayba's problem.

What are you thinking about, Jabal?

I want to reaffirm our presence again.

I want to be at peace so I can enjoy your company.

Tell me. What do you want to do?

You will hear some good news. Don't you worry.

-What's with you, Ghazi? -What do you want?

-I can't talk to you this way. -Jamal.

I've been waiting for the moment that I could shoot you in the head.

I'm right here. What are you waiting for?

See?

-Now we've got to each other. -Stay away, Jamal.

We are on the same path. You know that.

Jabal is keeping us away.

Go on, figure it out. Aren't you his mother's brother?

And you are his father's.

May Sultan rest in peace.

But your sister is still alive and living with her children.

I know how much she appreciates you.

Listen, Ghazi, we don't need to do this.

My business has been on hold for a while now.

And now, you are just like me.

This is a matter of losing our livelihood.

-What do you want? -I thought about what Zaidan said.

It seems he is right.

Jabal is an obstacle now.

If we don't stop him, he might kill us.

Jamal?

You're right. Jabal is standing in our way now.

What if we get rid of him? What next?

Next? We will get back to our businesses.

Can you smell this?

The nice scent has started to spread.

Yes, it's blossoming.

Where is my mother-in-law? She isn't inside.

I don't know. Maybe she's upstairs somewhere.

What's wrong with you?

Nothing. I am a bit tired.

Aren't we friends who share secrets?

We used to share secrets.

Now, we share neither secrets nor anything else. That's all right.

Are you serious? You talked to him?

Yes, and congratulated him too.

What do you mean?

Um Ali is searching for a bride for her son.

When you talked to him, what did he say?

-He's about to arrive. Sit down, please. -Don't you know what he wants from me?

Drink your tea. He will come here and tell you.

-Hello, men. -Hello, boss.

Hello, brother. This marriage kept you away from us.

-No. No. -A man in love forgets his friends.

Do you think I'll sit and cry once you desert me?

You are wrong. I've been playing PUBG day and night.

-Are there Arabs on the plane? -Do you wanna land in Pochinki?

Tell me, boss. You told us there is something important.

You've got me worried. What is it?

Abu Ali, please open the bag.

I think Ghazi is almost done.

I know him and how he thinks. You can't rely on him and sit and watch.

If you won't participate, we can't move ahead.

Don't underestimate what I am doing.

The story has to do with his nephew.

Such a scandal isn't easy on Ghazi in view of Al Hayba.

-Meaning? -I mean, after he thinks about it,

I will open all the roads for him and give him all the keys.

-And thus, my mission will be done. -We want nothing more.

I don't know the girl well. You know better.

But she is good and kind. I thought if you would--

Enough, darling. I told you I will handle it. Don't worry.

I added some cinnamon sticks to the tea.

-Here you go. -Thank you!

-Why did you do them? Where is Marwa? -I can't find her.

She disappears when I need her.

To be honest,

Um Ali, this girl is lazy.

-I think I should sack her. -Sack her? No!

-I mean, why? -What do you mean? Oh, my God.

I see you taking responsibility for the entire house.

No, not that much. Have pity on her. She must be working somewhere else.

Yesterday, she didn't go to sleep until she'd prepared today's lunch.

First thing in the morning, she woke up and cleaned all the rooms.

-Are you sure? -The girl is good. I like her.

If you need anything, ask me.

Excuse me.

We've taken our first step.

I think this is enough for the first batch.

As for the second batch, I will provide you with the same amount.

But isn't it too much?

I mean, why should you take complete responsibility?

You know why I am doing this. They are my family and people.

I am responsible for them.

As you wish. Just tell us, where should we start distributing?

You will go with Ali. Take the trucks near the highway.

Meanwhile, Issa will buy the goods from Beirut, and we'll meet there.

I think we should only bring meat and flour.

As for the second batch, we'll check what's missing.

No need to think. Flour, meat, medicine.

Baby milk. I don't want anything missing.

This is our duty, it's not a favor.

Okay.

I'll go.

-Pour me some tea, Abu Ali. -Sure.

Are you leaving? If I'm done early, I'll drop by.

Okay.

What is it, Chahine? It looks like you have some news.

-Sit down. -I will prepare more tea.

Jabal, you knew from the start

that I didn't approve of my sister's marriage with Al Saeed.

Talk to Sakher about that. Wouldn't that be better?

It's bigger than that, cousin.

I can never accept that bastard as my brother-in-law.

It has to do with you. Give me the green light to handle it.

What happened, son? What did he do?

Sami Al Saeed informed the police about your location

when you were at Al Shayeb's.