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Behind A Smile 021
Meanwhile, downstairs, a storm was brewing. "Ramlah! Get the food flask already! Why are you acting sluggishly all of a sudden?" Hafsa bellowed, her voice laced with barely contained excitement. To celebrate her daughters return, she decided to prepare all of her favorite dishes. "Mum." Ramlah rolled her eyes and face palmed. "I just did a while ago, It's right in front of you." "Oh! Right!" She smiled sheepishly. "How about the cupcakes in the oven, have you checked them?" Ramlah rolled her eyes again. "Mum, you literally put them in the oven like a minute ago. There is no way they are baked already." She groaned. "Can you blame me, my dear? I just want everything to be ready before she wakes up. I hope you didn't set an alarm for her? Let her sleep for as long as she wants. She looks exhausted." "No alarm, mum," Ramlah reassured her. "Good, good. Now, let's get back to cooking. While I check on the rice in the kitchen, why don't you start setting the table." Hafsa inst
Behind A Smile 022
Ramlah couldn't believe her ears. Her grip against the plate she was holding loosened, making it shatter on the floor. "What did you just say?" She asked, her voice quivering.. "Rashida." Hafsa roared. In a flash, her hand lashed out, a stinging slap landing on Rashida's cheek. "How dare you!" Hafsa grabbed Rashida by her hijab and lifted a hand, ready to slap her again, but stopped when Rashida challenged her. "Go ahead! Do it! I have had to endure this my entire life. It isn't new and I'm not surprised by what you're doing. You obviously will choose her over me. Like always. I wasn't surprised when you asked me to leave in her place and I most definitely aren't surprised that you hit me because of her, so go ahead and slap me again. Slap me till you cannot anymore." Rashida dared, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Why so much hatred?" Hafsa asked, her voice breaking. "Zynah is your sister! What has the poor girl ever done to you? Is this how your father and I raised you? Y
Behind A Smile 023
Muffled by her hands, Zynah's sobs wracked her body, the tears slipping down her cheeks. Her legs trembled, barely holding her upright. She couldn't believe her ears. She was not part of their family? She was adopted? A stranger? The revelation hit her like a truck, leaving her gasping for air. In that very moment, she felt the pain she had never felt in her entire life. Her heart felt too heavy for her chest to carry. She couldn't grasp what was happening around her. It had to be a dream. A nightmare. Her family wasn't hers? Her father wasn't really her father? She betrayed the family who had mercy on her after her real parents abandoned her, and she chose to repay them by choosing a man over them? The thought made her feel like the worse person on the surface of the earth. She couldn't even begin to imagine the sacrifices they made to adopt her, yet she betrayed them. It became crystal clear to her why Rashida hated her so much. She finally had the answer to her lifelong questio
Behind A Smile 024
"Eat some more, Zynah," Hafsa prodded. Ramlah had been extremely quiet the whole time, picking her food and stealing glances at Zynah. "What do you even know? You're so dumb to even realize what is going on in this family, but I'm not. Well, enjoy living in the shadow of a stranger." Rashida's sharp words kept repeating themself in her head like a mantra. She shook her head to get rid of it, but it only got louder. "Are you alright?" Hafsa asked, snapping her out of her trance. "Why are you zoned out?" "I am fine," Ramlah lied, avoiding her mother's gaze. Zynah offered a smile. She knew Ramlah wasn't telling the truth. It seemed to Zynah that Rashida's words were getting into her head. All the while they were eating, Ramlah hadn't utter any word to her, which was unlike her. Her body language proved Zynah's hunch right. "Where is ya Rashida?" Zynah suddenly asked, breaking the tension that settled in the air. "Hmm..." Hafsa hummed, then trailed off, seemingly sea
Behind A Smile 025
Regaining consciousness, Zynah's eyes opened to Hafsa and Ramlah sitting beside her on the bed, and surprisingly, Mr. Aliyu sitting on a chair at the extreme of Ramlah's room. "Zynah! Alhamdulillah, Zynah, you're awake." Hafsa squeaked, relief flooding her features as she embraced her tightly. "I was so worried." "Ya Zynah, are you alright now?" Ramlah asked, her voice laced with concern. Zynah managed a weak nod, her gaze fixated on no one else, but Mr. Aliyu. "Why didn't you tell us you are pregnant?" Hafsa asked with furrowed brows. "Why didn't you?" Realizing they had already found out about her pregnancy, she hung her head in shame. She really didn't want them to find out, especially since she wasn't going to be living with them. She didn't see the need to add to their burdens. "I'm sorry," Zynah mumbled, her voice barely audible."It's alright, dear. It must have slipped your mind," She smiled, reassuringly. "Why don't you stay the night here? You can leave in the morni—"
Behind A Smile 026
"I still can't find her!" Bilal roared, pacing to and fro in his bedroom. "Why didn't you do everything in your power to stop her? Dammit!" He balled his fists, his brows tightly furrowed and eyes, bloodshot. Nazmeera, perched on a sofa across the room, flinched at his outburst. "Like I said earlier; I tried to stop her, but failed." She defended herself. "Besides, someone else was here to help her. How could I have won a fight against two people?" Bilal stopped pacing, his gaze suddenly fixated on Nazmeera. "Who was it?" He demanded, venom dripping off his tone. In that moment, he didn't care whoever the person was. He was determined to make them pay dearly for interfering in his marriage. "And why didn't you tell me sooner!" "I didn't tell you sooner because you didn't care to listen. I tried to but you kept on dismissing me. What could I have done?" Nazmeera finished with a dramatic eye roll. "Who was it?" He demanded again, this time, his voice deadlier than before. Nazm
Behind A Smile 027
"How... How did you find out?" Hafsa's voice broke. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversat—" "No," Zynah answered, shaking her head. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I just happened to overhear your conversation." She fiddled with her fingers, avoiding Hafsa's gaze. "I'm sorry." "Zy...nah..." Hafsa trailed off, lost of words. "Why... are you apologizing?" "I'm an ingrate. Out of the goodness in your hearts, you... Adopted me, yet I disobeyed you two," a humorless smile curved its way on her face. She blinked rapidly, fighting back tears. "What are you saying?" Hafsa's voice rose a notch. "You're not adopted, okay? You. Are. Our. Child." She enunciated each word in a soft, yet firm voice. "There is nothing they can change that. You're my daughter." "I still can't believe this," Ramlah shook her head aggressively. "How did this even happen? Please tell me it's just a lie, mum. Ya Zynah is my sister, right? Ya Rashida was just saying those things because she—" "Are you deaf?" Hafsa
Behind A Smile 028
Six months. Half a year had passed since Zynah vanished from Bilal's life. He had tried looking for her in every nook and corners of the city, but his efforts were futile. Days bled into nights. He'd drown himself in memories, gazing at her pictures. Her absence was making him slowly lose his mind. Why wouldn't she just return to him? Her smile haunted him. He still remembered every detail of it. No matter how dark his day was, it took a single smile from her to brighten it. Her laugh was like music to his ears. Her voice, ever so gentle and angelic. Her touch, a phantom of warmth which could heal his every wound. Her unspoken words which conveyed thousands of emotions he'd pretended to be oblivious of. He missed her terribly. All of her. The old adage echoed; You don't know what you have until you lose it. He had taken her for granted. He treated her worse than a master would treat his slave. Now, the silence was deafening. Life without Zynah felt like an empty canvas, devoi
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