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Behind A Smile 100
Bilal's stomach lurched. He knew his father would never take the news of Zynah's return well. The thought of facing his anger, especially in front of Adnan filled him with dread. Just as Bilal drove out of the compound, his phone, which was in Adnan's hands, rang again. Bilal didn't have to check, he already knew who it was. He instinctively reached for the phone, but Adnan was faster. With a mischievous grin, he received the call and placed it on his ear. "Hello?" Bilal quickly pulled over and collected the phone from Adnan. "Dad." "Who was that?" Mr. Idris demanded. "I'm almost there. I will explain things to you when I get there," Bilal replied, his voice tight. He ended the call and averted his gaze to Adnan. "Who permitted you to receive my call?" He didn't want his voice to emerge stern, but judging by how tears instantly welled up in his eyes, he realized it had. "Hey! I'm not angry. It was just a question. Next time, don't do that again, okay?" He stated, trying to
Behind A Smile 101
Zynah couldn't put her mind to rest. It had been more than three hours since Bilal took Adnan to the park, and they hadn't returned. She had tried calling him severally, but her calls weren't going through. "Please be fine, Adnan," She muttered underneath her breath. Right on cue, she heard the screech of car tires coming a halt outside the house. Relief washed over her as she bolted from the room, her heart thumping hard in her chest. "Mummy!" Adnan's voice could be heard even before he burst through the doorway. "Mummy!" he lurched himself into Zynah's waiting arms. A smile graced Zynah's lips as she held him. "My baby," She whispered, smothering his face with kisses. "I've missed you so much. Where did daddy take you?" Before he could answer, Bilal walked in, two leather bag in his hands. "I just saw your calls earlier. I'm sorry I missed them." "I was just calling to know if Adnan was alright," She informed. "Nothing else." "Yeah, I know," He responded. "I didn't
Behind A Smile 102
Early the next morning - not long after dawn prayer, Omar arrived in Nigeria. Ramlah's eyes widened when she opened the door and saw her brother in law. They had expected him, yes, but not so soon. "Assalamu'alaykum. Good morning." He greeted, his voice cutting through her surprise. "Wa' alaykum salaam. Good morning, ya Omar." She returned the greeting. "We had no idea your flight would be landing this early." "I couldn't bear staying away even for a minute more. Where is Rashida?" He inquired, his voice laced with worry. Ramlah managed a small smile. Despite everything, her sister had found a man who loved her immensely and unconditionally. "She is in the room." "How... How is she holding up?" Omar asked, his voice quivering a bit. "I tried calling her sever times but she didn't answer any of my calls." "It's been really tough for her, but I believe she's beginning to accept what happened," Ramlah replied. "Mum and dad, are they around?" "Dad hasn't been i
Behind A Smile 103
Zaahida tossed and turned throughout the night, haunted by the image of Bilal leaving Zynah's room late at night. Dawn finally arrived and her anger still hadn't lessened. "That bitch!" She hissed, gnashing her teeth. The facade of friendship was already beginning to suffocate her. She was tired of playing miss goody two shoes. She wanted nothing more than to be able to teach her a good lesson for deciding to come back into Bilal's life just after he had moved on. She heaved a sigh of exasperation. The only person she could think of for an advice was Nazmeera, so she dialed her number. On the second ring, Nazmeera picked up. "Hello, sister-in-law!" Zaahida rolled her eyes. "I'm frustrated. I need your help, please." "What is it this time?" Nazmeera asked, the exasperation in her voice glaring. "That homewrecker is currently living with us!" Zaahida exploded. "Bilal brought her back here! Can you believe that?" "What!" Nazmeera exclaimed. "When? How did that happen?
Behind A Smile 104
Adnan tugged insistently at Zynah's hijab, pulling her out of her reverie. "Mummy! Mummy!!" "Are you alright?" Bilal asked her, his voice laced with worry. Not wanting her gaze to meet his, she looked everywhere, but his direction. "I'm fine." "You don't seem like it," He countered, his gaze holding hers. Zynah resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I said I'm fine. What are you talking about?" Bilal hummed thoughtfully. "For what happened yesterday, I —" Zynah cut him off abruptly. "There's nothing to explain. You took advantage of the situation and... And..." She heaved a sigh. "Never mind. We've passed that. Don't bring it back." "Do you genuinely think that was what I did? I took advantage of what situation? We have our problems, Zynah, but I'm still your husband." "Not for long," She reminded, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. They were so engrossed in their conversation, they had totally forgotten Adnan's presence in the room until he spoke up. "Da
Behind A Smile 105
Dr. Muslim leaned casually against his sleek, black car, his posture exuding an air of confidence. He took out his phone from his breast pocket and dialed Ramlah's number. She picked up almost immediately. "I'm already in front of the address you gave me," he informed. "Alright," Ramlah replied. "I'll be out in a few minutes." She ended the call immediately, and a minute later, she emerged from the gate, her black abaya matching with his car. A shy smile tugged at her lips as their eyes met. She quickened her pace, her heart beating faster in her chest. "Assalam 'alaykum," She greeted him softly, her gaze lowered. "Wa' alaykum salam," he replied, his voice gentle. "I have been waiting for quite a while. I hope you have good news for me." A blush crept up Ramlah's face as she continued to avoid his gaze. "That's not true. I came here as soon as I got your call." He chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Don't mind me, I was only trying to ease the ten
Behind A Smile 106
Zynah watched the entire ordeal, her heart heavy with pity. She wanted to intervene, but she didn't know how. After Zaahida had swallowed the morsel, she fixed her gaze on Bilal. "I hope that's proof enough." With a swift movement, she turned and stormed out of the room. Zynah shook her head and sighed deeply. She felt extremely bad for Zaahida. All she was trying to do, was be nice, but ended up getting humiliated for it. "I don't intend to meddle, but I think you should apologize and stop her from leaving," she pleaded, her voice gentle yet firm. "You humiliated her badly." Bilal's face hardened. "She was just putting up an act. She may be innocent in this, but trust me, she's capable of doing anything and everything just to get what she wants. And for leaving, trust me, she's going nowhere and she knows." Zynah's brows furrowed. "What could she possibly gain from hurting me?" "She wants you out of the picture," Bilal replied bluntly. "Be careful around her. She's not
Behind A Smile 107
A wave of nausea washed over Bilal as he stumbled out of his room, making him hold onto the wall for support. His vision blurred and his breath emerged in ragged pants. His attempts to steady his breath was futile. Zynah's gentle voice pierced through the fog of his distress."Are you alright?" she asked, her brows furrowed in concern. Bilal's smile was strained. "Yes," he managed to croak out. "I'm perfectly fine, don't worry." Zynah hummed, obviously not convinced by his words. "Are you sure?" she asked, her skeptical gaze lingering on him for a few more seconds. Wordlessly, Bilal nodded. Then, he retreated into his room and shut the door behind him. Alone, Bilal sank onto the bed, his body trembling uncontrollably. For some inexplicable reason, Zynah felt something was wrong with him. He didn't seem quite fine. He looked and sounded very weak. She reached for the handle, but stopped abruptly, her hand hovering over it. She was only concerned about him, because of
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