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Behind A Smile 132
"What have I done! What have I done!" Zaahida panicked, her breaths emerging in ragged pants, and her whole body trembled visibly. Her heart thumped harder against her chest at the sight of blood splattered all over her windshield.• For some inexplicable reason, Zynah suddenly felt uneasy. The pandemonium outside only made the feeling worse. She dashed out of the house, and her eyes widened in horror at the sight before her. "Adnan!" She screamed. "Adnaaaaaaan!" She screamed even louder. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She shook her head in denial. It couldn't be what she was thinking. "Zynah!" Bilal rushed to her aid just before her legs could give out. "Ad...Adnan.. Bilal, our son," She stuttered, tears brimming up in her eyes, as she pointed to the scene in front of her. "Zynah," Bilal called, tapping her cheek lightly with the sole aim of bringing her back to reality. "Put yourself together! Look over there, Adnan is safe. Our son is alright." With glossy e
Behind A Smile 133
"You said you wanted to be alone, didn't you?" Zynah rolled her eyes. "Let go of me, please. I don't want to do this with you in front of Adnan." "Zynah..." His voice trailed. "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you. I...I didn't mean what I said. I always want you to be wherever I am. You know this. I need you always. I'm just..." he heaved a deep sigh. "I'm so worried for Nazmeera. I don't want her to die, Zynah." Zynah turned around and her lips curved into a small, reassuring smile. "I understand... I just didn't expect you to snap at me like that. I wouldn't have even be here with you if I didn't care. I also want her to be alright." Bilal nodded in agreement. "Thank you so much, Zynah." His gaze then darted to Adnan. He crouched down in front of him and cupped his face, his fingers caressing his cheeks affectionately. "You didn't get hurt, did you?" He nodded, showing him his bandaged elbow and bruised knee. Bilal cringed. "Does it hurt a lot? show me." "Yes,"
Behind A Smile 134
"So he's coming back?" Bilal asked, ignoring her question deliberately. "Yes," Zynah replied, unperturbed. "He just called to inform me." "I didn't know that you still keep in touch with him," he said, leaning against the counter. "You must be very happy that he's returning." Zynah gazed incredulously at him. His words were accusatory. "I do talk to him. Sometimes," She added the last part to make the issue seem less complicated. "You must be happy he is returning," He repeated, meeting her gaze. "He is the reason you want to be divorced, right?" Zynah heaved a deep sigh. "To be honest with you, I don't know how to reply this." It was obvious Bilal wanted to argue again but she was not in the mood for a fight. "There's nothing between the both of us. I..." She trailed off, heaving another sigh. "Can we please not talk about this now?" "Fine then," He shrugged. "Where's Adnan?" "I guess he is in his room." She responded. Then, she remembered Nazmeera. "How...how is
Behind A Smile 135
Bilal was seated in his room, in deep thoughts, when Zynah walked in. She took a seat beside him on the bed and handed him some tablets and a glass of water. "It's time for your medicines," she said, her voice soft as always. Bilal took the pills from her, his fingers brushing hers in the process. "Thank you," He said. Then, with a swift movement, he put the pills in his mouth and pushed them down with a gulp of water. "You're welcome," Zynah replied with a smile. "How is Nazmeera doing? Any improvement?" "No,"He shook his head, his voice heavy. "She's still unconscious." "May Allah grant her a quick recovery," Zynah prayed, her voice filled with sincerity. She still felt extremely grateful to Nazmeera for saving her child. "Ameen," He responded, his voice barely audible. Without warning, he reached for her hand, intertwining his fingers in hers. Gently, he began to caress her skin. "I know Nazmeera has done a lot of bad things to us in the past," he began, his
Behind A Smile 136
"Zaahida has been caught!" Bilal announced, his voice laced with gratification. "Really?" Zynah asked, releasing a long breath. "This is good news! I have been so scared, thinking she would come for Adnan. When did they catch her? I mean...where did they find her?" Bilal shrugged. "At their house. Apparently, her mother was hiding her. She was also taken into custody as an accomplice. Anyway, I came to inform you that I'm going to the station to see and make sure she gets punished for her crimes." Zynah came forward. "I will go with you," She declared. Bilal shook his head. "Adnan will be all alone here. It's not really safe. You should stay home," He suggested. "What are you going to do there anyway?" "No," Zynah, too, shook her head, adamantly. "I also have lots of questions for Zaahida. She'll have to answer to them. Adnan is asleep right now. We will be back before he wakes up." Bilal, knowing there was nothing he could do to change Zynah's mind, yielded. "Okay, y
Behind A Smile 137
"You're—" "Let me," Mrs. Habiba intervened, cutting her daughter off. "So, Bilal, you don't have any regards left for me. You brought your wife here, so that the both of you can insult my daughter in front of me?" she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. "After divorcing my daughter without any valid reason, you have the effrontery to show yourself to me. We entrusted our daughter to you, because we thought you were going to take good care of her, but what did you do? You disregarded her and made our family a laughing stock in the neighborhood. Is this how you repay us for all the goodness we've shown you and your family?" "I didn't ask for anything from your family!" Bilal hissed. "I never wanted to marry your daughter, and you know it! Don't act shocked. You probably saw this coming. Whatever is happening to her, you played a huge role in it. Sometimes, I feel bad that she has someone like you for a mother!" "How dare you!" Mrs. Habiba yelled, her voice trembling. "Y
Behind A Smile 138
Weeks passed by within what seemed like a blink of an eye. In the past four weeks, nothing much had happened - ever since Zynah's nightmare, she had insisted on staying in Bilal's room, together with Adnan. The thought of being away from him, scared her. The stark reality of Bilal's illness had settled in after Dr. Muslim's grim explanation. Dialysis was a futile endeavor, and a transplant, while a glimmer of hope, was far from guaranteed. The search for a compatible donor had yielded no results. It was draining for Bilal, and even more for Zynah. In the course of that one month, Bilal had gone back to Abuja with Zynah and Adnan. They didn't waste any more time in enrolling Adnan in a school. Being the smart kid he was, he thrived in school, making the teachers love and admire him. Despite how Bilal's body was slowly deteriorating, he still insisted on not resigning. But going to work, didn't mean he spent all of his time there. As soon as he was done with the things he had to
Behind A Smile 139
Bilal unlocked the door and walked into the house with a sleeping Adnan in his arms. He walked straight to his room and gently lowered him on the bed. "He seems to be very exhausted," He commented, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah," Zynah nodded in agreement. "He had a lot of fun today." Bilal shifted his gaze to her. "How about you?" He asked, fixing his gaze in hers. "Did you have fun as well?" Zynah's eyes lit up and her lips widened. "Of course. And it's all thanks to you. I had fun. The serenity was everything." Bilal's expression suddenly turned gloomy. "I wish we could have more of this outings in the future..." Zynah swallowed a ball of nerves in her throat. She knew exactly where the conversation was heading. "But of course," Zynah responded. "Even if we aren't together anymore, we can have have one... Maybe you'd be married to someone else then... you can bring her along, and—" Bilal's demeanor hardened. He shook his head. "I doubt that would e
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