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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
Behind A Smile 140
Mrs. Hafsa's demeanor contorted in perplexity, her lips parting slightly. "Are you alright? Do you even know what you're saying, Ramlah?" Tears streamed down Ramlah's face like a downpour. "Yes, Mom. I really don't want to get married to him anymore," she said, her voice muffled by her sobs. Mrs. Hafsa's brows furrowed tightly as she tried to comprehend the situation. "But why? Did you two have a misunderstanding?" She inquired. "It can easily be fixed." "He is not who we think he is. I can't do this, mum. I don't want to do this," Ramlah shook her head vigorously. "Will you calm down and tell me went wrong?" Mrs. Hafsa asked, a wave of frustration washing over her. "The wedding is just two months away. Also, invitations have been sent out. How do you expect the wedding to be called off? Tell me what he did. I will personally have a talk with him. What did he do?" She asked again, her voice stern. "I just don't want to marry him anymore, that's all," she wiped her te
Behind A Smile 141
Ever since Mrs. Hafsa spoke to Zynah, she had been restless. For Ramlah to want to call off the wedding, Dr. Muslim must have done a terrible thing to her, but he didn't seem like a bad person to her. He couldn't possibly be a villain in their unfolding drama, could he? After she was done talking to Ramlah on the phone, she sauntered to the walk-in closet to get her small travelling bag. She was busy folding some of her clothes in the bag, when Bilal's appeared in the doorway. He stood there, his gaze fixed on the bag. The first thing that obviously ran through his mind, was that she was finally leaving him, even before the time they both agreed. When Zynah raised her gaze and noticed his presence, she immediately zipped up the bag and sauntered towards him. "Bilal. I was looking for you." She started. "I have something to tell you...more like to ask of you." Bilal nodded his head, signalling her to go ahead, for he couldn't bring himself to speak at that moment. His exp
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