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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
Behind A Smile 142
Approximately four hours later, Zynah arrived in the city. She pulled over in front of her parent's mansion and honked the horn once. The gatekeeper peeped through the peephole of the gate, before opening up and allowing Zynah in. Just as she alighted from the car, and was about to walk into the house, her phone began to ring inside her handbag. Indubitably, she knew it was Bilal. He had constantly been calling every thirty minutes or even lesser, to know if she'd arrived. Zynah fumbled around for the phone in her bag and when she finally got a hold of it, the call ended. She quickly returned the call. "Where you now? Haven't you arrived yet? It's been four hours," he said, his voice a mix of irritation and concern. Zynah exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes. "I just arrived," she replied, her tone flat. "You can relax now." "Alhamdulillah," He breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally." "What?" She sneered. "It took you forever," he teased. "I'm glad you arrived safely.
Behind A Smile 143
Ramlah heaved a sigh, her voice laced with frustration. "He is not answering any of my calls," sje told Zynah. "Do you think he is mad at me?" Zynah shrugged. "Maybe he is busy with some other things." "I doubt it. He always has his phone with him. Maybe he got angry and decided to call of the wedding himself. If that is the case, Ya Zynah, I won't be able to take it." "Let me try," Zynah said, picking up her phone, and dialed his number. To Ramlah's dismay, he picked up immediately and Zynah put the call on speaker. "As salam alaykum." Came his husky voice. "Wa alaykum salam wa rahmatullah," Ramlah responded. "How are you doing and everyone at home?" "All fine, Alhamdulillah," he replied, curtly. "I want to speak with you," Zynah began. "is that going to be possible today? I'm around." Muslim hesitated for a while before responding, his voice strained. "Alright. I'll be there in few minutes." "Thanks. I will be waiting for you," Zynah remarked before endi
Behind A Smile 144
Ramlah took in a deep breath before finally walking down the stairs and out of the house. Dr. Muslim black car parked outside was the first thing she saw when she stepped through the gate. With a mixture of nervousness and uncertainty, Ramlah approached the car. And immediately she did, the car door swung open, revealing Dr. Muslim. Ramlah hesitated for a moment, her heart racing in her chest, before finally sliding into the front seat. For the next five minutes, silence dominated the atmosphere. Ramlah didn't know where to start from. Dr. Muslim didn't speak either. It seemed as though he was also gathering his thoughts. Finally, he broke the silence. "Your sister called earlier," He began, his voice low. "I know," Ramlah responded curtly, her tone defensive. She wanted to ask him why he'd been avoiding her calls but like a coward, the words died on her tongue. "She said she wants to speak with me," he continued. "What is it?" Ramlah hummed. The conversation was get
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