Dedicated to xxFAAxx and ishabdool

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Walking into their home, Sa'eed took Maryam directly to their room and made her lay down on the bed.

She gazed at him lovingly. "How did you manage to convince the doctor to get my discharge papers ready?" She inquired. If she could remember vividly, he was proving adamant. Apparently, he did not trust Saeed enough to take care of her after what happened after his previous warning.

"What could I do? You kept on insisting. I had to practically beg him for that to happen." He replied, massaging his temple lightly.

"Wow! What did you say to make him change his mind?" She questioned inquisitively.

"I told him you aren't happy at the hospital and reminded him of what he said about you getting stressed." He narrated. "He agreed on two conditions though."

"What conditions?" She asked with a raised brow.

"You're not allowed to get out of bed or do anything stressful for the next two weeks."

"What!" She asked with widened eyes. She questioned herself inwardly if she indeed heard him right - two weeks? It would be nearly impossible for her to comply to that condition of theirs. She wasn't used to doing that - it'd be very hard to adapt.

"Yeah. You heard me right. Rules are rules." He shrugged. "I will be here to make sure you don't violate it."

She huffed. "Second condition is?"

"You're going to have to consume lots and lots of vegetables, fruits and folic acid to increase the blood in your body." He replied.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't you think I know all these, habibi? I think you're forgetting I'm a nurse."

Saeed chuckled. "How can I forget? You keep reminding me daily."

He said that in a jocular manner - she knew, but for some inexplicable reason, she felt saddened by the words, but quickly waved it away for she didn't want to ruin the moment. "I can accept the second condition, but not the first." She pouted.

"You have to, unless..." He trailed off for a few second. "You want us to go back to the hospital."

She heaved an exasperated sigh. "Alright. I will try to do as you want."

"Thank you." He smiled.

Maryam closed her eyelids and was about to take a short nap when she suddenly remembered her conversation with Zainab at the hospital. Abruptly, her eyes fluttered open. "Habibi?" She called.

"Yes?" Saeed replied, putting off his shoes.

"I want us to talk." She stated, her voice laced with immense seriousness.

"We're already talking."

"I'm serious, habibi."

"Alright. What do you want us to talk about?"

"About what Zainab said at the hospital."

Saeed looked unsure and nervous? "I don't think it's a good idea, habibty. The doctor-"

"I know everything the doctor said." She interrupted. "And why don't you want us to talk about it? Are you hiding something from me? Are you already married or what? Please just tell me. I won't get angry, I promise. I just don't want to be kept in the dark." She finished and fought back the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. She felt a lump stuck in her throat as she thought of the possibility - what was going to happen to her if that was the case? How would she be able to live with that? - tears prickled her eyes and her lips trembled.

"Because I don't want you to be stressed right now." He reasoned. "We're just returning from the hospital for Allah's sake."

The tear which had been hanging in her eyes finally rolled down her cheek - why did he ignore her second question? Indisputably, he was indeed hiding something very important from her. He definitely got married without her knowledge - her eyes widened at the realisation and she gasped. "You still haven't given me a reply. Did you get remarried already?" She questioned despondently. "Answer me!"

"No." He replied curtly.

"What do you mean by no? Please expatiate." She begged. She was slowly losing it and Saeed was replying her brusquely.

"I promise to tell you everything, but not now. I don't want you to overstress." He voiced.

"I will be overstressed if you don't tell me right now for I will keep thinking about it till you decide to enlighten me." She remarked adamantly. What astonished her the most was the reason Saeed didn't want to talk about it. Indeed her worst fear had turned into reality.

"Okay." He sighed. "If that's what you want. I will tell you right away."

"Thank you." She forced a smile.

"I didn't get married as you've assumed."

Maryam released the breath she didn't even realise she had been withholding - it seemed a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. His reply soothed her more than she thought possible.

"I am not getting remarried either." He finished, evading her gaze.

Maryam's jaw dropped - did she hear him correctly or was her ears deceiving her? Perhaps she misheard or misinterpreted his words. "What did you just say?"

"I'm not getting married again. I never really intended to." He paused for a while before proceeding. "It was all just an act."

"What!" She exclaimed in disbelief. All of the excitement she felt previously suddenly diminished and dissipated in the air. She had been lied to all this while? She had sleepless nights all for a lie? She couldn't even do anything properly due to how heavy her heart felt with different kinds of emotions. She may not have spoken up, but the last few days felt like torture to her. She couldn't even bear the mere thought of the wedding pushing through and when she finally decided to accept his decision with so much difficulty, he showed up and said it was all a lie. He indeed made a fool of her. He toyed with her emotions like it was nothing. She was really disappointed in him.

"I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I did it for a purpose." He tried to explain.

"What purpose? Why would you deceive me like that? I trusted you, Sa'eed."

"Listen to my explanation before you jump into conclusion. Please."

"What explanation will you give that would justify your action?" She questioned teary eyed.

"I didn't want to do this."

"Then why did you?" She cried.

"I wanted you to see things from a different perspective and I'm glad you did."

"You should have talked to me instead." She reasoned.

"That's what I have always done and the results always ends up the same."

"Of all things, why would you scare me with that particular news?" She asked, fighting back tears. He must have thought he did that to make her see things from a different perspective, but his action wasn't justified at all.

"Because I knew you wouldn't like it. I knew you'd stop thinking irrationally and make the right decision that would be beneficial for our family." He explained.

Maryam gazed at him in disbelief - his explanation just made things worse than it already worse. He used her weakness against her? That was very unreasonable of him. "How could you do that to me? Do you have any idea what I had to go through in these past few days? Do you? All for what?"

"For you. For Manal. For our family." He enunciated each word in emphasis.

"Wrong! You did it because you knew that was my weakness and you decided to use it against me to take revenge on me for not listening to you."

Sa'eed shook his head. "Can you hear yourself speak?"

"I will never forget what you did today. You made me go through sleepless nights all for nothing. You lied to me without even blinking. I believed you. I trusted you with all of my heart. If someone had told me you're capable of doing something this... This grotesque, I wouldn't have believed them." She ranted.

"Can you please stop blowing things out of proportion?" He pleaded. "Stop making a mountain out of a mole hill."

Maryam couldn't believe her ears. "You think that's what I'm doing?" She queried. "If this sounds likely to you, it doesn't to me."

"Alright." Sa'eed heaved a sigh. "I shouldn't have done that. My intention was good though, but I agree the approach was wrong. I'm sorry, habibty. Let's just forget about it and move on."

"Forget about it? No! This isn't something I can easily forget as long as I'm in this house." She spat. Gazing at her husband, she realised how worked up he seemed, but she wasn't going to let everything go just like that. He can't have his cake and eat it all the time.

"What do you want to happen now?" He questioned.

Even without being told, Maryam knew he was being selective on his words for he didn't want to hurt her. Maryam took a minute to think before speaking up. "I want a break from this house." She shut her eyes. "I want to go back to my parents' house in Minna."

Sa'eed didn't looked surprised - it seemed he was expecting her to say just that. "Think of this rationally first."

She shook her head adamantly. "There's nothing more for me to think about. My mind is already made up. I really want to go please. I can't stand staying here right now. I need to breathe."

"How about Manal?"

"If you'd agree, I want to take her with me. Besides, it's really been long since I took her there."

"Alright." He smiled. "Mum will take even better care of you for me." He finished and turned to leave.

"Hab -" she cut herself off abruptly.

He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"I want to leave today." She said, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was finding it very difficult to allow those five words leave her mouth, but she knew she had to no matter how difficult it was.

"Alright." He replied without turning around and proceeded to walk towards the exit of the room. Before he left the room, he turned around and said; "when you're ready to leave, give me a call. I'll be in Manal's room."

Maryam instantly began to have second thoughts about her decision to leave - was she taking it too far? Her conscience began to hunt her. She didn't want to leave, but what could she do? She wanted him to realise the gravity of his action. His silence alone made her feel uncomfortable and malevolent - he didn't even ask her his long she would be staying there or better yet, try to stop her. "Only Allah knows what's going on in his mind right now."

Difficultly, she managed to evade her conscience and began packing her necessities.

She was still engrossed in folding some of her clothes in her bag, when Zainab walked in. Maryam gazed at her for some seconds, before averting her gaze back to what she was doing.

"I didn't know you people are going somewhere." She stated.

"Yes we are. Manal and I." She replied, now stuffing her things into the box roughly.

Zainab gazed at her wide eyed. "What's happening?"

"I'm leaving this house right now and I'm taking my daughter with me?"

"What!" Zainab asked in disbelief. "Do not take such a rash decision. You will surely regret it."

"No Zainab. I have to do this. What your brother did to me is just so unbearable. He lied to my face. He made me believe he was getting remarried when in reality, he isn't. He deceived me."

"Shouldn't you be happy he isn't getting married? Isn't that what you wanted."

"Believe me, I am, but I'm more hurt by the deceit." She voiced.

"Just let it go, please. You're not doing the right thing."

"My mind is already made up, and besides, Sa'eed doesn't want me to stay." She remarked, recalling how he walked out of the room without an attempt to make her change her mind. One word from him and she would have reconsidered her decision.

"How can you say that?" Zainab questioned.

"He didn't try to stop me."

"You should know your husband by now, he didn't say a word because he respects your decisions, otherwise, he would have easily given you an order not to leave the house." Zainab tried to reason.

"He couldn't do it because he knows he is wrong this time around, but at least, he should have tried to stop me."

"This isn't his fault, Maryam." Zainab remarked.

"How is it not his fault?"

"He didn't come up with the whole idea." She replied. "I did."

"What!" Maryam exclaimed. Never had it ever cross her mind Zainab was the mastermind behind everything - she betrayed her trust. "You?"

"Yes." She replied. "Sa'eed didn't want to do this at first. It took a whole lot of convincement from me before he agreed to do it. He was very worried about you and didn't want to hurt you. If at all you are to blame someone, then put the blame on me and not him."

"I thought you were on my side, but I guess I was mistaken. Obviously, you will support him, I mean, he's your brother." She remarked irritatedly. She had seen a side of Zainab she didn't know she had before. How could she do that to her! Not only Sa'eed, but Zainab as well had betrayed her trust. It was too much for her to handle. She knew she could stay no longer in the house as the atmosphere was suffocating her.

"That isn't true. You know that. I'm on both your sides. I want nothing, but to see the both of you happy all the time - this is the reason I came up with this idea. I'm sorry if you think I did something wrong. My intention was genuine, I promise."

"It doesn't matter to me right now." She replied adamantly. She was hellbent on leaving. Zainab's confession just added fuel to the fire.

"Please reconsider your decision. Is ya Sa'eed genuinely okay with this?"

"He is." She replied curtly and began to zip up the bags.

Zainab's gaze darted to the bags. "Why do you have two bags. Are you planning to stay there for a very long time?"

"I don't know. It depends." She replied and carried one of the bags. "Please help me with the other one." She requested.

Zajnab nodded and took the bag. "Depends on what?" She asked as they walled out of the room.

"You're too inquisitive. You really don't have to know everything. I've told you enough already."

Zainab took that as her cue to stop talking. Obviously, she wasn't going to be able to get her to tell her anything anymore.

On getting to the garage, Maryam loaded her bags in the trunk. "Please go and tell your brother I'm already outside."

"Okay." She replied and just as soon as she was about to move, Sa'eed and Manal could be sighted walking towards them. "He's here."

"You haven't told me where we're going, abi." Manal remarked.

"To your grandparents's home - ummi's parents." He replied, his gaze fixed on Maryam.

"I don't want to go." She mumbled, but Maryam and everyone else still managed to hear her. "Granny doesn't like me. She always scolds me."

"Says who?" Sa'eed asked. "Granny loves you a whole lot and do you know what you should do to prevent her from scolding you?"

She shook her head.

"You should be a good girl. Don't disturb her when she's tired and always do whatever she tells you to - it you do these, you will see just how loving she can be." He advised.

"Okay, abi."

"For how long are we going to stay there? How about school? My teacher is going to scold me if I don't go."

Maryam gazed at Sa'eed, waiting to hear the reply he would give to their daughter.

He also gazed at her and their gazes met. "Not for too long." He replied. "You will surely be back before your school resumes from the midterm break in sha Allah."

"Aren't you going with us?" She asked.

"I am, but I'm going to return today." He replied.

"Why?"

"...because, I have some work to do, but don't worry two days will pass before you even know it." He smiled and averted his gaze back to her.

Two days - was he telling her to return in two days indirectly?

"No!" She exclaimed. "I don't want to go with ummi."

Maryam had had enough of the drama - she was about to embark on a four hour journey and she was wasting all of their time. She walked towards them and grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

"No. I don't want to with you." She cried.

"Please, Manal." She pleaded for her to comply. She was trying so hard not to yell at her. After everything she learnt about Nafisa, she didn't want to do anything to hurt her anymore - she was trying her hardest to be less strict with her.

"No." She cried, attempting to release her hand from Maryam's hold.

"Manal." Sa'eed called. "Do as your ummi said."

"I don't want to go with her. Please don't allow her take me, abi."

"We are going together, okay?" Sa'eed smiled.

Manal seemed to have bought his words as her face immediately lit up and she got into the car.

Maryam knew he was just saying that so Manal would comply without throwing a tantrum

"I will be right back." Sa'eed whispered to Zainab, confirming his wife's suspicion.

She walked to the other side and also got in.

"In sha Allah. Safe journey." Zainab replied gloomily. She watched as Sa'eed also got in and drove out of the compound few minutes later.

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Did Maryam do the right thing?

What's your reason for thinking that?

What do you think about Sa'eed in this chapter?

Longest chapter so far 🤔

Next chapter will be dedicated to the person with the most satisfying comment and highest number of comments ✌💫💥

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