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The way everyone was gushing over her plastered a permanent smile on her lips. She knew she would certainly regret this marriage, especially if she didn't get the chance to do what she wanted to do in the one month she had planned, but she was going to enjoy this moment and act like she was really enjoying everything. She was really glad that she got married and she would even pretend that she was in love with whoever the groom was.

The photographer was there just like Hannah had said he would be. They snapped pictures and she felt her eyes filled with tears when she looked around and found no trace of Abla. She could imagine if she was really getting married to the man she loved and Abla happened to be alive, how happy they both will be!

She sighed and when she saw a throng of their circle of employees with whom they ate sometimes in the company, she turned to look at Hannah, whom shrugged her shoulders to show that she didn't know about it. One thing about Yusrah, she was loved by everyone. She was a good person, kind, warm and lovely--just like her Abla was. She had no person she could call a friend, but she had a thousand people she knew whom would actually refer to her as a friend.

The girls came to her and they all caked her into a hug, she was smiling from ear to ear, this was the closest to happiness she had ever felt since Abla died. She was smiling to the chorus of congratulations and she grinned at Hannah that just winked at her. They were having a small event at the garden of the house with a soft music that boomed from a speaker while the photographer took every moment they had shared.

She turned to one side and saw Fatima staring at her from the other end of the garden. She looked like someone that wanted to be there, but at the same time, she was afraid of being there. She waved at her, knowing so well it wasn't the one she gave that beating in their chamber. She took tentative steps until she came close to them and Yusrah walked to where she was.

"Why are you standing over there, Fatima, right?" She asked with a soft smile. She didn't know why she wasn't feeling her usual hostility towards them. Besides, Fatima was so much unlike Zarah.

"I just wanted to extend my congratulations to you," she said with a cool voice and smiled nervously at her, staring at her face. "And you look so beautiful, I've never thought that you actually look this way, honestly."

That made Yusrah laughed, "Thank you, you aren't looking bad too, yourself." She smiled at her and asked, "Won't you join us? And have the photographer snap us, at least?" She asked and she watched the way that nervousness eased off from her face while she nodded.

She called over the photographer, "I haven't snapped with my sister, will you please do that?" Now that she remembered, this was the twin that she sometimes met with Abla, talking. She was the one that always came to talk about Turkish with Abla. And she heard from Abla that she chose to study in Istanbul.

They snapped the pictures and went over to eat the meal that had been prepared by Kulthum. She loved everything here and everyone. She was glad they all showed up and took her mind off the things she didn't wish to think of. It was finally dark and she went in to take off her makeup, bathe, pray and get ready for the conveyance when Hannah followed her into the room.

"Should I stay so that I can retouch your makeup after that?" She asked as she sat on the sofa in Abla's room. That was the usual spot Abla loved to sit on, but she wasn't going to ponder over it that much, she wasn't going to be sad about it at all. She would only do that when she had started crying and she knew she would get to shed off all the things that were stuck in her chest.

"No, because I'm going to wash it off and rest from all this load on my face. I hate makeup, at least that's one of the things you should know about me as my secretary, right?" Hannah groaned and Yusrah only laughed it off before she walked away and got into the bathroom.

Like before, she took her time and bathed. Hours ago, she became someone's wife, even before she woke up from sleep, she had heard from Kulthum. And now, despite knowing that it wasn't going to be a real marriage, that she had her hidden agenda, but she couldn't help being curious about who the husband was. What if he was old and looked as ugly and aged as Musa did? Even though she would have to admit that Musa wasn't at all looking bad, but still. She wouldn't love an old husband, even if it was timed.

She screamed a bit when a thought crossed her mind and before she took a hold of herself, Hannah was by the bathroom's door. She walked out in her towel with a worried expression on her face and stared at Hannah, looking as helpless as she felt within.

"What will I do, Hannah?" She asked, looking dejected.

"What will you do about what? You're married now, remember? And even if Musa ends up making you broke again, the only thing you could do is hold only your rich sugar daddy and be a wealthy woman off of him."

Yusrah screamed and slumped on the bed as she whined, "Even you that's full of positivity thought of him as an old man. I really can't do it, Hannah. What if?..." She couldn't complete her sentence as she whined loudly again, palming her face.

Hannah laughed and came to sit by her side, "What are you thinking about? And no, I'm sure he wouldn't be bad looking just because he's an old man. I expect him to at least be around Musa's age. Just that we shouldn't raise our hopes to have him good looking, he may be looking like an ogre..."

"Stop it!" Yusrah screamed and sat upright, a pout prominent on her face. "Now that I possibly thought about it, I really can't do it, Hannah. What if he wants to be intimate with me? And he turns out to be an ugly sugar daddy? What will I do?"

Hannah gasped, and it appeared that's when the thought crossed her mind too. She palmed her mouth as she thought of the perfect answer to give Yusrah. "Oh my god! That didn't cross my mind, Miss Bawa. And you aren't supposed to act anything but a good wife that's in love with him." Yusrah scrunched up her face more as she nodded her head vehemently at that. "What if you get pregnant after you and Musa turns him broke? Oh my Allah!"

Yusrah didn't know when she punched her strongly on her arm and wailed outwardly, "I'm dead, Hannah. I'll always lie that I'm sick before we get a perfect way out. I really won't let an old man to dis-virgin me, I've been keeping this for eternity, for the man I'd really love and be willing to spend the rest of my life with." She thought for a moment, hopelessly, "the highest I'd allow him to do is to hold my hands, and maybe hug me sometimes, but anything apart from that is a no and a no and NOOOO!" The way she screamed the last no forced a laughter out of Hannah's chest and she laughed until she saw the expression on Yusrah's face and she sobered up.

"You won't allow him to kiss you?" She asked, the remains of her laughter audible in her tone.

"The hell I will! What if he doesn't brush? What if he's an ugly and dirty sugar daddy? I know he certainly has a wife, he will, so he should go and get whatever he wants from her or them. But never me."

"Do you really think that there would be a man that will get married to such a beautiful woman like yourself and be contented with just holding your hands and occasional hugs? Not even a kiss?" She threw her head back and laughed, clapping her hands as this was such an entertainment she hadn't expected to get today.

She pointed at Yusrah that was now on the vanity stool as she applied some lotion on her body, still in her towel. "Just take a look at yourself, Miss Bawa, no man, and when I say no man, I mean none of that gender will get married to a woman like you and just have it that way. He couldn't even resist, even if he hates you so much. Not even Hammad Idi Labo."

Yusrah hissed loudly and fixed her gaze on what she was doing, "I told you to stop making such references to Hammad, Hannah."

"But I was just trying to explain things clearly to you without sugarcoating anything to you. Just take a look at yourself right now, if you were a man, would you be able to resist yourself?"

Yusrah threw a perfume at her and she dodged it, laughing at her. "I would love to imagine Hammad trying so hard to resist you, it would be survival of the fittest."

"Damn you and that stupid boy! Will you let me breathe?"

Hannah stood up and bowed slightly, "with all pleasure, Mrs-we-don't-know-and-hope-he's-good-looking."

"I hate you!"

"I love you more than you hate Hammad!" When she was out of the room, Yusrah couldn't stop herself from laughing, it was obvious that Hannah enjoying annoying her with the talks about Hammad.

•

Hannah was beside her in the car with Kulthum on the other side and then the driver, they were the only ones. Which made her thought, if Abla was alive, what kind of wedding would she throw off for her, if she had married the man she loved and was so excited to live with?

The gate to the mansion was opened and the moment their eyes got the view of the house, she felt as Hannah leaned in by her side and whispered, "From the looks of things, he's so rich that Musa will have to use someone close to him to bring him down. Man! I thought your house was luxurious enough, just take a look at this paradise."

"Will he be good looking, Hannah?" She whispered back, her heart beating silently.

"From the looks of things, good looking men hardly become this filthy rich. But one thing is certain, this mansion is certainly owned by an old man, if not older than Musa, then certainly not younger than him."

"You should at least be saying the things I would want to hear, Hannah. You're making me loose my breath due to how anxious I am."

Hannah chuckled and took her hand in hers, "You'd love living here and getting wealthy off of this man, as beautiful as you look--which is certainly why Musa used you as the trap he wants to set him in, he wouldn't even hesitate to give you everything that he owns." She said silently and when she wanted to say the next thing, she leaned closer to her ear, "But you at least have to let him worship that body first, my love."

She punched her, and Hannah pulled away laughing lovingly at her. Yusrah was nervous, she was anxious and she wished there was a way she could turn back this whole arrangement. She didn't even know how her life turned from being peaceful and the only problem she had was if she met with Hammad in a meeting to this chaotic, painful and desperate life she lived now. And now, look at what she got herself into, Abla would cry painfully if she were to know what was going on in her Yusrah's life.

She was taken to a chamber that was at the far end of the house and when they got out of the car, they were welcomed warmly by a woman looking around Abla's age. She had a daughter by her side which was around Fatima and Zarah's age and they were smiling at them. Yusrah knew they were the wife and the daughter of this man, what would she do now?

They showed them to their chamber and she heard when they exchanged pleasantries before she greeted her and the kind of warm and loving smile she was giving her made her uneasy. This wasn't usually how co-wives acted, was it? Especially when the co-wife was as good looking as she was.

After they bid them goodnight, Yusrah turned to Hannah and gave her a look, "She's making me uneasy, Hannah. Who would smile this happily after getting a co-wife?"

"I know, right? She's making me feel all cringy. You should just be careful, okay?" She nodded her head and when they bid her goodbye along with Kulthum, she really thought she would cry at the kind of pain she felt in her heart.

She watched them leave before she walked out of the room she was left in. She looked around the living room and walked around, enjoying and loving all that she had seen in the chamber. A thought struck in her heart, what if this was a house she was going to live with the man she actually loved? Not an old man she was about to be his nemesis? It would have been such a good home that would have been filled with laughter and their love.

She took water from the fridge, imagining her and the imaginary husband she had painted in her head--knowing for sure that she would be disappointed with the real version of her husband, as he stayed in the kitchen while she cooked for them. She loved back hugs, and maybe some day she was cooking and without knowing, he would come behind and hug her, she would melt under his touch.

She laughed softly before she smacked herself internally. One thing about her, she was a hopeless romantic. She loved love so much that when Walid betrayed and hurt her, she was deeply pained that she swore not to fall in love again. After all, they had come in agreement with her heart-which painfully felt too much of everything-that there would be no more love for them. Maybe hatred would do, and she had hated Hammad enough not to hate anyone anymore.

She looked around enough and went back to her room, looking at the places she'd love to add some few things to make it feel like an actual home. Even though she wouldn't be staying for long, she'd love to feel at ease in the one place she could be herself, which was her room.

Her phone rang, and when she saw that it was Hannah, she could almost imagine what they were going to talk about. "He isn't back yet, Hannah." She said with a low voice, taking off the garments Kulthum forced on her body.

"Those old men don't come back early, I'm sure. He may not even know that you're one hell of a gorgeous bride, you see? But I'm sure he'd drool over your sight..."

"Hannah, you're really not helping my current condition. I'd send you a picture of him like promised and you'd guess his age for us. Goodnight." She ended the call before she heard Hannah's next words, for they were certainly not going to be that good of words.

She got into her pajamas, having being so tired; physically and emotionally, Yusrah laid on the bed, draping the duvet over her shoulders. She thought of Abla, no matter how much she want to run away from those thoughts. But without knowing, sleep over took her soul as she thought of how to act if he turned out to be what they thought--which she was certain would be. A lovely wife her feet.

•

She woke up around 3:45am and wondered how she had slept that long, when she thought she was going to only take an hour nap or some sort. She thought the supposed husband was going to wake her up when he came back, right? Or had he come in and found her sleeping? Then like a good father would, he decided to let her sleep? Once, she had heard that those old men were so good at taking care of their women.

Did he stared at her while she slept and thought of how lucky he was to have gotten a wife like her? What a hopeless romantic! She thought. But her curiosity after she read the texts Hannah left for her was going to kill her if she waited until morning before she saw who the husband was. And staring at the time, she knew he was certainly asleep by this time.

She got down to her bed, making sure she hadn't made enough sound that would wake him up, incase he was a light sleeper. She walked to the living room and the kitchen light she was sure she had turned off was back on, which confirmed to her that he was back and decided to let her sleep; like a good loving daddy.

She slightly opened the door of the first room she could see but found no one on the bed, maybe it was an extra room. She got to another room, the bed was laid as well. Ah, did she make a mistake about him? Her veil slipped just when she opened another door and it turned out to be a study room, with endless bookshelves that made her swoon internally.

Forgetting about her veil that was slipping down, since it was obvious that she was mistaken, maybe he went back to his wife to sleep, she walked into the study room. She loved books, that was one thing that had never changed in her life. And even though she hadn't gotten a chance to bring her books from home, it made her ecstatic seeing these books and it somehow calmed her down.

As she walked into the study room, reading through titles, she had never thought she'd hear what she heard. "Who's that?" She got startled to the point that she didn't know when she screamed so loud and her veil went to her feet, making a shower of her hair on her arms.

She sensed someone walking towards her, maybe it was the husband, she thought and began to squint her eyes gently until she laid them fully on the face of the man walking towards her. She ran back and screamed, "What the hell are you doing here?!" Because, what the hell?!