26th Oct, 2021

"...given the current market condition, Mr. Ibrahim, I am confident that we are bound to succeed with this partnership."

Shumail was in a business meeting with his foreign delegates, but just physically, his mind was somewhere else though.

"Mr. Ibrahim?"

It went unheard.

"Sir?" Shumail was nudged out of his thoughts by his secretary, who was seated behind him drafting the meeting minutes.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Koji. I'm not feeling great at the moment. Can we perhaps talk about the rest of the conditions some other time?" Shumail raised his hand to untie the knot around his neck that was beginning to suffocate him.

"Everything alright, Mr. Ibrahim?" Mr. Koji questioned in a concerned voice.

"Oh yes, Mr. Koji. I guess I just need some rest."

"We can always discuss this later. Health comes first."

"Thank you so much for understanding, Mr. Koji. My secretary will contact you to reschedule the meeting soon." Shumail said.

"Sure. Will be waiting to discuss this through." Mr. Koji smiled and stretched his hand out for a shake. "I'll take your leave now."

Shumail shook hands with him and, once the delegates had left, he reclined in his chair, exhaling deeply. He slid open his shirt's collar button and buried his head in his palms, which was throbbing with pain.

"Sir, how are you doing? Should I get you a cup of strong coffee?" His secretary inquired.

"Please get me some painkillers." Shumail made a request.

"Sure. Right away." His secretary exited the meeting room, leaving him alone. Shumail slid the papers aside and rested his head on his hands, which he folded on the round table in front of him. He closed his eyes shut and tried to take a nap.

A face appeared in front of his eyes, causing him to squeeze his eyes even tighter.

'Eram.'

Eram was gone. It had been 6 months that she was gone and Shumail had done everything in his power to locate her, but he had been unsuccessful. He went to her old house to look for her, but he couldn't find her there. He had attempted but failed to obtain any information from Zain's school.

He was furious with her, and everything he did reflected that fury, but knowing her side of the story, he thought he went too far.

He was trying to deny that she was hurting, but after reading those letters, he realised how much grief he had caused her. He blamed himself for making such a stupid mistake.

He spent every day hoping to find her, but all of his efforts were in vain. It seemed like a punishment and he knew he deserved it,

Shumail's eyes fluttered open and again closed, as if in utmost pain.

It was true though.

He was in pain. His heart was in pain.

He heard the door open and footsteps, which he assumed were his secretary's, enter.

"Mr. Ibrahim," The voice caused him to open his eyes and glance at the person who owned it, which definitely didn't belong to his secretary.

"Mr. Paul," When Shumail saw the man in front of him, he instantly stood up. "Is there any information?"

"I may say I have a glimmer of hope." The man responded.

"Were you able to track her down? What happened to her? Is she in good health? What about Zain? What about her injury? Is she now able to walk?" Shumail peppered the man with questions.

"I apologise for raising your expectations so high, but we don't know where Mrs. Ibrahim exactly is. We recently received word from one of our sources that a female matching Mrs. Ibrahim's profile has been working as a teacher at a school for specially abled children for the past five months. I've dispatched my men to pay her a visit and verify that she is indeed Mrs. Ibrahim." The man answered. "I won't be able to tell you anything until I get word from my men. Let's hope we'll be able to track her down this time."

"Where is this school?"

"Alberton, Prince Edward Island." The officer answered.

"I'll go and check for myself if it's Eram." Shumail declared in a no nonsense tone, leaving no room for any argument. He took hold of the cordless and connected to his secretary. "Book me the first flight for Alberton and cancel all the meetings for the week." Shumail ordered and placed the cordless back in it place.

Shumail's agitation grew, and he became more impatient with each passing minute. Now that he had a glimmer of hope, he wanted to hold on to it. He kept praying that he would find Eram this time. He couldn't wait to see her, hold her in his arms, hug her tightly, and kiss her senseless. He'd missed her so much in the previous six months that waiting another minute was becoming unbearable.

He hurriedly answered the cordless when it rang, "Did you book the tickets?"

"Your flight is in 4 hours, Sir. The tickets are done." His secretary responded from the other end. Shumail placed the cordless phone back with a nod, as if his secretary could see through it.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Paul, for all your hard work. I'm hoping I'll be able to find her this time." Shumail said, murmuring a faint 'In Sha Allah' under his breath.

"You will, Mr. Ibrahim." The officer gave an encouraging smile. "I'll take your leave now." Shumail walked him out the door after shaking hands with him.

Shumail hurried back to his desk, grabbing his phone and blazer before rushing out of his workplace to return home.

Time seemed to pass painfully slow. He kept checking his watch, whilst seated in his car and it felt like forever to him. When the car stopped in front of the Ibrahim mansion, he quickly got off and hurried inside the house and straight to his room, taking two steps at a time. Shumail opened the door to his room and quickly tossing his blazer and phone aside on the bed, he sprinted to his closet to pack his bag. He took out a small bag and stuffed it with a pair of clothes and all of his essentials, including his phone charger, his laptop and his passport. He changed into some more relaxed attire, putting on a V-neck t-shirt and a pair of casual trousers. He slipped on his flip-flops and was off.

He checked the time and saw that his flight was still 2 hours away. He got his mobile phone from the bed, where he had tossed it, and dialed Aahil's number.

"Assalamualaikum." Aahil greeted as soon as he answered the call.

"Walaikum Assalam. I have a lead on Eram's whereabouts, and I'm travelling out to see whether it's her." Shumail spoke out, his heart pounding rapidly and nervously.

"Really?? Alhamdulillah, that's great news!! Where is she? How is she now? Where are you heading to?" Aahil bombarded Shumail with questions.

"Alberton, Prince Edward Island." Shumail answered. "I don't know how she's doing. I don't even know if it's actually her or someone else." Shumail sighed. "I'm hoping it's her, and that, this time I'll finally find her." Shumail's speech was painfully slow to come out, but Aahil was able to hear him and sense the anguish he was in.

"You will In Sha Allah. Don't lose hope. I pray that Allah SWT brings an end to both of your sorrows and brings you two together soon. Ameen."

"Ameen Ya Rabb." Shumail's eyes closed tight shut as he muttered the words and he opened them a moment later, exhaling deeply. "My flight is in two hours and I'm leaving home in a few moments."

"Sure. Have a safe flight and give a call as soon as you land. Okay?" Aahil said in his fatherly tone. Shumail's lips curved into a smile, and he hummed in response before hanging up and slipping his phone into his trouser pocket.

He grabbed his bag and began to take steps out of his room. Climbing down the stairs, he headed out and got in the car. His heartbeat was running erratic and he kept wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers whilst seated in the car, on his way to the airport.

He kept checking his watch and tapping his fingers impatiently on the armrest of his seat during his journey. He was eager to get to Alberton and find Eram. He couldn't think of anything else since the thoughts of finally meeting Eram had taken over his mind.

What he'd do, how he'd respond, what he'd say to her, and a million other thoughts raced through his mind. He want to wrap his arms around her and give her a bone-crushing hug, the moment he will see her. He yearned for her presence. He yearned for her talks, her laugh, her concern, and her childish antics, but most of all, he yearned for her love.

He found himself smiling recalling all the moments he had spend with her. The time when they played with water, the day that they had spend in the amusement park and their first...kiss.

It was their first kiss. Shumail hadn't thought that he'll ever get close to her but something in that kiss was magical, and he wanted to lose himself in the moment and keep kissing those luscious lips, but he had to get a hold on himself and pull back.

He regret it though.

Everytime Shumail pushed Eram away from him, he regretted it. He could see the efforts that she was taking to persuade him to forgive her and mend their relationship, but he was stubborn to acknowledgement it.

Now, finally after 2 painful hours of flight, that Shumail had landed in Alberton, he quickly exited the airport and hired a cab to take him into the city.

Shumail knew it wouldn't be difficult to find Eram in Alberton, a small province on Prince Edward Island with a population of less than a thousand people. But, before he sets on his search for her, he requested the cab driver to take him to a hotel where he could check in.

The hotels of the place were cute little cottages made from logs of oak, the wood's natural beauty radiating a welcome to the travellers. It was a small one room cabin with a cozy fireplace and in the middle of the cottage lied a bed covered in the softest of cotton sheets and covers, inviting the travellers that had journeyed for miles to rest in contentment. Shumail pulled the curtains from the window aside and opened the windows to let the fresh natural light in. The view outside was something so beautiful that if it would have been some other time, Shumail would want to sit by the window with a hot mug of his favourite coffee and keep cherishing the view in front of him.

The grounds were covered with fine green grass that was swaying with the wind and he could hear a small rustle of the trees and tall bushes. The fresh air hit his face and instantly filled him with tranquility.

There was a door at the corner end of his cabin and he assumed it was the bathroom. He placed his bag to a side and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Shumail splashed water on his face and the instant the cool water hit his face, he felt all his tiredness vanish.

He hadn't been sleeping well lately. The workload in the office had increased and he was putting all his focus on the work, ignoring his food and sleep in the process. His health had deteriorated over the 6 months and he wasn't taking care of himself properly.

Shumail looked up at the small mirror in front and saw a tired man look back. He grabbed the towel from the side stand and wiped his face. He heard his phone ring and he walked out to answer it.

"Assalamualaikum." Shumail greeted.

"Walaikum Assalam. Did you reach safely?" Shahmeer questioned from the other end. Shumail smiled at his concern and hummed in answer.

"I landed an hour ago and now checked in at a hotel." Shumail informed.

"Okay Good. Let us know if you find Eram." Shahmeer said.

"Yes, we are waiting." He heard Zaid shout in the phone and Shumail shook his head at him with a smile.

"Yes, darling!" Shumail said with a grin and ended the call.

He looked at his watch and it was almost evening. He decided to head out and begin his search for Eram. Getting his room key, he walked out of the room and locked it.

Shumail saw a few bikes parked in the garden and he approached the incharge lady and rented it to travel in the town. The last time Shumail rode a bike was during his high school time and riding the bike after so many years felt good.

He had the address of the school for the specially abled children and he put it on the GPS and began his ride.

It took him several minutes on the unfamiliar roads of Alberton to locate the school but he finally reached. After he parked the bike at the side, he looked around the premise, his eyes searching for the one person he had spent so many sleepless nights for.

The school time was over and all the children had left. There was nobody around in the school. Shumail still wanted to try his luck and ask about Eram at the school administration office. He showed her picture at the desk and asked the clerk about her.

"Ms. Eram. Yes, she's a teacher in our school." The clerk answered.

Shumail felt his heart leap, skipping several beats. He felt he was going to die of happiness. He had finally found Eram.

"Where can I find her now? Do you perhaps have any address of her?" Shumail quickly asked. He couldn't wait another minute to see her.

"Sorry, Sir, but we can't share the personal details of our staff. Its against our rules." The clerk quickly denied.

"Please I really need to meet her." Shumail tried to request but the clerk clearly denied. It was a waste of time to convince him so Shumail did the one thing he was best at. He headed out of the school and getting on his bike, he headed to his hotel cottage. It took him no time to reach his cottage room and he quickly hurried inside. Getting his laptop from his bag, he switched it on and within minutes, he had hacked into the school office account. He searched for Eram on the list but he couldn't find her on it. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he tried again but there was no match for the name 'Eram Azam'. He looked at the screen and typed her name as 'Eram Shumail Ibrahim' and her profile immediately popped up on the screen. Unknowingly his lips had curled up in a smile and his heart skipped a beat, realising that she still uses her married name.

He quickly noted her address and keeping aside his laptop, he sprinted out of his room. Getting on his bike, he headed out to search for her. He kept following the GPS and after a good few minutes of ride, he had finally reached. He looked around the place and saw it was a decent neighbourhood with just a few houses around, situated remotely from one another. The slanted evening gave everything a hazy look, the sky looked azure and everything appeared as  a perfect paradise of beautiful things and quietness. The cool breeze swayed past him, hitting him on his face.

The people went about on their daily business, some walking or packing loads. The children of the neighbourhood played among themselves, their happy shrieks sounding like a melody to ears.

Shumail's lips curled up seeing them. His eyes roamed around and searched for Eram. A small petite frame appeared in front of his eyes. Clad in a salwar suit with a matching hijab on, Eram looked as beautiful as ever. Her smiling face while she talked with a lady, which he assumed was one of the neighbour, she took his breath away. He felt his heart finally learnt to beat.

Shumail finally found Eram.

And this time he wasn't going to let her go.

Assalamualaikum!!!

So yeah after so long I finally managed to update!! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long and Thank you to all those who kept messaging me to update.

I'll try my best to complete the story before December In Sha Allah but I'm NOT promising anything.

How was the chap? Finally Shumail found Eram!!! Yaay!!

Keep loving the story and keep showering your love on Eram and Shumail.

Until next time...sağol!!