Just like Humaira ordered, no one dared let Abba into A & H from that day. It had already been months, but Abba could only wait when he saw her driving out of the hotel and he would follow her. He knew she knew of his stalking and was just waiting for the right time to have her guys mercilessly deal with him. But he wasn't going to relent just too soon, he knew she was going back to him. She was only angry at him for a mean but as he kept persisting, Abba was sure she would relent and come back home. That way, this silence Mama and his whole family were treating him will be brought to an end. He knew if it was their normal selves, Mama would've already come to Taraba herself or sent Nasir to come and check up on him since he changed hi sim card, but none came.

It all felt painful, and as painfully as it sounded; he missed Aisha. He knew it was time to get his bitter punishment from Allah. How he used an innocent girl just get away from the wrath of his father and still proceeded and treated her the way he did. Not just that, he divorced her with three talaqs at the same time which Allah hated the most. Divorce was something permissible made by Allah by also the most hated to him. And it was a promise, whoever divorced his wife with three talaqs at the same time will surely regret it badly. It was his time to serve his punishment.

He pulled over in front of Nuriyya's home and sighed as he saw the lights were on. He thought she was either not at home or she was sleeping, he had been calling her but there wasn't a response from her. This had been happening for the past few months, it all seemed like a new Nuriyya to him. She no more called him 'Abba na' and that's something Abba wanted to cry about. She no more showed her anger when he mentioned Aisha, it looked all normal and natural to her.

He didn't knock when he entered the room and found her prancing around in her kitchen with soft music in the background as she hummed. She looked even more beautiful than the last time he came to this house and saw her, he felt the sudden urge to hug her to his chest. He did, but Nuriyya abruptly shrugged him off her body. "Nuriyya," he drawled, unable to confirm whether she was the Nuriyya he knew that was treating him this way.

"Abba, you startled me," She said naturally and went back to her cooking, not sparing him a glance.

Abba gulped down a lump in his throat and looked at the delicacy she was cooking. This was not for him, because he couldn't remember the last time Nuriyya cooked for him. When Aisha was home, she always cooked for them, after he divorced her, they always ate outside. "Who are you cooking for? Not your girlfriends." He knew how she hated cooking even though being so good at it. She'd rather go to a restaurant and but the food for whoever wanted to eat in her house.

She briskly glanced up at him and he was sure he saw a blush creeping on her cheeks. "Oh yeah, I'm having a guest in hours to come, just a few hours. Besides, what brought you here?" She went back to her cooking, not glancing his way and she didn't see the frightened look he had on his face.

To ease the awkward ambience, Abba stood up and went to her fridge, he got himself a drink before he sat back on the kitchen island and looked at her. She was being too cold with him that it suddenly felt cold as if he was standing bare on a snowy night.

"I came over to see you since you aren't picking my calls anymore. Why?" He knew asking about who her visitor was a pointless effort and just a way of hurting himself with his own words because it was too obvious to be real.

"Oh, that? I don't feel like talking whenever you called and unfortunately, when the mode comes back I forget you called. Anything important to tell me?" She walked out of the kitchen and came back holding a bowl, which he saw in the living room on his way in.

Aba shook his head painfully and smiled. "No, I just want to hear your voice. So now, we good?" He was trying, making an effort to make her stay, to be still his Nuriyya that she used to be. But it seemed that Nuriyya was only but a memory. And he was afraid, seriously afraid.

"Are you staying for long? I need to take my shower and my guest can arrive anytime in the next thirty minutes," She asked, brushing off his question and also running farther away from him. She made it sound as if it was a norm for them for her to have guest she didn't want Abba to see or rather; she didn't want them to see her with Abba.

Abba stood up and straightened himself. "I'll take my leave then," he said, ever so gently as he silently walked out of the kitchen, Nuriyya following behind him.

She stood in front of her door and watched as he got out of the house and turned to look at her, "No goodbye hug or a kiss?" She asked, and she scoffed irritatingly.

"That will be some other time, Abba. Goodbye." And she banged the door before he owns eyes that it even scared him to know this was his Nuriyya turning into a total stranger.

He entered his car and rested his head on the steering wheel, this had been the most painful phase of his wife, and he couldn't wait for it to come to an end. He made up his mind to drive to A & H, even though he wouldn't be allowed him, maybe seeing her from afar will ease off one of the knots he had in his chest. They were too tight and too painful.

He parked in his usual spot outside the hotel and had his eyes fixed on the vehicles driving in and out of the hotel. As he predicted, she drove in along with the guy he convinced himself to be her boyfriend. He didn't know how it happened, but Aisha got herself surrounded with an aura of sophistication that she unnerved him just looking at her from afar. Even though she spoke like she did before, laughed like before, walked, even the way her eyes creased while she saw confused was still the same. But this new Aisha had authority and confidence dripping off from her feet with each step she took. She seemed to be smarter than his old Aisha and this one was full of life. A little bit dangerous as well.

Humaira drove inside the hotel and she looked at Rafiq before she smiled at him, "Let's get down, Rafiq. I'm not staying in the restaurant today, we can sit around the pool, what do you think?"

"That would help soothe your current mood, it's not a bit interesting, Humaira." He joked and she smiled weakly at him. She had been feeling cold at the pitch of her stomach as if something was going to happen to her. This was her first time feeling like this, and it wasn't the kind of feeling she would want to feel anymore. But what she was certain about, whatever it is that was going to happen to her would surely be very bad.

They strolled down to the pool and their advantage, no one was there only two couples seated on their tables. Even if there were a lot of people, Humara would have them walked out before she sat down. Because she was in no mood to be around the restaurant and that's why she didn't bother going to the restaurant. They sat down at the edge of the pool and Humaira dipped her legs into the water and Rafiq did the same too.

She slowly placed her head on his shoulder and looked up at him with a smile, "Rafiq, I'm going to have Dawoud and Habeeba tied in my house tomorrow. They are getting on my nerves these past few months, I'll have to show them the villain side of me isn't dead yet." She spoke through gritted teeth and recalled the kind of conversation they had over the phone yesterday. She clenched her fist.

Rafiq chuckled and looked at her head that was placed on his shoulder. "I see no reason why you would do that, Humaira. They're just an obsessed ex with a jealous girlfriend, I think you should let them be."

"I'm not going to teach them the lesson myself, my guys will. Because I don't want to waste my precious energy on them. But Habeeba, I'll have to give her a few slaps and have her mouth smeared with blood, she doesn't have any manners while talking." Huamaira groaned, irritated at the feeling that was slowly eating her up.

"Humaira, you promised Daddy, remember?" Rafiq asked they were now staring into each other's eyes.

"It doesn't matter, that's why I want you to be there with me, Rafiq."

"Me?" he looked startled before he laughed to ease it off. "I don't know where your mysterious house is located unless I'm going to be dealt with myself. Tell me Did I do something wrong? I'll apologize right away."

Humaira threw her head back in laughter and smacked his arm, "Stop making me feel as if I'm a wicked antagonist," She teased with amusement laced beneath her tone. Her eyes twinkled as she stared at him and she looked even more radiant with the moon illuminating his glow on her skin.

"Okay, are you not so wicked? Maybe a little bit dangerous? That can go, right?" He joked as he used his little finger and described how little dangerous she was.

She laughed again and hugged him, "Rafiq! Stop it. But really, you should be there. I want you to be there when I'll give Dawoud and his stupid Yoruba girlfriend a very concrete warning."

Rafiq laughed and shook his head, "You really can't change, Humaira. But as I said, I don't know the house, unless you want me to come and get you then we leave."

She shook her head and raised up her chin in a thoughtful manner, he nudged her shoulder and laughed. "You look like a nerd while doing that, stop it!"

She laughed and looked at him with an excited expression on her face, "I'll take you there today and you'll have to be there first before I sneak out of my room tomorrow. Sounds good right?"

He nodded his head with a handsome charming smile on his face. "Yeah, Humaira has the best of brains even though she swore not to go to a university."

She threw her head back in laughter and stood up, "Don't even go there, Daddy too is tired himself. You can't change that. I know I'll be dismissed from the university for only a semester stay, I can't pull up with even a lecturer's habit not to talk of the students. Why waste my time then?"

Rafiq stood up and laughed, "I don't know what to do with you, Humaira. You're just so not easy to handle." She laughed too and they walked back to their car and drove out of the hotel.

Abba saw them driving out, and for all his stalkings, he wished he will know where she lived today. He drove behind them and kept a decent distance between them until he saw her briefly pulled over in front of a house and he drove back before they got down the car and know they were being followed. Finally, he knew where she lived, that was a whole new step.

❃

Abba made sure it was after 4 pm, a peaceful evening in Taraba. He walked down the stairs of his house and he had a deja vu of what happened to Aisha the last day she was Aisha before she changed into Humaira. A total different name and she acted like a different person. He smiled to himself when he got into his car and ignited the engine because he knew he would bring an end to the story of Humaira today and she would come back being her Aisha. It was dreading seeing her with a guy everything but more painful that she claimed she was a different person than had never set her eyes on him. He had never know Aisha could be this conniving.

He parked in front of the house and was relieved to see there were no cars in front of the house. The gate was opened, and Abba had never felt this joyful for a very long period, he heard as his phone rang. Checking the name of the caller, it was Nuriyya, he knew she called to ask him to come over so she could use him for a ride, that's merely his use to her now. And even throughout their drive she hardly spoke five full decent sentences. He silenced his phone and put it back into his breast pocket.

He was fortunate enough that the front door was open too, and smiled even wider. Even if it meant to abduct Aisha, he would do just that today. He was tired of living a bachelors life while he had a wife. Yes, he knew he had divorced her but she was drifting into unconsciousness and the chance of her hearing what he said was 45% He was going to act as if nothing had happened and he had said nothing, they can be married again since he was the only one that said it and heard it for himself. He knew he was just being desperate but there was no harm in trying.

Abba turned the door and as he entered, he stumbled upon something and fell flat on a body. His body and shook, and he thought Aisha set a trap for him to have him ensnared. He looked up, flustered at the misty liquid he felt soaking up his chest, lifting his hand to his face, he saw it was nothing but blood. A human's blood.

Abba had never been this frightened all his life, his heart had never ceased to beat for a second until today. It stopped beating not just for a second, for the few minutes he was able to get himself off the body to check it wasn't Aisha but the man he concluded was her boyfriend. Brutally killed with the knife still in his stomach and there were painful bruises all over his body.

Abba down to the ground and he crawled far away from the dead body. Before he was able to think of something to do; the door opened and Humaira entered, just like Abba stumbled on Rafiq, she did too. And when she looked up and her eyes landed on a confused, flustered and crestfallen Abba, she screamed "Rafiq!" And before any of them made his next move, they heard the police siren as they parked in front of the house and trooped inside in a throng. Abba dumped his head on his knees, he knew he was doomed.

I should stop here, I really should. But y'all said it should be 40, and I've heard.