Blood turned to ice in her veins, replaced by a suffocating wave of panic.
With a deep breath, she tapped it open again It was indeed a picture of her. Not just any picture, it was one from her recent visit to The Serenity Spa. There she was, clad only in a tiny towel that didn't even reach her mid thighs. But the background was what truly sent her world crashing down. It was unmistakable, there was the back view of that man staring into the hammam.

How didn't she notice? How didn't she hear him.
The picture looked as though she was conversing with the man as he folded his arm and he was clad in a white robe.
This wasn't just a random picture of her enjoying a spa day. This was her, vulnerable and exposed with a man in view.

Before she could process the first image, another one popped in and this felt like a physical blow. It was an image of him sitting on the bed whilst she got out of the hammam. He seemed like he was sleeping. To be honest with herself, the pictures looked far from that of a spa. It looked like she was enjoying her time with a man in a luxurious hotel.

She gasped, "Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun!" (We belong to Allah, and to Him we will return).

She heard the sounds of her sisters leaving the room, joking around. The carefully constructed world she'd built around herself, brick by fragile brick of trust and security, dissolved into dust. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the cruel image on the screen. A whimper escaped her lips, a sound raw and painful, the sound of her world turned upside down, leaving behind a trembling mess of fear and confusion.

It wasn't a random spa day. It was a meticulously constructed lie, a weaponized intimacy. The air grew thick with a suffocating pain and panic. How had she not noticed? How had she been so utterly blind?

With trembling hands, she sent a barrage of messages to the unknown number.
"Who are you?"

"Where did you get these from?"

"Why are you doing this?"

The silence that followed was a deafening roar in her ears.

She couldn't stay here. Not another minute in this crumbling world of her own making. She yearned for the one person she knew wouldn't judge, the one shoulder she could truly lean on is her brother, Ahmad.

She got up, aggressively cleaning the tears pouring down her face and tore through her wardrobe, flinging clothes haphazardly into a suitcase. As fear grew in her mind, Ahmad was her only hope. He could fix this, even if it meant enduring his punishments and wrath.

It was just a couple of minutes past noon and she still hadn't had a wink of sleep. She dialed Ahmad's number, and he picked on the first ring. Steeling herself, she tried everything she could not to let her voice break, but in the end, it did. "Ya Ahmad, is it okay if I stay over at your house for the weekend?" she asked.

"Of course! Why do you need to ask?" He laughed, oblivious to the storm brewing within her.

"Alright, just pick me up whenever" she mumbled, desperately trying to regain control.

"Okay, I'm not even home yet. Get ready, once I pick up a package I'll come get you."

"Okay" she faked a chuckle, hollow and unconvincing even to her own ears. Hanging up, she forced her leaden legs towards Ammi's room.

"Ammi, I want to stay a few days with Ya Ahmad. There's some research I'm doing that I need his help with" she lied smoothly, her voice laced with a tremor she hoped wouldn't be noticed.

"What research is that?"  her brow furrowing slightly.

"Just trying to see if I could start a business, but I'm finding it hard to figure out about the industry" Jadwa replied, hoping the explanation would suffice.

"That's good then, just don't go and stay for long. I'll tell your father" Ammi smiled, seemingly appeased by the explanation. Despite the smile, Jadwa couldn't shake the feeling that she had suspected something wasn't quite right. But brushing it off as a mother's intuition, she went back to her room,

Time moved slowly, and after a goodbye to Hanan and Zara, Jadwa dragged her suitcase downstairs then slumped onto the sofa, staring blankly at the wall.

Not long after, her brother called, asking her to come out to the car. With heavy steps, she hauled her suitcase outside, the wheels scraping against the pavement. She slid into the passenger seat, forcing a hug for her brother despite the tears threatening to spill.

"You look sick, what's wrong? was a welcome distraction. But before she could even contemplate an answer, another bombshell hit.

"Did you fight with Zara or Hanan?" he bombarded her with questions.

Jadwa felt a surge of gratitude for this mundane worry. Anything to keep the real storm brewing inside her at bay. Exhaustion finally claimed her, and she slept through the car ride, the unanswered messages a tangled mess in her mind.

Upon reaching Ahmad's house, exhaustion fully took over her. She got down from the car, a forced smile plastered on her face as she greeted Ameerah. They exchanged pleasantries, but Jadwa's mind was a mess. The weight of the secret pictures pressed down on her, urging her to confess yet, fear held her back. How could she explain the situation without revealing the vulnerability she so desperately wanted to shield? The wrath and disappointment of her family?

***

The call from Ameerah got her up from sleep so many hours later.

"Hello" she answered grudgingly.

"You are still sleeping??"she asked shocked

"Mhmm"

"I need your help in the kitchen please"

"Mhmm" she murmured and ended the call.

She got up with the worst headache and popped two Panadol from her bag, swallowing them down. Checking her phone, she found no response yet and decided against texting again until she spoke to her brother. Heading to the kitchen, she found her sister-in-law looking weak, or was it just her projecting onto others? Shaking her head, she opted to cook alone.

Ameerah insisted on helping, but Jadwa needed time alone. Spending the next few hours carefully preparing chicken Kabsa, potato Harra, spring rolls and samosas, salad, lemonade and a mojito, she then took a hot, long shower before wearing the first dress she found from her box.

Gelled her hair down and kept a veil on, she reminded herself of her meeting with Abdul and forced herself through it. Skipping makeup, she glanced at the mirror, seeing the long sleep had helped her eye bags and face she applied only a lip oil and sprayed her perfumes, she then hung her packed clothes and arranged her perfumes, body care, and skincare on the dressing table. Waiting for Abdul's call that never came, she decided to call him.

"I am so sorry, love, my mom is sending me somewhere. How about we meet tomorrow?" Abdul said immediately he answered the call.

Jadwa sighed, relieved he canceled first because she was exhausted and she didn't want to fake any laughter or romance.

Upstairs, she found Ameerah spraying room refreshers and decided to put some bakhoor.

Returning to arrange her clothes, her brother called her downstairs and  she went down after fixing her veil knowing He had a friend. Sat on the sofa, her brother and Ameerah were there, along with Muhammad Imran sitting opposite them.

She was taken aback by his presence.
"Ina Yini Ya Imran? (Good evening)" she greeted.

"Lafiya Lau, muna lafiya? (Doing good. How are you?)," he answered,  lowering his gaze to his phone.

"Alhamdulillah, how is Lily and Sadiq?" her voice smooth to his ears.

He looked back up, for some reason he was surprised by her question.

"They are doing great as well Alhamdulillah"

She nodded with a smile and turned her attention to her brother that just called her attention.

"Is the table ready?"Ahmad asked and she nodded.

"Bismillah, let's have dinner" "Ya Imran Bismillah"
Ahmad ushered everyone and they sat on the table.

Jadwa kept her focus on her plate, her mind was a mess and she couldn't pay attention to anything. She struggled with the idea of discussing it with her brother, knowing it was a conversation she couldn't avoid.

But Imran's stare didn't escape her notice, each glance pulling her attention despite the chaos in her head.
She decided to act oblivious, she busied herself with her phone, tracing the rim of her mojito with her fingers.

"Jadu! Drop your phone and eat" Ahmad gently scolded and she obliged.

"By the way how was your registration?" Ahmad asked.

"It was tiring, but it went smoothly" she answered.

"How is the school? Do you like it? Ameerah asked.

"It's okay, I do like it. It is not crowded at all"  she gave an honest answer.

Imran's deep voice cut through the air, drawing Jadwa's attention.

"You attend the same school as Lily, right?" His tone was casual, but his eyes held a hint of curiosity as they locked onto hers.

Jadwa nodded, surprised by his sudden words, she thought he never spoke first. "Yes, I saw her just yesterday" she responded, her voice soft yet steady, meeting his gaze this time.

His lips curled into a faint smile, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than necessary. "It's good to have someone familiar around"

"It is! and she is the sweetest" this time, she spoke to everyone on the table to avoid looking at him.

Ameerah chimed in, "MashaAllah, it's also time for you to make friends here Jadu" but Jadwa's attention remained fixated on the looks she shared with Imran. She felt nervous in his presence and she knew it was just stress, to even think there was something unspoken sparked between them.

After dinner, she quietly left for upstairs, adding more coals to the burnt bakhoor, she set it in her sister-in-law's room. While doing so, she received a notification.

"Good evening, pretty" the message read, laced with a sickening sweetness.

Jadwa felt a surge of anger, a surge of frustration in the face of her fear. She slammed the phone down, the notification a cruel taunt.
She got up and went back downstairs, she didn't know what to say or respond.
She decided to do the dishes but it didn't take her mind of anything.

Suddenly, a commotion pierced the silence. Rushing up the stairs, she found Ameerah gasping for breath, clutching an inhaler in Ahmad's frantic hands. Smoke came out of a room down the hallway.

"What's happening?" She questioned when she got no answer he peeped into the room and her mouth hung open.

What had she done? She used her hands to cover her mouth.
Panic seized Jadwa as realization dawned. In her haste to burn bakhoor, she'd inadvertently set the curtain on fire and seemed to have been just put off. Shame and guilt clawed at her as she watched Ahmad rush Ameerah down stairs, out the door towards the car.

She sat down on the carpet, brought up her knees to her face and remained like that for what seemed like hours, she couldn't even cry, the pictures, the silence, the near tragedy, it all felt like a cruel cosmic joke.

MUHAMMAD IMRAN

Night had fallen, a little past eight. Muhammad Imran was returning from the mosque when his phone rang. He answered on the second beep.

"Ya Muhammad," Ahmad's voice crackled with urgency. "I had to rush Ameerah to the hospital. She had an asthma attack. Could you please check on Jadu?"

Imran's brow furrowed. "Subhanallah, is Ameerah okay?"

"Very stable," he chuckled.
"I just informed Jadu Ameerah is fine but she had been hospitalised." Ahmad replied, a hint of amusement in his voice that surprised Imran.

"I'll check on her now" he responded.

"I'll talk to you later, thanks bro."

The call ended, leaving Imran confused. He dialed again, needing clarification. After a brief conversation with Ahmad again, a warmth spread through him. Relief washed over his features as he reached the house and rang the bell.

The door creaked open, revealing Jadwa. Her face, pale and drawn and gone was the cheerfulness he felt seconds ago.

He pushed past the door, concern overriding any pleasantries. "Ya dai? Is everything alright?"

Jadwa's eyes met the floor, she ducked her head down unable to meet his gaze. Her silence spoke volumes.

He reached out, a gentle hand tilting her chin upwards. "Jadwa," he called gently, his voice laced with concern "look at me."