"you are right , no need for stained hands when you've got a bright future with your girl," he teased, punctuating his words with the satisfying crack of his knuckles, fixing his gaze on Adam.

Muhammad chuckled, his laughter echoing in the room, and Ahmad couldn't help but join in, stealing a glance at Adam whose face contorted with a mixture of amusement and resentment.

"His girl? Jadu?" Adam finally spoke, but before another word escaped his lips, Ibrahim's fist connected with Adam's jaw, sending him sprawling off the couch, his head colliding with the table with a sickening thud.

"Release the cuffs," Ibrahim commanded the officers as Adam groaned in agony.

"You've got your evidence. Now, give us the room."

Reluctantly, the officers nodded and began to file out, casting wary glances back at Adam, who sat motionless, his eyes devoid of life. The door closed behind them with a final, resounding click.

Imran turned to Ahmad "Ahmad, return to your wife and get some rest we'll take it from here. You can follow up with the police later," he instructed, sensing Ahmad's conflicted emotions. Although he loved the idea of Adam being  tortured, he knew he couldn't handle watching it.
Because he knew Imran well and his restraint right now was commendable, though Ibrahim's presence isn't better because of his unpredictability,  Ahmad nodded silently, leaving without a word.

The ensuing hours were filled with Adam's cries of pain and the sounds of joints snapping under pressure. Muhammad watched with a twisted sense of satisfaction, the sight alleviating his anger. As the sun began to peek over the horizon, he decided it was enough for now and to leave it to the other men.  Ibrahim summoned his men, and Muhammad pulled him to pray at the mosque of the estate, deciding to resume their activities after prayer.

"Tell me everything," Ibrahim demanded, scrubbing the blood from his hands.

Imran recounted the events, and Ibrahim listened intently.

"I agree, I wouldn't have laid a finger on him either," Ibrahim nodded. "The last thing we need is you back in prison, especially in this country," he quipped, earning a playful smack from Imran.

"After spending over half a decade locked away, you think you're in any position to lecture?" Imran retorted, earning laughter from Ibrahim.

"Please tell me I did not just beat this guy up and she's still not your girlfriend" Ibrahim asked incredulously.

"You did," Imran confirmed, a smug grin playing on his lips.

"What the hell, man? What are you waiting for?" Ibrahim exclaimed.

"I've been occupied with work, and now this mess. And did I tell you I want to make her my girlfriend?" Imran questioned as he performed ablution.

"I'm with her brother on this, you better step up. No offense, she's a beautiful girl, and that boyfriend could still swoop in anytime," Ibrahim advised, his tone light despite the seriousness of the situation.

"You're right, but she told me they ended things over this issue during the interrogation," Imran explained.

"He is such a coward. I feel bad for the poor girl. Well, it's our gain, if you ask me," Ibrahim chuckled.

Imran shook his head, suppressing a laugh at his friend's remark. Ibrahim always had a knack for humor and banter, making their time together into something special to brotherhood, far  from their though reputation in the outside world.

"You should focus on finding someone for yourself too.  I heard our age is catching up and that we are very old" Imran said recalling Jadwa's words.

"Who said that?" Ibrahim scoffed, visibly offended.

"Jadwa, of course."

That was the last straw. Ibrahim erupted into laughter, he laughed so hard teasing his friend mercilessly until tears threatened to spill from his eyes. "It's hopeless for you, Muhammad. Are you sure you stand a chance with this girl?" Ibrahim taunted between fits of laughter.

Muhammad merely shook his head, shooting Ibrahim a pointed glare before entering the mosque to pray.

After praying, he slipped  into his car,"We'll see about that. I'll catch you later at the barracks," he called out, eager to escape Ibrahim's jests.

***

It was past ten in the morning when Jadwa opened the door, hearing Ahmad's persistent knocking. When she opened the door, Ahmad went inside and sat on the bed. "sit here," he said, tapping next to him. Worry etched on her features as she sat on the floor instead, looking at him.

"What is it, ya Ahmad? You couldn't find the person, right?" she asked.

"No, we got him," he said, "but as a brother, I need to seriously talk to you," he added.

"It's Adam," he said, and Jadwa gasped audibly.

"Are you sure, Ya Ahmad?" she asked, shock clearly on her features.

He nodded and handed his phone over to her. She went through the pictures of the apartment, and there was Adam, his face almost unrecognizable, and the pictures of the walls with her pictures everywhere, even pictures she had long deleted and didn't have herself.

Tears welled in her eyes when she gave Ahmad back the phone.

"This is not the time to cry, Jadwa. It's time for you to thank Allah and to accept this situation and whatever comes with it. I'm here to tell you that nothing is your fault. There's nothing you can do except learn from this and move on. You have no reason to dwell or be depressed about it. But at the same time, imagine how you'll explain these pictures to your creator, Jadwa. I'm not talking about the pictures that were taken of you unknowingly. I'm speaking of these that you dress almost like you don't practice your religion. You never cover up completely. Some days you do, and sometimes you don't! You are old enough to separate right from wrong, but look where you have landed yourself. A man had been lusting over your beauty, your hair, your skin, and writing the most unspeakable about you! There are many things that you do, mistakes that you make that you will forget, but social media never does. I'm advising you to take a turn. Evil eye can cause you irreversible damage and bring you down. Do you know the people that envy and hate you for your beauty? Or do you know the men that keep these pictures to lust over? Can you count or estimate them?" he asked while Jadwa cried silently, taking in the deep words her brother spoke.

"You need to understand, there are many privileges that come with how you look, but at the same time, there are consequences. A beautiful woman suffers so much more than anyone! You can walk into a room, and people will either hate or love you. There's no in between. Or have men lust and obsess over you if they can't have you, just like Adam did. It's time for you to reflect and change your ways," he said, and Jadwa nodded her head, ducked down in shame.

She got up and gave her brother a hug, unable to say anything. She cried on his chest, and he consoled her. "Stop crying," he said and cleaned her tears.

"I don't know what I'll do without you Ya Ahmad, thank you so much" she said.

"You are welcome Jadu na" he chuckled.

"Where is Adam now?" she asked sitting up.

"He could be with the police, or still being tortured by some soldiers. Just pray he's not broken into pieces," he said, and Jadwa winced.

"Why?! You could have just let him with the police," she said, and he chuckled.

"Tell ya Imran that, it's none of my business," he said and got up.

"I was joking when I told him to beat him up," she exclaimed.

"Well, you should also thank God he didn't do it himself," he chuckled, and Jadwa looked at her brother as if he lost it.

"I'm sure he'll be on his way soon so we could catch up before we go for Friday prayers together," he said, "try and look presentable," he said, and she nodded, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"I'll dress up to celebrate," she said jokingly, "but seriously Thank you so much Ya Ahmad. I love you so much, you did so much for me and I'm sorry I promise I'll start taking steps to change" she said and gave him a bone crushing hug again.

After He left the room, Jadwa hopped into the Shower. She took her time and enjoyed her time for the first time in a very long time. It was Friday, so she went to the wardrobe and picked out an Ankara skirt and blouse then smoked it with bakhoor and went to the mirror. She did a little makeup and brushed her hair in a bun. When she was satisfied with her look, she looked at her clothes, It fit her so perfectly that it looked like a dress. The beautiful shade of purple looked perfect for her skin tone and she smiled widely at her reflection,  wore her jewelry and sprayed her perfumes.

She groaned, wishing she had her phone to snap pictures. Then she tied her scarf, in a beautiful crisscross style at the front, today she decided to leave her hair covered but her baby hairs were on display. She got out of the room and went downstairs, she found Ameerah setting the table and cleared her throat.

When Ameerah turned, she squealed at the sight of Jadwa. "What did we do to deserve this beauty today?" she said, and Jadwa waved her off.

"Thank you. It's just Friday," she shrugged, and Ameerah eyed her.

"Hmm, tell me is there another reason?" Ameerah wiggled her brows.

"You have started oh my God," Jadwa rolled her eyes.

A part of her put in effort to dress up because Muhammad Imran was coming. She had zero feelings for him, but she had long accepted he was attractive to her. The way he talks, walks, his voice, his smile, and most especially his intelligence impressed Jadwa, but the pain in her heart didn't let her entertain his thoughts. It was always Abdulhakeem on her mind. She has chosen to close the chapter, but she is far from moving on.

"Your husband told me to dress up, Madam," she added.

"Hmmm," Ameerah said, looking at her suspiciously.

"Where's Hannan?" Jadwa asked, dismissing Ameerah's jokes.

"Work."

And just like that, they set up the table and spoke about the utter shock they got from finding out it's Adam.

Time passed, and Muhammad Imran finally arrived. Ameerah asked her to get the door, and she reluctantly did.

She opened the door, and he was standing there in a beautiful white Kaftan and Zanna Bukar cap. When his eyes laid on Jadwa, he took off his sun glasses. His breath hitched in his throat when she opened the door completely, and he got a good view of her outfit.

"Sannu da zuwa," she welcomed him with a smile.

He could only nod and lower his gaze. He said his Salam and sat in the living room.
She came back sooner with refreshments and snacks.

"Thank you, how are you today?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Really good," she gave him a smile again, and his heart melted.

She looked unreal. "You are smiling a lot today," he commented, noticing her uplifted mood.

"Mmmm all thanks to you and your hard work," she giggled.

And Imran, in that moment, got the most pleasant feeling, even better than when he got multiple awards and promotions for harder and more complex jobs he had done, compared to them this was child's play.

"Well, that exactly is the whole purpose, Jadwa."

She smiled again, "Ya Ahmad told me everything. I wanted to thank you in person. Thank you so much Ya Imran. May Allah reward you and grant you your heart desires."

"Ameen," he smiled. If there's anything he prayed hard to have every night, it was to have her heart. "Ameen," he repeated, staring straight into her eyes.

"I wish I studied something this interesting," she said. "It looked so cool," she murmured.

"I can teach you, only if you won't get bored of it and drop it," he said, and she laughed.

"Who will ever get bored of your lectures professor?" she said her thoughts out loud, making him raise a brow now amused by her response.

"I didn't know you find me that interesting, Jadwa," he teased, and Jadwa's heart dropped in her stomach.

"I don't mean it like that," she said, with a blush creeping up her cheeks.

He only smiled, watching her shy away and look away from his eyes. There she was, back to her nervous self around him.

To wave off the slight awkwardness she felt she got up and served him the refreshments along with the snacks. While she was at it, she felt his eyes, but she didn't look up. She had never met a man like Imran, she thought. All the men that threw themselves at her were never this bold about it. He wasn't even trying to hide it, he made it very clear, and she could now understand why everyone teased her about him.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I might spill this," she said, still looking down at the glass cup in her hands.

"Should I consider that a compliment or a warning?" he asked, making her chuckle.

What a flirt! she thought so she decided to play along today. "Mmm a bit of both?"

He smirked at her boldness. "I can't help it Jadwa, you are quite a distraction"

She smiled shyly, trying to feign his words did not have an an effect on her.
"I can tell" she replied while he enjoyed the exchange and he was quiet for a bit before breaking the silence again.

"I didn't forget our date, when can I take you out?" he asked, making her look up immediately.

She mustered the courage to meet his flirtation head-on. The sound of Ahmad's voice echoed from upstairs,  time is ticking away but she refused to let the moment slip through her fingers. "Two can play the game,"  she thought.

"I haven't forgotten" she assured him, her voice soft and low, almost sultry. She leaned in closer to hand him the drink "be patient, I'm still thinking about it" she breathed, the undertone her voice held made his heart race as he collected the drink. Leaning back on the couch, he didn't tear his gaze from her and she gave him a knowing smile, before she straightened up and gracefully walked away, leaving him to deal with the intoxicating act she just pulled.

This girl will be the end of him, he mused silently, his gaze fixed on her retreating figure.
Did she have any inkling of the effect she had just had on him? He couldn't help but wonder, a mix of frustration and fascination swirling within him as he watched her disappear from view.

Ahmad cleared his voice taking him out of his thoughts.
Imran got up and shook his hand. "I hope she's not giving you a hard time," he chuckled, making Imran grin.

"Nothing I can't handle," he sighed and sat down as they caught up.

They had a good time with lunch, discussing the matter at hand.

"I can't thank you enough, Ya Imran. You've truly outdone yourself, wrapping up this case in under twenty-four hours. I'm incredibly grateful," Ahmad expressed sincerely, admiration lacing his words as he acknowledged Imran's impressive feat.

"You're welcome, Ahmad. Don't mention it," he said gruffly, his  demeanor belying the depth of his loyalty. "You've done your fair share too. No need for all the gratitude," he added.

Time passed by, and they went to pray. They went back to Imran's family house spending the whole day and evening. Suddenly, Ahmad's phone rang, and it was his father.

He picked it up and quickly moved away the phone from his ears before bringing it back.

"Ahmad!!!" Baba shouted through the phone.

"You know the grave sin Jadwa did, and you still hid it from us and put Adam in this situation?" he roared. "Bring Jadwa home immediately! I am waiting for both of you," he said and hung up on him.

"I really thought we were done with this," Ahmad sighed.

_____________________________________

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