"I really thought we were done with this," Ahmad sighed, making Muhammad Imran turn away from his conversation with Sadiq.

"Ya akayi? (What happened?)" Imran asked.

"It's Baba. He just screamed off my ears over Jadu. He asked me to take his daughter back home," Ahmad chuckled humorlessly.

Imran caressed his beard, concern etching his features. "I'm sure they found out from his family through the police," he said.

"They were bound to find out. The only good thing is we have solid evidence to protect her," Ahmad replied, putting on his cap.

"Let me know how it goes. I don't think it should be a big problem since you have all the evidence, but if there's any issue, give me a call. I'll be here for a few more days."

Ahmad nodded and shook his hand before leaving.

Immediately upon arriving home, he found Jadwa having dinner and watching a movie.

"Jadu, Baba just called me. We need to go home now," he said, getting straight to the point.

Jadwa choked on her food, and he immediately tapped her back. Tears welled in her eyes from choking as she sipped water.

"Oh my God, Ya Ahmad, at least give me some heads up before you drop a bomb on me," she said while coughing.

He burst out laughing. Deep within, Ahmad felt guilty because, for a moment, he had forgotten the implications of this arrest and the situation of Adam being beaten black and blue.

"Get your veil, let's go," he said, ushering her. She dropped the bowl of food and did as he said.

Ameerah was talking on the phone, so she decided not to bother her and picked a black veil. She wrapped it around her body, wore her sandals, and rushed down the stairs. Ahmad gave her a small smile, and she followed him out.

They drove off in silence while Jadwa's hands were sweaty. The anxiety she felt was so pressing that it made her stomach churn in pain.
The drive wasn't long until they arrived at the house. Ahmad turned and looked at her when he turned off the car.

"Jadu, please don't talk back. Don't choose to be rebellious at this moment. Whatever we face, let me handle it. We are lucky we have all the evidence. All we have to do is pray Kinji?" he said, and she nodded.

"Okay, I won't say anything. Ya Ahmad, Uncle Nura's car is here. What if he beats me?" she asked with a shaky voice, remembering the beating of her life she got from Uncle Nura when she blatantly rejected Adam and gave him a piece of her mind when he pressured her.

"I won't let anyone touch you, I promise. And I keep telling you that you didn't do anything wrong. You are the victim here. They will have to be sick to think of touching you, okay darling?" he reassured, and she nodded, taking a deep breath.

As she walked through the large door of the house, she followed directly behind Ahmad as if trying to hide from the few noises coming from the living room.

Her heart dropped into her stomach. This had happened not long ago, being put in the middle by her parents and her aunts over Abdulhakeem. Looking back, it was like a grain of salt compared to this matter.

Baba and Ammi sat on the same couch, and Uncle Nura, Hajiya, and Adam's younger brother Salim were also there.

"Assalamu Alaikum," Ahmad said, to which they all responded. He sat on the couch, leaving Jadwa standing alone. When she opened her mouth to speak, she greeted them with Salam, which no one answered, and she quickly found a space in the middle of the carpet and sat down before greeting them.

"Ina yinin ku," but no one answered except Ammi, and even her response sounded forced.

She sat with her head ducked down, palms placed on her lap.

"Ahmad I never thought you would go so far as to hide such an important matter from me," Baba started. "Jadwa is my daughter first before she's your sister! What sort of brother are you, to support and protect your sister, as young as Jadwa, from what she just did? And on top of that, you went ahead to humiliate your cousin over a matter that is as serious as this?!"

"Baba, that's why I came with all the evidence. I'm sure the police must have informed you. Adam was consistently harassing, stalking, and following Jadwa. He has threatened to release pictures of her that he took unknowingly! Jadwa is the victim here, not Adam—" he was cut off by Uncle Nura.

"How did he get these pictures? Look, Ahmad, we are not kids. If she didn't take herself there, what would lead to these? And what about the man in these pictures? Is this Adam too?" he asked.

"Just months ago, I caught Jadwa myself all over another man. Now, because it's Adam, you want to say he did all these by himself! Look at these pictures, mana," he threw a couple of photos on the carpet.

Jadwa shut her eyes after seeing some of the pictures he threw at her. They were pictures of her found in Adam's apartment.

"What do you want us to do about you, Jadwa? Fisabilillah, what do you want in this life that I have not given you that these men will give you?" Baba asked.

"What happened, Ahmad? Tell us everything, please. The stories are just not adding up," Ammi spoke for the first time.

Ahmad took his time to narrate every single thing that happened, from the moment she went to the spa, when he found out, and when he went to the police.

"Are you trying to fool me into believing Jadwa was being blackmailed by my Adam? And what was the point of involving strangers in family affairs?" Hajiya shouted.

"Yes, Hajiya, she was! I had no option to involve Ya Imran in this. No one could figure Adam out, he was the one who traced him down, hacked all his devices, and instructed the arrest" Ahmad said, frustrated by them.

"Exactly, so because Adam loves her and she obviously lured him into this mess, Imran now entered our family matters? In my opinion, she made herself open to this. She gave him an opportunity, and my brother took it. He is a man at the end of the day, and she knows he liked her, so she used him," Salim said.

Ahmad was baffled by the blatant way he called Muhammad Imran's name but he decided to keep it aside.

"Did you hear what I said? And I wasn't talking to you, was I?" Ahmad said, frustrated. "Baba, Ammi, look at these!" He opened his briefcase and showed them all the evidence one by one, explaining it individually.

"Innalillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun," Ammi said, closing her mouth.

"And we blame all this on Jadu? Is it her fault that he likes her? Or is it a must that she reciprocates his feelings?" Ahmad asked angrily, and Ammi nodded in agreement.

"Of course, you'll say that, Ahmad! Of course, you'll say that!" Hajiya said, sniffing her tears while Baba just kept quiet, not knowing what to say about this.

"In any situation, no matter what Adam did, why would they beat him to this point! Za kashe mun dan da na Haifa! Akan wannan yar iskar!" she screamed, getting up from her seat.
"If this family was genuine, Adam would have married Jadwa for how much he loves her. But none of you see that. Instead, you decide to throw sand in our eyes and even involve the police and your friend to do this damage to my son," she angrily picked her handbag and stormed out of the house with Salim behind her.

The room was quiet for a while. Jadwa reasoned everyone's words, realizing how everyone has viewed her up until this point.

"You will regret this. You'll regret ever laying your hands on Adam over this thing," Uncle Nura said, pointing at Jadwa. "And you, pray not to see the day we will meet," he said to her and followed them.

Uncle Nura stepped out, and Jadwa visibly flinched when he passed by her to storm off the living room.

Baba sat quietly for a long minute before he spoke up. "You should have come straight to us with this matter, not hide it, go about it on your own, and do what you did! Now we have to rectify your mistakes" He said with a deep sigh.

"After what you've done, I am going to set your marriage with Adam immediately after he's bailed out," Baba announced, making Jadwa shoot her head up so fast to look at him, and Ammi audibly gasped.

"Jadwa, go upstairs," Ammi said, and Jadwa looked at her brother, who gave her a reassuring nod. She dragged her feet up to Ammi's room and sat on the bed quietly, not wanting to hear or see anyone.

Meanwhile, Ammi was fuming with rage.

"Haba, Baban Ahmad! What sort of harsh decision is this against Jadwa?" she asked.

"Look, there's nothing I can do about this girl anymore! The damage she has caused with my family is irreversible! This is the only way we can keep the two families at peace," Baba said.

"At the cost of your daughter's life? for a man like Adam, who violated your child? Should you not be the one demanding they reverse the damage?" she asked, completely shocked by the words coming out of her husband's mouth.

"Adam is my son too! We could have handled this as a family! Not go as far as involving the police"

"The only way you would have handled it, Alhaji, is by marrying her off to him just like now. And as long as I live, I won't allow Jadu to marry into that family, even if they mean more to you than your own children, " she said, her voice firm and unwavering.

"Ammi," Ahmad started, and she shut him up with a stern look and a raised hand.

"I've never involved myself in matters that include your sisters or brothers, Baban Ahmad, but remember Jadwa is an amana given to me. I raised her before she could even speak, before I became a mother she made me one, and I swear by Allah I won't watch her be forcefully given off to that pervert and to a family that despises your children, and their mother" She said ""How could someone hate a Mother so passionately but claim to love her children? They only want her for their son's obsession!" she said.

Baba's mouth was partially open in shock. He had never heard his wife talk against him or question his decision, but today he might have crossed the line. Deep down, he knew he couldn't do that to his daughter, but he felt pressured by the situation. He watched her leave the room after sending a glare at Ahmad.

"Meet me when you are done with your father," she said, and Ahmad nodded quickly.

The tension in the room was palpable. Baba sat there, conflicted and lost in thought, while Ahmad gathered his thoughts, knowing he had to tread carefully.

"Baba, please understand, we only want what's best for Jadu. Forcing her into a marriage with someone who has already hurt her to this point will not bring peace but further pain and resentment," Ahmad said gently but firmly. "How will even even trust him with her after all this?"

Baba sighed deeply, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on him. "I understand, Ahmad, but what about Hajiya? the shame... the dishonor..."

"There's no dishonor in protecting one's child from harm, Baba. Even if it's within our family!We can find a way to resolve this without sacrificing Jadu's happiness and safety," Ahmad insisted.

He kept quiet again, for so long that Ahmad almost gave up for the night but he spoke again.

"Tell her to bring out a suitor of her choice before Eid, or else I'll do I please and this is the last chance I am giving your sister! Marrying her off is the only way to solve this issue" he said, his voice laced with finality before walking out of the living room leaving Ahmad in his thoughts.

***
She found Jadwa sitting on the bed, staring into the void, her hands clenched tightly in her lap.

"Leave my room," she said firmly. Jadwa looked up, her eyes wide and filled with a glimmer of hope that quickly faded.

"Ammi," she cried softly, her voice trembling.

"Leave my room, Jadu," she repeated, her tone unyielding. Jadwa's eyes welled up with tears, spilling over onto her cheeks.

There was no playfulness in Ammi's gaze, only a cold, hard determination. Jadwa reluctantly stood to leave, her steps heavy, when Ammi's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Have you grown to the point where you no longer consider me your mother?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Jadwa rushed to Ammi's side, clutching her hands tightly. "Ammi, no, Ammi, don't ever say that," she sobbed, her body shaking.

"So why would you hide something so big from me, Jadu? Why would you do that to me?" Tears streamed down Ammi's face, mirroring the ones on Jadwa's.

"Ammi, I couldn't. I was so scared of Baba. I was ashamed and disgusted with myself. I didn't know what to do or who to tell," she stammered, her words barely audible through her sobs. Ammi looked away, her face etched with pain.

She pulled Jadwa close, holding her tightly. Jadwa cried like a child, the suffocating weight of her fears finally lifting as her mother's warmth enveloped her.

"I'm so sorry, my daughter," Ammi whispered, rubbing her back to calm her. "I won't let anyone harm you or force you to be with Adam. Men often act for their own benefit, even at a woman's expense, but this time, it won't be you."

Jadwa remained in Ammi's arms until she fell asleep, her breathing steadying as exhaustion overtook her. Ammi gently laid her down and covered her with a duvet just as Ahmad entered the room quietly, his face serious.

"Ammi," he said softly. She looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen.

"What did he say?" she asked, avoiding his gaze.

"He said if she doesn't present a suitor before Eid, he'll do as he pleases," Ahmad sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Eid is not very far," she noted, her voice tinged with worry.

"Exactly."

"What about Abdulhakeem? I still haven't heard from him," she said, her brow furrowing.

"I seized her phone," he mentioned, handing it to Ammi. He wanted Jadwa to explain what had happened with Abdulhakeem herself.

"You did nothing wrong," she sighed, taking the phone.

"He knows he's in the wrong this time," Ahmad said, referring to their father. He added, "Thank you, Ammi," and gave her a side hug.

"I'm still angry at you!" She wriggled out of the hug, making him laugh heartily.

"I didn't want to stress our soon-to-be grandmother. Can't you see you're getting old?" he teased, and she shook her head, hiding a smile.

They spent the next few hours talking, sharing their worries and plans, until Ahmad left for his house. Ammi lay down next to Jadwa and drifted off to sleep, her mind heavy with thoughts.

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