BORNO EMIRATE COUNCIL.

Sa'eed continue his journey to his grandmother's chamber while grunting underneath his breathe for the interruption. There is nothing he wants now other than spending sometime with his wife which is the reason he sent his brother packing from their chamber to not interrupt them pleonastic-slly since she is clearly shy. He sometimes ask whether she is the person he's met weeks ago in Chad who defiantly stood against him without knowing who he is and what he wants. She is now shy, timid, adorable but also sexy when looking fierce, like the scorching fire she is.

Upon arriving at the chamber, he arranged his face not to show her just how reluctant he is to leave his wife at home alone when they were having the moment of their lives minutes before. Her by his side, getting to know her and all that is just much more than everything to him. And deep down, he knows that this is what love feels like and he is dead sure this is not what he's felt for Najaah when they were together. He loved her, really but not the one he is feeling for Suhayr now for it is more passionate, more intense than he's ever felt.

Whenever he is with Suhayr, his heart will just keep being restless and his body will tingle by the mere mention of her name and when she is close to him, he just wants to keep her warm and happy. While with Najaah, there was the love but it's not like they are all over each other apart from the desire two people have for each when they are together. Well, whatever it is he feels for Suhayr now is exactly what Sa'ad must have felt too then. The giddiness to be with the person you love, the palpitations in your veins.

Sa'ad. The guy will definitely be happy now that his Ghaydaa came back to the family without going far away from the family. If Allah hasn't planned his death, he never would've met Suhayr and he don't know where his life would have been. Allah has already planned it all which is why they are together because he almost didn't go to Chad then and wanted to send Mu'adh. This is all in hands of Allah, to plan and plot all that is written in your destiny without having it changed no matter what. It is unpredictable being the pawn in a chess, you don't know where you are going to be placed next.

"You called for me, grand mama?" He asked when he finally realised that he is inside her bedchamber where she lie down in her soft cotton but silky nightwear.

"Yes, Sa'd. Come up here!" She patted the space beside her and he stood up to sit there from the sofa by the end of the room. He thought she was sleeping for a minute there since her eyes were closed and she is humming like she always does when she is about to fall asleep. He almost wished she was sleeping, he wouldn't have hesitated and disappear from there back to his wife's arms.

"What is it? It's so late and pass your bedtime." He scrunched his brows, his eyes taking in her whole body to make sure she is not ill and nothing is wrong with her. Seeing as she is well than she was the day before, his head gets more filled with questions.

"It's nothing urgent and you need not worry your head with it. Me and your grandfather are going to Egypt tomorrow and we thought we should take you guys since you didn't get to go on your honeymoon. What do you say about that?" She questioned, sitting up on the bed and turn on lamp beside the bed to see his face. They have planned this since after finding out or almost finding out who Suhayr really is.

They prolonged the journey because they wanted to make sure the wedding is completed knowing Suhayr won't go if that wedding don't take place. And now is the perfect time since they said Suhayr's mother is getting well from the cancer and they hope this will help her recover sooner than later. The questions that will sprout out from their mouths won't circle their heads. And this is enough time to get them to dig out whatever it is that happened years ago to get her away from their home.

"That is perfect, grand mama. I will just talk to her and see if she don't have any problem." He beamed, rising up to stand but her frail old hand brought him back to the sofa. Ugh, he couldn't wait to break the news to her and envelope her in his arms.

"Why are you so excited to go on a honeymoon with Sumara? What happened that I don't know of?" She questioned, her words laced mischief knowing she is clearly missing something about her Sa'd. It's been a few days since they last got to talk heart to heart like they usually do, she is sure he is up to something.

"Oh, it's nothing! I just want to leave this place for awhile and I've been thinking about where to go, this is the perfect escape." He shrugged it off and for a moment there, he's forgotten about the fact that his grandmother knows everything there is to know about him and more. She makes him look transparent all the time.

"You are lying to me, Sa'd. Now tell me what is going on between you and Sumara. Already in love, heh?" She raise her greying brow at him which she still is learning how to but since she don't know that she is doing it, she did it perfectly.

"Grand mama!" He whined, his hand instantly moving to his head to scratch his growing mane then glance at her with a sheepish smile that always makes Suhayr swoon, "You were right, I was going to fall hopelessly in love and I did. Grand mama, I love her so much! At first, I felt like it was so sudden and stupid of me to have feelings for someone who married me only because of a dare but then after giving it a thought, it wasn't such a bad idea to fall in love with your legally wedded wife and so I let myself feel. All I can tell you now is, I don't want to stop what I'm feeling, ever." He felt light spurting out those words to someone else.

Ever since he started feeling that way, he never opened up to anyone and spoke his mind but his grandmother right then. It has been filled in his chest and he can't help lightness he felt in his heart. She conflagrated his heart like this without as much as trying to act lovey dovey with him. Even with her racketeer behaviour, he loves her with that attitude that could put any arrogant royal to shame. She don't take even the slightest mistake from anyone, not even him.

Hajiya Fareedah's smile knows no mile as she place her hand on his thigh in this motherly way, "I know that you are the only match meant for her and she is the only one for you. When did you realise your feelings for her?" Her eyes are twinkling with interest and curiosity of a kid anticipating gift on his birthday. Maybe he got the child-like behaviour Suhayr was talking about earlier from her.

"When she told me about the first person she's loved and do you know who it was?" His voice drop an octave as he queried, his grandmother shook her head in interest and he continued, "Her first love was Sa'ad. Yes, my twin brother. You remember when he went to Chad to look for a wife right?" She nodded again her eyes wide with bemusement and bewilderment but he continued.

"She was the one he wanted to marry and that accident took place the night he was supposed to meet her mother. They were together only for three days but both of them were irrevocably in love with one another which makes me realise just how much fragile life is and how my feeling for her has changed. It has been only fortnight but I know I love her more than I've ever loved anyone. I tried building our relationship since then and so far, we are moving." His smile is tremendous and hefty, he can't help letting the muscles flex across his face.

"I'm glad you have realised your feelings sooner than later. But I have hidden something important from you, Sa'd." Her voice suddenly stirred to a gloomy forlorn one, this piqued his interest more than any death news.

His grand mother has never, ever hid anything from him!

"What is it?" His question came as a whisper, his heart literally rolled down his knees.

~

A month and weeks ago when Najaah fell pregnant for the first time and everyone was happy for the first grandson in the castle, but no one knew that they were divorced then. He wanted to let her stay till she gives birth since he was contemplating whether the baby is his or his younger brother's. It was just the next day after he caught what they did together with his younger brother, it clearly states that it was his baby. Even though Hajiya Fareedah hates Najaah, she was also very excited about having a great grandson so she enjoyed the lucent atmosphere.

She then heard Sa'eed's conversation with the same person who told him about his wife's cheating self. She went to the hospital Najaah was and ask for her reports since she can't trust that woman and her evil ways.

"I want her blood from you. I don't want any doctor to test her but you and if you dare betray for little amount of money, I will have you executed!" She threatened an old doctor who looks eager to do her work when she walked in but after hearing her demands, he started shaking like a leaf. She cab be scary when she wants to be even with her old age.

"Yes, your Highness!" He replied, taking the white handkerchief from his table to wipe the visible sweat from his forehead. She knew she could be quite intimidating if she wants to be.

"And I want it done right now while I'm inside this office waiting for you." She crossed her legs and place her hands on his table so he stood up and nodded then left the office immediately.

An hour later, he came back with so many papers and gave them to her. She read through them and found out Najaah is not pregnant and she is also HIV positive. She didn't ask him to do general test but is glad because she needs to save her grandsons immediately from that wretched woman. She don't know whether Najaah knows about her disease but she is not about to tell her so as soon as she left the hospital, she called their personal doctor to come help her with some problem at home and he did.

"I want you all to undergo medical tests earlier this year." She explained to all her grandchildren even though she only wants two of them, Sa'eed and Shaheed, to do it. If she does that to the two of them only, the royals will question her motive. It is a big family which makes everything complicated.

What made it all easier is the fact that they always do those tests ending each year so doing it two months earlier won't be really suspicious. None of them argued but they grumbled since they don't like injection, that didn't matter to her. Shaheed and Sa'eed were the first two people to give their bloods since they couldn't stand being in each other's presence, so they left. She signaled the doctor and he nodded then gave it to the nurse with him to test it sooner than the rest so she left to get it done.

"Are they clear?" Her anxious voice cut through the small clinic where the nurse just filed the reports of their blood samples and gave the papers to her.

"Yes, your Highness. None of them have anything to worry about!" The young nurse beamed when her majesty gave her a bulky tip and she left quietly like she came.

Hearing that, she left back to the castle with a smile of triumph because she don't have to worry about anything. All she needs to do is tell Sa'eed how cunning his wife is and even though he loves his wife, he won't agree that she will deceive him like that so she took her way to solve everything.

"Go and put this in Najaah's meal." She gave the small container to Jakadiyah to give a maid to get the mission moving. The woman will leave that castle that very day, she don't like wasting her time over unnecessary petty people!

Later in the evening, she sent a doctor there for an unexpected visit to her grandson's castle knowing Najaah is going to be unconscious then. The man said he will test her again to make sure if the baby is fine but Sa'eed insist that they should go to the hospital to make sure everything is perfect. He was worried about both the mother of the baby and the baby and the doctor agreed if that is the only option. It shall work both ways, she didn't plan it without any backup.

With Najaah unconscious, they conducted another test which proved that she is not carrying any baby. Sa'eed couldn't believe his ears so he ask some more doctors to examine her and conduct some other tests too which came out with same result. Knowing he can't just jump to conclusion even though he can't trust Najaah again, he was hoping for a baby badly from her. He don't want to believe he was fooled into bringing her back to his home even after knowing he's severed all ties with her.

"You lied about being pregnant didn't you?!" His voice yank Najaah away from her reverie as soon as she awoke. He was pacing the room while waiting for her to wake up and as soon as she did, his words bounced across the walls shattering her shelve.

"N-no, who told you this? That's a huge lie!" She became hysteric because she is centered in between peril, jeopardy and gamble.

"Read the tests in front of you, the countless tests conducted when you fainted to make sure the baby is safe and sound. Who would've thought there was no baby in there?" His words spit out venom filled with malice and her body visibly started shaking in fright. He has a smile that totally ruined her dreams, it was frigid and cold.

"W-who told you t-" She rolled off the bed to her feet when his glare shot straight at her and she knew that the Sa'eed in front of her could kill her without remorse.

"Leave and never show your face to me ever again!" He yelled loudly at the top of his voice, she jumped on her feet and left the hospital room without a look back. He felt betrayed and cheated on again after what she has done with his brother, she had the nerve to betray him again like this?!

~

"I hid the HIV fact from you because I didn't know if you'd ever believe me again after asking for multitudes of tests to prove that she is not carrying a baby again. That is it!" She shrugged, her back hitting the headboard of the room then they heard the taslim of his majesty coming in.

"Oh, the grandson and grandmother bonding time again?" He cooed while removing the alkyabba from around him after keeping his walking stick by the wall beside the door.

"Yes, and you are not invited." She replied, staring from her peripheral vision at Sa'eed to gouge out his reaction and thank God, he don't look mad about his first wife being HIV positive.

"I'll leave you two to your love. What time are we leaving tomorrow?" He stood up, glancing at his grandfather who occupied the other side of the bed and is already drawing his wife to him. He wants love of the people that brought him up. It is pure, no lies or secrets between them and even with their old ages, they are all over each other.

He don't care about what his first wife had done because Allah has shown him her true colours and no matter what she does, he won't change his mind about her. They have separated now, nothing will bring them back together ever. He has Suhayr now, she is enough for him till their end and forevermore. He just needs to find out whether she loves him or not, or if she has feelings for him.

"Be ready around eight, we shall leave then." This time, the Shehu spoke and shooed Sa'eed away from the room like he is blocking his way.

"Calm down, grandpa!" He laughed and left into the night to go see his wife.