He walked back into the room with the rosary in his hand while he supplicated. He found her curled up on the bed as she slept the way he left her before he went to the mosque. Well, maybe not exactly the way he left her. Because he would say he was both amused and surprised when he found her head resting on his shoulder when he woke up, and he knew even if he was going to tell this to her she would keep on arguing with him until they fight about it. Mujaheed softly shook his head and moved to the bed, "Fareeda," he called out, and she didn't move a flinch.

He sat down beside her while he stared at her sleeping face, she looked so peaceful. She looked calm and innocent as well. Well, if he could be a little true to himself, he could say that she looked cute that he didn't want to wake her up if not she hadn't prayed. He tapped her shoulder, "Fareeda, you should wake up, okay? It's past praying time."

She softly groaned and mumbled, "Will you please leave me alone? I'm so tired."

"Fareeda, you have to wake up. I'm already back from the mosque. You can sleep all you want after you're done praying."

"I'll do that when I wake up. Will you please leave me alone?" She mumbled softly and pulled the duvet up to her face. Mujaheed knew for sure being soft on this girl wouldn't yield a good thing, he might have to act a little tough on her.

He pulled the duvet away from her body and seeing that her gown had lifted up as well, revealing her thighs, he quickly threw it over her body and groaned, pinching the bridge between his eyes. "Fareeda, you should wake up this minute or else I'll have no choice but to take you to the bathroom myself, okay?" He called out strictly and he saw as she squeezed her eyes.

"Will you please let me sleep? You're really annoying me this morning, Mujaheed." She said through gritted teeth, not even making an attempt to wake up.

"You've left me with no choice then, because there's no way I'll let you sleep without praying, Fareeda." He leaned forward to where she was laying down and lifted her head into his hands, he fixed her glass on her and she sluggishly opened her eyes on his face. "Good morning," he voiced out softly, because seeing her eyes as fresh and soothing s they were after she woke up was the best thing he had ever seen in his whole life.

She was still being held by him whence adjusted the glass and her lips naturally curled into a pout, "What is this, Mujaheed? I had a long day yesterday, won't you let me sleep, please?" She softly begged, her voice sounding as mellifluous as Mujaheed had always known it to be. But this morning voice was something he had never heard.

He lifted her and she sat upright before he pulled his hands away from her, because holding her at the proximity might cause something he didn't want to happen in his life. "Stand up and go perform your ablution, the sky is already turning to blue, Fareeda. You want Allah to set your affairs right, don't you?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes lazily at him before she pulled her legs down, pulling her gown to cover up her thighs, he quickly took his eyes away.

She didn't say anything to him as she walked to the bathroom and after she came out, she met him on the sofa as he read the Qur'an silently in his mind. She quickly prayed, and all her thoughts were nothing but how she would go back to sleep, whatever was happening currently in her life could wait, couldn't it?

"Wait, what are you doing?" He asked when he saw her taking her hijab off as she tried to hop back on the bed. She rolled her eyes at him, what did it look like she was going to do for Allah's sake?

"I'm going to sleep, what else should I do? Watch you as you read the Qur'an or what? Will you please take yourself out of my affairs and let me live my life, Mujaheed?" He asked, and Mujaheed just stared at her. She stood up, folded the hijab and the praying mat before she hopped on the bed and laid down, pulling up the duvet to her chest.

Mujaheed shook his head, because he knew arguing with Fareeda will only worsen things and from what he was seeing now, there was no way she was going to do what he wanted her to do, he would just have to let things slide. He finished reading the Qur'an and hopped back on the bed, smiled when he saw the barrier she had created between them. And when he stared at her face, she had a pout on her lips and her glass was still on her face.

He lounged forward and placed his hands on her face to take it off, "What are you trying to do?!" She asked immediately and placed her hands on his wrists, opening her eyes widely.

"Your glass, it's going to break while you sleep. It will inconvenient your sleep as well." He was close to her face while her round orbs fixed themselves at him with accusation.

"This is among the reasons I told you to tell Alhaji that you aren't getting married to me. If it was Asma'u, you wouldn't have to worry that she's going to break her glass or sleep on one." She rolled her eyes at him, the sting of his betrayal hurting her heart in a way she wanted nothing but to strangle him to death.

He shook his head, "When did I ever tell you that this will tire me, Fareeda? I'd love to take off your glasses for the rest of my life. So now, do you want to sleep?" He asked, and she innocently shook her head.

"Everything is back into my heart. Your betrayal, what Alhaji did, what Ummah did, everything. I want to go out on a walk, will you allow me to?" She asked, and when he checked the time, it was 5:49am.

"I'll go with you, Alhaji wouldn't want me to let you out all alone on yourself. I promise not to intrude on your thoughts. But we will have to wait until it's 6 in the morning, that way the sky has cleared fully."

She quickly sat upright, "I'll go and get ready then." He nodded his head and left the room for her. He sat down on one of the sofas in the living room and waited until she was out. In a tracksuit and a veil over her head, his jaws nearly dropped. The tracksuit hadn't fitted her but still, there was now way he was going to let her out on the wild while she looked like this.

"Can't you wear something on top of that?" He peacefully asked and she scrunched up her face in annoyance. She knew this was going to happen if something was related to Mujaheed, he was definitely going to annoy her one way or the other.

"It's so early in the morning, Mujaheed. No one will be outside, besides this area is so silent that you'd think all these mansions are empty, and we'll be back before they start taking their kids to school and also themselves to work. Can we just leave?" She asked with eagerness.

"I'll have to take your hijab with me, incase something happens outside." She rolled her eyes on his retreating back as he went into the room and when he came out, he was holding her hijab in his hand, she wanted to strangle him alive.

They walked out of the chamber and out of the house in sheer silence. Fareeda folded her hands on her chest and thought about everything. This wasn't the life she wanted for herself, this wasn't it. She knew Alhaji chose this way to punish her because he knew that was the only thing that could massively hurt and it did, without doubt. She wasn't going to let him on this, she would have to make sure that she hurt him as much as he hurt her if not more. Like she promised him, she would have to make sure he lived the rest of his life regretting ever doing this to her.

"Watch your way!" She heard his quick voice as he placed his hand on her forehead and pulled her away from the poll she was about to get her head banged on. He slipped his hand into hers after she was safe and looked into her eyes, "Just hold my hand, I'll walk for us while you think, okay?"

She nodded her head, because she knew if she doubted what he said, her life might come to an end this very day. She felt as he squeezed her hand and somehow, miraculously, she felt relieved in her heart. Her thoughts wandered back to Adam and she wondered what he was doing now. Had he gone back home early from the club he went to? She knew she hated it whenever he went to the club without her that was why she always made sure he went there with her even if she didn't want to go. But now, she knew Mujaheed would have to do all it took for her to leave this house. Not the house, away from his sight.

He had promised her that he would find a solution for them, but nothing had ever come. They kept thinking and they were still yet to figure out what they should do. She wanted to think for them, because most of the times Adam was slow witted and she had to do the thinking for them. What would they do? She thought about him threatening Mujaheed until he divorce her but she knew for a fact that that wouldn't make Mujaheed divorce her, she would have to look for another way.

"Mujaheed," she called out and turned to look at him.

"What? Do you need something?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"If for example I'm tested positive for HIV, what will you do? Will you divorce me? I mean, you won't stay with me and get infected one way or the other, will you?" She asked, and as randomly as the thought crossed through her mind, she wished it will be the way out for them. If she get a false HIV result, that would only mean one thing, Mujaheed had no moe choice but to let her go.

He chuckled and stopped right on track. She turned that they were facing each other and he placed his hands on her shoulders while staring directly into her eyes. "If you're thinking of forging a false HIV result, don't even do it. Because even if it's going to be true, I won't let you go, Fareeda. I'm not going to divorce you."

She stomped her feet stubbornly on the ground, "I'm not saying that's what I'd do, come on. I was just trying to know what might happen if that would happen. And why can't you let go of me? Because there's no way you're going to stay with me as a wife and not get infected, is there a way?"

"There is. I know for sure I can't get close to you intimately without getting infected myself, but technology has gone too far, medical world is improving as well. And do you know what? Even if there wouldn't be a way, we'd have to find it ourselves. I want a child with you, and I'll make sure that happens, Insha Allah." He pinched her cheeks with a soft smile and she rolled her eyes at him, which made him chuckle.

"I've already promised someone my first child, and it isn't you. Wait, why are we even having this conversation? I'm not going to have a child with you, we can't be intimate knowing we're going our separate ways sooner or later." She turned to walk off but he held her shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes.

"What do you mean? Whatever you're planning on doing, don't even try to do it, okay? I'm not letting you go, and that's a promise." She scoffed angrily and that amused Mujaheed. He didn't know the reason why he was being adamant about not letting her go, all he knew was he wouldn't let her go.

"Whatever, don't even think of what you just said, okay? Because that would never happen between us." She shrugged his hands off from her shoulders and walked off, "And don't forget our rules. Oh, my rule."

✥

They walked back into the chamber with Fareeda having her hijab on her. Mujaheed forced her to wear it on their way back when someone drove past them and despite the way she kept arguing to him about it, he was the one that wore it on her. She was still fuming about it when she slumped on the sofa and looked at him.

"I'm hungry, I shouldn't have gone out on this walk, because all it added for me was more things to think on."

"Are you thinking about the baby I mentioned?" He asked casually and she coughed. What was wrong with him? How can he say something like that as if it was nothing?

"More to my rules, don't ever speak about that thing as well, I've clearly told you that it isn't going to happen, it will never happen." She rolled her eyes and stood up, "I'll go in and ask one of the chefs to make something for me, I'll be back when they're done."

He was quick at holding her wrist than she had ever imagined he would be. "What? You can't go to that house, Fareeda. Will you please for once be matured and not cause all those troubles you wish you could?"

She shrugged his hand off her wrist and nonchalantly shrugged off her shoulders. "I see no reason why I wouldn't be allowed into my father's house, Mujaheed. I believe no one has that right, not even the father himself, okay?"

He held her shoulders and forced her to sit down and he sat beside her, "You can't go in there, at least not today, Fareeda. Do all it takes to have your peace of mind fully restored in you, okay? Because both you and I know that if you go there, you'd have to encounter what will certainly hurt you, and what's the use of it?"

She tried to protest when he shook his head, "I know, just tell me the truth that you don't know how to cook, I won't judge you on that. Now, let's go to the kitchen and I'll teach you how to cook something."

She shook her head stubbornly, "Who told you I can't cook?"

He chuckled and helped her stood on her feet, "No one told you, but I think I've predicted right. Let's go to the kitchen." She kept grumbling while he dragged her to the kitchen and she stood there watching how meticulously clean it look. She wondered the kind of man he was and if there was a man that could be as neat as he was. She used to go to Adam's house sometimes just to clean it for him despite herself being lazy and a spoilt brat, and all she did was cleaned her room because she didn't want anyone to intrude on her privacy and since Nana came, she gave that to her.

"Are you going to stay there? Come over, I'll make pancakes for you and a smoothie, that will fill you and you'll sleep comfortably after that." She rolled her eyes out of exasperation and moved to the counter where he was bringing out all he needed from the cabinets.

"Do you always cook?" She asked out of curiosity, staring at how filled with food items the kitchen was and she wondered if he used all his money just for food items.

He stared at her and put on an apron on himself, "Tie it for me," he said and turned his back at her. She held the two handles and began to tie it for him without an argument. And when she was done, he faced her and put an apron on her body, turning her behind to tie it for her. "I don't always cook, but the person I loved so much cooks a lot, she loves to cook. I learnt how to cook everything from her."

He was done tying it for her and when she wanted to turn around, he hugged her from behind and wrapped his hands warmly on her waist. "What are you doing, Mujaheed?" She asked with a shaky voice and he tightened his hold on her body.

"I'm going to make her favorite breakfast for you, I hope you'd love it like she does." He said in a soft and smooth tone and what Fareeda thought was, did he have a wife or someone he loved?

She turned around to look at him after he had released her and she asked, too curious to let it slide. "Do you have a wife? No, is she your girlfriend?"

Without looking at her, Mujaheed began to crack the eggs into the bowl. "What if she was? Are you going to be jealous?" He asked.

She quickly shook her head, "Why will I be jealous? I'm just going to feel sorry for her because her boyfriend or husband, whatever you are to her has gotten married again. Does she know?"

"What if she doesn't?" He said again, pouring the milk into it.

"You have no other choice but to divorce me for peace to reign, right? You love your wife or girlfriend and would love to stay with her at all cost. But why isn't she here with you all this while?"She asked, and Mujaheed dropped the whisk he was holding and turned to face her.

"I don't care about what anyone will say to me about you, Fareeda. And even if my wife wants me to divorce you, I wouldn't be able to do for her. I'd be selfish at that."

She gasped and palmed her mouth, "That means you have a wife?! Oh my god! Where has she been all this while and you've never spoken about her, Nana doesn't know about her either, she would have told me."

He pulled her to him and hugged her, she kept trying to get out of his hold and when he released her, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead and looked into her eyes. "I have a wife, and her name is Fareeda Kamal Sardauna, and not even her could make me let go of her. There, are you satisfied?" He chuckled when she hit him on his chest and spoke with a whiny tone.

"My god! Mujaheed! I told you to stop kissing my forehead." And he kissed her forehead again and again until she hugged him tightly to avoid him having a contact with her forehead while he laughed and held her firmly. He was afraid of what would be of him if he kept staying together with Fareeda in a few months or even weeks.