They made the pancakes together. And when it came to the smoothie, all she did was peeled off the banana for him while she watched him worked. It was surprising to her as well, but she was so pleased to watch him work while he stared at her after a few minutes and she would smile and take her eyes off him. She didn't know why, but watching him work from one end of the kitchen to the other as he worked was so pleasing to Fareeda. And right now as she woke up from her nap, a smile was the first thing that graced her lips.

She took her phone and replied the message Adam had sent to her before she walked to the bathroom to have her bathe. She didn't know how she slept for so long and wondered how Mujaheed didn't wake her up. She thought he would wake her up? She wondered if he had been in the house since he left before she fell asleep.

She was in the living room, watching the movie while she kept looking at the door to see when he was going to come in. She didn't miss him, she told her heart, all she wanted was food. And it was late in the evening, she needed to eat something. When she walked to the kitchen, to her surprise, she saw food in the warmer and Fareeda couldn't help the flutter her heart made. She warmed it and brought everything out. She was eating when the door got unlocked and he came inside.

She watched him until he slumped on the sofa and he looked at her, "You're up already? I came in to wake you up..." He let his words trailed off while he placed his hands on his forehead, "My head hurts."

She gulped down the food in her mouth and poured him a glass of cold water, "Here, take this." He stared at what she was handing him and then back to her face to make sure she was the one. Fareeda giving him a glass of water because he said he was having a headache? He better had this day marked on his calendar. He collected the glass and smiled at her before he gulped it down on the go. "Maybe you need to go and see a doctor?" She suggested, and he immediately shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. It's just that I haven't sleep since subh, I think I'll have to take some nap before it's Maghreb time. Will you please wake me up after that?" He asked politely and stood up, Fareeda stared at him as if she was unsure of his words and nodded her head afterward.

"I will. Make sure you get better when you're up, or else we're going to the hospital." He smiled and nodded his head at her. So, this was how the caring side of Fareeda Kamal Sardauna looked like? Even though he was sure she didn't realize what her words might have meant, but that was Fareeda saying her mind out.

She turned her attention back to the tv after he had left for the room and was eating her food while she watched the movie when she heard his footsteps behind her. She looked up at him and without saying anything, Mujaheed pulled her up, "What is it?" She asked, and he pointed at the room for her.

She watched as he dragged her into the room and pointed at the bed for her. "You haven't made the bed when you woke up, why?" He asked, scrunching his face up due to the pain that was throbbing his veins.

"I wanted Nana to do it when she comes. What else? You're going to sleep anyways, so you can sleep and make it when you wake up. I'm sure you're better at it than I am." She wanted to walk beside him and leave the room when he held her back and Fareeda rolled her eyes before she turned to look at him.

"What do you think you're doing, Mujaheed? I told you, Nana will make it or you should make it yourself." She rolled her eyes exasperatedly at him and he pulled her back into the room.

"That's not what a wife does, Fareeda. You have to make the bed, clean the room like I cleaned the living room. And for Nana, Hajia stopped her from coming here unless she's the one that sends her herself. You have to start learning how to do things without the help of Nana."

"Whatever, I'm not going to make your bed just because I slept on it. And also, I'm not a Wife to be doing all wifely duties, am I?" He stared into her eyes and saw how angry she had become in just a few minutes of talking and wondered what in the world was wrong with Fareeda. He knew he didn't have the energy to argue with her right now but he surely had a way to make her to do what he wanted.

He threw her on the bed and she tried to look up at him, "What is this? You can't be adding more stress to my life! I'm not making the bed, I'm not your wife!" She thundered and pulled herself to stand up when he hovered over her. She placed her hands on his chest to avoid him from having a full contact with her chest. "Mujaheed! What do you think you're doing?!" She shouted at the pitch of her voice, struggling to get out of this cornered situation.

He took off her glass, because he knew if he was looking into those eyes he might not be able to do what he wanted to. It might go from a threat to something he would really want. He placed the glass beside them and spoke in a voice that gave an air to command and Fareeda shivered slightly. "You might not be the kind of wife that'll make the bed after sleeping on it. But I assume every wife can give this wifely duty, am I right?"

She nearly flinched when his hand slipped off her headgear and shook her head, "Give me back my glass! What do you think you're doing, Mujaheed?!" Even though her voice shook with fear and extreme anger, she dare not make a move.

"I'm not going to give back the glass. You have to choose one, make the bed or this. Because I'm ever ready to make you do either of the wifely duties." He wanted to chuckle when she clenched her eyes shut and even though from her facial expression he was sure of the fact that Fareeda was furious, he loved it that she couldn't let her anger out.

"I'll make the bed. Now, get off me!" She said and when she felt him lifting up a bit, she pushed him harder away from her body. "Where's my glass?" She asked though gritted teeth and he smiled before he put it back on her face and stood up.

She rolled her eyes at him and he was still standing in the room when she made the bed and Mujaheed had to crease some places. She was truly a spoilt brat, he thought and smile when she stomped toward him with anger brewing from her eyes. "This will be a concrete warning to you," she began as she placed her hands on akimbo and he nodded his head before he wrapped his hands on his chest.

"I'm all ears, what is it?" She pointed at the bed then back to his face, with the expression he saw on her face, Mujaheed was certain killing him was the only thing she had on her mind.

"Don't you ever do what you just did to me, Mujaheed. I'm not someone you can joke with, okay? And also..." She let her words off when she saw him walking toward her and she took a few steps back while lifting her hand up to stop him, "Don't come closer to me! Stay where you are! Don't take my glass off again whenever you want to shut me off, Mujaheed. It might give you some power, or so you'll assume..." Fareeda wasn't done with her sentence when darkness filled her eyes and that was when she realized he had taken her glass off her face. "Mujaheed!!! What do you think you're doing?!" She stomped her feet angrily on the floor and before she knew it, tears were already rolling down her cheeks.

She knew she had always hated it when her system failed her and she became the lachrymose she had always made sure she wasn't. Why would she cry now? In front of him? She heard as he gasped and tried pulling her to him when he shrugged his hands off her. "Don't ever dream of laying your hands on me ever again. And if this is funny to you or you enjoy it that I can't do anything when you've taken my glass off, stop it. It's not funny to me, it hurts me a lot. Now, give me back my glass." She kept clearing her tears but it felt as though she had been waiting for a reason to cry because everything came back to her in a rush and she knew she had to cry everything out to finally have peace of mind.

Mujaheed placed back the glasses on her face and she looked at him with a hurtful expression. "Don't forget all that I've told you, I won't take it lightly when you do any of these to me again, Mujaheed." She stomped out of the room when he was about to apologize to her. He had never thought that taking off her glass would hurt her as much as he saw it did now.

He watched her retreating back as she walked out of the room and Mujaheed was sure if he followed her to the living room, nothing could stop them from fighting. Because he knew if she started venting out on him he might try to calm himself down before everything got out of his control and something terrible would happen. He walked to the bathroom to take his bathe, and after that, he would sleep, by then he was sure she had calmed down a bit.

Fareeda sat on one of the sofas and cried her eyes out. She dialed Adam's number but there was no response and that hurt her a lot. Maybe he wasn't around, or he was at a joint and since he knew she wouldn't always be together with him now, he had to do the right to do whatever he wanted, right? She felt hurt and that made her cried further. She knew she was being a baby for crying about this, but then how would anyone understand what she was feeling if they weren't in her shoes?

She was in the midst of getting married to a gateman, she didn't let that worried her because she knew she would have to find a way out for herself and get out of this painful marriage. But he couldn't add more to what she had been enduring for years, for what reason? She had to think of the best way to get out of this bondage away from this man that thought himself as though he were a king. She cleared her tears and kept dialing Adam's number but he didn't pick.

She called Nana and there was no response either. What did the two people she held meaningful in her life meant? They couldn't even be there for her when she needed them the most? And she had never felt bad for not having a friend like she did today, if she had one, maybe that friend would have given her a way out of this marriage. She hissed silently and thought for a moment, all this happened because of Alhaji and she swore on her life to make him regret.

✥

She refused to look or talk to him no matter how much he tried, and when he knew that it would only be a waste of time if he kept pushing, he let her alone like she wanted even though she hadn't voiced it out to him. He watched as she went to the kitchen before he left the house and he smiled. He knew she was hungry but her ego will never let her ask him to either cook or get something for her to eat.

He stayed out with the police men and after Isha and seeing that it was getting late and she might've not been successful in making something for herself, Mujaheed walked back into the chamber and he found her in the kitchen. He had to cook for her, he knew. But before he was able to do that, he realized that she was on phone while she cooked. Or rather, she intended to burn the whole house.

"Adam, check the details well for me, should I add two cubes or one and a half, I'm afraid that it would be too much and I don't like much salt." He felt something passed out before him. From the way she stood in front of the cooking gas and she spoke with a whiny tone, taking the cubes into her hand.

"No, are you sure the woman said two cubes? Turn the volume for me, please. I don't trust you, I'd have to hear it for myself. How can I add two cubes of Maggi into two noodles together with the noddle spices? I think it will be too much." He understood, she called Adam to play a video of how to cook noodles for her, she couldn't ask him or just play the video herself?

Mujaheed was rooted to his spot when her laughter brought him out of his reverie, "What? There's no way I will cook for you when we get married, get that into your skull. I can't have our whole house burnt, maybe our innocent baby will be affected too." She seemed happy, excited even. Mujaheed felt so angry that he was sure if Adam was standing before him right now, nothing could stop him from punching him to death.

"Fareeda!" He spoke through gritted teeth and she immediately turned to look at him.

"Adam, I'll call you when I'm done. If it doesn't go well, I'll call you to bring something for me to eat, you know my favorites." With his bloodshot eyes, Mujaheed watched as she smiled as though the man she was smiling for would see her and she nodded her head not knowing what Adam had said to her. All that struck him as though a thunder strike was when she said, "Alright, babe, I will. Take care of yourself for me, okay? I love you." She ended the call and turned her eyes back to the cooking gas.

Mujaheed knew for a few more minutes, he wouldn't be able to control himself as he stomped further into the kitchen and held her arm. He forcefully turned her to face him, "What do you think you've just done, Fareeda?!" He thundered and she shrugged his hand off hers before she glared at him.

"What did it look like I did? I had a phone call with a man I love, nothing else. Now, if you'll excuse me."

She wasn't able to close her eyes when he thundered. "Fareeda! I dare you to make me more furious than I am, right now. Have you gone insane? How could a married woman be having a phone call with someone that isn't her husband while she spoke the way you did? And even told him you loved him? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Fareeda smiled calmly, she had been waiting for this. And from the looks of things, she would be the calm one today. She wrapped her hands over her chest as she turned to look at him after she had turned the gas off, she wasn't hungry anymore. "If not him, who do you think deserves those words from him? He's the only one I love, didn't I tell you? You have to get used to things like this, because I'm the kind that make sure I display my love for my beloved, and no one dares stop me. And you're busy talking about a husband, who's he? Will you please get out of my sight?!"

He lifted his hands up to slap her but stopped himself, she chuckled and pointed at the fist he had curled instead. "What do you think you'd have done? Wait, if not for Alhaji that got me married to you, do you think you'd ever have a chance to have a conversation with someone like me? Look Mujaheed, let me get this straight with you, you're nothing but a gateman and that should stick to your head! Don't you dare think of yourself as someone you aren't and will never be! Adam is the one I love and will spend the rest of my life with." She furiously rolled her eyes at him and stomped out of the kitchen beside him, out of the chamber in a whole.

Mujaheed stared at her through the window as she picked her phone and dialed the number he was certain was that of Adam while she headed to the hut. She might've told him whatever she wanted and felt she had gone out scot free, but there was no way he could let her be in touch with that idiot she had as a boyfriend, no way. And even for what she just said, he would never let go of her, he would never divorce her.

He stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes to calm himself down before he walked out of the chamber and when he went to the hut, she was smiling warmly while she played with her feet. "I've told this to you, Adam, you're the only one I love. Wait, what about the house you sent to me? Is it the one..." Mujaheed forcefully took the phone away from her and she sharply turned to look at him.

"Look, I know you know what a married woman stands for, right? I dare you to have a call with my wife again, you'd know what it means to mess with someone's wife. Don't you ever call her again."

"Mujaheed! What do you think you're doing?! Who the hell do you think you are?! She thundered and when his bloodshot eyes turned to look at her, Fareeda didn't know how she had lost her voice. Because from what she had seen in his eyes, it wasn't just a man angry over his wife for having a phone call with another man. There was more to what she had seen.