The drive home was nothing like the carefree ride we'd had an hour ago. My fears had just come to life in the worst way imaginable and It took every ounce of my self-control not to break down in the car. 

My stomach twisted in knots as I attempted to regulate my breathing. It made me sick how I'd managed to wreak havoc wherever I went. 

God, Akram! How could he not hate my guts right now? His baby sister is taken away because of me. Because of my stupid, worthless life. It's always my fault. He'll finally believe that I'm bad news. That I'm spoiling his life and hurting the people he loves. 

I tightened my arms around my body. If the seatbelt wasn't crushing my chest, I would have been rocking back and forth. 

From all the nightmarish scenarios in which I was the cause of devastation, I'd never thought it would be Jannah. 

Jannah! The sweet angel! How could I do this to her? To Akram? To their family? Is this my way of showing gratitude to Sophie? Causing her to lose her only daughter? Just like I did to the mother of another innocent child six years ago? What kind of a monster am I? How can I live with myself if anything happens to her?

A sob escaped from my lips, but I squelched them shut. Akram didn't have to deal with an emotional meltdown right now. I'd done enough damage so far. I'd invited hell into his life and I'd take full responsibility for everything that might happen to his sister. The poor baby! 

But how? How did they find her? Akmal said we were out of their sight. Akram trusted him. He believed his brother knew what he was doing, but did he really? What if Akmal made a mistake? Or a miscalculation? What if they - my evil pursuers, whoever they were - knew where we've been all along and were waiting for the right time to attack? But why Jannah? She did nothing to anyone. Why didn't they just take me?  I would've let them if it meant they wouldn't hurt Akram or his family.

My body was shaking. I sucked in a deep breath, attempting to restrain the bubble of terror blowing up inside of me. 

I stole a glance at Akram. His knuckles were white as he smothered the steering wheel. He stared at the road with a stoney face, as if he no longer saw the world the way everyone saw it. 

I swallowed a lump in my throat. The look on his face was killing me. But the most excruciating part was watching his transformation from the sunny and cheerful person he'd always been into this blanched, glazed-eyed sculpture. His heartbreaking silence and the petrified look in his eyes stayed with him since we'd left the school without Jannah. 

He hadn't spoken a word after that confrontation with Dana. Even though she'd kept telling him not to worry. As if Jannah meant nothing to her. How could anyone not worry about a missing child? And not just any missing child. It was Akram's only sister. A special child with special needs. 

Akram pulled the phone from his pocket. He glared at the screen, pressed the keys a few times and placed it on his ear. His long fingers choked the small cellphone while he waited for the person on the other line to answer. Seconds later, a grimace crossed his face and his arm flopped down with the phone. 

He repeated the call several times. Each time his silent agitation marred his face. Eventually, he muttered something under his breath and tossed the phone down in the compartment between our seats. 

His arm was sagging next to him when I reached to squeeze his fingers. His hand was icy cold and my heart shattered into pieces. Akram losing his warmth was against the laws of nature. It was too much to bear. 

I rubbed his palm to induce some heat into it. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered, my voice ragged. 

Akram screwed his eyes shut briefly, shaking his head and pressing his lips. 

My hand froze and I began to withdraw it from his palm, mouthing another "sorry." 

His fingers clung to mine. 

"Don't," he rasped.

For the rest of the ride, he held my hand tight, preventing me from pulling it away. His touch was different. It wasn't romantic. It was a plea for help. All my morbid thoughts vanished, except for the urge to comfort him anyway I could. If he needed my hand, I'd give him all of me without a question. I'd give him my life just to see him smile again. 

The car slowed down and I could make out Akram's home a block away. The massive, colonial design. The brick veneer exterior. The lush, landscaped front yard. It was all too conspicuous to miss. 

Akram released my hand and pulled over to the curb. His eyes were laced with a hard look I couldn't read. 

My heart sank to my feet when he gripped the sides of his head and slouched forward until his forehead bumped into the steering wheel.

I unfastened my seatbelt quickly and  leaned toward him, my arms hovering around, unsure what to do. "Akram! Oh my God! Akram! Are you okay?" My voice vibrated. 

Akram shook his head. "I can't do this," he said hoarsely.

"Do what? W-what happened? What is it?" I brushed his slumped shoulder, my heart palpitating. 

Akram raised his back slowly, his head still hanging down. His ears were flushed, his brows tightly pulled together. "Mel, get inside the house," he demanded.  

"What?" I gasped. "Are you not coming in?" 

"Not until I find Jannah." His voice cracked. 

"But… what do you want me to say? W-what do I tell Sophie?" I whispered, barely breathing. 

"See? That's exactly why I can't go home right now. How would I face my mother? What would I tell her? Sorry, mom, I lost my sister?" He slammed his hands on the wheel, tipped his head back and inhaled sharply. "She gave me a simple task, Melody. Very simple. And I failed. I let them both down and I'm afraid that's happened more times than it should lately. Now I want to make sure this doesn't happen again, so I'm not going in. Not without Jannah." 

My eyelids fluttered rapidly. I could never get used to seeing Akram berating himself like that. Not when I was the one to blame. He shouldn't have to endure my mistakes. He just shouldn't. This was my wrongdoing. I was the one who should bear the brunt of this mess.  

"Oh, Akram, please," I pleaded. "don't pin it on yourself again. It's not you, it's my stupid --"

"Stop!" Akram snapped. "you can't blame yourself for everything. This is on my head, Mel. She's my sister. I'm the one who's supposed to protect her and I've been a useless, good-for-nothing brother. But I will not just sit here like a coward, I need to do something."

My heart was bleeding to hear his self-deprecating words. 

"Okay, then, I'm coming with you," I asserted.

"No!" He turned to face me, his eyes wide and glistening. "I will not risk exposing you too. I can't fix a mistake by making another. You stay home, I'll go."

"But… where would you go?" I asked. 

He swept his face with his hands. "I'll look high and low. I'll drive all over the town. I'll walk the streets. I'll do anything."

I reached to hold his arm. "I don't think that'll work."

"What else can I do?" His question was a helpless whisper. "Time's running out."

"Akmal," I said.

He chuckled harshly. "My dear brother is out of reach. I've been trying to call him since we left the school."

"He's coming for dinner, we'll wait for him," I reminded him.  

Akram rolled his lips into his mouth, staring at me with a distant look. 

"We can't do this alone, Akram. We'll need help and you said Akmal knows what he's doing, right?" I urged.

Akram's eyes watered and he looked away. "I can't watch my mom's reaction. She'll be devastated." His voice was thick with agony.  

"And I'll be devastated if something happens to you." I held back a whimper, cupping his face. "And Sophie will be more devastated if you don't come home, too. You don't want to do this to her."

He bit his lips, shaking his head. "I don't know what to tell her."

My thumbs traced his cheeks. "We'll figure something out. I'll talk to her, but just... please, let's get inside."

Akram closed his eyes and nodded. 

We got out of the car and crossed the front yard. Akram walked deliberately slow as we crossed the cobblestone walkway to the front steps, surrounded by multicolored, exotic plants on both sides. 

 It hadn't ceased to astound me how gigantic and luxurious the house was.  I'd never really thought about Akram's family riches, because let's face it, everyone was well-off compared to me. But since I'd come here, I'd realized the gap between us was wider than I'd thought. Not that he'd ever made me feel that way, but it still hit me at the wrong times. Like right now. Which was absolutely insensitive. It made me disgusted with myself to be distracted by the beauty of the garden, rather the crisis we were facing. Or Akram's painful expression as we stopped at the front door.

Akram shifted his feet on the porch. He swept his hands from his temples to the nape of his neck, his chest expanding with each inhalation.

"It's ok, we'll find her. We will." I pressed his hand to reassure him. 

The keychain rattled in his hand as he plucked his key and opened the front door. It was quiet when we stepped inside the house and the cool air from the AC sent a chill throughout my body. 

Akram dragged his feet on the tiled floor and stopped in the middle of the hallway entrance. He dropped his keys on a small, round table and hunched his back, resting his hands on the marble surface as if he couldn't move his feet anymore. 

I looped my arm around his elbow, hoping to comfort him. I couldn't bear to see him so anguished.

Akram's head snapped up, his eyes wide. He mumbled something unintelligible and sprang towards the living room. I froze for a second of shock before I followed him inside, my heart bouncing in my chest.

The first thing I heard was SpongeBob SquarePants theme song coming from the TV, then a thin voice started to sing along. 

Akram nearly tripped over the edge of the sunken living room. He dashed to the U shaped sofa, swerving around the coffee table, and knelt in front of… his sister?!

"Jan, you're here!" Akram cooed, hugging his sister and kissing her face. "Thank God, you're here!" 

"Jannah!" I lurched into the living room, falling on my knees next to them. I  brushed Jannah's fragile back in disbelief. Was it possible she had come home on her own? 

Akram kept humming in Arabic, squeezing his sister and rocking her gently back and forth. His voice was soft and ragged with emotions. I didn't know a word he was saying , but his voice sent a wave of relief over my soul, and the heaviness in my chest began to lift. To see Akram happy and Jannah safe and sound, to know I'd done no harm, nothing else mattered.

Jannah squirmed in Akram's arms, poking her head over his shoulder to watch her favorite show. "Ram! Move! Move! SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants!" She repeated, pushing Akram's shoulders with her little hands. 

Akram chuckled and released her, kissing her cheek one more time. "Okay. SpongeBob is more important."

My knees were aching from the fall, but my heart swelled to see Akram smile as he got up from the floor, mumbling thanks to God several times. 

Still disoriented, I pushed myself up, clinging to the armrest of the sofa. But then I froze when I noticed Akram was standing like a sculpture again. He stared at the wide glass wall at the far end of the living room, his hands balled up into fists. I had to step to the side to see what I'd been missing. 

In front of the glass windows was a man in a fancy, navy-blue suit, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. The man's wiry figure and his confident, military-like posture gave me an inkling of who he might be. At least that was how I'd imagined him in the few moments Akram had mentioned him. 

Akram's throat quivered. "Baba."

The man turned to confront him. His face held no expression. He had those sharp, angular features that casted out a no-nonsense vibe. Astute dark eyes that watch you like a hawk. A long, slightly crooked nose. A high forehead, topped with a clean, salt-and-pepper crew cut and a matching short beard. 

"Ahlan." The man's voice had a distinctive hoarseness and a slight accent that felt natural for him.  

"Ahlan, Baba." Akram's lips twitched, but not into a smile. He looked more uncomfortable than I'd ever seen him. He scratched his brow swiftly and indicated to me with his hand. "Baba, this is Melody, she…"

"I know," his father interrupted. 

Dr. Sadiq spared me a brief look and jutted his bearded chin up. It was like an upside down nod, or a polite brush-off, I couldn't tell. The only thing I knew for sure was that he made me want to disappear. I had thought Akmal was intimidating, but his father was the next level. He was the paragon of intimidation. His expressionless face sent successive chills down my spine for no apparent reason.

"You picked up Jannah," Akram breathed. It wasn't a question, but it sounded more like an accusation.

"Yes." Dr. Sadiq lifted his head slightly, his hawk eyes fixed on Akram's face. 

Akram's jaws set and his ears went red. 

His father marched closer, his deep, dark eyes unwavering. He stopped a couple of feet from Akram, looking daggers into his eyes.

"سنتحدث بعد العشاء." 

He spoke quietly, but something in his cold demeanor gave me the impression that Akram was in trouble. 

Dr. Sadiq advanced for the stairs before he turned one more time, pointing his finger like a pistol at Akram's head. "Cut your hair," he commanded and proceeded to walk away. 

My hands were shaking when Akram's dad left the room. His footfalls thumped steadily on the staircase, until they disappeared somewhere in the upper level of the house.

Akram's earlier smile vanished into thin air, replaced by a medley of emotions that I couldn't fully recognize. But the most obvious was the hurt in his eyes. His scowl and pursed lips showed more discomfort than I thought he would feel in the presence of his own father. But who am I to judge, considering what my father was. 

"Your dad's tour ended earlier than expected," Sophie stated, busy with dinner preparation in the oversized, gourmet kitchen beyond the sitting area. 

"I noticed." Akram sank to the couch next to his preoccupied sister. He dug his elbows onto his knees and jammed his head between his hands. "So he comes back and he takes Jannah from school without telling anyone?" 

"He didn't know I sent you," Sophie explained. "Please, don't hold this against him."

"I'm trying," Akram muttered and got up, walking into the open kitchen. He perched on a bar stool and planted his elbows on the kitchen island, pressing his temples.

I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling like a nosy snoop, imposing on a private conversation. Yet, I couldn't move an inch, or excuse myself without interrupting them. It was hard for me to leave Akram in this condition. 

A tug at my hand forced me to look away.  Jannah was pulling my hand. She turned her back and dragged me behind her to the sofa. 

"Sit, Melly. Sit! Sit!" Jannah repeated in her singsong voice. 

"Umm! Okay," I whispered, slipping reluctantly onto the corner of the comfy sofa where Akram had just been sitting.

It would've brought a smile to my face, but my thoughts were elsewhere when

Jannah handed me the remote and trilled, "Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!"

"Oh! I'll try," I said. I had a little practice on the TV in the guest room, but it took me a good minute to find the recorded episodes. 

I curled up next to Jannah, but my mind was tuned in to Akram in the kitchen. The silence was nerve-racking. I sneaked a peek with the corner of my eyes just to check on him. 

Sophie's face was drawn, resting her hands on the kitchen island opposite her son. "They didn't tell you Jannah came home."

Akram shook his head. "They didn't know where she was," he said, low and raspy. "I didn't know what to do."

I only saw the curve of Akram's back, but I could visualize the pained look on his face. The tears trapped in his eyes from the car replayed in my head and ripped up my heart all over again.

Sophie placed her fingers over her lips. "Habibi, I'm sorry. I should've called you."

Akram's head shot up. "No. I should've called you... But I chickened out. I didn't have the guts to tell you that I couldn't…" he broke off, his strangled tone giving away his distress.

Sophie leaned over the countertop and brushed Akram's hair. "I thought they'd tell you at school. I did not expect this would happen. I'm so sorry."

Akram reached to hold his mother's hand. "Please, don't apologize. You're not the one who ignores everyone's right to know what to expect." His words erupted in a low snarl. 

"Akram, Your dad didn't mean to hurt you," Sophie clarified. "He simply picked up his daughter on the way home. He did nothing wrong. Neither did you."

"He wants us to talk," Akram said dryly. "I'm not ready. Not today."

"He's your father, Akram. He loves you and whatever he says is because he wants the best for you," Sophie assured.

Akram heaved a deep sigh.

"I know it's been a difficult day for you, but I'm sure you can avoid an argument," his mother encouraged. 

Akram chuckled glumly. "Trust me, I'm the last person who needs an argument right now."

Sophie walked around the kitchen counter and pressed her son's shoulders. "You'll be fine, then."

"I'm just tired." Akram ran his hands all through his hair and squeezed the back of his neck. "I'm tired of feeling like a prodigal son."

"Sweetie, don't think that," Sophie soothed. "One day you'll understand how much he loves you. He's just not good with words."

Akram nodded and his head sagged again. "I know."

Arms folded around me, I turned back and I shrunk myself onto the back of the sofa, wanting to be invisible. A tear almost slipped from my eye listening to Akram and Sophie's conversation. It hurt to know Akram had been bottling up so much about his father. I wanted to believe Dr. Sadiq wasn't a heartless man, but it was difficult not to feel bad on Akram's behalf. I wanted to stand beside him. Just to hold his hand like I had in the car. To make him feel better. It would be rude to just go sit by his side, wouldn't it? 

"Bugger! Have I missed the action?"

I flinched at the booming, manly voice coming from across the foyer. Quickly, I hopped to my feet, already familiar with the owner of the voice. 

Akmal stood in the entrance hall, in all his six feet and six inches of glory. He smirked when he saw me. "Hiya, sister-to-be."

I thought I said "hi" back at him, but I wasn't sure it was out loud. 

Akmal strode his way into the living room. He circled around the sofa and reached his hand to tickle Jannah on the back of her neck. She squeaked and bent forward, dodging him, and continued to watch her show. 

"Sophie," he saluted his stepmom and slapped Akram on the back - his special brotherly greeting. "Where's Baba? Kipping already?"

Akram's forehead puckered. "You know Baba's back?"

"Yeah, he called me yesterday," Akmal replied simply.

"Of course he called you." Akram uttered a combination of a cough and a nervous chuckle and leaped off the rotating chair that almost toppled over.  

"Quite stroppy today, innit?" Akmal pranced through the kitchen and snagged an apple from a fruit tray on the kitchen table. "By the way, bruv. I fetched your lousy Jeep from the nick. Be sure not to lose it again." 

"Thanks brother. But hey, at least I don't total cars for fun, do I?" Akram clipped back. 

"It's not for fun, it's for work." Akmal took a chunk of the apple and gobbled it down. "And they're not mine. I look after my cars and my ladies, thank you very much."

Akram's body tensed up. His face flushed, glaring at his brother in a mixture of shock and disbelief. 

"What?" Akmal said, juggling the bitten apple while he took off his jacket and tossed it nonchalantly on the armrest of the sofa. 

Akram's jaws locked for a second, then he turned to Sophie. "Mom, I have a bad headache. If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room." His voice was strained. 

Sophie nodded once. "Sure, dear."

Avoiding eye contact, Akram scooted his way to the upper floor, climbing the stairs two at a time.

Akmal was rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt, revealing his bulging forearms. "All right. What have I missed?"

For a second, I had a strong desire to slap him for being so insensitive to Akram. Unfortunately, I had no right.

*****

Hello dear ones!

Honestly, I don't know what to say here. But I'll try.

Sometimes in life you get to a point where you need to sort things out and learn your priorities the hard way. This is me learning to arrange life in the right order, so this is going to be a final update before I start a hiatus for God knows how long.

I'm really sorry if this is a disappointment, but I want you to know how grateful I am for everyone who read and supported my work. Especially Melody and Akram , of course . This story is technically my First born child...

So thank you all for being there for my children and I will be forever thankful for your support, kindness and the love that you showed me for the past years of being a Wattpad active user.

I will pop in once in a while but I need a break to focus on real life, so wish me luck. I hope you enjoy the chapter. And please share your thoughts I would love to read that.

Much love

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