Guys, who knows a discreet therapist.

I send out a message to the group chat and they reply almost immediately.

Ya Ajike: Good morning to you too, Salam Alaykum. I know one I used in Abuja here when I just came. I don't know for sure if she's discreet though.

Ya Nusaiba: Walaikum Salam. Good morning. I know one too, apart from the one Ajike knows. His office is in Area 2.

I shake my head. As sexist as it sounds, I don't want a man. I want to talk to a woman.

Me: I feel its high time I talk to someone. I feel like I'm being pulled in by quick sands of my nightmares everyday.

Umm Fawad's reply comes almost immediately.

Ya Ajike: You don't need nightmares to talk to a shrink. No one should fault you for wanting to talk to someone else other than them. OK? And I'm sure all shrinks are bound by their profession to be discreet and confidential about information they get from their clients.

I nod and type back a request for the number of the therapist. I get it immediately and lock my phone.

The decision to see someone came when I woke up with feeling more underwater than ever, like I was drowning.

I open my phone again and call the number to set an appointment. She puts me in for tomorrow at four.

I hear footsteps and Rahma walks in.

"Ma, can we go over the week's itinerary?" I nod and open my personal calendar.

We go over the week's events and cancel out a few unnecessary appointments. Rahma leaves and I go back to the inventory I was taking.

The office intercom interrupts my concentration and I sigh before picking. I need a holiday.

"Yes Rahma?" She's whispering. Rahma never whispers.

"Rahma what happened?" I ask loudly, I hear the dial tone and a furry of loud footsteps walking towards my office. Someone pushes the glass door open and slams it behind her.

I sigh and lean back into my seat. Its only Nadir's sister.

I pull the mouse of my computer to me and tally one more inventory score. I peek at her under my lashes, she's very angry. What has good old Nabs done this time.

"Ah Aisha, how are you?" She hisses and throws her bag on my table. I arch an eyebrow and eye the bag in contempt. What is this?

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare Aisha me." She hisses and throws her hands around. She trips on the linoleum, nearly falling and making me swallow my laughter.

"Don't you dare Aisha me in that tone. You sit there in that rubbish chair and Aisha me as if you don't know what your bastard of a husband is doing to my brother." She paces around my office. I stare at her and scoff.

"Honestly, between Adeel and Nadir, Nadir is the only bastard." I place emphasis on the only making her mouth drops and my lips curve into a smirk.

"You whore." I smile.

"I hate to exchange words with women who sleep their way around to get contracts for their barely surviving business." I chuckle lightly, masking the anger I feel. I'll not show any emotions.

"You." I smile again.

"Please leave my office and the premises of my business." I point the way out for her.

"Warn your bastard of a husband to stop sabotaging my brother's life." I laugh out loud and go back to my work with a calmness I'm not supposed to feel. My heart thuds with emotion, can Adeel be real? Could he really be fighting for me?

I shake my thoughts off and go to pray Zuhr. After praying, I went through three makeup consultations before the day ended.

At five ten, I walked out of my office. I see Rahma packing up too, I bid her good bye and her reply puzzles me.

*****

"What did you do again?" I'm standing in front of Adeel's room, he's answering my questions from a crack in the door which is fine by me until he opens the door wider.

"Come in." I walk in and the first thing that strikes me is how identical this room is to the one in his father's house. Its as though its a complete duplicate of the other room.

I take my seat on the padded navy blue bench at the foot of his bed. He sits opposite me.

"I bought him out for about four million." I cup my mouth in shock. He runs his hands through his slightly fuller than usual hair. Keh, Nabeela, when did you start noticing his hair.

"Isn't that too small." He shakes his head.

"He should thank his stars that I didn't even buy it for less. All I had to so was highlight a few bad things about his company and its stock prices fell sharply. I waded in and bought the controlling shares, sold it off to a business partner of mine in Lagos for ten million. And that's all I did." He spreads out his hands and I look at him over and over. From his hair to his rubber slippered feet.

"Why?" I ask with a huge lump in my throat, I fear his answer already.

"I did it for many reasons. One, to humble him. Two, to humble his parents who think he's the king of the world and would knowingly allow him maltreat you without a word. Three, for all three of his sisters because they rely on that business to survive. They'll learn to treat other women better." A tear rolls down my left eyelid.

I lean back on the bed and rock myself. My heart is refusing to accept that one person could do anything for me without wanting a reward, that one person would stand up for me like this.

"And if any of them comes over again, just tell me which. I have a few pictures their husbands would love to see." I nod and walk to the door blindly. Unshed tears have clouded it.

Outside the door, when I hear the firm click of the lock, I lean on the wall and cry into my hijab. Hard.

*****

Hello everyone,

Happy International women's day. 💏👭👭👩👧👵💑👸

What in the world is Adeel doing? 😖😖Man just be making himself MCM every time. 😭😭😌😌.

Lastly, thank you all for almost 18k. Its been an amazing journey, a very amazing one. Thank you all for the love and support.

Finally, please tag your friends to come and read. And Edakun,please, VOTE AND LEAVE A COMMENT.

N.B: The cover in the multimedia is by @Hamrah11. Thank you dearie.

God bless all of you, see you all very soon.