Frantic knocks wake me from my deep sleep. I finally went back to sleep after praying subh. I reach for my phone to check the time but another knock stops me. I gingerly get out of my bed and walk slowly to the door. There's a peephole that let's me see Adeel's worried face, he's standing back from the door.

Reminds me of my wicked behaviour last night.

"Good morning." He looks me over and I remember that I still have the hot water bottles pouch wrapped around my lower abdomen. My hands go to it.

"I hope you slept well?" I smile and say I did despite nearly dying from dysmonerra . He nods and gestures down the stairs

"Breakfast is in the kitchen, we'll be visiting my parents, yours and having dinner with the Dikkos. We'll leave by twelve." I nod slowly and he walks away. I feel even more guilty for my outburst yesterday. I should have been more tactful but life as you_know_who's wife has turned me into a cynic, never be too happy or your happiness will come back to hunt you.

After showering in hot water, applying makeup, I dress in one of my new ankara skirt and blouse that Safiyya made for me. It's in a leaf green colour that does wonders to my already glowing skin.

"Ready?" He's at the foot of the stairs in a black kaftan, he's adjusting his cap and my mind goes back to how quiet he was at my unnecessary outburst last night. I should apologise.

I descend the stairs a bit faster to his side and quickly touch his elbow to draw his attention. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I was out of line." He smiles in a way that makes my stomach clench in fear.

"It's fine, I understand perfectly. I hope you'll be friendlier next time." I finger my veil in sudden shyness. Nabeela? Shy? Inward laughter bubbles out and he turns to look at me with one bushy eyebrow raised in question.

*****
"Hamma Adeel!!!!!!" Zarah burst out of the front door immediately Adeel opened the car door, and once he straightened, she jumped into his arms.

"I've missed you so much." He puts up an eyebrow in mock question that has me giggling and Zarah faltering in irritation.

"So, I can't miss you?.It's not your fault. I won't miss you again." She walks over to my side and takes my black Chanel handbag from me. She hooks her elbow in mine drawing me to the front door.

"I came to your house today Ya Nabeela, but Hamma Adeel said we should leave the food with security. I wanted to see you about giving a tutorial for your scarf style. I'll gain so many followers on YouTube and instagram if I do it and tag you. Ya know." I smile politely at her and my heart sings when we see her mother leaning on the doorjamb looking pointedly at Zarah. She removes her hand from mine and gives me back my handbag before rushing past her mother in fear. Adeel and his mother shake their heads..

"Mother where did you get that specie from. She doesn't behave like the rest of us." His mother gives him a slap on his shoulder before opening her arms out for me.

"Nabeela darling, I hope you enjoyed your night?" Adeel coughs out loud and turns to look at his mother.

"Maama, do you want to embarrass her on her first day in? Haba." I smile on her direction and tell her I slept well although otherwise. I'll be doing so much lying this days.

We finally walk into one of the most massive living rooms I've ever seen, Italian sofas and high ceilings in white and rich gold. I slide to the floor beside Adeel's mother and she looks at me with a deep frown. She taps the space beside her.

"In this house, the house where I rule, don't sit on the floor. I consider you mine. Sit beside me as you would with your mother. Hold my hands let me share in your joys and sadness. OK?" A tear smarts my eye and unconsciously spills and she picks out a tissue from the box beside her to wipe my tear.

"Thank you Maama." I sigh in happiness. She smiles brighter and pats the black leather sofa. I sit and watch her tell the maid how many degrees to put the oven to.

"Maama, didn't you go to the restaurant today?" She shakes her head and drinks some green tea before replying, it's Earl Grey from the scent.

"I want some off day for myself, besides I didn't really see my daughter yesterday, so I decided to take the whole of today as off. Besides, why do I have four sous chefs if I can't take a day off?" Adeel raises his hand in mock surrender before getting up from his seat.

"Where's Baba and Zeenah?" Adeel asks. His mother waves get hand nonchalantly before replying.

"Your father is in his study as usual and Zeenah went to see a friend in Wuse2. That girl needs to save me some trouble and get married." We all burst into laughter.

"Maama, you just married off one child, rest some more before planning another. Besides, you should ask if Zeenah is seeing anyone." She waves him off with a smile and his footsteps echo as he ascends the stairs.

Maama looks behind her to be sure no one is looking. "I hope he's treating you well. I still have paddles for each of them when they don't behave properly." I smile and say he treated me well. I am the one who needs the paddle on my bottom.

"You own a restaurant?" I ask as way of conversation.

"Yeah, Mina's." I cup my mouth in surprise. Her restaurant is an absolutely amazing, Michelin five star restaurant that became so popular about five years ago.

"You own Mina's, ya Allah that's so amazing. I had no idea." She pats my hand making light of it.

"You need to come in once. Have you ever?" I had once in one of their branches in Jabi lake mall with you_know_who. He used it as a bribe to beg me for slapping me in public.

"Yes. In the Jabi branch." She smiles at me and tells me to follow her to the kitchen. I follow her into the kitchen after hiding my bag in between two sofas.

"We are having chicken biryani for lunch. I hope you like Biryani?" I nod and she wears oven mittens to take the cheesecake out of the oven. The moment she opens the oven, a sweet scent that has me drooling wafts out of it. She knows her stuff.

"Have a slice. I'm sure you haven't had anything since breakfast. You look hungry." My mouth drops in amazement. How do people look hungry again?

I gobble up the delicious cake without wasting time. After drinking a glass of apple cider, she places the cake on a cooling rack to cool.

"Please open that cupboard above your head, Adeel used to bring it down for me. Since you are nearly as tall as he is, bring down two glass bowls." I comply and she begins mixing sugar and butter. She hands me the decorator and and me to design as I see fit while she opened another oven where chocolate cookies were baking. Aunty Rakiya's teaching came in handy and I began doing a simple design with the buttery icing.

"Please, don't break Adeel's heart. I beg you, get to know him first before writing him off." She tugs off her mittens before turning to me completely. I stare at her not really seeing her.

"His ex wife did a few things that he hasn't told even I his mother. All I know is he just turned off certain emotions. He laughs, he plays, cries when reciting the Quran, he just turned off certain emotions that only I who loves him as a mother noticed." I swallow at her revelation. She stops twisting the mittens in her hands and reaches out to pat my arm.

"Nabeela, I don't know why Adeel is the way he is, but make him into a man who you'd be proud of. It's not fair to ask you to repair a broken man, but help a teary mother." I sigh out loud in careful remorse, only Allah knows what happened between Adeel and Amira. Only Allah knows.

"Chop chop Samira, we need to have lunch soon." She mimes a chop situation and I look up from my slightly difficult decorating job to look at the lady. She's a dark skinned chubby lady whose white chef cap sets off her beautiful skin, she smiles at Maama and grits her teeth while squeezing juice out of an orange.

"Maaaaaaammaaa!!!!" A loud voice belonging to a petite fair skinned young lady. She hugs her mother from the back and squeezed her arms gently.

"How was your visit?" Maama looks her over and she leans on island I'm working on. "I had to return early, her husband was just ogling me. Plain ogling Maama, he didn't even lower his ugly gaze. Astagafurullah." She then noticed me and comes running to my side.

"Oh My Allah, I finally get to meet you. Hamma Adeel was being a grouch this morning when I brought food to your house this morning. I'm Zeenah, I'm sure I've been talked about." I smile brightly at her, another Zarah prototype.

" Zarah told me about you. How are you doing?" She waves her hand around her face before climbing the island to sit comfortably.

"I'm fine. Thank you very much. How's school?" Her face is an exact example of what Zarah will look like when she's twenty two.

"School is fine. I'll be a gynaecologist in a few months, I just had to come back for Hamma Adeel's wedding, I've not been home in so long." She removes her pinned hijab and begins to unwrap it. I smile at her.

"So Zeenah, are you seeing anyone?" She removes the blue hijab from her head completely and rolls her eyes.

"Maama, marriage isn't on my mind right now. I even just got put off by the way Jiddah's husband behaved today. Ogling me like a piece of meat. So unislamic and Haram."

I smile sardonically, Husband number one used to do that too. Except that none of my friends were allowed to come over so they wouldn't see the bruises on my body. Not that they could anyway.

"Ya Nabeela, where's your ring?" I start at her in confusion until I remember that Adeel supposedly bought me a ring.

"I forgot to wear it in my rush this morning." She nods and takes a glob of buttery icing on the cake. Snacking on her left index finger.

"Zeenah, go and call your dad and siblings. Food is ready." She jumps down from the island and walks away with her scarf haphazardly placed on her head.

Nearly twenty minutes later, the plates of our Chicken Biryani is being placed in front of each person by Samira and Zeenah. We began eating after saying Bismillahi. The only sound was the sound of cutlery on china.

"So, Nabeela. Where's your business situated?" I look up in surprise at my father-in-law's face. No one apart from my mother has ever had interest in my business.

"Maitama busniess district Sir." My answer is vague, I have no idea why he's asking.

"Where in Maitama?" He placed his fork down on his plate and looked in my direction intently.

" Shehu Kutube Plaza Sir, just after the main intersection." He nods his head and shakes it in one motion. Should I be worried?

"My contacts told me that building is about to be seized due to financial corruption. You know how this administration is fighting corruption. Do you have a back up plan?" This is new to me. The plaza seemed credible when I was purchasing, although lesser expensive than Dan Karibe next to it.

"I'll have to do a lot of talking to my lawyers. I should get some of my money back. To sell or move business at this time of the year is slightly unprofitable." He nods his head again and resumes eating. Now, I've lost my appetite, how will my business grow if I have to change premises in less than one year. I bought my present space a year ago after the small space I had in Shell estate got sold.

After eating desserts _That was the only thing I could stomach after hearing that news_ We had to leave for my parents house.

" Hamma Adeel, show me your hands." I looked from the email I was typing to my lawyer to see Adeel's ring glinting in the sun. Zeenah had asked him to show his hands.

"Ya Nabeela, you see, Hamma's ring is a male example of yours. I helped him pick it out when he came to London in April. He said and I quote 'I want her to take me seriously'" I nod my head and store this information for later, I'd have to ask myself why I'm so worried. I look down again to finish sending the email. Right now I'm worried about my business space.

********

Hi guys,

Sorry the update is coming so late. I really didn't mean for this to happen. Thank you guys for three thousand reads, 3.2k as at this night. God bless you all for me.😩😌😭😭😘😘

This chapter is for Ya Yasmeen and cry at the same time. God bless you for me. The network in my area hates me.😢😰

I'm tired and sleepy. I'll see y'all on Friday.