KANO STATE, NIGERIA.

Imad awoke early in the morning wanting to go see his mother, having the day off work for the ones that went to Italy came as a bonus for him. He dressed like the little boy they've always loved and adored just to show them that nothing has changed and the space he needed is over. He just desperately hopes they won't shun him away and maybe the space he took touched nooks of their chests and they don't care anymore. That ached, he loves his parents and siblings. They are the only he has.

Dressed in denim washed out jeans that has bits of patches that are now called 'fashion crazy' and his favorite colour shirt, spruce. It's been long since he last decided to be the person he was three years ago so he feels like he is making too much effort. He suspired, eyes taking in his taller frame and much more sturdier body because he didn't know he's grown much more than he was. He might even be mistaken as one of his elder brothers.

He's always been the boy with bigger body back in highschool and people say he took after his fathers frame like few of his brothers. He is not complaining, he likes the control that comes with a body more mature than your age. It also helped him got married without feeling too young at nineteen almost twenty. It was a smooth process that ended brutally.

Damn! Why was he thinking about the past yet again?!

He finished buttoning the long sleeved shirt, comb his growing hair, adjust his Richard Mille wrist watch his mother gifted him on his twentieth birthday while he was in Chicago wallowing in his feat of broken heart. He also sprayed the Clive Christian given to him by his sister on his wedding, he forgot to take it with him to Chicago. Oh God, everything is just backtracking to the past endlessly and it is really making him go crazy.

When is this harangue going to end? It keeps harrying him like a tail behind an animal though those creatures are used to it the moment they were born and he is too. He just likes to think he doesn't, it bites him all the time. He hates not having the jurisdiction of terminating those wild thought or just sentence them all to felony, that'd be a nice change.

There is no day that passed by without his mind and brain jumbling those in his head. If only he could squeeze his cranium to get the message to his brains.

Usayma's yawn from the bed lilt him away from his thought and she said, "There is no work today right?" He nodded, adjusting his denim chunky sneakers. "Then why are you dressed so early in the morning?" Going to see your personal assistant whom you've already missed? She wanted to add the last part but didn't want any trouble that blessed morning.

He rose to his full height, adjusting the collar of his shirt albeit elegantly taking his time to reply her. It is making her head go wild with vile thoughts about Amirah and she hates it. When did she start getting jealous for her husband now? Last time she checked, she never liked Imad more than just a friend and a lover on bed. What suddenly changed? Knowing they work together and might be a chance of them getting back?

Okay, what the actual hell?

That is a lie right? Her heart is just playing tricks on her because she is curious, righ-? She stopped her mind from going viral and listened to Imad talking. "I'm going to see my parents. I might not be back till after lunch."

And he left after saying that. She didn't know when a sigh of relief escaped her mouth but it did. She feels like a different person already. How could she sound so jealous of Amirah just after meeting her few days ago? She should be happy if they are to get back together, right? Why does she feel anything but that happiness? She feels so empty inside at the thought of them together, perturbing her further.

Was it because Amirah badly hurt Imad when their marriage broke? And she was there to pack up and the remains of his broken heart? She was there to tend to his sickness and stay with him at the hospital along with her friend Wafa. Amirah caused that pain, all the night cries of help from his apartment and they'd rush to his to help. They've been in and out of hospital more than she could count, it was rather tragic thinking about it now.

The guy has suffered just because of love, she won't permit herself to fall in love.

Even if they are getting back together, then Amirah will have to go through her to get to Imad. The man won't know what is hurting him when he gets back his puppy love but she won't be so blinded with Amirah's innocence anymore. No matter what the reason behind their broken marriage is, it doesn't matter to her and she will fight for her husband even if the world is ending. No one can stop her from doing so, she has the right as his legally wedded wife.

She is not in love with Imad, she will just show him what he deserves and more. Amirah won't give that to him, he should stop bothering himself and just get another woman. She won't be with him forever and she is hellbent on getting him more perfected woman to stay with him. And someone clicked into her head, she released a malicious but beautiful grin and stood up for this mission can't be delayed.

She will set Imad with Jannah Mia, they already have connection so it won't be that hard.

*~*

Imad made it to his parents chamber around seven thirty wanting to have family breakfast with them all. He is not sure whether all of them will attend the breakfast though almost half of them try their very best to attend or their wives would and his nieces and nephews. He smiled, he feels old at the thought of having more nieces and nephews from the last time he's been there. Shit, he has missed a lot of those family gatherings, they were always fun.

"Jakadiyah, I told you not to send anyone inside my chamber today, I don't want to talk." Her Majesty, Hajiya Karima called out from the king sized bed inside her bedchamber to her lady-in-waiting.

Jakadiyah looks splitted, staring from Imad to his mother so he gestured that she leaves the room and he will handle his mother. The older woman nodded and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. Imad stared at his mother's form on the bed, she is lying down royally, her back facing him. She is still in her pajamas which means she is also not going to the hospital or is calling in late.

He gave a small smile, his mother could be as childish as his elder sister but when the world ricochetted, you won't even want to be in their presence. With tentative steps, he made it to the bed and sat down on the bed whilst patiently waiting for her to react but apart from her tensed shoulders standing at attention and alert, nothing happened from her side. He does not like it, it hurts being ignored like this.

When did she start getting tensed in his presence and vigilant? Had he hurt her so much that she has forgotten his scent and presence? Had he made the biggest mistake of shutting off his mother when he did? Sure. Because why else would she be recalcitrant and distant with him? And damn if he doesn't want to hang himself and just die. His mother wasn't supposed to feel like that.

He was being so presumptuous thinking she would eagerly hug him after he's apologized, she is not even looking at him! How ribald of him to be too confident when all he did was shatter the loving woman who carried him in her womb for nine months, fed him and loved him like no other. What would she feel knowing her son is clearly shutting her off because of one wrong turn in his life?

He does not want to imagine the sleepless nights she's had. She loves him more than anyone else, no one could surpass her. Then why did he block all the seams they could interact because he was heartbroken?

Swallowing a hard lump, he closed his eyes before talking. "Mom, can you please turn around?" No response from her, she is too quiet but remained as stiff as a log. "Please, Mom." This time, his fingers pried her hands away from the pillow she is clutching onto.

Hajiya Karima having enough of thinking about Imad and knowing he is here to correct his wrongs, she sat up on the bed but didn't look at him. She is focusing on the intricate of her new merlot carpet brought just few days ago trying to adjust the patterns the way they should've done it. Just any distraction will be welcomed so she won't hug the living daylight out of her only son. Her resolve won't be weakened by his trembling voice.

He took her right hand in his larger soft ones, laid his head on her thigh then stayed quiet. She had to bit her lip hard and clutch the other hand in a tight fist not to massage his head like she's always done and scold him about letting his hair grow this long. He's always been eloquent but right then, he didn't even say a word and she feels her walls shattering on a precipice.

He always gets his way! That is what his father says and they shouldn't be permitting him. If this goes on, he will keep being a boor, he needs more discipline. He is really perverse, they've tried getting to him countless times but to no avail. He's walled them out effortlessly, why would they suffer too?

"I'm sorry." He breathed, she could feel the hotness of it on her hand but she didn't as much as move a muscle. "I've been a bad son and don't deserve your forgiveness but please, forgive me this one time. It was so prepubescence of me to just shut you off like that. I've acknowledged my mistakes, I swear to God. Just give me this chance to right my wrongs with you?"

He rose his glossy eyes to stare at the woman who gave birth to him with a very remorseful expression. He knew she won't be able to resist that, he is also not using the love she has for him against her. Her being mad at him is now really getting to him.

She freed her hand from his grasp, auditioning a bitter smile while bending her head forward, hands clasp in front of her on her knees. She shook her head as if not believing he is there to shamelessly ask for forgiveness after been home for fortnight already. He took his whole time as if the universe promised him more. He didn't ask for the forgiveness straight away and downright disrespected his brothers. The nerve of this little kid!

"Imad." He voice dropped to that quiet one she likes scolding him with, unlike the one she used to talk to Jakadiyah.

He sprang away from the floor and moved closer to her. "Yes, Mom?" His eyes are hopeful, like a little kid's.

"I am disappointed in you!"

His heart sinked, his body suddenly feeling heavier than it was when she dismissed him. His breath hitched and he felt the tears rolling down his cheeks. He knew they are disappointed in him but her saying it out loud just turned his emotional buttons and the tears he's been keeping at bay yanked themselves away from their sluice to fandango down his cheeks. It hurts, it hurts so damn much!

"Your father and I are disappointed. Forgiving our son is not a hard thing since we've already done that. We never held anything against you. We just had so much faith in you when we got you married at such a young age but you couldn't keep it safe. You were sitting on that couch," She pointed at the couch he sat on the day they left for Chicago then continued, "...when I advised you about marriage but you didn't pay no heed. No less than twenty four hours, you divorced her and twenty four hours later, she is back and rumours filled the state. People kept talking and still do so today." She paused, adjusting her ring.

"They think we got you married because you are living in galore. They said 'auren gata su kayi mishi ai' because they have all the right to think that. We got you married not the way our culture and traditions permitted. You are supposed to be financially stable to hold your own wife and not for us to help you sprout your marriage. We admonished everything and got you married. Look where that brought us. Getting pointed at for not raising you well and I'm sure they are right." Imad's eyes rounded before he positioned his head on her thigh again, crying quietly while waiting for her to rant out.

"You said prepubescence? That is not what that was! You didn't bother asking for help around to know how to deal with your marriage. What about the classes I asked you to attend few weeks before your marriage or did you bunk them?" He shook his head in no and that he was there all the time and she agreed. He was so eager and in love to not do what she's asked him to.

Then where did they go wrong?

"Are you going to tell me what happened or still need more space?" The way she spatted the word space had him sitting up.

"I will tell you everything." He shook his head again like a little kid, she almost reached out for him again but refrained. She needs to know what happened enough to ruin two young adults in love. It must be something gargantuan which none of them could guess.

"That morning when we made it to Chicago, I heard Amirah talking on phone to..." And he narrated all that has happened, watching it play out in his head like broken recorder. His mother keeps reacting with her face but never uttered a thing. She listened attentively, not wanting to miss a thing. Imad didn't remove any detail, there is no use when his mother is already disappointed in him.

"You are suffering from stress cardiomyopathy?" Her left hand flew to her forehead to massage it after he nodded, as if that is the only she heard from all he's said. This is the extent of a mother's love, nothing else matters other than her son's wellbeing.

"Ya Shaddad is helping me with some pills, I'll be going to him later. Please don't worry yourself about it, I'll be fine." She glared at him, eyes pointed to tell him not to lie to her so he added, "He said so." It came out like a whine.

She shook her head with a small hidden smile, not giving in so easily. "That is how you will kill yourself." She narrowed her eyes when he pressed his lips tight to not chortle, she cares more than she let out. "And about your marriage, you need to think with calm head and get why she would do something like that. She is too young to even think about that, you were stupid too. I won't blame her, never for this, Emad." She said the moniker, he beamed at it but not what she said about Amirah.

"How about breakfast? Are they all coming down here today" He changed the topic, standing up from the floor and bringing his mother up too.

"Yeah, be grateful for that because you would've gone to their working places to ask for forgiveness. They were planning on coming to your chamber with cable at night to beat you up but your father stopped. Falak was encouraging it though." She laughed at her last words and the sheer horror on Imad's face.

"Cable? Those huge men? Oh no, please." He gulped, he would've been in a comatose state if they had gone through with it.

And his sister, he shook his head, that sly woman.