KANO STATE, NIGERIA.

"Few hours after that has happened, Imad is numb of all the pains and twists inside of him and he started to want to feel it, the vulnerability and all. He left the apartment to a bar that is opened twenty four seven and bought himself strong liquor, closing the decanter with newspaper to not gain unnecessary attention from the people he knows there.

When he reached back to his apartment, he sat down on the floor in the living room and took a big gulp only to regurgitate everything out with soundless coughs that comes out only from a dying person's mouth but he didn't give up. And instead, he quaffed more into his mouth and forced it to stay inside knowing in a minute or two, he'd start feeling more energised and the pain will wallow down.

He stood up again, broke everything he could find and his hands could come in contact with and haul them on the wall. He tripped on a spoon and hit his head on the wall, scratching a colossal injury across his forehead and in that fit of anger, he hit his hand on the floor to bruise his knuckles further but then the pain dematerialized into nothingness, he took the decanter again. Not bothering to elegantly poor it in a cup, he'd rather it from the source for it gives more thrill than he'd thought. His body is now slipping into numbness.

The next time he awoke, Wafa and Usayma were hovering over him on the bed like mother hens. He stared at them, hoping he'd see Amirah and all that would be a dream but he didn't, they were alone and asking where the hell Amirah is. Which only rooted to one thing, that Amirah had betrayed him and married him for something he does not know. But what could it be? It had to be two to three things and never four, those three things had ruined him in the past and it is doing it now too and he is sure this is not the cessation of it.

She either married him to get fame for something but he's ruined that fame now, there is no way people won't question why she is back home the next day after their marriage and not know why she is there alone. Definitely something happened and it must've been gigantic enough for them to go their separate ways and couldn't handle it themselves. His parents will definitely find out last but then, it doesn't concern him at the moment. The deepness of the betrayal is beyond his own imagination, it is knocking him off his feet. Almost to a level unbelievable.

And the second reason is because of money, he didn't give them much but he sure as hell poured money for this marriage. His mother even said she is going to ask him to repay her as soon as he starts working. He made sure to buy everything expensive for Amirah since to him, she was nothing short of a gem. Even got her sets of gold, his mother stopped him from ruining himself with a diamond! He vowed to buy it after their marriage though, with his own money but this happened. Wow, he really was so blinded with her innocent.

The last he could think of is, she needs something to do with his connection. Not bragging or anything, he's helped her sister with admission in Bayero University Kano albeit she still got a nice score for her Jamb, they weren't willing to give her law but he stepped in. So she might've wanted something with the people he is connected to. Deeper pockets perhaps? The ones that will throw money or a sugar daddy?

You never know with these plebeians, you never know.

"Where is Amirah and why were you all bloody and even drunk?" Wafa had scrunched her face while inquiring, still stitching the wound around his knuckles carefully. It took them a whole twenty minutes to get him to the bed. He is one heavy hunk full of muscles.

Imad started rambling as if that was what he has been waiting to hear. "She's left me. She's betrayed me. She left. She fucking left!"

"Why would she left? You guys arrived just hours ago and she's left? Where did she go to all alone in a foreign place?" Usayma looks concerned at the thought of the innocent young girl parading the unknown streets in fear.

Imad's laughter shook something inside of them because there is no doubt that laughter is a parody. Diaphoresis keep rolling down his forehead where the wound is but he paid no attention. He is deep into his own little world of pain and anguish that the throaty laugh itself hung those disdainful emotions in the air. The pain there is superfluity, parching their throats unconsciously for they've never heard something like this.

Granted, emotions are meant to be felt but only to the person going through his shit together then why on earth do they feel his own affliction and throe? Why does his wretchedness, misery and heartbreak got transfered to their own emotions? Was it that strong that he couldn't hold it in and had to share it or was it just too much he had to let out and they manage to get caught in the web of it? They can't say but what they do know is that, Amirah had wrecked the poor guy in front of them.

His stomach hardened again with nausea but he pushed it back, this is not time for weakness. It is time for him to let it out.

Wafa sighed knowing this only means one thing, Imad and Amirah are not together and from the way things appear to be, their marriage has been ruined in less than twenty four hours!

"You need to get your shit together and act like a man. Mopping around won't do you good and one thing I've learnt about heartbreak, you don't let it dot your life or you'd be putty in it's hand. Just don't ruin yourself with that hatred you are featuring in your eyes." Wafa stood up and patted the knuckle she's closed with a bandage proud of her handiwork. "We are just a call away."

Usayma stood too, having nothing to say about the whole matter. She is still in a state of shock and is speechless so she gave an encouraging smile to Imad who looks distant to notice that, she did it anyways. "Get well soon, buddy."

Left alone in the room, Imad started summoning hatred for Amirah, anything to make him feel good but only their good memories kept floating in his head. It felt real! It was as if it was never going to end and every moment spent with her is engraved in a stone they will revise into after years of their marriage. But she was actually using him! Trying to leave marriage after two years and gain what? He wants to find this answer, badly.

What would she gain staying married to him for just two years? The money they wanted need that long to get? Or the fame they want will be drawn just after those two years and she will be well known by then? Or the person they are looking for will notice them in less than those two years and she'd decide not to even stay for the whole couple of years after getting what she wants? He is not sure but at that time, he didn't want no nothing to do with Amirah or her family.

Dayumn, he's respected her mother like he would his! But she was just showing and teaching her daughter the bad things life has to offer. Sacrificing your own daughter's life for something selfish, something you want to gain for this worldly priorities. What is greater than your daughter's happiness? Why didn't they tell him from the beginning what they wanted? He'd definitely try to help the best way he can, but this? Fraud and betrayal? They should be behind the bars rotting so they can never do that again.

At midnight, Imad started feeling it again. He managed to force himself to sleep after gulping more of that liquor Wafa and Usayma forgot to wash down the drain. He didn't eat nothing, the sandwiches are still on the floor when he'd threw everything away in his fit. The whole place is pigsty. And now that he's awoken due to some pain he cannot name, his stomach feels empty but he still wants to regurgitate everything inside him. It's so empty he is sure water is the only thing his viscera can discharge.

Recalcitrant, he didn't move and pivoted to go back to sleep thinking it was something semantic or minutiae, only to sharply sit down on the bed and groan in pain. His arms and shoulders are protesting and his breath started coming out in rapid shortness. He let out an onomatopoeic hiss behind his throat, nausea taking over his being and he launched out beside his bed only to spurt out what's inside him and found . . . blood!

Distraught and fear stricken, Imad stared dazedly at the crimson liquid on the floor in horror. He knows what that means living with doctors all over and around him. Whatever it is that is wrong with him has something to do with his freaking heart that is in smithereens. His movement cessations when hypochondria gripped him, paralyzing him on the bed with wide eyes filled with nothing but shock, apprehension and anxiety.

In hysterics, he took his phone from the bedside table sending extreme grateful messages mentally to Wafa and Usayma from bringing it to him before dialling the one person he knew he could turn to when the world is about to Fordo him, his older brother Shaddad. His brother picked the call even though it's midnight there too in Nigeria, that's why he called him. He always answers his phone no matter the time.

As usual, Shaddad didn't say anything and waited for him quietly though he could hear some rustling and sussurus in the background which means he is leaving the bed or room to talk to him. Ha, his older sister would've found out about this and create havoc and unnecessary scene.

He sighed, still feeling the metallic taste of blood down his mouth so not bothering with pleasantries or acknowledging how his brother is, he jumped right into it. "I just regurgitated blood, my arms and shoulders hurt a lot and I feel physically exhausted. What is wrong with me?"

Shaddad's eyes narrowed at those words sprouted out by his younger brother. Why would he vomit blood and have pains like that at such young age? As far as he knows, Imad doesn't have ulcer. He could only think about one thing but they don't have anyone with heart problem in their family tree so why suddenly on his youngest brother?

"What's happened to you in the past twenty four hours?" He didn't ask about his relationship with his wife albeit knowing it has a lot to do with that. He just thought and wished it was something else.

"We are not together . . ." Imad explained all that has happened between Amirah and him, he cannot hide it or he won't ever find out what is wrong with his health and where his heart. It might not be eclectic to go into details but he did, he had to get it out or keep feeling that serrate destroying his heart.

He knew his brother won't say a thing to anyone but will succor him the best way he can and that will be much more appreciated. Even his wife won't be able to get it out from him though as soon as she finds out about it, he will pay a whole lot. For now, his secret will be safe.

"Hmm.v. ." Shaddad trailed off, forefinger tracing the curve of his bow shaped upper lips. "That should be stress cardiomyopathy."

Imad had heard about that sickness somewhere and it is not a good news. His sister was talking about it when his brother -the one he is currently talking to- didn't reciprocate her love. It was catastrophic, she was so in love but the man is unreachable. As unorthodox as it may sound, they manage to work out and got married albeit arrange, the man is hopelessly in love with her now.

When she talked about it, she was kvetching to their mother about the illness and that if she gets that because of him, she will haunt him for the rest of her life to succor her as her personal cardiologist. Does that mean he is the one with the God awful disease and not her? He got married in less than twenty four hours, it's shattered in that period of time and now stress cardiomyopathy? This is definitely where his life bifurcated!

"It is corrosive, Imad." And he got catatonic. "It is a temporary situation and you'll most likely recover without permanent heart problem since it is not permanently damaged. Full recovery is usually a few days or weeks after stress induced period. Get an echocardiograph as soon as possible, that'll be the testament of it. You are going to have to go through cardiac rehabilitation, it's going to help, depending on how sloth your heart is. Expect angina, shortness of breathe, hypotension, arrhythmias and fluid in your lungs. Your left ventricle is probably weak by now which means you need a doctor immediately."

Imad kept quiet, listening more and more about this disease that is clearly derived from his 'broken heart.' He cannot believe this is happening to him right after he got his heart broken. So many people are heart broken but such a thing never happened to them. Was he more in love with Amirah than they were? That can't be possible. Maybe he is just more fragile and couldn't take simple heartbreak like every other person. But you can't blame him.

He got married early because of that love only to shatter him.

Stress cardiomyopathy; for many years it was under recognised and undiscovered by a lot. The cardiac rehabilitation will offer yoga and other relaxing techniques to help flutter the heart again. At one point listening to his brother, he's almost capitulated and ceded on ever getting better but then the hatred he is trying to hatch for Amirah took over and he got more determined to mend his heart -which never happened- so he can bore that hatred within.

The next morning, he went to see a cardiologist who repeated the exact words his brother had galvanised him with. The doctor's spiel to encourage him did nothing of that sort. His chest was stampede and the pain there made living hard but with excessive sumptuous succor from the doctor, he acquiesced to get the echpcardiograph. He is shit afraid of what he would find in the ultrasound.

"We can't forestall the inevitable, Imad." The doctor, a white man in his mid forties standing five ft eight shook his head holding the ultrasound of Imad's heart in hands.

"What does that mean? It is now permanent?" Came his urgent inquiry, voice filled with hefty amount of fear.

"Not permanent, yet. But Imad, you need to be very careful with this fragile matter or it turns permanent. Yours happened in short amount of time leaving you at your last. It looks like this won't heal in just the few weeks we thought. It might take months or years, depending on how you are trying to cope with this. Banishing and kiboshing the thoughts that will emaciate your heart again. It is veracious.""