BREWING CHAOS

★★★★★

Time tensed by, day after day, until weeks passed and Zayn could hardly keep up with the events whatsoever. As you know, weekdays are typically not beautiful for someone whose spirit is unsettled, he sold his peace of mind a long time ago.

That evening, Zayn stood in the middle of their front yard. He watched as the sun reddened beneath the horizon, chirping birds took their last flight and even the gentle breeze that teased his skin didn't go unnoticed. Just like every other Friday, their family house was filled with visitors. What made that day different was the presence of his father, he was the soul of the family and with his presence, their home was alive and breathing.

Suddenly he heard footsteps and turned to see Ahmad strolling his way, accompanied by his son. He greeted Zayn with a smile and Zayn returned his gesture, striding back to meet them. He took in their view to see them dressed in white thobe similar to the black one he wore.

"Barka da Zuwa (welcome)"He extended a friendly hand to Ahmad. He had invited him over and that's why he stood outside waiting for him. They were supposed to go out with Omar but Ahmad didn't make it early enough. And Omar was on his way, he promised to join them shortly.

"It's been a while," Ahmad shook his hand, tight and warm. It had been three weeks since they last saw each other after the incident with Teslim. Their last conversation centered around Zayn explaining to Ahmad that his wife's pregnancy was a high-risk one so it had to be terminated, or else they would have lost both her and the life forming in her. "It feels good to see you again."

"I wasn't expecting to see you soon due to the nature of your job. But here we are," Zayn pointed out as he recollected how they had entered Teslim's private ward in gentle spirit with Ahmad hoping to fetch some answers from his wife as to why she had hidden something like that from everyone. But seeing her in that shape made him weak. She was lying on her back, pale-skinned, with weak amber eyes and dry lips.

"Alhamdulillah! (Allah be praised)"Ahmad released his hand. He let his mind stray to the moment when he sat on the hospital bed, looking at her left hand, where the catheter of the intravenous drip had been inserted in her vein. She looked at him and in those eyes, the colour of pure honey, Ahmad saw something remorseful that made him lose his train of thought. His resentment from the previous day suddenly dissolved into something less bitter. Zayn had recognized the tension between the couple and decided to excuse himself, giving them space to talk. Fortunately, there was nothing to talk about. For some genuine reasons, Ahmad understood why she had to keep everyone in the dark. Stigmatization was one of such reasons.

"Come let's take a walk."Zayn made a hand gesture in the direction he wanted to stride. He looked around and his eyes settled on the little man, Jaseem. The boy had his father's features, he took note of that and then waved a hand at him. He giggled, then waved back which made Zayn smile.

Ahmad then released the boy to wander off to play with the rest of the kids as they made their way to where Zayn was leading him. They walked side by side with slow steps, picking up each other's pace, unperceiving.

"So, how is the honeymoon?"Zayn asked, his lips curled into a coy smile. Ahmad smiled weakly, guessing that his dearest companion didn't know what was at stake. His relationship with Hanifah, he knew it was over and it never really began. Outraged, she was when he left her on the lurch at their wedding reception. His action, everyone thought ludicrous had caused quite a bit of trouble for both of their parents until they finally agreed to separate the couple.

"There was no honeymoon."Ahmad articulated, expressionless."We are getting a divorce," He spoke with his whole soul at the edge of his lip, thinking for the first time in his entire life, that he went against his father. This life he'd had could make a good man bad. So for once in his life, he'd like to have what he wanted.

"I can understand your plight."Zayn was not surprised to hear this, for in fact, he felt like his action was justifiable since he never liked the girl in the first place. He had known Ahmad well enough to be convinced that he was already regretting his decision. As far as he knew, love takes time to grow. It takes a lot of time to love someone. And so many of their youths were forced to gamble their emotions with marriage. But their parents would not see things from this angle. An average Arewa parent would expect their sons to nod at their request and some of them, Ahmad's father for instance was not keen on being disobeyed.

"Ya Akhiy, this way, please." Zayn beckoned him toward their courtyard, an area of the house where Ahmad had never stepped foot. He noticed there was a slight change in the way Zayn spoke to him that evening, he had never approached him in such a formal manner. Zayn led the way and began to organize his thoughts.  They both walked in and sat down and he called one of the housemaids to bring drinks, dessert, and fruit for them.

Zayn took the seat opposite his friend in an idle armchair. Ahmad had always admired his great sense of hospitality. Moments later, his mind finally settled on what to say.

"So a little bird told me that Khalifa has shown his interest in your younger sister," Zayn began, studying Ahmad's confused expression from across the glass stool that sat between them. To him, Ahmad was like an elder brother to Hannan so they all liked to address her as his sister.

Ahmad looked at him ardently, "Yeah, I suppose he has mentioned it once or twice."

Zayn smirked at that, it was just a wild guess and curiosity led him to put the topic forward like that. Now that it had been confirmed he'd had to be careful in his approach toward the matter at hand. There is a hadith that mentioned that a man must not make a marriage proposal to a woman when his brother has done so already. Well, at this point, it was safe to say that he was on the right track since Omar had not made his intentions known to the elders or the girl's family.

"Do you think he was serious when he said he wanted to marry her?" Zayn questioned and took off his checkered ghutra. Ahmad kept his eyes on his long hair, wondering what was going on in his head.

"I don't know. With Khalifa, you never know."Ahmad answered, sincerity written in his eyes. "Wait, is that why you invited me here, to discuss Khalifa?"

"Would it be a problem if I said yes?"Zayn joke. He leaned back, watching Ahmad's expression and thinking of how to deliver his speech.

"Well, it isn't that simple, how to answer your question." Ahmad was saying when the maidservants arrived with their meal and Zayn motioned them to leave the trays on the table in front of them.

"Well, that isn't why I invited you here."Ahmad's reply had not been a straightforward one and Zayn believed he knew why and he figured it would be harder than he thought to discuss this topic with both his friends at the same spot. This conversation wasn't supposed to take much of his time, hence the reason he had been acting formally in his disposition toward Ahmad.

"Bismillah! Let's eat," He gestured at the dishes. "While we wait for Khalifa."

"I'm here, sorry for keeping you waiting." Omar made his appearance in his grey senator wear that showed off his burly frame. His tight muscles rippled under his outfit as he marched toward them, wearing an embroidered Hula that fit nicely around his head.

His friends smiled at his approach, bidding him a warm welcome. "Assalaam alaikum!"He greeted them and just began to share handshakes, starting with Zayn, and then Ahmad.

Zayn ushered him to sit beside Ahmad, so he could see both their reactions clearly throughout his speech. When he had made sure both men were settled in their positions, he proceeded with what he had invited them for. "I suppose you both know how desperately my mother wants me to get married." He began, searching for the right words to convey his thoughts.

"Yeah," Ahmad nodded, seemingly confused while the other man remained silent, his eyes on the table.

"Well, I have thought of it," Zayn leaned back on his seat, then placed one leg above his knee. "And I've decided to fulfill her wish." He announced and watched as Omar leaned forward to grab a jug from the table and poured himself some cold pineapple juice.

"Alhamdulillah," It took Ahmad a few seconds to react. "That's a great news." He smiled, genuinely happy for his friend. "Welcome to the club, ya akhiy. You are finally on your way to becoming a complete man." He joked, making a half smile form at the corner of Zayn's lips.

"So who is the lucky girl?" Ahmad asked after some seconds. Zayn looked down at his feet and smirked, maintaining his silence. "Is she someone we know?" He said to taunt Zayn further despite believing it was Aylin.

His last words made Zayn look up at his other friend, he hadn't said anything since. The Omar he knew would have gushed and teased him over this news the second the words left his mouth.

Omar watched them out from the corners of his eyes as he drank from the glass, allowing the news to sip into his skin along with the juice. Something begrudging was going on in his head and he knew that if said whatever he had in mind right there, he'd sound very bitter. So he decided to bury his feelings with a forceful smile.

Zayn observed his friend closely, not feeling very content with his feigned expression. He wanted to know why he was acting somewhat cold all of a sudden. A few seconds were enough for him to deduce that Omar might have known about his intentions toward Hannan. There was only one way to find out. He didn't like what he was about to do but it seemed like the quickest way to end this sitting.

"Ahmad my friend,"Zayn dropped his leg and sat upright. "I called you here today to ask for a great favour." He paused waiting to see both their reactions. Omar's expression was unreadable as he stared at the tumbler in his hand.

"What is it, Ya Sheikh?"Ahmad responded, a faint smile touching his lips.

"I want to ask for your sister's hand in marriage." Zayn declared and took a glance at Omar to see his face go pale. His eyes flickered with something Zayn couldn't quite place —He didn't seem surprised, rather he looked as if someone had poured cold water over his head. If he didn't know about this all along, then he would have at least uttered a word and not avoided his eyes. However, Omar's reaction also showed his true feelings for Hannan. He must have really liked her to endure this much hurt.

Just as he wondered why he was acting that way, Omar sighed loudly, a sound heavy with pain. "I was wondering when you were going to tell us about it." He spoke in a slightly raspy voice. He was not pleased by Zayn's ostentatious display of boldness. He dared betray him like this after he had been the first to show his interest in the girl. He'd be lying to himself if he kept pretending like he was not mad.

"What is going on?"Ahmad crooked his eyebrows in confusion. Zayn could see a thousand questions rising in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing when he invited the both of them there. However, things were not going as planned. But being a self-assured genius, he believed he had everything under control.

"So let me get this straight," Ahmad adjusted his position on his seat, still obscured."You are also asking for Hannan's hand in marriage?" The silence that followed this question was heavy enough to sink a ship.

"Me haka! (Why is that?)"Ahmad demanded, looking at Zayn expectantly to answer his question. His friend remained silent, looking at him in the eyes as if studying the colour of his Iris.

Zayn never wanted Ahmad to know that this was an arranged marriage proposed by his father, but looking at the way things were going and with the presence of Omar there, he'd have to spill the truth because his dear cousin seemed to be aware of it. He knew exactly who might have informed him, his uncle, Sheikh Jaffar Ali came to mind.

Zayn restrained himself a little, mulling over what he was about to say next,"It was my father's wish, he chose her for me, and no one but he and my uncle knows about this," he spoke quietly and carefully, not sure if they heard him, but Ahmad's dumbstruck expression assured him he did."I called both of you here today to have this discussion not out of selfish interest, but to share your opinion. And Ahmad, I wanted to ask you this in person before the elders take the matter into their hands."He paused, leveling his gaze on Omar who refused to look at him but he could hear him speaking.

"I thought we were friends and then something like this happened, and I was the last person to know." Omar put it to Zayn. He sounded a bit resentful, as if he had been betrayed, and truly it made Zayn wonder, didn't he listen to what he just said? If he wanted he would gladly let him have her. But Omar had no idea the many reasons why he should be the one—the man who should protect her from this cruel world. He could not begin to recount the inexplicable experience he had had in the past few weeks. He barely escaped death and Omar had the guts to sit down there and question his loyalty.

"I did not choose this!" Zayn sounded defensive and he wasn't fond of it. "I never expected to marry her. Believe me, I wish I could go back on my decision but it's too late." There, the dirty truth he was ashamed to reveal to them was out in the open. The gravity of his words struck Ahmad like a slow blow.

"So you were forced into this," Ahmad furrowed his eyebrows, the weight of the statement sinking in slowly,"yet you want to carry on with it?"

Zayn stared back into his eyes, wishing he could see what was going on in his head, given his next words would be nothing but a lie. "No, I accepted this proposal willingly. It had not been influenced by my father's wish. I'd be glad if you are pleased with my decision." He pronounced every word slowly and delicately, making his intention look effortlessly believable. 

Ahmad did not know what to make of this, on one hand, there was Zayn and on the other hand, there was Omar who had been the first to approach him with such a request. Deep down, he knew he could never wish for a better suitor for his cousin than Zayn, his most loyal friend. He was a nobleman with exquisite qualities. But when it came to defining Omar, he could almost say he had no personality outside the one they knew him with. He was on the fence with his opinion because he didn't want to make him feel worse.

"I think I have to go now." Omar looked at Zayn, composed. He thought Ahmad might be foolish enough to fall for his tricks but he would not sit there and watch him lie to his face."I have somewhere important to be." He stood up and placed his glass on the table. "Congratulations on your conquest!" He played, but his eyes were serious. Zayn stared back at them and watched him walk out on them. He believed he had every right to be infuriated especially because of the way he had presented the matter to them.

Zayn being hard-hearted, refused to stop him from leaving or even utter an apology for his doing. Ahmad stood up swiftly and went after Omar, perhaps to clear the air. When his uncle had discussed it with him a week ago, Omar had been disturbed and patiently waited for Zayn to come and fill him in as they were too close to keep such things hidden from each other. But that evening, his arrogant cousin looked him in the eyes and betrayed him in front of Ahmad!

As far as he knew, Zayn didn't have an iota of feelings toward that girl. Wasn't he the same person who had questioned his ways, saying that the girl was too young for him? He remembered the disgruntled look on his face when he had told him that he had a liking for her. What game was Zayn playing?

When he was left alone, Zayn plunged back into his thoughts, a smirk etched on his lips. He and Omar could not possibly be having issues because of Hannan. She was too small to come between them. Although he faulted himself for inviting Omar there, he didn't regret doing so. He also had a reason to be mad at him, Omar almost ruined his plan. He was more worried about Ahmad's reaction than his. He'd deal with Omar later, for now, he'd have to finish what he had started. He reclined back in his seat, shutting his eyes lightly and relaxing a bit despite everything. Then something sang within him.

His brother was the major reason he was doing this in the first place. He hadn't even talked to him about it yet. He knew he had to before the news spread to him.

"Have you spoken to her about it?"Ahmad's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as he returned to take his spot. He didn't expect him to come back soon.

"No," Zayn answered through slightly closed lips, his eyes still shut. "I haven't even spoken to my mum about it and like I said, only my father and Uncle Jaffar are aware of this besides the both of you."

Ahmad studied his wearied look and he could almost see what Zayn didn't want him to see. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined Zayn and Hannan ending up together. He wondered if he was being honest with himself. Everyone thought he and Aylin had something going on between them. But Zayn had never shared details of his relationship with Aylin. He would have asked but he preferred to assume they were just friends.

"So, do you have feelings for her?" Ahmad asked earnestly, wanting Zayn to open his eyes and see the seriousness in his. But the silence that followed his question was almost agonizing.

Zayn knew that he would ask this question. And he also knew that Ahmad might not like to hear how he truly felt about Hannan. So he opened his eyes and sat up, making his friend believe whatever he was going to say next.

"If I didn't, then we won't be having this sitting." He lied to him, for the second time which seemed to be the only way out."As my friend and someone she sees as an elder brother, it's only fair that I seek your permission before taking any step. You have the right to object to my request if you deem it wrong."

Ahmad smiled at that, thinking Zayn had done the right thing. "Well, no one will be foolish enough to reject such a great offer."He seemed glad and completely oblivious to Zayn's true intentions. "I believe you will make a better in-law than a friend. I approve of you. So you have nothing to worry about."His tone had turned jocular which made Zayn smile, contented that he had accomplished his aim.

"Thank you. I'm glad that you are pleased with my decision." He uttered politely.

"Don't mention it."

Zayn gave a subtle nod, then reached for a jug of juice and served some to his friend and himself. As he did that, he heard Ahmad say something funny.

"By the way, is that why you have been acting so formal?" Zayn could hear the laughter in his voice. He lifted his head to see Ahmad grinning from ear to ear. He leaned forward, passing him a tumbler.

"Guy, abeg no mock me," Zayn stifled a smile."I needed to follow due process."He leaned back with his drink in his hand.

"Due process?" Ahmad shook his leg, amused at his friend. "Because of woman?"He made fun of him and they laughed."No vex, but I find it funny that you of all people have decided to complete half of your deen."With no other person but Hannan. Wasn't that concerning?

"Well, there is time for everything and when Allah says it's time, then it's time. This is called Qadr, you can't fight it." Zayn gave up trying a long time ago, seeing the circumstances surrounding the proposal after that day his father spoke to him about it. He smiled, amazed at himself for putting in effort to make everything fall in place. Part of him couldn't understand why he was so satisfied with how things had played out, especially with Ahmad giving his support. It was not like he even wanted his cousin. It would not have bothered him if he had rejected it, anyway.

"You are right," Ahmad replied and sipped from his drink. "But you owe Khalifa an apology."

"I know."He said, wondering what he and Omar discussed when he went after him. Ahmad didn't tell him that Omar had zoomed off, angrily before he could catch up to him. Zayn knew that Khalifa couldn't stay angry with him for long and Ahmad was right, they had to talk.

He would send his people over to the girl's place so they could seek her consent before the engagement. And as far as he was concerned, his friend could have her only when she had rejected his proposal which he was very sure she would. These were part of the things he wanted to talk to Omar about when next they got to talk. One thing was certain, he wanted to make sure everyone was satisfied with his decision and at the very least, his brother must not end up with her.

*****

One scorching afternoon, Zayn wasn't sure if it was Tuesday, he had lost track of time. He had returned from work after performing a three-hour reconstructive surgery. He decided to drop by to check on his family since he hadn't seen them in two weeks.

He stepped into their house, announcing his presence with a salaam. The sitting room was deserted when he came in. The quiet atmosphere of the spacious room suggested that something was off. Where was everyone? He paced the living room to fetch himself some chilled water from a dispenser that sat somewhere across. After filling his cup, he crouched down on a nearby sofa to rest his tired back.

Suddenly he heard the horn of a car moving into their garage. He didn't bother to check who had arrived. So he just relaxed in the seat, an arm stretched on the armrest of the three-seater sofa as he sipped from his cup.

After quenching his thirst, he was about to put the cup away when someone barged in, slamming the door, a sound so loud that it startled his spirit. His sight traveled to the source of the sound to find Imran, fuming with rage? He couldn't say. Their gaze clashed and something instantly shifted in the air between them.

Imran wasn't expecting to see his elder brother there and now that he did, he felt no shame baring his venomous fangs at him."How could you?"He asked through gritted teeth, storming his way, disheartened by the news he had received from his uncle.

Zayn stared at him, bemused. He knew that his brother was aware of the great news, hence he said nothing. His fist tightened around the cup he was holding and his jaw clenched and unclenched, involuntarily. What a mess this was. Did he make a mistake by revealing the truth to his uncle? Perhaps he should blame himself for acting on the matter at snail speed.

"Tell me, is it true?" He heard Imran's hoarse voice again. He was standing in front of him now. The Sheikh had invited Imran over and told him that it was their family tradition that the first son had to marry his betrothed. He had been told everything he needed to know. But what more did he want to know? Rumors claimed that his traitorous brother had already agreed to marry her. He wanted to know why.

"What is it?" Zayn knew that it was no use pretending to be oblivious to how things had turned out. He never wanted it to come to this: His selfish intent of wanting to prevent his brother from committing an abomination has initiated a vile courage in him. He now had the guts to look him in the eyes and speak.

"Since when did you care about tradition?" Imran's fury was evident in his words. "You made a promise to me, that you would support any decision I made." He had no idea that he was yelling because of the rage of his brother's betrayal. That, Zayn didn't like.

Zayn rose quietly to his full height. Imran must have seen the dark cloud on his face that made him step back a little. "I recently completed a very difficult operation. I'm quite sensitive at the moment. To calm myself down, I rather feel like taking a long nap. Now, if you will excuse me, I should be on my way."He knew he had to take his leave before he did something cruel to his younger brother. Imran was overstepping his boundaries. His spitting dirt on Zayn's face was beyond disrespectful. He wouldn't sit there and keep up with that.

It looked to him that Imran's backbone had grown three times stronger when he stood stiffly in his way, stopping him from inching forward. " You are not leaving here today," He was under his nose, toe to toe with him. "until you answer my question." He pushed him hard on the chest and Zayn creased his eyebrows at that. Had he gone nuts? Perhaps he was possessed by a mad jinn?

Imran looked up at his brother, infuriated that he wouldn't tell him the things he wanted to hear and he wasn't denying his accusation which meant that it was true. He very much believed the lies he was told. He hated that he wasn't even bothered by his unusual melodrama. But in reality, Zayn felt like punching him till he snapped out of it. He didn't know how he managed to tame his anger."So it was true? It has been true all this while?"

"All I can say is that you are right." Zayn was oblivious to the lies Yasmeen had fed his innocent brother that turned him into a raving beast at first glance. "If I were to tell you the reason, I would be telling precisely what I cannot say. Thus, I cannot say. It isn't that I won't. I cannot. That's all I can let you know. If you cannot accept my answer and get out of my way, then in order to defend myself I guess I'll have no choice but to use iron fist on you. "

"Liar! I won't listen to your lies!" Imran raged like a wildfire."You both have been seeing each other secretly. You think I don't know? Someone saw you two together on countless occasions."

"What type of pills are you on?"Zayn cast a dark glare at him. He had had enough of his venomous affront. He could no longer excuse his poor behaviour. His allegations weren't just outrageous, it was a sign that this over-pampered child had lost every ounce of respect he had for him. And respect was the air Zayn breathed. It was more important to him than his daily breakfast.

"Don't pretend like you don't know." Imran nodded at every word, a smirk tugged at his lips as though he knew more than he was telling. "I have seen the way you looked at her whenever we are together. The jealousy in your eyes is enough to prove that what people are saying is true."

"What did people say?"Zayn stepped closer. His facial appearance had changed completely. The stainless Steel cup in his right hand dropped loudly on their marbled floor. The things he couldn't say, his sleepless nights, the sacrifice he had made to set things right, and the pain of being misunderstood by his closest companion all came sipping into his boiling blood.

This anger that his brother had awakened was translated into his other hand and when Imran opened his mouth to utter another word, Zayn thought he forgot his palm on his face. How dare he accuse him of such a dirty act. If Imran knew what he knew he wouldn't last long in this world.

A flicker of starlight flashed through Imran's eyes and the reverberating wave of the ultrasound kept ringing in his ears for seconds. It was the first time his brother laid a hand on him.

Imran looked like a dare caught in a headlight when he looked into his brother's eyes, searching to see if he'd show any form of remorse for raising his hand on him, instead what he saw was pure wrath glaring back at him."Now listen, the next time you try this with me again, I'll teach you the very reason why men lower their heads when talking to their elders."

"Zayn! Have you lost it?" They both turned to see Zayn's mother by the doorway. "What possessed you to slap your brother like that?" She approached them with a horrified expression. She had witnessed the heat of the moment when she walked in to check what was the reason for the outburst and never in her life had she seen her son so furious.

Zayn gave his back to her, turning to face his petulant little brother."And I will slap him again if I have to."He pointed a stiffened finger at him, staring hard into his eyes. He had lost himself, no alibi! Imran was not to blame. It was his parents who were to blame. They over-pampered him!

Zayn wished he had been around longer to mould and shape his life. He could almost believe his brother didn't have a proper Islamic upbringing, because what was he doing sharing physical contact with an opposite gender? He had not even punished him for that, yet there he was, making him feel like he was casting pearls before swine. He'd make him regret the day he was born if he decided to manhandle him the way he wanted to.

*****

Someone saw you two together, countless times? Zayn was beyond flustered when he first heard this. The only time he and Hannan could have been seen together for more than five minutes would be the time he drove her home from the hospital. Yasmeen was the only one who saw them that night when he stopped by a restaurant to buy her dinner. She was at the restaurant with Mohammad and it looked like they were arguing about something. He didn't think they had seen him and he didn't stop by to greet them because he was in a hurry.

Zayn stood by the door that led into his stepmother's room, watching as she was being laid on her bed to rest. His mind wandered around everything that had happened and he knew that he had failed Imran, the very moment he laid his hand on him. When his stepmother heard about this, she experienced a panic attack and passed out. One thing led to another and there they were clustered around her, the nurse was attending to her. But his mother wouldn't let him come near them. She blamed him for what had happened.

Looking around the room, near the door, Imran saw him standing there, unfrazzled. He had that calm look to him, even now that his mother's life was at risk. How dare he remain calm like that when his mother was dying? Imran felt like shoving a sword through his chest. His malicious thoughts got the better of him when he marched up to Zayn.

'Look! If anything happens to my mother, I'll make your life a living hell.' He was going to say. But when he saw the look on his face when he lifted his head to meet his gaze, the words died in his throat even before he got closer. It was official! He was afraid of Zayn. He wanted to man up to him but his elder brother was intimidating in many ways. And that was why he couldn't get back at him that very instant when he slapped him across the face that afternoon.

Stopping in front of him, Zayn stared at him mindlessly, waiting for him to speak. Imran thought whatever it was, he was better off getting away from that gut-wrenching fear he was feeling at that moment. His breath caught in his throat, making his following words come out as a slow whisper,"Can we take my mother to the hospital?" He feared that her condition might heighten, given she was diabetic.

Instead of replying, Zayn studied his face, a bit surprised by his request. He could see the redness of his cheek. That sentimental air to his demeanor made him look like he was going to cry. Touched by the sight in front of him, Zayn's expression softened.

"I called her doctor. He's on his way." He said coolly, his eyes travelled to his mother from across. She sat on the edge of the bed, next to her co-wife. It was evident she was still very mad at him, yet she looked so worried. These women, had been married to the same man for more than thirty years and Zayn had never seen them quarrel. They were like sisters! He hoped what he had done wouldn't create a rift between them.

Imran simply nodded, then turned away. He couldn't stand him. Guilt had started to gnaw him and he knew sooner or later, he'd regret his action, greatly. His mind drifted to what Yasmeen had told him. Could it be true?

Unknown to him, Yasmeen hadn't thought about the consequences of her action when she told him unfiltered lies along with what she had heard. One morning, when she awoke she overheard her father telling her mother about Zayn and Hannan's intended couple, she decided to eavesdrop on them till the end of the conversation. Out of envy, she had been the first to inform Imran about it, but he didn't believe her at first. It wasn't until three weeks later when her father invited him over and advised him that Imran found himself believing every single word she had uttered that day. However, one thing stuck with him, he knew there had to be a reason for Zayn's action in spite of the rage that consumed him. That reason was what he wanted to find out. But his elder brother wouldn't open up.

Imran knew that he had been uncivil in his approach to his elder brother. But people don't always see their fault when they are drunk by emotions.

★★★★★

Please Vote, Comment, and Share...✍