Maria threw the glass tumbler in her hand right at the vanity mirror, making both tumbler and mirror break with a loud crash. She groaned loudly, feeling the anger still running through her veins prominent as ever. Her breathing came out ragged as her nostrils flared, eyes bloodshot.

Her phone that was somewhere on the floor, half cracked, vibrated for the umpteenth time. She ignored it; too enraged to bother checking the messages and calls from people that will only infuriate her more.

She clenched her fists tightly by her side, fingers digging in deep enough that it was drawing out blood, but that was the least of her concerns. Enraged, she headed to the vanity table and swept her hands across it, sending everything on it crashing on the ground into tiny pieces. The pieces of broken mirror, pierced her skin, drawing out more blood than she would normally tolerate seeing on her.

That wasn't enough to calm her anger though. Neither was it enough to snap her back into her senses.

She fell on the ground, dizzy from the repetitive action of thrashing everything in her room.

The maids stood downstairs heard her commotion, yet no one made the move to approach her knowing they will undoubtedly end up being her next victim. One tried when Maria started thrashing the room, she earned herself a slap that left Maria's fingerprints on her cheeks. While the others stood outside waiting for Maria to calm down, she headed out to nurse her cheek.

Maria lifted her heavy arms that hurts and pounded her fists on the floor. Her actions were sloppy as all the energy in her was slowly draining out. The tears in her eyes blurred her vision, making it slowly impossible for her to see clearly despite her blinking furiously. The tears simply cascaded down her cheeks but pain was the last thing that caused it. Anger did.

Her phone rang again, and just like all the other times, she ignored it.

After a minute, it pinged.

She glanced at it with slumped shoulders, noting one message that stood out of the numerous ones she had gotten in the past hour. It just came through.

Pick up the phone.

-L.

With a loud sigh, Maria reached her hand to grab the phone just in time Lena's call came in again. Maria swiped the answer button and brought it to her ear.

"Maria!" Lena's voice came, frantic.

Maria didn't say a word to her. However, her ragged breathing was the only thing that made Lena knew that Maria was indeed listening to her.

"Maria listen to me" Lena said, her own breathing labored as if she had just ran a marathon. "I had just seen the news"

Maria clenched her eyes tightly. She knew that the news would get out, she just didn't think that it would be out that early. She released a small scream, resisting the urge to tug her hair out of frustration.

"Maria calm down!" Lena half yelled from the other end, "Listen to me, do not do anything stupid or drastic. It won't only be bad for you, but for your husband as well"

Maria scoffed loudly, shaking her head in the process as she released a small sarcastic laugh. "So what? I should stay calm and do nothing while my husband just got arrested?"

"Maria...I know--"

"No" Maria yelled. Lena had to move the phone away from her ear. "I will not lose another husband. I swear, I'll make the ones responsible for this pay"

Lena closed her eyes as she sighed, massaging her temples with her fingers. "So what? Do you know who are behind this?"

"Who else?" Maria clicked her tongue, as she laughed—there was an edge to her laughter though which disappeared as she stopped laughing all of the sudden. "It had to be that pesky Rabia and the Attorney Zarah"

"The Attorney?" Lena's brows rose, "Isn't she the one in a coma?"

Maria's expression tightened, "Apparently, even on the brink of death she's hell-bent on making my life miserable" She scoffed lightly muttering "I should've ended her life when I had the chance. None of this would've happened then"

"What did you just say?" Lena asked. Silence followed from Maria's side making her sigh. She decided to drop it for the moment "And Rabia?"

"She must've found a way to report what Zarah found. I didn't think she was smart enough to do that"

Lena snickered, "I told you not to underestimate her" She rolled her eyes, "What will you do now? She's onto you and by the looks of it, she won't stop till she finds out the truth"

"Do you think I'll let that happen?" Maria pushed herself off the floor and stood on her feet. "Over my dead body will I let that girl find out the truth!"

Silence came from Lena's side.

"What?" Maria asked, not understanding the meaning of Lena's silence. "I'm sure you won't let her find out either, right?"

"Of course not" Lena was quick to reply, "But I still stick to my words, I won't harm the girl in any way"

"You saw what she just did to me right!" Maria couldn't stop herself from raising her voice at Lena, something she had never done in her life before, until then. She didn't care about that though she was enraged that Lena wouldn't help her. "How can you not help me when there's something we can do to stop this girl?! You have to help me" The anger that managed to die down slightly when she started talking to Lena was gone.

And judging from the brief silence that came from Lena's side, she too was enraged. But not at Rabia or Zarah, rather, at Maria.

"Maria I didn't save your life all those years ago just so you can turn into the woman you are now" Lena raised her voice, cutting Maria before she starts her now common outbursts. She swallowed, calming herself before she spoke again. "I didn't stop you before because I didn't realize the extent you're taking this, but murder Maria? You're thinking of killing her for your selfish needs? You clearly had something to do with the Attorney's accident"

"I only had someone mess with her brakes! I didn't kill her" Maria said through gritted teeth. "And why are you pretending to be innocent when it comes to this Rabia? You had a role to play in her being in prison too. You aren't the innocent person you're pretending to be either" On normal occasions, she wouldn't have said that to Lena. Before, she wouldn't have said that to Lena but she's no longer the old Maria that Lena knew and saved.

She had changed. So much.

Lena exhaled deeply, nodding her head in the process, "Yes, I admit, I am guilty for Rabia being in prison for what she didn't do. And that was why I spent my time in prison looking out for her even though she doesn't know it" She gulped, blinking back the tears that formed in her eyes, "I know that won't be enough but I can't change the past. And even if I can, I wouldn't change my decision because I had my reasons"

"So did I" Maria gritted her teeth, fists clenching by her side making the broken pieces of glass in there pierce further which would no doubt leave scars. "You and I are the same Lena"

"No Maria" Lena shook her head, releasing a small sarcastic laughter. "We're not the same. While you are trying to harm her instead of feeling guilty, you're trying to kill her. While I on the other side, I'm trying to protect her, from you. Just like Noah is doing"

Maria chuckled, nodding in the process. "That's easy for you to say since you're not the one she's after. Then again, you have nothing to worry about. Speaking of which, this is my family's issue, why are you getting involved again?"

"Noah is my son Maria" Lena half yelled. Maria knew how much it hurt her for that topic to be brought up, yet she used it at the moment to hurt her. She believed that the only way for her pain to shimmer down is by inflicting pain on another person. "And my husband was the one killed if you're forgetting. So I have every right to be involved"

"Oh please" Maria scoffed, "You don't care about him. If anything, you are happy that he died, aren't you?"

"Stop it Maria..." Lena's voice came out low as she tried to reign her anger down.

"But if you really care about your husband, then go ahead. Tell the truth to Rabia. You have no reason to keep it hidden right?" Maria taunted further, eyes narrowing at nothing in particular as her grip on her phone tightened. "This is all your fault!"

Lena nodded though Maria couldn't see her, the tears streaming down her face. "Yes Maria. This is all my fault. I admit it. But the girl wouldn't be after you if you had let me fix it back then. I was willing to take the blame wasn't I?" Her voice didn't come out strong anymore, because she was feeling anything but. "But you didn't want that. You'd rather frame the child that had no knowledge of anything going on"

"If you're so righteous, you should've stopped me from framing her"

"Yes. I should've stopped you. But I didn't" Lena wiped her tears, exhaling loudly. "I would now though. I would stop you Maria no matter what it'll take. You said this is all my fault right? Yes, it's my fault. And trust me, I'll make it right no matter what it'll take"

"Lena...Lena!" Maria removed the phone from her ear, as she heard the beep sound that came from Lena's side. When realization that Lena ended the phone dawned on her, she threw the phone away out of anger.

She just made Lena turn against her, she knew that. What she knew the most though was that without Lena, she's at the brink of crumbling.

Lena was her hidden card. Without her, she had no more cards.

Or does she?

~*~

Alhaji Saraki removed his glasses, tuning the TV volume down once the news about Maria's husband's arrest was over. His lips tilted into a small smile as he sighed in content. "Tell me, how did you find out about her?"

Mubarak looked away from the TV, resting his gaze on his father who was pulling out a newspaper. Mubarak waited for the old man to move his gaze to him in a way that will confirm his question was directed towards him, but he didn't. However, the fact that the two of them were the only ones in the room meant that his father's question was indeed for him. "Huh?"

"Rabia" His father repeated, eyes still fixated on his newspaper. "How did you find out about her? I don't remember telling you anything about her"

Mubarak blinked, internally debating on whether he should tell his father the truth or not. Then again, he couldn't hide it from him no matter how much he tries since the man is behind the whole case being brought up again after a decade. "She asked for help" He sighed, looking down, "Zarah asked her to"

His father nodded. "Mubarak, you do realize why I didn't involve you in this right?"

Mubarak nodded. He understood more than they thought he would actually.

Alhaji Saraki closed the newspaper and placed it aside. He then turned to look at Mubarak. "Mubarak, you're the only child I have here with me. With your sister gone, you're all I have. And this case, it's something I need to tackle alone"

Mubarak nodded again.

"However" His father sighed, "I won't stop you because we need your help now that Zarah is in a coma. All I'm asking for you now though is for you to be extremely careful please" He knew the nature of Mubarak's job, and that he had been involved in cases far more grave than this. But, he's a father, he can't stop caring about his child no matter how much he tries. Mubarak is all he has and he doesn't want to lose him.

Mubarak looked up, and offered his father a smile. "I understand Baba. I promise I'll help Rabia get the justice she deserves" He left out the part of her helping him in return. His parents don't know about that, no one does. Not even his younger sister, Aisha. That is something he is determined to handle alone. "Speaking of my sister though...have you heard anything about her?"

Alhaji Saraki sighed, then shook his head. "She calls every now and then, but she doesn't say anything other than usual"

Mubarak gloomily nodded. He tried to get anything out of her but she won't budge. She simply shut everyone in the family out without a reason. "She just left" He muttered.

His father heard him though, "She must've had her reasons Mubarak. She would come back when she's ready. Give her more time" His father tried to reason.

"It's been years though" Mubarak muttered again. He was slowly growing tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. All he wanted was to speak to his younger sister and know if she's alright, for real. He didn't want the same excuse she gave their parent, he wanted to know the reason she just decided to pack up and live abroad all of the sudden. Since then, she hasn't returned home. He hadn't heard anything from her either, she neither calls him or pick up his calls.

He was simply worried.

"Mubarak..."

Mubarak smiled, "I'm okay Baba. I'll give her time. I promise" That promise was the only reason he didn't find out exactly where she is and visit her. The same promise he had kept for three years now.

"Good. Good luck on the case"

~*~

Rahma crossed her legs, fingers lightly running over her knuckles as her brows wrinkled. She couldn't get Maria's words out of her head. Though she now has a recording of Maria admitting to having someone mess with Zarah's brakes and that of framing her all those years ago, something doesn't sit right with her.

It simply wasn't enough. Maria can get out of that if she really wants to. Especially now that the woman clearly wants to get her out of the way.

She lowered her head, resting her gaze on the recording which she had now saved in a flash for safety reasons. All the recordings she had gotten from Zarah and the ones she had recorded from Maria's conversations were saved in there. It simply contained all the evidence she has on Maria which would without a doubt help her. But that wasn't enough, she wanted something concrete.

Something that would definitely prove that Maria killed her adoptive father.

"Lena..." She muttered, drumming her fingers on the table. She didn't hear whatever the Lena woman told Maria but she heard Maria mention her name. She also heard Maria mention something about Lena's husband.

The question was, who is he? And what did Maria have to do with him?

Is she using him to blackmail the Lena woman? But then again, she didn't sound like she blackmailed her back then.

Rahma sighed loudly, massaging her temples. She reached her hand out and dialed Mubarak's number. Bringing the phone close to her ear, she waited for him to pick up. "Mubarak..." She said, the minute he picked up. "I need you to look into someone for me"

"Who is it?"

"Her name is Lena. That's all I know" She sighed. She knew that's not enough but she doesn't doubt Mubarak's skill.

"That's all? Is she related to Maria?"

"Yes" She licked her chapped lips, pushing the chair back slightly. "I heard her mention her name. She was on a call with her just a few minutes ago. Can you look into her for me please?"

"Alright. I'll see what I can do"

"Thank you" She ended the call, keeping the phone on the table.

She rested her face in between her palms, closing her eyes briefly. When she looked up after a while, her gaze first fell on the flash. She removed it from the laptop and stood up, heading to her closet where she pulled out the bag she intends on going out with later when she meets Tahir. For some reason, she felt like she needs to keep it in a safe place.

Satisfied when it's in the bag, she turned the laptop off and headed to the shower, wanting to get ready for her lunch with Tahir later.

~*~

"Clean everything up" Maria waved her hand dismissively. She sat down on her bed that had been fixed up by the maids as she watched them clean up the mess she made in the room.

Normally, she would've waited for them outside in the living room while they clean up but she didn't feel like leaving her room. She didn't want to interact with the outside world just yet.

"Make sure you put everything back in its spot" She said after a while, glancing at the new items that had been bought to replace the ones she broke.

Tapping her foot lightly on the floor, she watched as some mopped away the blood stained floor, while some took away the shards that were littered around the room.

Her eyes lazily swept around the room, until it fell on one spot. Her brows drew in confusion. "Hey" She called out, making some look up. "You there" She pointed at a woman, "Can you pull that forward a bit" She stood up and walked towards her.

She waited for the woman to do as she said. And when she was done, she reached her hand out and picked up the small item that fell on the floor, just behind the vanity table.

Maria brought it up and examined it, watching it up close as she tried to wrap her head around what it was. After a while, it clicked.

A recording device.

~*~

Maria found the recording, what would she do??!!

Another update coming later, so check your notifications!

I'm obsessed with this song today 😭❤️

Love, Jannah.