Rahma shook her head, sighing deeply as she looked away, covering her face with both hands. "You can't do this to her Ameerah" She muttered, looking up after a while, "Think of how she feels. They have been apart for ten years now. Do you think it's easy for her to just testify against her son?"

Ameerah gulped, looking away.

"Did you two even tell her about it?" Rahma glanced at Mubarak, seeing as Ameerah doesn't plan on saying anything more.

Mubarak glanced at Ameerah with a frown etched on his face as he shook his head. "Not yet. But she's arriving later today. Ameerah asked her to come. We'd explain the situation to her tomorrow"

Rahma rubbed her hand over her face, "Did you guys really think this through? I mean..." She stuttered, looking for the right words to use, her eyes darting around the room. Her shoulder slumped eventually, and with eyes that cloud she stared at Ameerah, "What if Tahir is really innocent?"

"His mother was there Rahma!" Ameerah pointed out. She doesn't get why Rahma keeps thinking otherwise. Did Tahir brainwash her from the lunch or what?

"She could be mistaken..."

"Why are you defending him?!" Ameerah finally yelled, glaring at Rahma who simply watched her calmly, then sighed.

"I'm not defending him Ameerah, I'm just pointing out possibilities here. There's a chance that his mother is mistaken, that he really is innocent and that you're blaming the wrong person. But your anger blinds you from seeing the truth. Why are you so adamant on blaming Tahir? It could be anyone. Why don't you think of how he feels? Or how his mother feels at least?" Rahma's voice rose slightly out of frustration. She didn't mean to do it; she was simply too confused while looking at the issue from another angle that she was paranoid by how stubborn Ameerah is being.

Instead of the yelling she expected to get from Ameerah, the girl simply watched her with eyes filled with tears. "Why are you so adamant on blaming Maria? The killer could be anyone" She simply asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Rahma was taken aback. That was not the response she expected to get from Ameerah. "Because I know her" She replied, through gritted teeth.

Ameerah smiled bitterly. "Know her?" She chuckled lightly. "Just like you know her; I know Tahir too" Her voice broke. She looked up, blinking back the tears that formed in her eyes but it kept streaming down.

"Ameerah..." Mubarak started, but she shook her head to stop him.

She glanced at Rahma. "I know you don't understand what I'm going through. No one does. You're probably wondering why I can't let go of the issue, right?" She raised a brow. "Did you ever think about how I feel?"

Truth be told, no. If Rahma was being sincere with herself then she'd admit that she didn't think about how Ameerah is feeling right from the beginning. She considered Tahir the victim, because she believes that he had been wrongfully accused. And because of that, she was reminded of how she felt when she was wrongfully accused.

The difference between the two of them was that she gave up on telling her side of the story because there was no one who would believe her. She didn't have anyone to begin with. While Tahir on the other hand gave up because even his own mother doesn't believe him. If his mother doesn't believe him then who would? If that wasn't enough, she left his father after that and hadn't seen Tahir since then.

He lost his mother, the only person he has in the world that day. He was simply hurt, he still is.

Male or female, we all get hurt at a point in our lives and he was not any different. He was already going through a tough childhood living with his parents constantly yelling at each other, but at least his mother was there to help him no matter what. She wasn't any different from the father in the cause of ruining the marriage but at least, she cared about their only child. At least, she did before she left him alone.

So yes, Rahma only thought of Tahir's perspective.

But Ameerah? Rahma didn't see things from her perspective. She forgot that she is a victim in this too, and that the only reason she was being that adamant was because she's hurt too.

Everyone involved in the case is honestly.

"Ameerah..." Rahma started, eyebrows gathered in as a pained expression took over her features.

"You probably wondered why I won't forget it and move on right?" Ameerah cut her off, eyes stinging with unshed tears. "Why is it so easy for people to think victims of assault can easily forget and move on? Don't you think I've tried?" Ameerah bit her bottom lip, but the tears fell. "I tried Rahma, but I couldn't move on no matter how much I tried. We don't just move on; the pain is always there. The girl that died, she suffered for five years and in the end, depression killed her. Do you think she could've moved on even if she wanted to?"

Rahma squeezed her eyes shut, grimacing at Ameerah's tone.

Mubarak looked away, he couldn't bear the sight of Ameerah in pain. He had been with her throughout since they were children, but never had she broken down like she was doing at the moment. The sight was simply pitiful and sad.

Ameerah licked her chapped lips, nodding slowly as she wiped the tears away. "I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything Rahma. You're a good person, and I can see that. The fact that you're a good person is the reason why you're trying to see the good side in Tahir but please, consider how I feel too"

Rahma looked up, covering her face with her hand momentarily. "I just want to help you, all of you who are victims in this" Her voice lost the power it had in it earlier.

Ameerah offered her a small almost nonvisible smile, "I understand and I promise you, if after this case is over and Tahir is still proven innocent, I'll consider looking for the real perpetrator" She reached her hand out, and gave Rahma a small squeeze to let her know that she was being honest.

Rahma's shoulder slumped in relief as she glanced at Mubarak who offered her a nod in agreement. He doesn't agree with what Rahma said about Tahir being innocent, but if Ameerah believes her theory is worth giving a thought then who is he to say otherwise?

Rahma smiled, giving Ameerah's hand a small squeeze back. She wouldn't ask them to call off the case against him, or to not use Lami as a witness—if she would agree—but knowing that if they find out the truth, they'll let Tahir alone was more than enough for her.

Given the fact that Tahir is indeed wrong, considering despite he might be innocent regarding the case, he and Noah still put her education in jeopardy for some stupid game. Then again, we're all bad and good at a certain point in our lives. We aren't perfect, and same thing applies to him.

Rahma planned on talking to him about that once the case is over. He has to compensate for what he did to her, along with Noah.

But for the moment, they'd focus on the trail coming up. Afterwards, she would help them find out who really did it because the case reminded her so much of Rahma, the real one. If she had any lead on her case, she knew that she would do whatever it takes to get justice for her.

She'd consider that if she gets free.

In a way, Ameerah's case reminded her of the real Rahma. The same thing happened to her, same time and same state. The only difference was that the real Rahma died, she saw it with her own eyes. That is one thing she's most sure of in her life.

"And about that Lena woman" Mubarak's voice had the two looking up.

Rahma blinked furiously. "What about her?"

He sighed, "I'm yet to find anything on her. But I will, I promise"

Rahma smiled, then nodded. She decided that it would be the perfect time to tell them the other thing she found out from Tahir. "Tahir doesn't have any witness" She doesn't know if she should he happy about that or sad.

Nevertheless, she won't get involved and declare him innocent until so is being said in prison.

"Thought so" Mubarak muttered.

"So we have a chance?" Ameerah glanced at Mubarak, then Rahma.

Rahma nodded, her small smile still in place. Come what may, she would support Ameerah till the very end, even if their view on the case is different. "Yes. Without a witness, there's no way to prove his innocence" She added.

"Alhamdullilah" Ameerah exclaimed, covering her face with both hands. When she looked up, she had a huge smile plastered on her face, "Things are finally looking up in our favor"

The two others nodded.

"All I need to do now is convince Mama to testify and that won't be easy"

~*~

"Eat" Tahir smiled at the man, gesturing to the food in front of him.

The man glared at Tahir.

This made Tahir sigh, brows drawing in. "Do you not like the food?" He asked, "Tell me, what do you want to eat. I'll have someone prepare it for you right away"

The man looked away, closing his eyes in the process as released a loud frustrated sigh.

Tahir kept his gaze on the man, waiting for him to say or do anything even though he knew he couldn't. The glare he received from the man when he pushed his plate towards him had him sighing again. "Oh well" He muttered, slamming his spoon with a smack.

His eyes flickered to the man, now in slits. "I've been trying to be nice to you since. I even invited you to my house and offered you a nice meal and this is how you repay me?" He tsked, leaning back on his chair as he crossed his legs and folded his arms over his torso.

"You forcefully brought me here!" The man yelled, trying to lunge at Tahir but the ropes that his hands and legs were tied to behind the wooden chair restricted his movement. The more he moved, the more the ropes dug into his skin.

"No I didn't" Tahir shook his head, smiling slightly as he watched the man struggle.

"You kidnapped me!"

"Are you a child?" Tahir raised a brow, "This isn't kidnapping. I'm even offering you nice food here. See" He pointed to the plate, "There's even chicken there! I'm sure you're not used to that"

The man glared at Tahir, cold sweats covering his forehead, cheeks and chin. Dried blood covered his forehead slightly. "This is an abduction!" The man was relentless on yelling at the top of his lungs.

Tahir remained unfazed though, knowing that no one would hear the man. There's a reason why he brought him to his apartment that he stays in when he didn't want to near his father or step siblings. The house in a way is soundproof, no one can hear anything happening inside from the outside.

He calmly watched him. He didn't consider it an abduction since the man willingly came with him. Even though he had to hit him with a plank on the back of the head, render him in an unconscious state, dragged him over to his car, brought him to the secret apartment, and then tie him to a chair.

Not abduction at all.

"Do you think you'll get away with abducting me?!"

Tahir shrugged, "It depends..." he trailed off. "...did you think you would've gotten away if you had abducted Rahma earlier?" He raised a brow, the smile disappearing from his face. He wouldn't have gotten involved had the man didn't try to do that.

He could tell from the minute he looked out the window earlier and spotted him staring at the two of them from afar, or more like staring at Rahma. He should've stopped the minute Tahir caught him, but he didn't.

Instead, he tried to follow her when she left until Tahir caught him. The one good thing about the man hiding in a hidden spot was that it gave Tahir the perfect opportunity to strike him and take him without anyone noticing.

The man gritted his teeth, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Don't worry" Tahir grinned, "You will soon enough"

He picked up a water bottle and poured the water into a tumbler. "Do you want some water? I'm sure your throat is parched from the yelling you had been doing for the past half an hour" Offering him a smile, Tahir asked.

The man glanced at the water, no doubt wanting it, even if it was a sip of it. He didn't say anything though.

Tahir placed the water between them. "Let's play a game then. If you answer, I'll give you the water. If you don't, I'll still give it to you"

The man scoffed. "A game?" He snickered. "What's the point"

"Well you see" Tahir leaned forwards, intertwining his fingers. "It's actually my favorite game. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. It's called Truth or Die" He grinned, watching fear flash in the man's eyes for a second before it disappeared. "You tell me the truth or you die. It's your pick"

This made the man laugh, loudly. "You can't kill me Tahir. You aren't a killer"

Tahir simply smiled. "You can never be sure, can you?"

"So what?" The man raised a brow, "You already have a case against you, do you think another murder will help you?"

"Of course not" Tahir shook his head, "But if I'll be forced to go to jail for a crime I didn't commit I might as well commit a crime and rot in there with a reason right?"

"You can threaten me as much as you can, I won't tell you a thing!"

"We'll see about that" Tahir clapped his hands together, "Now let's start. I'll be nice enough to give you a string of questions rather than just one. Who are you working for? Why were you trying to abduct Rahma? Did you have anything to do with what happened to Attorney Zarah? If yes, who ordered you to do it?" Tahir smiled, "feel free to answer whichever you want first"

The man leaned forward, as much as his restrained figure could allow. He gritted his teeth, "I don't know anything"

Tahir nodded, "Well I guess I have to give you the water now, don't I?" He sighed loudly, placing his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a black small leather. He untied it, then placed it over the cup of water, letting the powder in it drop in the water. Once he was satisfied with the amount, he pulled it back and placed it in his pocket.

"What...what is that?" The man stuttered, glancing at the water.

Tahir only smiled widely. "Don't worry, you're about to find out" He stood up, taking the water along with him as he rounded the table and stood behind the man. "Last chance, answer the question, else I'll have no problem shoving this water down your throat and watching you die slowly. You know how poison kills, right?"

The man's eyes widened as he began to trash around in the seat. He pressed his lips into a tight line, shaking his head to get away from Tahir's hold.

Realizing that he won't speak up, Tahir took a hold of the man's head tightly and pressed the tumbler to the man's lips. The man shook relentlessly, wanting to get out of Tahir's hold but Tahir wasn't letting him go off that easily.

The minute the poisoned water started entering the man's mouth he yelled. "WAIT! I swear, I'll tell you the truth"

Tahir smirked, moving the cup. "Go ahead, who ordered you?"

The man choked, coughing loudly as he tried to get the water out of his mouth.

"Who ordered you?" Tahir repeated.

The man coughed, spitting out every last drop of the water. "Maria" He wheezed out.

~*~

I love Tahir😭

Last update of za day! I'm sure @MaryamASD is happy with me today😂

14 chapters to round up!

Anyways, good night fiful!

Love, Jannah.