8th MARCH, 2017.

ABUJA, NIGERIA.

Ameerah exhaled lowly, running her fingers across her knuckle as she watched the car park in the parking lot. A minute later, the back door opened and she stepped out, her gaze landing on her daughter immediately.

Lami rushed over to where Ameerah stood, pulling her into an embrace before she pulled back a few seconds after, checking her for any sign of injury. "Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere? What happened to you?" She rushed out, holding Ameerah at arm's length with worry seeping out of her tone.

Ameerah offered her a small smile, placing her hand over her adoptive mother's. "I'm fine Mama"

Lami's brows furrowed, "But you said..."

"I have something to tell you" Ameerah said, as she trailed off. She blinked, "I'm sorry for calling you over like this but I need you here" Her voice came out steady, and low pitched.

Lami glanced at the person that stood a couple of feet away from them, noting Mubarak's presence for the first time since she arrived. She blinked, moving her gaze between the two. "What's wrong?"

Ameerah pressed her lips together, holding her chin high a bit. "Let's go in first" This was it; she wasn't planning on going back or staying quiet again. She had stayed in silence for over a decade, it's time to face the truth.

She led Lami into the house, Mubarak followed quietly behind them. When the mother and daughter settled on a couch, he opted for leaving and giving them privacy. However, one look from Ameerah had him rooted in his spot by the door. She might not say it, but she needed his presence and assurance at the moment more than anything. She couldn't do this alone. Not when they had been together throughout.

They will face everything together, just as they had been doing.

"Ameerah..." Lami's voice had her looking back at her mother.

Ameerah smiled, though it was a small, barely visible one. She inhaled deeply through the nose, then exhaled through the mouth as she tried to figure out the right words to start the conversation. "Mama, there's something I have to tell you"

"What is it?"

Ameerah held her breath, lips folding for a brief second. "I sent you that message"

Lami's brows drew in, "What message?"

"The day I went back to school. After you came back from Umrah" She left out the part that she sent a similar message to two other people. Tahir and Rahma. Though she wasn't sure of Rahma's identity at the moment, she still sent her one since she heard Tahir has taken an interest in her as Mubarak said. She couldn't let her fall into his traps, not when she could help it.

She sent Tahir the message too, something that she had always wanted to do. She wanted him to feel fear, though it was admittedly going to be a small one but still. A heads-up maybe? So he'd know that she will come after him. That she will get the justice for her and the girl, along with her mother that passed away.

Lami didn't need her to say a word more. Judging by way the crease between her brows disappeared, she understood what Ameerah meant. What she didn't understand however was why she would send it to her. "Why?" She uttered the only word that came to her mind.

Ameerah sighed, reaching out to hold her mother's hands in hers. "I wanted you to find this out on your own but..." She looked down at their hands.

"Find out what, Ameerah? Tell me"

Ameerah looked up, eyes meeting that of Lami. "Your miscarriage wasn't an accident"

Lami's eyebrows drew close together, her jaw slacking as she shook her head. "What do you mean?" She visibly gulped. She couldn't wrap her head around Ameerah's words. What does she mean? How is that possible?

Ameerah knew that her mother wouldn't take the news in that easily and she doesn't blame her. The whole situation was traumatizing for her, especially due to the activities that followed after it. But, she needed to tell her. It was the only way she could talk to her about Tahir without raising much questions on how long she had known about it.

She also knew that she couldn't outright tell her mother about her stepmother without any evidence. So, she brought her phone out which she used to record the first wife's conversation when she overheard her the other day. She was shocked to say the least and she wondered how Lami would react to it.

She placed the phone on the table, then pressed play.

For the next few minutes, no words were spoken, just as no sound was made. The only sound that resonated round the room was the voice of the first wife having a conversation with her mother without knowing Ameerah heard and recorded it. Ameerah didn't record all the conversation as she wasn't there when it started, but she managed to get the important parts and that was all that mattered.

When it ended, she took that as her cue to explain further.

"I could've told you about it then, but I was in too much shock myself" She sighed loudly. "So, I sent you the message so you would be careful, and if Allah wills, figure out her true identity yourself. But you didn't, which is why I'm telling you right now" She left out the part why she didn't use her real number to send it. They all knew why. It would've raised questions she didn't have the answers to at the moment.

Lami didn't react, her face simply remained emotionless. Frankly speaking, she had no idea what to feel at the moment or how to react. She couldn't decide whether her marriage with Tahir's father is worse than her marriage with Hamisu.

She doesn't seem to be lucky when it comes to the whole marriage issue.

The woman though, she trusted her. She of all people knew how much she went through at the mere thought of losing another child and husband. It wasn't a secret that she was married before, nor was it a secret that she had a child with her ex-husband. What was a secret though was why she left him, when he had everything? Or so everyone believed.

When she married Hamisu, she thought maybe the trouble she'll go through being his wife would be nothing compared to what she went through with Alhaji Hamza Shagari.

It was nothing compared to it just as she imagined. But, it wasn't any better either.

The only difference was that while she had to deal with her husband in her first marriage, she had to deal with evil co wives in the second.

"Mama" Ameerah's voice snapped her out of her trance. "Say something"

Lami blinked back her tears. She didn't know what to say. She felt so many things at the moment to be honest. "What can I say Ameerah?" Her voice came, barely above a whisper.

"Mama I promise you, we'll find a way to go through this together. She might have malams or whatever she uses, but we have Allah. And that is all that matters"

Lami could only nod, barely able to contain her tears. She knew she'll need hours to let the information sink in. But, she was also curious at the moment. "Was this why you asked me to come?" She looked at Ameerah, "Why aren't you in school?"

Ameerah glanced at Mubarak, she knew that was the opportunity she had been looking for. It was then or never. So, she sighed deeply and moved her gaze back to her mother. She could feel her heartbeat increase as her muscles tightened, but she wasn't planning on backing down. So, she spoke. "I have a court hearing tomorrow"

Lami's eyes budged, "What?!" Her voice rose. "Ameerah...what happened? Meya faru da ke? Why do you have a court hearing?"

Ameerah couldn't help the small smile that donned her face. If that sentence got that much reaction out of Lami, she wondered how she'd react when her next words left her mouth. "I've filed a rape case against someone, and you are my witness"

Lami stilled, her heartbeat accelerating. She could feel herself becoming lightheaded as her breathing increased. She had an inkling what Ameerah meant, but she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want her biggest fear to come to life.

Ameerah noticed the fear in Lami's eyes, yet she continued. They had to face the truth eventually, why not at the moment? So, she gulped. "And it's against Tahir" She breathed out. "Your son"

The tears Lami held back finally cascaded down her face like waterfalls. "No" She shook her head furiously as she stood up abruptly, removing her hand out of Ameerah's. She had so many questions, yet she couldn't voice them out. The fear, it was slowly eating her up. "No..." She raised her hand to stop Ameerah when she noticed her mouth open, probably about to say something more. "Just...no!"

Covering her mouth with her free hand, she stormed out of the living room and headed to the first room she came in contact with, locking the door shut.

Ameerah sighed loudly, her shoulders slumping as she looked down. She felt bad for doing that to Lami but she had to. She had pretended to really forget her memories for years but she couldn't do that anymore.

"She just need time to let everything sink in" Mubarak's choice came, as he sat on the couch beside Ameerah. "Give her time Ameerah. You know she needs it"

"I know" Ameerah breathed out. "I just hope she chose to do the right thing"

~*~

For the next couple of hours, nothing much happened. The two simply waited for Lami to come out when she's ready, with only a few words exchanged between them. Ameerah told him of the missed calls she got from Rahma the day before. So, they tried to contact her but they couldn't get a hold of her.

Her phone was simply switched off.

So, they made an agreement to check on her once they're done with Lami.

Hours passed with no sound or word from Lami. There was simply nothing. She made no move to break stuff in the room to show them whether she was furious or made any sound to let them know what she was feeling.

Just as Ameerah decided to check on her, they heard the door open. The sound was followed by Lami's footsteps as she walked back into the living room looking a lot calmer and composed that she was earlier.

Ameerah stood up, watching Lami's calm expression with a slightly raised brow.

"I can't be your witness" Came Lami's voice, steady and strong.

"Mama..." Ameerah's voice came out steady. She expected this. "You have to. You can't keep covering up for your son"

Lami chuckled bitterly. "I'm sorry Ameerah. I know my apology won't be of any help nor will it compensate for what happened to you, but neither will my testimony help you"

Mubarak moved his gaze from Lami, glancing at Ameerah who couldn't take her eyes off her mother. "What do you mean?" he asked the question he knew was running in Ameerah's head.

How could her testimony not be of any help?

Lami walked over a couch, then sat on it. She placed both her hands on her thighs, keeping her gaze on the two. "For you to understand clearly I have to tell you everything right from the beginning. Right from when I married his father" She briefly closed her eyes. "You might want to sit down for this"

They sitting down might help her calm down. She had never told anyone the story, not even her parents so she telling them meant a big deal to her. And it would take every bit of confidence she could muster.

Ameerah and Mubarak didn't hesitate to sit down.

Once they were both seated, Lami sighed deeply. "I didn't marry his father out of love nor respect for my parents. I guess, that was the reason our marriage failed, as it wasn't built on the right reason. It was never for the sake of Allah" She started. She felt ashamed merely by saying it but she had to, if she wants them to understand her situation. "I only married his father because he is rich. Call me a gold digger if you want, I won't decline it. But, I was young and stupid back then. I thought money meant everything. Obviously it didn't"

Ameerah gulped.

"I never knew why his father wanted to marry me. All I knew was that I accepted the proposal the minute it was sent because everyone claimed that he is rich, and I wanted that. My parents believed he was a good man; every research they did on him showed that so they had no doubts that I was in good hands. Of course, they never knew my intention for marrying him"

Silence followed afterwards. None of the two made any move to say a word nor make a sound. They waited for her to continue when she was ready.

"At first, everything was fine, perfect even. I had everything I ever wanted. We lived happily despite the circumstance we got married. But everything changed when we had Tahir"

Ameerah inhaled sharply, the mere mention of his name made her blood boil.

"He wasn't perfect to his father. My son is smart, he always aced everything but for some reason, his father didn't see him as perfect. And to him, perfection was all that matters the most. I didn't even care when he got married again, or when his other wife gave birth because I had all the money I wanted and my son. I didn't even care when his father treated him differently from his siblings, when he kept comparing them and all. I guess I was too blinded by the worldly materials that I barely gave any care as to how my son felt" Her voice came out low when she said that. She swallowed thickly, clenching her fists tightly by her side. "I did notice it though, as Tahir grew up and his father became abusive towards him. He hit him every chance he gets simply because my son isn't perfect, compared to his other children" She chuckled bitterly, her eyes staring at nothing behind Ameerah. It was as if she was reliving the past memories.

They didn't miss the venom in her tone as she spoke of her ex-husband and the way he treated her son.

"I tried to talk to him rationally, I wanted to settle everything but he was having none of it. And eventually, I gave in too. From then, it had been constant arguments between us, yelling after yelling each and every day. I only did it to protect my son, but in the process, I forgot how our relationship affected him. Trust me, I wanted to take my son far away from his father and start anew. But I couldn't. I couldn't take care of him alone, and I was sure that his father wouldn't have allowed me to do so. I could've filed a case against him, but I wouldn't stand a chance at winning. He had influence, I did not"

Ameerah sighed lowly as Mubarak looked down. They didn't think Tahir went through that. They never saw that coming. Yet, it doesn't justify his actions.

"Eventually, Tahir started staying out late rather than returning home. I guess he preferred staying out than coming home to us fighting every day. We never knew what he does when he stays out, we just assume the worst since it slowly affected his grade in school. He became distant, only opening up when necessary. At first I didn't believe my son was a bad person. But eventually, after his father kept saying so, I did believe him. But Tahir is my son, my only child. I didn't want to hear anything bad about him. I wanted to protect him as much as I could. It might sound wrong, but I'm a mother and my son means the world to me"

Ameerah looked down, gulping in the process as she did so. When she looked up again, her eyes were set on a mother with a new wave of determination. "Mama I get that you love him that much, but that love shouldn't blind you from doing the right thing. Protecting Tahir from facing the consequence of his action isn't love" Ameerah clenched her teeth, "I'm your daughter too, aren't I? Don't you think I deserve justice too? All you have to do is testify"

Lami blinked, her eyes moving back to Ameerah as she chuckled lowly, yet there was an edge to it. "You don't get it Ameerah. I can't testify"

"Why not?" Ameerah's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Because I wasn't there that day. I can't testify because I witnessed nothing"

~*~

I don't know why but I just had to make Lami's situation with her husband that way.

I don't know if parents realize Howw
thier relationship affects thier kids but... 🤷 It is what it is.

Another update coming up so stay tuned🙂

Love, Jannah.