Na'im stayed still as he watched the way she cried and he was so right about taking her to see a doctor. She seemed suddenly terrified and it seemed like she was in too much agony to control her tears. He decided to back off, maybe it was that proximity with him that she hated. He took few steps away from her and before he spoke, there was a quick knock on the door and he thought maybe Hafiz had seen something he wanted him to know. He walked to the door while Maryam rushed back into the room and she slumped on the bed as she cried as hardly as she could.

"What's it?" He asked when he saw Hafiz squeezing into the living room and from his expression, Na'im knew that there was bad news lingering somewhere in his mind.

"I just saw Captain Bolori, and he asked me what I was doing there and I told him one of my Uncles visited and I came to see him. He said he had a report to submit to our team, he can't see you here, Na'im! He went to get the report from his car," Hafiz turned around the living and when he didn't see her, he knew she was back in the room, "I knew it was a bad idea staying in this hotel, he is a regular here. Even if you didn't run on him, someone might tell him his brother had booked a suite for a girl and you so well know that will peak his curiosity."

Na'im palmed his forehead, why was it that it was always Sadeeq that proved to be his greatest problem in life? But he was so determined in guarding this with his life, in keeping her a secret for the rest of his life and he would do that. "What do you suggest that I do?"

"It's obvious, hide into the room and lock the door until I call you..." Hafiz didn't even close his mouth when they heard a knock and his voice came over.

"Lieutenant Hafiz, are you in there?" Hafiz turned to Na'im with a terrified look before he practically pushed Na'im into the door and pulled it close. Na'im set the lock and heard when he stammered as he said, 'Yes, Sir!' He turned the TV on before he went to the door and unlocked it.

As he turned, he stared at the way she was crying on the bed that she didn't seem to even know he was in the room. Na'im didn't want to be angry with her, yet whenever he saw her crying the way she did now, he couldn't help himself but be. Yet, today he wanted to be a bit human, to understand that she was just a girl whom had lost practically all that she had in her world and in such a gruesome way ever imagined, so she ought to cry.

He sat down on the bed and slowly tapped the space beside her, she flinched at that and rushed to the far corner of the bed away from him. What was she afraid of this badly? He knew that he had given her enough reasons to be afraid of him but this wasn't how she acted before. And he was certain if something had happened to her this wouldn't be the way he would find her, he might even not find her if she weren't at all safe. Whatever it was, it was connected to him.

"What are you afraid of? Why are you crying so hard, uhm?" He tried to use his soft voice on her, even though soft would be the last thing his tone would be referred to as. But his eyes were sincere when he asked her the question and she didn't even look his way for him to have in mind that she might understand him.

He stood up and walked to the edge she was, and he saw how she nearly got suffocated before he shifted away from her. Okay, he was angry and right now if it weren't for Sadeeq that was in the living room, nothing would've stopped him from yelling as high as he wanted at her. "What the hell are you playing at?" No answer, but he didn't expect one when he asked and so he continued through gritted teeth. She might not answer him, hell, she might not even focus enough to understand what he meant, but he was going to speak and the tone of his voice would send her the signal of his answer.

"Look, I'm in no way interested in playing hide and seek with your nor am I interested in playing whatever game you're so determined in playing." He stood up and pointed at her then to her clothes at the other end of the room, "Get up and pack everything that belongs to you," the authoritative tone he had used forced her to look up at him and the anger she saw evident on his face made her trembled even more. "Get up, now!" She nearly stumbled at the pace she got up to do what he had said, and he watched the way her hands were trembling while she folded the clothes and placed them in the nylon he had brought for her. He thought about how she obviously needed clothes and wondered who would help him do that. If only he had a baby sister...it seemed as though his brain had went into a seizure and there seemed to be a loud screeching sound in the empty space of his head. It was deafening enough to have him slumped back on the bed as he held his head in both hands, the sound getting louder.

It was as if he had forgotten something that meant a great deal to him and the thought of having a baby sister was like a remainder of the sin his brain had committed for wiping away the memories of someone or something. He groaned in pain when it persisted and he felt the tightening in his heart. This wasn't the first time this was happening, it always happened whenever he thought about a mother and wondered if he had one or not, but never when something like a sister crossed his mind.

The pain in both his head and heart made him groan even louder in pain and hearing the sound, Maryam turned to find him slumped on the bed with his hands blocking his ears as he turned around, trying so hard to ease himself of the pain. She rushed towards him, dropping the veil she was holding and when she came close enough, she stood there and watched him groaned in pain while he still had his palms over his ears.

It seemed to her that he was about to loose consciousness, she knew what it looked like and she would be damned if something happened to this man. Yes, she knew he was the one that might've already killed her sister, but he was still the one that saved her Baaba and he was her husband. She sat down beside him and placed her hands on top of his as she tried to lift his face up, but he was too heavy for her. "Stop it," that was the only thing she could say. She wanted him to stop groaning in pain, to be the rigid man he had always been.

Amidst the subsiding pain, Na'im felt her hands on top of his and he heard her voice as well. He couldn't speak as she pulled his head from the bed and placed it on her laps, looking earnestly at him with concentration and care plastered on her face. "I'll pray for you." She had said and leaned down towards his ear, she gently removed his hand and placed her mouth right above his right ear, just like Intisar always did to her whenever she had a bad dream or she got terrified if she were surrounded by people. Or someone mistakenly touched her, or someone placed his or her hand on her head and she seemed to be loosing her consciousness due to the heart palpitations she was getting.

Melodiously, Na'im heard the sound of her voice as she recited some du'as into his ear. The sound was still there, so as the pain in his heart when she began, but everything seemed to be calming down after she had ventured into the recitation of the holy Qur'an and he found himself getting his calmness back as peace began to embrace his body. He closed his eyes, the pain gone as well as the sound and she kept on reciting the verses of Allah into his ears in her tiny yet melodious voice.

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah, do hearts find peace. His heart found peace and he seemed calm and was about to drift into a slumber, his head still on her laps when the knock came and he knew it was Hafiz, which emanated that Sadeeq was gone. It seemed as though that sound had reminded her of who he was and she as well, before she not so gently placed his head back on the bed and rushed to where she was before.

Na'im took his time before he went to get the door, feeling a bit dizzy and all he wanted to do was sleep. "He's gone, let's leave. She's set, right?" Hafiz asked, but when he saw the sick look in Na'im's eyes, panic began to rise in him. He knew this look, this was what Na'im looked like whenever he had that thing, "Again?" He asked, because it hadn't been a month, during the preparations of Eid when he had it again and now. Before, it used to be once in years, yet it was becoming more recent these days.

"I feel dizzy, Hafiz." He nearly fell when Hafiz held him into his arms and he guided him to the sofa. He went to the fridge and brought out a bottle of water, opened it before he handed it to him. Na'im gulped down the water at once before he leaned on the sofa and closed his eyes. Maybe a thirty minutes nap will do. "I'll take some nap."

He couldn't, due to how he kept hearing the echo of her voice into his ear and it sounded as though she was still reciting the Qur'an into his ear. He stood and looked at Hafiz, "Has he left the hotel? I need to take her to that house and go back to the palace."

"You're planning on leaving her alone in that huge house?" Hafiz asked, and Na'im nearly rolled his eyes out of exasperation.

"Should I stay with her then? As per best husband on earth or what?" He asked sarcastically and peeped into the room through the door. "Come out, we're going to leave." He didn't have to repeat himself, she was already staring at the door when he peeped through the door and he was certain she had heard what he had said.

They all got down and Na'im handed his car keys to Hafiz and he sat on the passengers seat. Maryam was at the back as she had her eyes fixed on the road, thinking whether they were going to where he had kept Intisar, or he had gotten tired of her and he was going to take her back to the refugee camp or the orphanage he had once mentioned about. She felt her intestines churning at the latter. She couldn't imagine living in that camp again, she'd die if she did.

Hafiz parked in front of the house and Na'im turned to stare at him, the gate was already opened by the gateman that still hadn't left. "Aren't we getting in? I feel so dizzy to walk inside, Hafiz."

"You have to walk her inside even if you don't want to. Show her around or at least tell her where the whole place is. You need energy to do that and walking into the house might help you get that. I'll be here waiting if you need something." As much as he wanted to argue, Na'im knew Hafeez was right and he hopped out of the car, motioning for her to do the same.

They walked into the house with the gateman greeting him as Na'im told him that he could stay for tonight before the new gateman took over and they walked into the house while Maryam stared at the mysterious yet luxurious house she was in. When he turned on the lights of the humungous living room, they seemed to be blinding her eyes that she had to reopen them slowly before she adjusted to the lightness.

His phone rang and when Na'im saw that it was Hafiz, he sincerely wished that it wasn't another problem again, because he truly wasn't in the right state to deal with a problem now. "What is it?" He asked, the moment he picked the call and when he heard Hafiz chuckling, he knew that at least, they were safe. Or so he thought.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I've left. You've told me that Alan Gubro had said you could take two free days, right? Please do that and gather yourself together. I'll report your two days leave at the office too. She can't live there alone too, at least before you think of the perfect maid to stay with her, do that yourself. I'll send a soldier to guard you and will be sending food deliveries because I doubt if she could cook. Take care and don't hate me, bye." When he dialed the number again, it went directly to voicemail and Na'im cursed him under his breathe.

He showed her around the luxurious house and she seemed to be in awe despite being terrified of being alone in this house. Because deep down, Maryam knew he wouldn't stay with her, he would leave just like he had always done. When they got to a room, he said it was her room and she took tentative steps towards it. Na'im waited and watched how she walked directly to the bed and after she sat down and fondled the lush blanket, if he wasn't mistaken, he saw the corners of her lips twitching into the beginning of a smile.

But the moment she looked up and still found him there, the smile instantly vanished as panic took over. "Take your bathe and I'll bring something for you to eat." He didn't wait to see her expression before he left and roamed around until he found a room amidst the four bedrooms that suited his test. He slumped on the bed after he had turned on the AC and pulled his phone.

'Just take yourself to the punishment cell before we meet again, Lieutenant Hafiz. And if you dare be late in sending the food deliveries, I'll kill you myself. She needs some clothes too, bring my car over so I can buy some for her.'

He waited for a reply even though he knew he would never get one, knowing how strong headed Hafiz could be. As he thought about what he would do next, Na'im began to drift into a slumber and peacefully, mother nature took him to a dreamland that looked dreamless yet there were dreams to be discovered by him.

When he woke up, it was already dark and the first thing that crossed his mind was Maryam. What did she do for all the hours he had been sleeping? He looked at his clothes and saw that it was already thirty minutes past nine at night and he sluggishly walked to the bathroom even though he was feeling more energized than how he got into the house. He performed his prayers before he took his phone and walked out, and that was when he saw the reply he got from Hafiz.

'The mention of punishment cell made me remember about that woman, she kept begging for her release and you all know how excruciatingly painful our soldiers punishment could be. Can we release her, sir? She had already lost the job. I dare not let you two starve, I've already sent dinner and for the clothes, I know her age, so buying abayas would be easier, I've done that too. I've gotten you few clothes and toiletries as well, as for her own things, the boutique lady did everything and I'm sure it's all she'll need. Send me a message when you two need something and if you dare send something into my account, I'll reveal your secret to everyone.'

Na'im couldn't stop himself from chuckling at the last sentence and being extremely grateful at the rest of the content of the message. 'She should be released tomorrow and be replaced with Lieutenant Hafiz Kabir for the offense of threatening his Captain for revealing his secret. Thank you, even though I can't wait to kill you.'

He walked out of the room after he had placed his phone back into his pocket and he walked into the living room. Everywhere was dark yet he saw a looming figure around the sofas of the living room as it moved and there were things flying around it. Na'im lost his breath as he motionlessly walked to where he could remember the switches being, were there ghosts in this house? There was no way he could spend two days here!

When the light engulfed the whole living room and she turned, having their eyes met; they all screamed at the same time and Maryam threw everything all over the place, terrified. And Na'im screamed too, because she was the last person he had expected to see and her scream terrified him. He became silent, watching the way she screamed as she closed her eyes before he smiled and walked to where she was. She was checking the clothes Hafiz had sent, which only meant she was the one that collected the things and decided to venture into everything, all in that darkness he had found her in.

Her scream subsided and when she looked up at him, surprisingly, he heard her laugh. She threw her head back and laughed heartily that without intending to, Na'im had his eyes fixed on her face as he watched the way she beautifully, yet melodiously laughed at their silliness. And not knowing how or when it happened, he heard himself laughing along with her.