It was a few hour later when the Goliath came out with a smile and opened the wide black gates open for her. Jannah was almost asleep but the sound of the gates opening like a hungry lion letting out an outcry to scare it's prey right before it annihilates it, she sat up. She straightened her spine and renewed her scowl, her mouth set into a mutinous purse.

Jacob gave her a smile with a tip of his cap as she zipped inside like she owns the place, well; her husband does own the place which makes it hers. Right? Maybe for now because she is now a woman on a different pursuit from the reason why she was there just two hours and few minutes ago. This new mission of hers will redefine their already shaky weird liaison.

While in her blind rage she forgot to stop and take in the view in front of her. The ranch is extremely large just like Adnan's every other building from the villa he had built for his family, his own mansion and companies. He does everything with little spice of extravagance making him look far more intimidating for his show-off of wealth and luxurious life. Just like his looks, clothes and every single detail about him. He goes for the superlative.

Her eyes zoomed on a ranch-style house with a wide covered deck and screened porch sat by the far end of the land filled with beautifully well-trimmed grass looming soft, lush and green. Field knee-high timothy hay in front of the porch. Beside it is a small cute greenhouse, a garden full of neatly tended rows of vegetable crops -ferny carrots, leafy cabbages, tomato and pea. Isn't this place just for his horses? What are vegetable crops doing here? The man never seizes to surprise her all the time.

It now looks like a farm the more she drives inside, a farm-house it seems not a ranch. A scarecrow stood large and real rising up over a field of new corn. A water barrel to catch rainfall, bright yellow and white dandelion flowers nodding along a barbed wire fence. Round hay bales under a tarp, a pitchfork leaning against the shed that is filled with shovels, axes, rakes, ropes, horse tack and wheelbarrow.

Jannah's mouth fell on the floor watching the trees surrounding farm's yard. She rolled down her window yet again shutting down her air conditioner. The sounds of roosters calling out to the sun, horses snorting and whining from a distance, leaves rustling, the wind sliding through the crops, howls of nocturnal coyotes and dogs, flies and bees buzzing, wind chimes ringing in the breeze. She smiled, it feels so comforting.

She shut down the car altogether and opened the door, her heels touching the green lush grass beneath her feet. She scrunched her nose at the smell of manure, green growth from crops around, ripening fruit -apples, strawberries, pears, peaches- that makes her stomach growl in hunger. There is also a distinct scent of hay, warmed earth, motor oil, fertilizer, Indian paint brush and more she cannot detect clung in the air.

Jannah fully left the car and closed the door behind her not a sight of any living human in sight just like Jacob had said, no one is ever here it seems. Adnan is the one in charge of the farm-house? Then he doesn't come here to rest but do more work that'll give him stinging blisters and calloused hands. Maybe he hasn't been here in a while because he's got no freaking callous! He should tell her the cream he uses please.

And where the fuck is the woman he is hiding here? Jacob lied to her to save his boss, she is certain of that. He is loyal.

She stood there in the middle of the cornfield that was impossibly green and tall. No cars rushed past on the freeway, no screech of tires, no wailing of sirens to herald imminent pain and suffering. Only wind, blessed serene wind, ruffled through the shiny stalks, blowing away her insecurity and replacing it with the promise of good time and hope for brighter future even with the thorns on the way.

A bark from behind her spurred her into action, her eyes widened as she stared at the large ebony Neapolitan Mastiff dog dashing towards her at full speed. Without any other thought, she started running across the field with her high heels still on her feet. That went on with the dog barking and chasing after her for entire two minutes as she shouted to the heaven above for help in her loudest voice.

"Somebody help me!" She screeched running in circles while hastily checking around her surroundings.

There was no one in sight but she kept screaming, screeching as she ran while sweating profusely. She threw away her heels and held the edge of her wrap gown; it is making it hard for her.

"Ahhhh! I need help here pleaaase!" She drawled from her parched throat about to collapse, she cannot run no more. She hadn't run like this in a long time, she cannot do this anymore.

Adnan was watching the whole thing from the other end of the field, he's seen the time she came in and when the dog strutted behind her as if waiting for her to emerge, when she did in all her yellow glory looking effortlessly gorgeous, even the dog stopped for a minute to take her in before charging at her with a growl, definitely jealous of her beauty.

He let out a shadow smile at the way she took off, running as far as her little legs could take her but not far enough. He watched in amusement as she threw away her shoes in the field, circling and calling for help. She's seen that coming for not listening to him and going back home.

He sighed, not really entertained at the sight of his wife running around like a headless chicken across his field. He held the horse's bridle tighter in one hand, sat up on the English saddle pad behind a raven Welsh Pony. Hitting the side of the horse, he galloped to his very much close-to hyperventilating wife at full speed. He swooped her in his arms when he reached there taking her by surprise, she didn't hear the sound of the horse neighing behind her hence a piercing screech.

When she was properly adjusted in front of him, Jannah was still disoriented, she leaned her back against his chest for support, immediately feeling that sense of security of being in his arms. She panted, removing her hijab from her face to breath and catch it at the same time. It took a minute to do that, then she tried turning around to see him.

"Don't or you fall." He ordered gruffly, his arms around her tightening, forcing her to look back in front of her.

"Who keeps a dog around?" She grumbled, taking the chance she snuggle herself in his broad chest feeling it rise and fall behind her back creating erotic images in her head.

"Sensible person to keep intruders away." He answered granite-like, continued galloping them to the other side of the farm-house while she watch in fascination at the race-track-like thing in front of them.

She unconsciously held the silky raven hair of the horse she saddling, she watched the scenery quietly till they arrive at the stables where the other horses kept. For a place where only horses are kept, it looks too elegant and neat for just those animals. She is more than just sure that even royal families don't have that kind of stables in their homes, at least not here in Nigeria. He must really love these horses.

"I'll arrange for a driver to come take you back home." He announced while sliding inside the stables surveying his other incredible horses with a boast of his chest.

Jannah was too amazed at the variety of horses to have acknowledged what he'd just said. There are approximately sixteen horses there in the stable, all of them well fed and huge with broad backs standing tall and magnificent like their owner. Some of them neighed happily at his arrival. Wow, humans don't welcome him from the core of their hearts but these animals do. They love their master, its clearly written there.

Adnan jumped down leaving her on the horse all by herself. He tied it's bridle on one of the hooks inside the stable before turning back to his other horses. Her eyes trailed from his head to toe, taking him in hungrily. She realized that he is wearing his riding outfit looking so fucking hot in them too, she gulped audibly but he didn't turn, he wouldn't.

He was wearing an obsidian utility pants, sable long sleeve shirt and a matching waistcoat sheathing his broad upper body. A metal black hand gloves enclosed his broad hands down to his dark knee length leather boots. She bit her lower lip. He looks like those sexy dukes or viscounts from the eighteens all about being rakes with capital letter r.

She blinked back to reality realizing he was talking to her. "...to make sure we are in the same page."

"What page? We are not even in the same library!" She answered haughtily because she's finally come to her senses. She is going to look for that woman before she sneaks out or something.

Looking down, Jannah noticed that she was still perched on a horse. Her eyes widened in fear, she cannot come down from this large thing and what if it decided to start running around with her with those large hooves? She is going to most definitely break her neck, a few ribs and perhaps one of her legs with of course, a real brain damage this time around. She gulped, suddenly afraid for her life.

"Are you okay?" Adnan asked turning to view her ashen face filled with panic.

Biting back the beseech to the back of her throat, she found herself saying sarcastically. "No, no, no, I'm fine. No, no, I'm totally alright and fine." She gulped down her lie, swallowing the truth bitterly.

Adnan watched her dubiously, not knowing what to believe, his eyes or her words? "Really? You are repeating same words, you're pale and you look like you might pass out."

She swallowed. "You might want to catch me." She fell down from the horse expecting him to really catch her -he is no Prince Charming- but she fell butt first on the hay by stroke of luck, fortunate for her.

She groaned on the floor touching her butt while rolling on the hay to ease the pain, Adnan only stared at her craziness with unabashed grave expression. Sometimes she doesn't make sense at all, like right now. Why on earth is she rolling around beneath a horse? Is she out of her mind? Or-

Before he could finish thinking, the Welsh Pony had already raised his hooves to groove, he rushed there and pushed her from beneath it and took the blow instead. The equestrian didn't see that coming, forgetting that the Welsh Pony is not too familiar with strangers and gets irritated. Well, anyone other than Adnan and the other three stable boys he's kept around to tend to his horses. The signs were there -the elevated head, pinned ears and the first stomp before striking- were there but Jannah's new found madness snatched away his attention.

Jannah sat up hurriedly to find herself on Adnan, his grasp on her easing around her midriff.

"Oh God, oh God! Dracs?!" She mumbled gathering his face in both her hands surveying him, his face looks fine but he is clutching his stomach.

Her husband just saved her, again. Her safety in front of his own, without a second thought as to what would happen to him.

He glanced at her with a grunt while grimacing, they are now a good safe distance away from the horse. She thought he was going to reprimand her or scold her for coming but he was perusing over her leisurely, scrutinizing to see whether or not she was hurt. His eyes leered from her forehead, the safety of her glasses, down to her neck, fingers and back up to the face again while she gazed with wide eyes.

After all she's caused, he is checking up on her?

Jannah burst into tears, her hands searching all over his body then stopped where he is clutching with his hand, his stomach. When she touched the place and saw him grimace, she cried some more, tears rushing down her cheeks fast.

"Shit!" Though she was crying, Jannah stopped for a few seconds to listen to the curse. Adnan just cursed?

Awkwardly, he tried sitting up but couldn't. "Stop crying." He ordered in that gruff tone of his though there is this softness coating the words, as though he wanted to console her.

"You are hurt." Another full blown tears raced down her dark cheeks making him seize all struggles to look at her.

"I'll survive, much to people's dismay." He coughed, awkwardly raised his hands to brush away her tears. He sat up with one virile move, bringing her to his body in process. "You're not hurt, are you?" He questioned touching her arms, her nape and back.

"I'm not but you are." She continued to wail like a child beaten by their own mother for something they didn't do.

"I'll be fine, stop crying." He consoled in the best way he could, his hands going up and down her back in an emollient way. He breathed out through his mouth thanking God she wasn't hurt with the way he's pushed her.

Jannah sobbed, her tears soaking his waistcoat around his shoulder. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. I forgot that the horse was there beside me, I wouldve stoo-"

"Shhhh... it is alright. You're fine." He assured, his gloved hands massaging the back of her neck to calm her tensed muscles. "You didn't do anything wrong, the horse was queasy because of another unfamiliar person around."

Jannah sat up on his laps, her hand unconsciously fell on his chest where his heart is rioting in contrast to his blank stare. He held her gently as though she was the last precious thing he didn't trust himself not to break. She leaned down her head on his chest straddling him, her hand still on his heart so she could feel it's constant chaos.

She knew it was all her fault but since he's said it is not, she will leave it at that. She wont give him an ammo against her, not now or ever...

Conversationally, Jannah murmured quietly in his chest. "You've saved me. Again!"

"You are my wife." He gave the answer like it was the most obvious thing on the planet, she cannot help grimacing at the fact. Of course.

"I don't think so. Before the memory loss, I was nothing but a woman you caged in your mansion. We are not a normal couple." She explained bitterly, her lips now drying and throat parched from screaming and crying.

"Yeah and it is going to be like that again when you regain your memory." He said that moving his hand from her nape up to her disheveled hair, her hijab now around her thighs from all the day's catastrophe.

"You think we can live again like that after all that had happened?" She quizzed aloud, her voice much more throaty now than it was few minutes ago.

Adnan took his leisure time before answering. "We can and we will."

It was what she admired about him the most. The thin film of properness engulfing the chaos teeming inside him. She knew that underneath the flawless exterior laid something untamed and dangerous.
It felt like their secret. The perfect Adnan Ibrahim Attahir was, in fact, not so perfect. And all she wanted was to find out how.

We are yet to find the woman o🤣🤣🤣