New cover by my mintin zuciya and mai suna Humayrah_Gurama Allah baki miji nagari kaman Taseer lol.

This chapter is dedicated to my avid reader phatoomah thanks a bunch durleen your comments always makes my day , her favorite character is Zee !!!

Some people find happiness in the idea of either being rich, some find it in the love they get from family and friends, some in the things they are passionate about, some in their religion, some in their profession and others in helping those in need but right now Khadijah's happiness lies solely on her two adorable kids.

It is not easy being a young mother of two with no experience with kids whatsoever but Khadijah is doing a good job of it and thankfully Ihsan is quite most of the times it's Ilham that's giving her headache.

She tucked Ilham in her coat and then got up to perform ablution ,it was 3am in the morning .She threw a wrapper over her nightie and faced the qiblah to offer her nafl prayers which she's now used to .

She raised her hands in supplication and prayed for lasting peace, she asked for Allah's choice in her life, she prayed for strength and fortitude , she prayed for Taqwah and she prayed for her kids, she also prayed for Ahmad. For Allah to guide him to the light and if he's not going to change for Allah to bring an end to their marriage in a subtle peaceful way .

If there's anything she hate in her life is fighting and exchanging cuss words, she's someone who never like the idea of keeping malice or a grudge . She finally get off the mat after praying 2 raka'ats at dawn and then subh before finally going back to bed only for her slumber to be interrupted by Ihsan's cries.

She opened her eyes with so much effort just to see that it's already past 9am , she didn't know she had slept this much, muttering a prayer she got up and picked the baby, rocking her on her shoulders before sitting on the edge of the bed to feed her .

" Good morning sleeping beauty, I'm glad you're awake , Mommy had been calling you since " Ummie greeted .

" I hope all is well Ummie, I will call her with my phone right away " she dialled Mommy's number who picked at the second ring.

Khadijah wanted to tease Mommy but the sound of her voice cut her off and she sobered up .

" Khadijah Afreen is really sick, I'm afraid she might die and she keeps calling your name saying she is not going to eat anything "

" Yahsalam what happened to her Mommy ? Please give her the phone I'll try and make her eat ,inna lillahi in shaa Allah she will be well again stop saying she might die mommy"

Afreen is too weak to even lift a finger, Mommy held the phone to her ears .

" Afreen habibty how are you feeling now ?" Khadijah asked and the girl couldn't even answer .

" I will come see you soon in shaa Allah dearie but before then I need you to do something for me , eat and take your drugs don't give Jaddatie a hard time and be a good girl to your nanny". Still there was no answer ,the girl is sulking from the other end.

" Ihsan and Ilham will cry if you refuse to eat anything, I will cry too and then I will not buy ice cream for you " it took Khadijah a long time before finally cajoling the girl to eat .

It was when she called in the afternoon to enquire after Afreen's health that Mommy told her about what's wrong with her, she's suffering from a very chronic pneumonia.

" Subhanallah may Allah grant her quick and complete shifaa , mommy please stop letting her take all those cold stuffs, it might be what triggered the attack, I wish I can come take care of her but the twins are handful and Baba won't let me " she said the last part with a sad pout .

" Don't worry D in shaa Allah we will be more careful, her Daddu just finished ranting on how it's our fault blah blah blah , don't tell kaybee in case you guys talk on phone , he will be so worried he might catch the next available flight home ". After promising her that she won't tell Ya Kaybee Khadijah hung the call with a heavy heart .

Now that Zee had started going to the Uni to study their dream course medical lab science she miss her presence so much , the girl is a bookaholic and hardly squeeze time for her friend , but Khadijah understands and she's happy for her .

Ummie was sieving maize flour with Ilham on her back while Khadijah was making the soup in the makeshift zinc kitchen coughing because of smoke . She kept fanning the wood till she sets it ablaze before coming out .

" I can't believe that in the next ten days you'll be leaving this house Deejan, am really scared not only for your safety but that of your children " Ummie voiced out her fears .

" Am also scared Ummie, but Allah is with us and by His will nothing bad will happen , Ahmad cannot do that which Allah doesn't will over me ,all will be well " Khadijah consoled her mother who smiled at her strong daughter .

" how about that maman Aysha that you left your business to , hope she will give you all the profit obtained from the sell ?"

" She's trustworthy Ummie, she told me that the profit is almost 50 thousand as of when she came to see the twins and we agreed that she should expand the business by adding the profit to the capital .I will have something to take care of myself in shaa Allah ". They worked in companioble silence Until a boy came in saying that someone outside wants to speak with Khadijah .

Both Ummie and Khadijah were confused but Ummie asked her to go and check ,maybe it's one of her classmates or someone else.

With a heart beating wildly she went out only to see that it was Dr Taheer . She welcomed him into the courtyard with a smile and informed Ummie about his visit, she went into the house and brought out a mat with a jug filled with water from the earthen wear they store water .

After Ummie and Dr Taheer exchanged greetings , ummie left Khadijah to speak with Dr Taheer who looked on edge .

" Khadijah how are the twins ? "

" They are fine Alhamdulillah, Ihsan is sleeping while Ilham is with Ummie let me bring Ihsan to you " she made and attempt to get up but he gestured for her to sit back .

" when are you going back to Ahmad's house ?" He asked and she looked confused .

" Armmm in the next ten days in shaa Allah, akwai matsala ne ?" Now she's getting suspicious.

" Yes Khadijah there is and that's why I came here unannounced and univited without even telling zee about it " D's heart skipped a beat , it must be really serious for him to come to her father's house .

Clearing his voice Dr Taheer told her everything and urged her not to tell anyone and with a grateful smile and a heavy heart Khadijah thanked him and bade him goodbye, promising that she will not let him down .

From the moment Dr Taheer left till the day she was to go back to her house. Khadijah wasn't herself and no amount of questioning and threatening made her tell them what is bothering her.

The house was locked when they arrived and with a long hiss Zee fished out her phone from her bag and called Ahmad .

" Malam we are at the door and it's locked " she didn't even wait for his reply before cutting the call .

After an hour , they were already at maman Aysha's house , Aysha and her siblings swooning over how cute the twins are while the three women were talking about things that concerns them .

A boy came in saying the house is opened and the three women with the help of Aysha and her siblings helped in making the house habitable .

The house is too dusty indicating that it hasn't been lived in for a while . After all the cleaning , dusting and mopping is done, maman Aysha excused herself to make dinner while the two friends continued with arranging Khadijah's and the twins clothes in the wardrobe .

" D don't let him touch you , who knows whether he's infected with HIV ?" Zee said with a frown on her face. She wished she can stop her friend from coming back to Ahmad's house but it's beyond her, how can D be so cool about this ?don't she know that she means a lot to her ?

She can never forget D's kindness to her right from when they were young, D had always been there guiding her and making her love life and the little she has, D have sacrificed a lot for her countless times, she had made her smile when it's the last thing on her mind , in times of need she is always there soothing her with words , her being a better muslimah is as a result of Khadijah's influence even meeting Dr Taheer is through D .

" Earth to Zee " Khadijah brought her out of reverie.

" what are you thinking of that you totally lost it like this .Zee be positive about this in shaa Allah I will protect myself for your sake kinji aminiyata? Dr Taheer's bride " she said side hugging Zee who managed to smile at her .

Maman Aysha sent dinner for them and they had a hearty meal .Zee was about to go when the reality hits Khadijah hard .

" Haba zee stay with me , what if the twins wake up late at night at the same time who will help me now that Ummie is not here ?"

" how can I stay here when that man will come ? Ahh let me go D , I will visit you on Sunday in shaa Allah take Care Darling Allah Hafiz " With that Zee left and the house became eerily quite .

Khadijah busied herself changing the position of things in her kitchen when she heard the sound of the door being unlocked from outside .Knowing that it must be Ahmad she continued the task at hand .

Few seconds later he came in without saying the salam , she heard him plopped down on the couch with a tired sight , she wasn't eager to meet him heck! She don't even wanna see him so she took her precious time arranging her utensils.

Thinking he might have left the living room, Khadijah quietly came out on tiptoes heading to the bedroom which he heard his gruff voice .

" No need to act like a thieve Cat, you can sleep in the room, I'm not spending the night in this house any way "

She wanted to ask where he's going to but she already know the answer and it's a relief to her that he is not sleeping in the house, God knows that she's scared .

" Alright goodnight then " with that she went into the room ,locking the door behind her .

Ahmad spent almost thirty minutes paralysed on his seat, is this really the Cat he knows or someone impersonating her? the way she spoke to him is too cold and devoid of any emotions, by chance could she have fallen out of love with him ? Kai ! It will never happen, he knows how much cat loves him and no matter how badly he hurt her she will forever remain trapped by her love for him .

With a sigh he left and lock the house from outside , getting into his car and driving to the club, he need something to take his mind off things and now that Hauwa is treating him like a piece of trash because of that new guy, he will go look for another hot chick to spend the night with .

He's not into drugs and he doesn't plan on doing it.

Khadijah didn't sleep a wink that night. Partly because she's thinking of how things will unfold now that she's back and the twins keep waking up seeking for attention, she thought maybe because they are not used to their heartless father's house .

How could he come and not ask how she's doing ? No her aside how his kids are doing? She could vividly remember how much Ahmad adore kids but now that he has two special gifts yet he's not even excited , she don't want her children to grow up knowing that their father ,the one who sired them doesn't give a damn about them .

The next morning, maman Aysha brought back the refrigerator and bags of satchet water to Khadijah .

" Haba maman Aysha so soon haka ? Thank you so much I have no words to show you how grateful I am , may Allah grant you with a home in jannah, may He guide your children and keep you happy always " Khadijah prayed .

" Don't mention D you deserve it and much more kuma shi zaman tare ya gaji haka " she waved Khadijah off with a nervous chuckle.

Khadijah counted 15thousand out of the money maman Aysha gave her and passed it to her .

" Please take this maman Aysha ,buy some sweets for the kids nagode fa "

Maman Aysha glared at Khadijah. " I didn't do this to be given anything D " she protested shoving the money back to Khadijah.

" Since you are now calling me D you have no option than to accept, you didn't do it to get something I know , and even if you've done it to be paid I don't have the means to pay you "

After much persuasion maman Aysha accepted the money and Khadijah thought of how such a nice woman will charm her husband now that they are getting closer she planned on telling her something, what she has been thinking of for a long time after she offered to take her to the malams.

It has been a week since she returned back and she hasn't seen or heard anything about Ahmad, good news is that she don't Care. Her business is going smoothly and she kept feeding herself with the profit she earns, she had sent an amount to Baba and Ummie and she had given Zee 2k when she visited on Sunday as promised.

Zee had protested saying that Khadijah needs the money more than her but D could not take no for an answer saying that if the amount is meager for Zee she will add it but she has to accept it .

*

A month later there was no sign of Ahmad not to talk of getting her divorce as expected .Khadijah kept telling herself that there's nothing to worry about, that he's okay just not having the time to see them but her pure innocent heart won't let her have peace of mind .

She called Dr Taheer and told him her dilemma ,he promised to check on Ahmad and get back to her. It was a relief until she got a call from Taheer saying that Ahmad is behind bars, the reason why is still unknown to him yet .

Hot stubborn tears cascade down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them off . She has brought into the world two innocent souls whose father is an adulterer and now a convict .What will she tell them when a they did not get a suitor from a respectable family?what if later in life what Ahmad is doing affect their future what will she tell them ??

She made a resolve to change Ahmad for her kids, she has no feelings for him anymore but she loves Ihsan and Ilham that much and will do anything to secure their now bleak future .

It was after 10pm when Zee called her telling her that Ahmad was caught doing drugs and arrested and since he has no one to bail him out he's in prison . Taheer didn't call to inform her personally because it's late.

" Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun! Now what do we do Zee ?"

" I know that you must say something similar to this, let him rot in jail D , you are better off without him bawata tsiya yake tsinana miki ba in banda bacin rai " she rolled her eyes.

" But he is the father of my kids Zee, at least we should consider them " Khadijah said sounding sad .

" you have a very soft heart D that's why sometimes I feel like exchanging hearts with you so that you'll not let that idiot get the best of you , Taheer will go there tomorrow in shaa Allah and I hope we are doing the right thing " .

What actually happened that night was that Ahmad went to hook up with a girl but she was high and needs more high , he accompanied her to where Hauwa usually buy drugs and unfortunately for him the NDLEA agents went there and arrested them including him, even though he wasn't high when they were arrested. He was there and he was caught handing some cash to the dealer ,red handed and eye witnesses testified that he usually go there.

Ahmad had never felt so relieved to see someone in his life like seeing Taheer , he smiled widely at his friend who looked indifferent and on edge , like he was forced to bail him out.

" Thanks man, you saved my butt once again, what can I do without you ?" Ahmad said giving Taheer his hands for a handshake .

" I didn't do this for you, it's not always about you Ahmad, I did this for the poor innocent souls you left at home, I know this isn't lesson enough for you, keep doing what you do best Ahmad but remember that death is certain and Allah will not let you go Scott free after all the things you've done. If you ever think of repenting and mending your ways you should start by apologising to your mother who am sure her heart is bleeding over you " with that being said Taheer threw Ahmad his car keys and left the prison yard without sparing him a glance .

Ahmad went back home angrily and started banging things,he destroyed almost half of of Khadijah's things and she quietly watched him , shielding her kids not even batting an eye .

" Listen well and listen good, you can't turn my friend against me , he's my friend, stop acting innocent and playing the victim,I haven't done anything to you yet but you're complaining, now I'll show you my real colour and no one dares question my action ,you are mine to do whatever I deem fit ." He gave her a resounding slap which made her almost loose balance and drop Ihsan who's in her arms while Ilham is on her back .

" Allah knows best and He will release me from your bondage that cause me nothing but pain and regret, Ahmad I regret ever knowing you, curse the day I first met you .I will not raise my voice above yours because unlike you I've gone to Islamic school and know my deen well, you should fear Allah and the last day and you should take this innocent souls into consideration ,know that whatever you do must be done unto you stop being a fornicator and stop taking drugs for their sake pls ." she cried out while he was fuming with anger ,his chest heaving up and down .

She didn't wait for him to reply back knowing that he's not going to say anything, she almost stepped on a broken glass on her way to grab her veil in the now scattered room with clothes strewn on the ground .

After Ahmad left, Khadijah locked the house with a heavy heart and went to maman Aysha's house .

" Maman Aysha tell me more about the malams you suggested months back "

°•°
What is about to happen ? Is D really going to start following malams ?? What is the big secret Taheer told D and she's not ready to share it with us, not even Zee ?
Read on to find out !!!

Thanks for reading .