ABUJA,NIGERIA

Hajia Khadeejah, known to many as Hajia Dije a fair tall woman in her mid fifties, with a soft skin that glows from a distance , a beautiful woman whose beauty stands the test of time .Ummie's biological elder sister and a mother of three, Kabir her eldest son who is a divorcee and 34years old popularly known as Kaybee or Just K ,a computer scientist and a very hardworking man , her second born is a daughter, Anisah who's happily married with two beautiful kids and living in Zamfara state .The last born is Nabeehah and she's Khadijah's age mate, a second year medical student in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. Alhaji Yousouf Naseer is the head of the family, a very nice man who puts his family above work and everything, no matter how busy his schedules are ,he always finds time to spend with his children, Anisah being away from home,only visits occasionally, then Kaybee who is now back from the states and Nabeeha who had come home for weekend were all gathered in his living room.

He cleared his throat and before he can say anything ,a sweet girl of about 2 and a half years came running in " Daddu " she squealed hugging Alhaji Yousuf Naseer with all her might , " yes princess" he said mirroring the little girl's enthusiasm, she is Kaybee's daughter and had been living with them since when she was two days old as a baby in her cradle .

The reason why Alhaji gathered his family, is not to have family time as they normally do, its to address Kaybee's issue which had been giving him sleepless nights and making him zone out thinking in meetings, so after playing with little Afreen for a while , he went ahead to tell them why he summoned them, after Afreen's nanny carried her away in guise of giving her ice cream.

" Kabir I think its high time you forget the past and take another wife , life doesn't end after a failed marriage. We all have our demons and problems but we keep living because life is never fair, take what happened to you as a test from Allah and by His will you'll be happy again, you left everything behind because of a cruel woman who wants nothing but to destroy you, think about Afreen and her future, forget the fact that she's here with us and been taken care of, she needs a mother figure in her life ,I'm not telling you to get married soon, but you have to get back to your former life ,especially your work, it's almost three years and you are still brooding, wallowing over the past no one has the power to change, go back to work son, Allah knows best and He will ease your pain , you just have to trust Him and you'll find respite , Ita rayuwa hakuri ake da qaddara, it was your destiny and no force on earth can make you escape it "

Hajia Dije who they refer to as mommy also tried to encourage her son, before he got married he was a very lively person, so full of life and spreading love wherever he goes, but from the moment he got married he changed into an empty shell ,no one knows what happened between him and his ex wife , they only know the last straw, that's when she gave birth to Afreen and abandoned her ,leaving for only God knows where because she's not with her parents also when Alhaji Yousuf went to find a solution and to see if the marriage isn't dissolved forever.

Kabir had married her because they loved each other , he knew that she's not perfect and lacked many essential things he desire in a woman, like religion, modesty and respect for people ,as they say , love is blind and he was willing to spend forever with her and make an effort in changing her , he knew that she doesn't give much attention to salat, thinking he might change her, he will call from work just to remind her its time for prayers and she sometimes tell him that she had already prayed before he called, she can only recite Fatiha, suratul Falaq and Nas and apart from that she doesn't know anything about religion .

He dedicated his time in teaching her only to be hated by her, she always complain of either she's sleepy, or he's disturbing her, her brain wasn't cut out for anything that has to do with religion ,besides she's beautiful and an heiress to a large fortune that no matter how lavish a lifestyle she live ,She will never be able to exhaust the money till she die and she's happily married to Kaybee the man of her dreams.

That was the beginning of their problems. Kaybee told her that he can tolerate anything but not her living life devoid of religion, he cannot live with a woman who doesn't pray and who calls herself a muslimah, before they got married she used to dress decently , but after a month she started dressing like a slut and going out whenever she deem fit and to wherever her friends invited her since she was born and bred in the states, coming to Nigeria annually or when there is an emergency.

That was the little bit of information Kaybee offered to his mom before leaving for the states, promising to tell her more about his failed marriage when he comes back, Afreen cried holding unto him at the airport,saying that she's going with him. He had to bribe her with a promise to come back the next day and bring her lots of chocolates and toys before she finally let go, he wiped away a lone stubborn tear, even though Afreen's mother was a devil, having Afreen is the best thing that ever happened to him and leaving her with his parents is the best decision knowing that she will be raised just the way he was raised.

Right from when she was a baby, he used to recite the holy Quran to her , read ahadiths as her bedtime stories ,he don't want his child to grow up like her mother and thankfully his angel is very bright and now she can recite almost a juz of the Quran not fluently but it can be comprehended and that swell his heart with pride .

" Mommy please take care of Afreen for me and don't let her miss her Islamic lessons , I love you ma and I'm surely gonna miss you " he had finally said before disappearing into the crowd .Hajia Dije smiled sadly waving at her son, she wish he could open up to her and tell her his worries at least she will give him advice but still she's thankful that he started opening up to her and she can't wait to hear the rest of the story, hugging Afreen to her chest ,she sauntered towards where her car was parked ,praying that her son will start afresh and be vibrant and happy again.

KANO STATE,NIGERIA

From that day onward Khadijah didn't ask for anything from Ahmad ,she will spend her day crying and thinking , she had lost her vibrance, looking dull and sad, one look at her you'll know that she's unhappy courtesy of none other than Ahmad.

She had started selling satchet water,Zobo drink and ice block , the profit from the sell goes to food and other necessities , her new neighbor, an older woman with five kids used to come in and keep her company and sometimes her daughter will come in and help with the chores, she will call her parents every morning and greet them including mama Ahmad's mother. 

When she doesn't have money to recharge Baba will call her and whenever they ask if there's any problem she will say no,hiding her pain behind a fake chuckle or a sad smile they can't see.

She was rummaging through one of her boxes that she didn't make use of when she found an envelope with her name inscribed on it , she tore it open to be met with crisp new naira notes worth 50,000 ,and a note saying * Congratulations on your wedding , with lots of love and apologies that I didn't make it to your big day, your Bro Kaybee* she felt on top of the world and shrieked out in joy,thanking Allah over and over again, she remembered that Hajia Dije told her that there's a message for her before she left but she totally forgot. Hence, the capital to her now thriving business, she took only 10k and gave Baba the remaining 40k to add to his capital knowing fully well that he needs the money more than her.

She called Hajia Dije thanking her profusely for the gift, when she asked of Kaybee she was told that he has gone back to the states so she left a message to Hajia Dije , sending her warm regards and tons of appreciation for his kindness.
She devised a plan of saving her money with Maman Aisha her neighbor, dividing the profit into two, half for her upkeep and another half goes to savings .

She was in the living room, hands on chin , deeply in thought when Zee came into the house saying the salam. She had to tap her before bringing her out of reverie . " D what's wrong with you, you're totally gone " she observed.
" ohh it's nothing Zee Zee you're welcome let me serve you water " rubbing her eyes and walking to the kitchen to fetch a small tray on which she arranged a cup, a bottle of hibiscus drink and one satchet water. She served Zee and sat down to chat, she needed that badly, she might go crazy if she keeps living in a house devoid of love and Care, a place she feel trapped inside and a place where apart from pain there's nothing in it .

Zee drank the hibiscus drink closing her eyes and relishing the sweetness of Khadijah's specialty, she loves D for always serving her with the heavenly drink whenever she visits right from when they were young .
" Mama sends her regards , I saw your man in his workshop and he glared at me. Don't know what wrong I've done this time around " Zee said after finishing the bottle of zobo mentally noting to tell Khadijah to package more for her to take home , Khadijah just smiled , avoiding the subject she went ahead asking her about everything and everyone , as Zee was telling Khadijah about a prospective suitor whom she had met a week ago, a boy came in saying that he wants to buy pure water, Khadijah asked of how many he wanted , put them in a polythene bag and went out coming in with the money which she stored in a small purse , Zee gave her an aghast look " What ?" Khadijah cocked a brow .

" When did you start doing business  without telling me D? " she asked feigning to be hurt .
" Am really sorry zee , it was an impromptu decision and I intend to tell you when we see each other , you see, its not something to be discussed on phone, I'm sorry Aminiyata" she apologized with a pout, holding the tip of her ears with a pitiful face .

" Apology accepted ,now tell me how is it ? What did Ya Ahmad say about it ? Are you saving for the uni?" She is obviously excited and not wanting to burst her bubble Khadijah answered in the affirmative which made zee more excited , she helped her with dinner and Khadijah didn't let her friend sense that she's facing any problem and she kept praying that Ahmad won't meet Zee when he comes back .

Her prayer was answered because that day , he didn't come home until she was past asleep. Seeing her on the bed , clutching the edge of the blanket like her life depends on it made something break in his heart, he drove the thought away but adjust the blanky for her before eating his dinner, taking out her zobo drink in the refrigerator, he doesn't have to pay because she always serve him with it and even if he didn't say it out loud ,he knows that she's a good cook and the taste of her zobo is unlike any other, she's trying he knows that and he cannot for the life of him figure out why he's treating in her in the most inhumane way possible, he's a monster and a beast he had established that fact since the day he raped his own lawfully wedded wife, not giving her money for upkeep is a grievous sin he knows that too well and right that instance, sitting in the living room with an empty plate of fufu with egusi soup he made a resolve to change, if not for anything , then to perform his duty as a husband and give her the rights she is entitled to and stop maltreating her.

He got up and for the first time washed the used utensils before finally calling it a day after gazing at her sad face which is filled with innocence , she's just 20 and he had made her go through what even a 30 year old will never imagine and maybe won't even survive .

The next morning as usual ,Khadijah woke up before him and after making her ablution, she tapped him gently, surprisingly for her ,he gave her a mild smile, the type she had gotten used to before they got married, then greeted her, telling her to wait for him to lead them in prayer, knowing that it will be short lived Khadijah didn't celebrate over her husband's sudden change of heart, after they prayed he took out 1000 naira note from his wallet handing it to her, she gave him and inquisitive look

" It's for grocery shopping and anything that might come up, cook whatever you like , I will send a boy with cow tail later in shaa Allah,I know that I've hurt you Cat and I have no reason for doing that, I am trying to make amends so please bear with me " he stated looking anywhere but her , she smiled sadly ,battling with her self either to ask the question that had been nagging her or to just keep mum,she opted for the latter

" Ya Ahmad, can you please be honest and tell me if you ever loved me ? Like maybe you have a motive behind marrying me ? What wrong have I done to you ? If not me was it Baba or Ummie? " she burst into tears and he scuttled closer to her and held her in his arms ,opening and closing his mouth several times not having the right words to say, she was shaking and hiccuping ,crying with all her might , he just rocked her, saying sorry.

" I loved you, trusted you, gave up my dream just to be with you, I chased away men that are far better than you in everything for you, you took away the fun in my childhood not letting me socialize ,you made me think that even if I have no family to call my own you'll be my family,you made me give you the whole of my heart, you made me dream of a beautiful life with you and in one night you shattered all those, you took away my happiness and you made me cater for myself, you and your mother after all the promises you've made that if am with you you'll never let me suffer, was this what you meant? Was this the happy life you made me believe I will lead when I got married to you? Was this what you planned all along ? Haba Ya Ahmad this isn't you you're not someone that can do this but then you've done all that, not in a dream, not an illusion but in reality which is as clear as daylight"

The moment she opened her mouth, all the things she'd been holding in keep sprouting out like she ate something she's allergic to and start vomiting without control till she emptied her stomach . He couldn't defend himself so he kept saying sorry telling her that he will change , upon all the things she said the only word that struck a cord is that she loved him, meaning she no longer love him ,how can he let her fall out of love with him after all those years ? She's his Khadijah and she's meant for him and only him alone, she has to love him and be with him no matter what .' what about you? Do you love her? ' a small voice at the back of his mind threw the question he has no answer to .

Things were getting better ,so much better but Khadijah had learnt her lesson, she's not going to let her guard down easily, business is good and life is getting better, Ahmad will sit and they will talk like normal happy couples do, he will tease her and she will tease him back ,they will watch movies together at night and nothing more than a kiss on her forehead or a peck on her cheeks transpired between them, she is still keeping her distance, Still afraid of him and he knows that she has every right to .

It was Friday, so after juma'at prayers he came home and they were eating lunch together " Cat get ready after lunch. We will go and greet Hajia then I will drop you off at Baba's, will come and pick you after ishaa "

Khadijah squealed in happiness thanking him over and over again, she hurriedly dressed in a new blouse with skirt and the clothes fitted her and brought out her perfect figure ,Ahmad felt attracted and followed her into the room where she was busy rummaging through her hijabs looking for the right colour to match the clothes she's wearing , she didn't hear him come in because she was engrossed in the task at hand .

" Cat " he called out in a voice he doubt is his.

" Yes Ya Ahmad" she answered turning to see him right beside her ,too close for comfort and she shifted back a little, he came a little bit closer till her back is to the wall , and before she can comprehend what was happening he started kissing her savagely and in the process tearing off her clothes

." Ya Ahmad please don't do this ,am your wife, all you need to do is ask but not like this "

she pleaded in a muffled voice tears already drenching her face and spoiling her make up. Unfortunately for her Ahmad isn't even listening to her and for the second time he raped her.

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Thank you !
I hope the first part didn't confuse you? Don't worry in shaa Allah as the story unfolds you'll get the hang of it.