KANO STATE, NIGERIA.

Jabir messaged Imad with the address of where they should meet, at a resort in the outskirts of Kano. He's been anticipating that meeting the whole day cause staring at Amirah only brought nothing but contempt inside of him and Jabir making this suspense also add to the irrationality of his thoughts. He feels like what he saw is true and that his friend is prolonging it for when he is not together with Amirah. It's not like he is going to kill her, his hatred for her will just proliferate and that is it. He won't even be there for long if he confirms it.

J: Bring Salim along with you. I'm already there waiting...

I: Sure.

Imad sent a quick message to Salim to meet them there, better to go with separate rides just in case they are not going back to the same place. He hopped onto his BMW and swerved to the said address watching Amirah hail a tricycle and settled inside after a bit of negotiation with the man inside. He rolled his eyes, that is how people like her will end hopelessly on the streets like all other plebeians. He thought she would have a car by now but guess not.

"What's up?" Imad greeted, sitting on a couch under an umbrella where he's sighted Jabir occupying.

The place looks nice with a rectangular shaped pool right beside them. Comfortable looking couches only a few people a re occupying. The smell of standard fast food, coffee, cider, hot tea, soda and all that. There are a few waiters scattered around taking orders of the people there and he noticed the menu in front of them after that. He's never been there so it is definitely a new place opened after he left for Chicago years ago.

"Where's Salim?" As soon as the seam of his mouth closed, he saw the aforementioned man walking to where they are in his usual quick unequal strides that always amaze them. The guy is always three steps ahead of them.

"What's with the meeting?" Salim drawled back and flop his large frame on the couch, crossing one leg over the other instinctively. His eyes are filled with curiosity looking at the two men currently gathering their thoughts.

Jabir was first to adjust and look at Imad straight in the eye with galore of disappointment and triumph. Imad had a hunch what that all means but deeply wish it wasn't true. It will make hating Amirah harder than it already is, it won't be easy to avenge his illness and broken heart if she is pure to all those faulty allegations. Was he been histrionic about the whole matter like a mutinous kid?

"What you are thinking and merging Amirah to doing is purely out of your own beholden. Those allegations are purely ribald and excessive arsenal of jealousy feeding your head. She is not having an affair with him but something is about to happen between them if you still want to continue acting like a prepubescent infant." Jabir shrugged, almost groaning when his eyes landed on Salim's confused gaze.

The guy don't like being in the dark so with a grunt from him, he sparked. "What the hell is going on here? What affair and jealousy are you talking about relating to Amirah? I'm I missing something?"

He obviously is missing something, his eyes swept from Jabir to Imad who looks paralysed on his chair in deep thought. Oh, alright then. Not the best person to gauge out explanation from so his eyes waltzed to the last option, Jabir. His eyes quickly took the minutiae details he might not supposed to see but he did anyway. Imad was suspecting Amirah to having an affair!

"He thought she was having an affair with your Attorney, Nazir Jalo. I went to his office to prove him wrong and damn well did prove that he was just making baseless accusations. The man wants to wed Amirah as soon as possible as we talk so there is no room for liaison between them when conjugation is sprouting."

Imad leaped out from his sheaf imaginations when he heard the wed part. What the hell is that Attorney playing at and does Amirah know about his plan? Of course she would know about it, he wants to marry her for goodness sake and he has deep pockets. If he cannot afford her, his family certainly can do that so she won't hesitate falling into that pool and stellar of galore. Ah, why was he even thinking about believing her like she is an innocent person?

She is a treacherous bitch with betrayal and deceit running through her veins. All she knows how to do is jump from this to that like a goddamned rabbit on heat. The ferocious fraudulence influx inside of her could inundate anyone close to her. He was once a victim and knows exactly how much it hurts been at the receiving end of those avalanche malignancies. It took more than necessary to recover, he is a living example.

"He is going to propose to her?" Salim raised a bushy brow up, his forefinger playing with his lower lip as if contemplating what is happening then shoot a glance to Imad who has this satanic smile that both galvanised and alerted them.

With the satanic smile intact on his, Imad rejoiced with them. "That is perfect. It makes my work easier. Please advice him to make his move as soon as possible, I cannot wait." He wrung his hands together looking like a wicked joker with the smile he is featuring. It is abysmal.

"Man, you are scaring the shit out of me. You better not be playing something you will regret later." Salim warily stared at his friend, he's never seen that malicious side of Imad so he is darn surprised that part exists.

Jabir nodded, endorsing his words with his own piece. "And I want to know why you are even doing this. Clearly, you both still love one another but your prides or should I say, your broken heart won't permit you to work on it. I hope it is not broken to smithereens, we need to see you guys back together! Don't even think about allowing this marriage to happen or your chance with her will forever be wrecked."

"I would like to know what she did to deserve this cruelty. You divorced her already after one day old marriage, that should be enough scar to have lasted for three years. And now you want to exact more revenge from the already emaciated lady? Not done and it is underhandedly unmanly!" Salim shook his head, raising his left hand to call out a waiter. He is suddenly thirsty.

Imad knew this is the time where Amirah's end of foreplay will come, he's had enough of that already. They should serve the main dish and this Nazir guy truly made everything easy on his watch. He won't have her denunciated in front of Nazir for the time being, so they settle all their scores and he's extract what he wants from her. He'd be damned if this is not macho like, to heck with that anyway.

When the heartbreak came, it never cared whether he was a man or woman, it threw him off his feet for a long time. It was diatribe and he had to fight it all alone without anyone there to feel how he does. That hoyden should be lucky he didn't leave those countries and came rushing back for revenge, she wouldn't have been on her feet now. The time when all he could see is crimson filled with revenge to also genuflect and grovel her. The time he was left alone to convalesce.

"The morning we landed in Chicago...

"After Imad introduced Amirah to Wafa and Usayma, they went back to their apartment to eat something and continue to lounge around having slept the whole trip there and are not sleepy. He made it to the kitchen he's asked Wafa to restock for him to whip out sandwich for them when Amirah excused herself to the bathroom, he was all smiles and in that honeymoon phase while whistling alone in the kitchen. Too excited to be with his wife to think about anything else, not even school that resumes in two days.

He cut the tomatoes into round shapes, clumsily, he should call Amirah knowing she'd scold him for making them look so messy but he wants to impress her and act like those men young ladies dream about. It made another stellar smile to grace his lips, waiting to see that reaction of joy and coo when she sees what he's done. This is one of the sporadic times he cooks, not exactly that but tried once in awhile to make sure she feels special.

He is royalty after all. He never does anything himself and is trying to be the flawless man Amirah would keep loving. He bit his lip, he sounds like a whipped man but damn if he isn't. She would ask him to lie down on the floor and sleep on the cold tiles and he'd do it. He'd do almost about everything she asks of him, no questions asked or spiel to opt out of it. Everything she does should be worshipped, that is what he thinks.

He slapped the slim meat on the bread, add a bit of lettuce knowing she likes it, boiled eggs he found inside the fridge and grinned when the work is done. She will be really proud of him if she sees how much he's tried cutting the bread straight through the middle in a triangle shape like he's seen them doing on television. He can't wait to start sneaking behind her while she cooks for them. That is something he's vowed to do after seeing how his brothers are with their wives.

He almost hated going to visit them because of how touchy they could get when together. Seriously, he thought they were just histrionic but now that he's married and knew just how addicted it is, he doesn't blame them. When you are in love, things seize to be in monochrome but kaleidoscopic colours. He is always happy, jumpy and garrulous like the infant who just started babbling in gibberish eager to say more and more till he is heard over the drools and tongue bites.

He took deep breaths to not look really hyper about being married. It is just their first day together, they have plenty time in the future for goodness sake, calm down! He chided himself.

Keeping the sheaf of sandwich around the breakfast corner, he went in search of his wife. He found her standing by the louver with her phone placed to her ear so he stood like a voyeur of all times to stare at his beloved while picking up her conversations.

"...but do I have to leave the marriage after two years?" He stood straighter when that hit his ears more than any other had. There wasn't any sugarcoat succoring the words so it hits harder with intensive galore.

It was quiet for awhile and he almost thought it was just the figments of his imagination and paranoia but then it was happening. The words were corrosively eating away his viscera and he leaned closer to the wall not to fall off. He felt cessation at the edge of his ribcage that shook him off his balance. Had it not being for that wall, he'd spiraled over and ruin his cranium all over. He is repudiating, desperately want to not know more but can't leave in that state of his. Not knowing more will kill him.

"Yes, I understand what you are saying. We need to help him. I also won't fall pregnant, I already chunk down the birth control pills you gave me..." It was quiet again as she listens. "He won't find out about it, I promise and besides, he doesn't want a child this soon. We need to finish studying first then think about that but by then, I'll be gone right?" He didn't hear that but her voice shook with edginess.

He heard the susurrus in her tone and the slight seizure that seized behind her but he was already in catatonic state. He blinked several times then saw her turn around, eyes wide and she featured that look of a deer caught in the headlight. Her hands shook and the phone fell from her grasps knowing his reaction isn't semantic and pettifog, it is gigantic and colossal. Her heart went on stampede and halted in a twisted way.

After he galvanised out from his catatonic state, his brows furrowed and eyes widened as though someone just stuck a dirk through his chest and twisted it ruthlessly, nothing could forestall the inevitable. His head had lowered to the floor and neck shrink to the side in submission, falling miserably. He knew this is the truth, her expression says it all even if he wants to believe his eyes are not working and his eyes are just forming ruthless stories. Her expression said it all!

Colour drained from his face, he looks aghast and appalled, his expression shouting 'How could you?' in the most pained and corrosive way. His body crumpled on it's own, the smithereens of his heart forcing him to genuflect. He got off balance and coordination, his fingers massaging his breastbone to ease the ferociously cultivating dengue that is about to knock him off his feet again.

She tried to desperately talk, her mouth moving rapidly but not even a Susurrus galloped out her lips. Her breathings are coming out shallow now, eyes wide in panic while trying to form any staccato spiel but her head was as blank as a white canvas in front of a painter waiting to mash colours. Just in her case, the colours weren't appearing and looks like they won't anytime soon.

He sent her a painful look before breaking eye contact to authorize his thoughts. He backed up, leaving her alone but had to fall on the floor, his back against the wall.

It was the dizziness that took him off balance this time, knocking his knees to the floor as he groveled. His throat felt tight and lungs constricted, extracting the path of his breathe. And it slowed, the heartbeat seizing and spots started doting his line of vision. Time stopped and he slipped out of consciousness to abysmal fathomless depths.

When he awoke, Amirah is crying hopelessly with her eyes closed beside him on the bed while apologizing time and time again. His lips curled in a snare when he dredged down the history of how it got there. He recoiled away from her and leaned back. He jerked away from her, breaking all contacts with her, earning him her doe like eyes filled with hefty spoonfuls of pain. He stood up with a lilt and backed away from her, putting as much distance as he could.

The laugh he released jolted her from her trance, she was staring at him eyes filled with apology and worry he'd not listen to her. Darn right, he won't give her listening ears nor give her the benefit of doubt. There is no way what he's heard could be his imagination or a dream, she is crying with her naked eyes. It means she is guilty, what he's heard is so right and he felt that heartbreak! His chest hurts but he pushed that aside, he needs her away from him. Far away!

"What a hidden bitch you are. A snake!" He snarled almost bestially, she flinched. "Finally, I got to find your flaw but it turned out to be more stampede than I thought. How cruel." He laughed again, throwing everything on the bedside table beside him.

Amirah let out a choked sob, crumpling under his hurtful words and lowered her gaze to the floor. She keeps shaking her head in denial, as if all the accusations in his eyes are just ruining her insides. All the maverick she's once packed roll down the floor and she feels useless due to the lack of confidence. She couldn't even open her mouth to talk to him. But say what? What he's heard is true, just not the complete version of it.

"Listen...to me please. I-" she choked on another sob then fell silent, no words are coming and she honestly have nothing to say to him.

What could she say to the man who's heard the most heartbreaking news from her just few minutes ago and even passed out?

"To more of your lies or so you can rub it on my face that you married me simply because you have an ulterior motive? Trying to gain status or deeper pockets with the people around me? Then thank the fucking hell that I found this out sooner or you'd be fucking dead by now! I swear to God I feel like killing you right now, I want to kill you in the most brutal way or just throttle your pretty neck... so before that happens... Fucking vanish from my side!"

He is already stepping inside her personal bubble, intimidating the hell out of her with his new side. Imad never cursed in front of her, neither had he ever looked at her with such contempt and hatred worth a murderer. She feels sleaze and shallow, guilt gripping her guts in a goddamned way. He looks like he is about to assassinate her, he seriously wants to hurt her physically and that thought galvanised her. What had she done to the other Imad? Had she murdered that part?

"Please..." She begged, she still begged because she cannot leave Imad, she don't want to leave Imad even though she didn't marry him for him. She loves him!

"Leave!" He yelled again, turning his back to her while gripping the base of his neck to stop himself from doing any physical damage. "Now." He added when she tried begging him again, one wrong move and she will be moaning in pain on the floor.

Before she left, he made sure to severe all ties that could bind them together again. "I, Imad Sunusi Lamido, divorce you, Amirah Ibrahim Adam!"

Dandandandan!

Happy new month everyone! It's my birthday month. Mine's 4th August, when yours? Let's see whether I have a birth date mate😹