She chuckled humorlessly at the stunned expression on his face. "Wasn't it obvious? She was perfect, wasn't she? Just like her mother" She spatted, pure venom lacing her tone and facial expression.

Zayn remained rooted in his spot. Honestly, he doesn't know just how much revelations he can take. "What?" His voice came out low, almost too low.

"That's right" She nodded, wiping the tears furiously. She then sniffed, looking up as if that would stop the tears. When she looked down at him again, they no longer flowed like before. "Her mother was your father's second wife..."

She must've realized that confusion was still very much evident on Zayn's face before she spoke her next words, explaining the situation to him.

"Well, my husband dearest married her after I've had our first and only children, the twins; Ahmed and Sabrina" She paused for a while, and Zayn didn't need her to speak to know that she wasn't talking about him. "If I didn't know better then I'd say he loved her more than anything" She hissed. "But marrying her was one thing, having her kill my son was another"

At that point, Zayn didn't know how to react again really. He has an inkling where the story is going, and it's safe to say it does not justify her actions one bit.

"It was an accident, they all said" She stated, then scoffed. Those were the words she refuse to believe for more than two decades. "One time...the very one time! I allowed her to go out with him one time because she apparently loves him and what? They got into an accident where only he died" She hissed slightly, shaking her head.

That wasthe incident that first changed her. She didn't take the loss of her child well, especially not after she was told that she couln't give birth again so she cherished and loved her two children more than anything in the world. So of course, when she her co-wife that she didn't particularly like killed her child, in her words, she didn't quite take it well.

Zayn wondered why he never knew of his father's second wife, or maybe, she is his mother. The woman that is. "What happened to her?" He finally managed to ask.

She shrugged carelessly, "Six feet underground with her daughter. I'm sure they are enjoying each other's company in hell"

"You killed her?"

"No I didn't" That is one fact she never lied about. She didn't have a hand in her co-wife's death. The woman died while giving birth to her only daughter Kulsum, and then she was forced to take the daughter as hers by her husband dearest.

If only they all knew how much she hated the girl more than anything. She wanted nothing more than for her to feel the pain her mother caused her because every time she looks at her, all she saw was the woman responsible for her son's death.

Zayn simply stared at her in disbelief. How could she utter such grave words with nonchalance like that? She spoke of it as if she was discussing the weather or something. Has she always been that heartless?

"So I'm just..." Zayn's eyes clouded with tears again. All his life, he had been living a complete lie. "I'm not even part of the Danbatta family, am I?"

She shook her head. "No, you are adopted" She hated uttering those words, because she had always felt like Zayn was a replacemnt of the child she lost. So, she named him after her deceased son. She stepped closer to him, reaching out to hold him, the tears she had forced back now stinging her eyes.

A small, barely audible sob escaped his parted lips. His blurry eyes fixated on her. There was this ache in his heart that grew slowly, and it hurts the more he stared at the woman he grew up knowing as his loving mother who turned out to be anything but.

But she couldn't handle the look in his eyes.No. She simply couldn't.

Zayn stepped away from her, holding his hands up to stop her from coming closer to him. "If you kept sending Kulsum those messages, then what happened to her son?"

She swallowed hard, sniffing slightly but his words made her cold expression return. "He's dead" She stated. "I had that Laura kill him after I scouted her; saving her from that life she lived. Quite unfortunately, she didn't make any use of the life I saved her from and ended up dying instead. How pathetic"

Zayn covered his mouth with his hand. He was starting to believe that he and disbelief are now close friends, because it's simply the only emotion he could feel at the moment. Massaging his temples as he blinked the tears back, he let out a small sob. His eyes soley fixated on her. "How could live with your conciousness after doing all those things?" His voice came out low, for he didn't have the energy to even raise it.

She was caught in between this intense emotion of loathe whenever he spoke of the past, and this hurt emotion whenever he says words like that to her. "I did everything for us, for you and your sister"

Zayn looked away from her, chuckling humorlessly as he paced the room in slow steps, hands running through his hair repeatedly, messing it. There was just one question running through his head. One. "Who are you?" He asked, head tilted to the side and eyes clouded with unshed tears.

She dropped on her knees, pleading with him to understand her but he just couldn't. He honestly doesn't know who she is anymore. His knees weaken, and the next second, he found himself on the floor, with hands buried in between his palms as the tears quietly fall from his face.

The only sounds that filled the room was that of hers, pleading with him. Pleading what? He doesn't know anymore.

Seconds later, he heard foosteps entering the room, and then when he looked up, through his blurry eyes, he saw the police taking her. He didn't know how they got there, or who called them but he didn't have the strength to stop them. He got his answers when he saw Kamal approaching him, but he had no words to say to the man.

Everything hurts to him. It hurt almost as much as the pain he felt when Kulsum died.

His gaze remained solely fixated on whom he had always believed to be his mother as she fought in the hands of the female cops, taking her out. She kept calling his name, but there was nothing he could do.

He couldn't remember what happened next, because everything blacked out.

~*~

Beeps.

Those were the first thing he heard when he regained his conciousness.

He parted his eye lids first, slowly as he got them accustomed to the brightness. He didn't need anyone to tell him that he's in the hospital. The machine, the smell, the hospital outfit he had on and the white paint were all he needed to know.

Weirdly enough, he wasn't feeling any kind of pain. At least, not physically. Emotionally, he was still hanging by a thread.

He pushed himself up the bed, spotting a glass of water by the side. He then picked it up, before taking a sip. He dropped it back when he gulped down the whole thing, then his gaze landed on the paper beside the cup which simply had a room number scribbled on it.

Taking in a slow, deep breath, he pushed himself out of bed and slipped on the flip flops beside the bed. Judging from the way the room was dark, except for the lights that had been turned on that is, he'd say that it's night time.

There was no one there with him, not that he expected anyone to be honest.

As he got out of the room and started his search for the room whose number he just saw, he ignored the curious look of people that watched him quitely. Perhaps, they thought of how weird it seemed to see the man walking alone and looking lifeless. He had as much rest as his body could take, but his eyes were small, and looked lifeless. His steps seemed forced, and his overall demeanor was just...off.

Eventually, he found the room. He then knocked on it, then twisted the doorknob and stepped in. He didn't know who he was expecting, but he didn't know what to feel when he saw his father, seated on the bed with a book in his hand, reading it.

Last he heard of his father the man was going to undergo surgery. Clearly, it was a success.

The old man looked up, and on seeing his son, he offered him a small smile and waved him over. Zayn quitely did do, and then sat on the empty chair beside the old man. Just like him, there was no one with him.

"Your sister is still grieving over learning the truth" That was the first thing the old man said, answering the question running through Zayn's head.

Zayn nodded. He would've asked why she would need to grieve, but he understood how she felt. Sure enough she was anything but nice towards Kulsum, but she clealry had no idea of who her mother really is.

"You've been unconcious for more than twenty four hours" The man added, because clearly, Zayn had no zeal in him to speak up.

Zayn made no reaction towards that. He figured he must've been unconcious for that long considering all he felt at the moment was pain—mentally--, and that was it.

The old man then sighed, closing the book and placing it aside. "This is why I never wanted you to find out"

Zayn stared at him, then parted his lips to finally speak. "When did you find out?"

The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "After Kulsum died. I overheard her on a phone call when she was still searching for Kulsum's phone so she could hide it. No one knew it was with Salma"

Zayn blinked, his voice still low because he could't bring himself to speak higher than that. He felt as though it will drain the last bit of energy he has in him. "Why didn't you do anything about it?"

"Because I didn't want you and your sister to go through what you're going through now. I didn't want you to go through this pain because of your mother"

Zayn scoffed slightly, looking down. "I'm not part of your family"

That had his father quickly shaking his head. "Do not ever say that Zayn. No matter what, we are still family and that will never change"

Zayn was finding it hard to believe that. Nonetheless, he didn't argue on it. He looked up, then asked the one question that had been running though his head since he regained his conciousness. "Do you know my real parents?"

The old man shook his head, a sullen look taking over his features.

"What about her?" Zayn's voice came out barely above a whisper. Despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to not ask about her. "How is she? What happened to her?"

Alhaji Danbatta sighed deeply. He was told to not stress himself since he was lucky he didn't have to undergo a surgery. But if he had a repetition of what happpened before, then he would need it. And then, there's no certainty he'll survive that. "She's in a mental institution for now. They don't believe she's in her right sense so she'll be monitored there"

Zayn swallowed thickly, digesting the information. He moved his gaze, staring blankly at the wall. He expected that too, and was honestly not too surprised she ended up there.

Alhaji Danbatta noticed the look on his son's face. And at the moment, he doubted if there's anything that would bring the man back to normal. "But there's one more thing" Except what he was about to utter. "Kulsum's son is alive"

~*~

Zayn didn't care or wait to be discharged. They could discharge themself for all he cares. The minute he got the infromation he had so desperately needed to hear for years, he headed back to his room, changed into his outfit which had been kept on the couch for him, along with his car keys, then headed out.

He was sure Kamal was responsible for that. The man must've known that he would need it when he woke up.

Zayn inserted the addresshe got from his father in the map. He had never been there before but at the moment, he was hoping he would just see himself there with a snap of his fingers. But he couldn't. And instead, he had to drive there.

It took longer than he expected and wanted, and by the time he reached the estate, his patience was running thinner than a thread. Nevertheless, he got out of the car and all but ran towards the second building he saw, which as his father stated, is the house.

He then knocked on the front door, repeating the action a couple of times; tapping his foot on the floor restlessly. A minute later, the door swung open and there stood the face that he had become familiarized with.

And then, soft footsteps approached the duo. That had Zayn snapping his gaze to the person that joined them, curiously eying the stranger at the door.

"Mommy, who is this?" The little boy asked, his gaze not once moving away from Zayn. But unlike him, Zayn didn't need anyone to tell him who it is.

The little munchkin that goes around hitting people's car windows just like his mama did in the past. If that wasn't enough proof of their relation, then the physical resemblance was clear as day; it was almost too much honestly. He was her with a sprinkle of his father.

Kulsum's son.

All the signs were there. Too evident to be ignored. If he had seen him before, then he would've known at first glance.

A small smile made its way on Batoulah's face as stared at Zayn, then she turned to the boy standing behind her. "Baby, meet your Uncle, Zayn"