What am I to do with my life, Momy? I love Zainab. I love her! A love stronger than anything I ever felt for Hajara. Please, help me to have her as my wife. By Allah, I could lose my life because of her.”

His words cut deep into his mother’s heart. Without hesitation, she took his hand in hers, and with her other soft hand she wiped away his tears, saying:

“Don’t cry, my son. With Allah’s permission, Zainab will have no husband but you. I promise you, as long as I am alive, you will marry her. I live for your happiness; I don’t want to lose you because of her.”

“From the beginning, destiny tied you to Hajara, and that was why you didn’t marry Zainab. But now, be calm—by God’s will, you will marry her.”

She paused, then asked gently,

“But, son, let me ask you this—have you told Zainab again about your love for her, and she rejected you? Or is it that you are burning with love without ever confessing it to her?”

“I’ve told her the secret of my heart, Momy,” he replied. “But you know, she still hasn’t recovered from the illness she carries in her body. And she’s still weighed down by the grief of losing both her parents years ago.”

Momy covered her mouth in shock. “Hmm… what exactly did her former husband do to her that left her in such a ruined state?”

“I don’t know what he did,” Nazeer answered gravely. “But I know he inflicted a terrible wound on her life. Her brother-in-law, Hayatu, said he would tell me about the struggles she faced in her ex-husband Laweezi’s house.”

“May Allah ease her pain and grant her healing,” Momy whispered.

“Amin, Momy,” Nazeer responded softly.

“But, son, what kind of illness does she suffer from?” she asked, leaning forward.

At once, his heart skipped a beat. Panic gripped him, but to avoid alarming her, he gathered himself and answered, “She has a venereal disease.”

Momy’s eyes flew wide in shock. The words struck her heart like a blow. She suppressed her fear and said, almost to herself, “Where could she have gotten such a disease?”

“I honestly don’t know,” he admitted.

Her body went cold with sorrow, and compassion for Zainab filled her soul. “She deserves pity. May Allah grant her healing and protection.”

Nazeer hadn’t expected his mother to make such a heartfelt prayer for Zainab. Smiling through his pain, he whispered, “Amin, Momy.”

She stood up, adjusting her wrapper, smiling at her beloved son. “My son, I’ll return to my room. Hand everything over to Allah, for He alone knows what is best for you. Pray constantly that He chooses what is truly good for your life.”

Nazeer nodded in gratitude. “Insha Allah, Momy. I will.”

“May Allah make it so,” she said, and left the room.

After she closed the door, Nazeer slowly walked to his small trunk, took out an envelope containing Zainab’s photographs, and returned to sit on the bed. He gazed at them, feeling an intoxicating joy and soothing peace flooding through his body. It was as if his entire being was saturated with her love, coursing through his veins.

Eventually, when he grew tired of sitting, he lay down on the bed, his face turned to the ceiling, Zainab’s photos clutched tightly to his chest, his broad chest covered in thick hair rising and falling with emotion.

---

Meanwhile…

Aunty Maijiddah was seated on her bed, speaking quietly with her husband. Her heart was heavy, filled with the desire to see justice served against those who had a hand in her parents’ deaths. The memories of what had happened to them always plunged her into deep sorrow.

“K’albi,” she said, “haven’t you yet uncovered who was behind the death of my parents? My mind can’t rest over this matter.”

Yah Hayatu looked into her eyes. “Why can’t your mind rest, Jiddana?”

With a trembling heart, and haunted by fear of Laweezi—Zainab’s ex-husband—Maijiddah answered, “Because I fear what might happen again. You know Laweezi is a wicked man, notorious for betrayal. His cruelty surpasses his years. He would go to any length to make sure his secrets remain hidden.”

She lowered her gaze, voice quivering. “Do you know something, K’albi?”

Hayatu sighed softly. “Tell me.”

Her eyes welled up with tears. Tilting her head in fear and doubt, she whispered, “Laweezi still disturbs Zee with phone calls. Almost every day, he rings her from different numbers. I can’t understand what he wants from her, after destroying her life and causing her nothing but misery.”

Hayatu’s eyes widened in shock. “On what grounds does he harass her, even after divorcing her once?”