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She entered Mariya’s living room with a greeting, only to find Alhaji sitting there as well. Mariya barely responded, while Alhaji kept his focus on the TV, watching the news. With a firm expression, she walked in and greeted Mariya.

“Good afternoon. What kind of greeting response is that?”

It wasn’t until Alhaji heard her voice that he turned around with a smile.

“Ah, welcome! How is everyone back home?”

With a cold tone, she replied, “They are fine.”

Mariya, on the other hand, was visibly irritated, breathing heavily with anger. Rabi ignored her and found a seat.

"You didn’t tell us you were coming. We just saw you appear," Alhaji said.

“Yes, I came for a wedding in Zaria, so I thought I should stop by since you’ve ignored us for so long. Innayo keeps complaining that you don’t call her anymore.”

Alhaji looked remorseful. “I’m sorry, please forgive me. I’ve just been very busy. I was actually planning to visit next month.”

Rabi just listened quietly.

"Mariya, get her some water," Alhaji instructed.

“If she has legs, she can go to the kitchen and get it herself!”

It was as if Rabi was dreaming—she couldn’t believe what she had just heard from Mariya.

Both she and Alhaji stared at Mariya in shock.

"Do you have no shame, Mariya? Is this how you speak to my sister?" Alhaji scolded.

But Mariya repeated herself, then turned on Alhaji with an outburst. He immediately became weak and started apologizing to her.

"Get the water yourself, Rabi," he said.

Rabi, already overwhelmed with shock, opened her mouth to speak, but he yelled at her instead.

“I said go get it yourself! Or can’t you hear me? You’ve come to my house just to stress me out. This foolishness has to stop!”

Rabi was completely stunned and just sat there, speechless. After regaining her senses, she confronted him about Aminatu’s belongings that had been taken from her room.

Alhaji responded indifferently, “So what? Mariya took them and sent them to her parents in Mubi, with my approval. Is there anything you can do about it?”

Rabi knew Mariya had completely manipulated him, but one day, her secrets would be exposed.

Mariya smirked and added, "And if you think you can do anything about it, be my guest. The door is right there." She gestured toward the exit.

“If you’re done gossiping and fighting for Aminatu’s rights—since she sent you—there’s the way out.”

Mariya then stood up as if an egg had cracked on her head, shocked that her brother-in-law hadn’t defended her. She left the room, speechless.

She went straight to Aminatu’s room and said, “Aminatu, why didn’t you reach out to us when all this happened? Mariya has completely controlled Hamma, hasn’t she? Today, that girl insulted me in his presence, and he just stood there watching! She even joined her in insulting me. I swear, if it weren’t already late in the day, I wouldn’t have spent another night in this house.”

Aminatu tried to console her, knowing that she had only shared a small part of what she had been through. If she had revealed everything, they might have gathered everyone from Mubi to confront Alhaji.

The next morning, Rabi prepared to leave, but Mariya ensured that Alhaji didn’t give her a single penny. That was what angered her the most as she left the house with many thoughts weighing on her mind.

It was a Friday, and the children were at school. Aminatu’s neighbor, Maman Yasir, came to visit since she hadn’t seen her for a few days. Though they had recently grown closer, Aminatu had never shared her struggles with her.

Maman Yasir, being an observant woman, had already figured things out but chose to stay silent.

She entered the house with a greeting, but noticing how empty the living room was, her concern deepened.

"Good afternoon, Maman ‘Yan Biyu," she greeted.

"I’m fine, welcome," Aminatu replied with a smile, spreading a mat for her to sit on.

As they chatted, Aminatu got up and brought her some water in a cup.

Maman Yasir just stared at the water, lost in thought.

After a moment, she finally spoke. “Aminatu, what is going on? I see you as a sister, so why do you keep hiding your pain from me? It’s been clear for a long time that something is wrong, but I’ve kept quiet, just observing you. Who doesn’t know what’s happening in this house? The entire neighborhood knows! I even heard people discussing your situation last week at a naming ceremony. They were talking about your children—the school they attend, the clothes they wear. I know the truth because they always play at my house. But I wanted to give you time to tell me yourself. Yet, you’ve remained silent.”

She sighed deeply.

“Even now, the twins are at my house, crying. When I asked them what was wrong, they said their mother would beat them if they told me. That’s why I came here myself. Tell me, Aminatu, what is happening?”

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