Due to the call to prayer, Zynah broke out of her trance. She wiped a lone tear from her eye and swallowed a lump in her throat. She was tired of living like an outcast in a house that was supposed to be her home. The regret of the decision she made years ago was eating her up. Momentarily, she contemplated on leaving the house and going very far away from all of her worries and problems - away from her marriage. Away from her monster of a husband, Bilal, but the big question was; would she be able to succeed? Ambling to the bathroom, she performed wudhu (ablution) and emerged afterwards. She spread the prayer mat by the corner of the room and began to pray to the creator of the universe. Like always, she cried in sujood (prostration) and pleaded with Allah, the most merciful and compassionate to make a way for her. A way out of her sham of a marriage. She wanted to be strong - she really tried, but her courage and patience had been exceeded. She couldn't fight any longer. She was

"What! Me?" Nazmeera's demeanor contorted in astonishment. "She did this to you?" Bilal asked in a soft, yet profound voice. Zynah nodded. Deep within, she was scared of what his reaction would be. If he ended up believing her, it would be a miracle on his side and if he did not believe her, she wouldn't even be surprised. Her expectations were zero. Glaring menacingly at Nazmeera, he questioned; "is this true?" "Of course not!" She was quick to deny. "She's accusing me and you know it. How can I possibly do this to her? She doesn't like me and I'm sure this is her way of getting back at me for what happened the last time and you..." She trialed off, a calculated sob escaping her lips. "... Don't tell me you actually believe this liar over your own biological sister." Bilal remained silent, his gaze flickering between Zynah and Nazmeera, seemingly searching for the truth in their eyes. It was as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. "Your silence says it a

Ferociously, Zynah opened the small drawer in the bathroom and fumbled around for a pregnancy test strip. The first time she suspected she was pregnant, she had bought the test strips in bulk, so she believed she would be able to find an extra one and fortunately for her, she did. Without wasting a second more, she peed on it and the next few minutes felt like forever. Time seemed to be moving slow. Too slow for her liking. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest as she awaited the result. Her breathing labored and her eyes, tightly shut. It was over ten minutes, yet Zynah couldn't bring herself to take a look at the result. She was afraid of finding out she was pregnant. She was about to start anew, but if she was pregnant, she would never truly be able to forget Bilal, because the child would be a connection and she wanted to sever all connections and ties with him. Mustering all of the courage in her, she decided to take a look at the result now. A small part of her mind wa

Zynah's heart suddenly began to beat faster, if that was even possible. She fidgeted with her fingers as she waited for her to approach. Due to extreme nervousness, she turned her back on the gate immediately she heard the footstep getting louder, and finally, the cracking sound of an opening door. "Who are you?..." She suddenly trailed off and tears instantly welled up I'm her eyes as a flicker of recognition dawned on her. "Zy...Zynah!" She exclaimed.Not able to suppress her feelings anymore, Zynah broke down. Her entire body trembled aggressively as she cried. The mere presence of her mother, Hafsa crumbled all the composure she had been building — the same woman who used to be her strength, her confidant, her courage...but overnight, she lost all of that strength, traded it for a love that turned out to be nothing but a cruel illusion. Turning around, Zynah finally got the chance to see her mother's face - the first face she had ever known, now etched with worry lines that had

Not able to hold back her emotions any longer, Zynah lunged forward, throwing her arms around Ramlah in a tight hug. "I miss you so much," She choked out. "I miss you, Ramlah." Ramlah stood in total bewilderment, seemingly in a state of shock. "How have you been?" Zynah inquired, disentangling her arms from around her. "You're in your final year in the university, right? Mum told me... I'm so happy for you. You look so beautiful. Much more beautiful than before. I can't believe I..." She trailed off, realizing she had begun to ramble. "Ramlah," Zynah called, softly. "Why aren't you saying anything to me? Are you that shocked to see m—" Before she could finish her statement, Ramlah enveloped her in a suffocating hug. "OMG! Is this really you, Ya Zynah?" Ramlah pulled back for some sort of confirmation, before wrapping her arms around her again, her tears drenching Zynah's shoulder. "What happened to you? Why didn't you contact us? Me, especially. Why didn't you at least contact me