Deceptive Glitters ✅

Chapter 37: One Step Forward

Hey it's been a little while, how have you been?
You know I sort of like multiple updates so it's a triple update.....
Happy Reading

Layla made it her mission to visit Khadijah everyday for the past two weeks, though most of the time was spent in silence, they would watch a movie once in a while but that was it.

Khadijah decided after Layla's visit night before to let herself heal and not fall back in the same pattern of pain that she'd been doing everyday for the past weeks.

It was going to be hard, that she was sure of, and when she woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat reliving the pain, it affirmed her that she was right, it wouldn't be easy, that was why she didn’t tell anyone because they'll force her to go back to therapy, she knew it wouldn't help and a relapse wasn't something she was looking up to.

She walked out of her room and to the kitchen, she made her usual black coffee and sat back watching her mother cook.

Seeing how much food her mother was making, she wanted to ask if they were feeding an army but refrained remembering her mother liked to cook sometimes and just give it out as sadaqah. (charity)

She'd helped package the food then went and took her bath, she told her mother she was going out, hajiya Ladidi was too happy she was stepping out she didn’t even ask where she was going, it was probably to Layla's or one of her sisters, well a specific one anyways, she knew it would take a while before she went back to normal with Baraka.

It was when Khadijah was in the car that she realized she should've picked a specific place to visit, she would've loved to go and see Sadiya but she wasn't quite in the mood for her nieces and nephew, and Layla told her she had an impromptu trip to the Abuja, she would be back in the evening, with no course she set for the nearest supermarket deciding she should treat herself and get something for Sadiya, her baby was due in a few months.

She was in the baby clothes section when her heart involuntarily lurched, she stopped to catch her breath keeping the two onesies she held, mentally counting to ten to control her breathing that was coming out in pants, not knowing why she suddenly felt suffocated, she moved to the wall and rested her back against it, she tried the breathing exercises again and this time it worked, when she was sure she could stand on her feet, she decided to leave the place altogether.

“The blue is better.” she couldn't mistake the voice, she knew that voice!

She walked faster wanting to escape from the nightmare because it had to be a nightmare and in her haste to leave she bumped into someone, she muttered a sorry at least she thought she did though she wasn't sure. Her vision blurred making her surrounding seem hazy as she pushed the person.

“Khadijah?” she froze, it wasn't a question she knew.

Instinctively she stepped back, only then realizing she’d shut her eyes, maybe she actually was dreaming, you dream with your eyes closed right?

“Khadijah.” she couldn't mistake the voice, she's heard it each and every day for the past two weeks, embedding itself in her memory anew, like she'd ever forgotten.

She felt someone shake her which breaking her from her trance, she looked up at the bane of her existence and shivered, out of fear definitely, it felt all too familiar.

It was probably a mistake on her part to show fear, like a predator he smells fear and loved it, he loved the chase, she reminded herself.

“Fancy seeing you here.” his voice was deeper, more gruff than it was before now that she's paying attention, she didn't reply.