WrongSufferedAtHands

17.

The twist to her stomach felt like being warped in the innards by a pipe wrench, and she whimpered as she finally spewed up. She puked for over five minutes in the bowl before the queasy feeling in her stomach subsided. She heard the bathroom door open behind her followed by a gentle tug to her hair. While she was feeling far more queasy due to the nauseating sensation, Affan collected her hair into a fist behind her and massaged circles on her back to comfort her.

"You shouldn't have come, it's all nasty and stinky here." she complained as she slapped the chilled water across her face.

"Aren't we both in this together?"

Afiyah looked confused at what he said.

"This pregnancy, we're both in it together, and you're my responsibility to look after."

She drew closer to him, pushing her head against the firm chest, and a grin spread across her face. The fact that Affan didn't actually offer her a hug in return was something she was aware of, but she was too delighted to care.

"You seem happy today; do you have anything to share?" Pinching her nose, he demanded.

"Nothing in particular. Simply a sense of relief as if a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I'm happy and wish to stay so for the rest of my life."

Following their joint exit from the restroom, they sat on the bed. Affan opened his mouth to speak but was cut short by a phone call. He excused himself and walked out of the room. She reasoned that it may be coming from the workplace, but she couldn't escape the unpleasant sensation in her heart.

Afiyah began to believe that her bond with Affan was growing as they started to communicate more and show affection for one another, but she was still concerned for him due to his abrupt attitude shift after receiving a phone call. She wasn't bothered by the way he would slip out of bed in the middle of the night and return many hours later. She made an effort to convince herself that he was distracted by work, but she couldn't keep lying to herself all the damn time.

Until such time when she requested Affan to lend her his phone so she could call Hareem, since she didn't have enough credit to place a phone call. Due to the sheer loud TV in the room, she had to move out of the room to talk properly. The moment she heard the phone ring and saw the message on the screen, she immediately experienced remorse and felt guilty for herself for having ever asked for his cell phone.

The remorse caused her to come to a stand near the room door; she pressed her cheek against the door to detect whether Affan was following her.

When she entered the chats, her frail heart only enabled her to view a few messages before she had to switch off the phone. What she witnessed, which she would have labeled as a betrayal, shocked her. Some of the conversation truly crushed her heart, breaking it like a glass hurled across the wall; she could hear it loud and clear in her ears.

"What exactly do you expect?" She murmured to herself as she sensed her eyes warm up and start to feel moist, and before she knew it, tears had begun to well up in her eyes.

Affan's nighttime departures and even the open hints he gave her on the wedding night were signs she should have anticipated this. She was too dumb to even believe that her relationship with Affan was mending; instead, it was rapidly disintegrating.

She made an effort to keep her face neutral as she went into her room.

"Thanks." She stated it blankly as she handed the phone back to Affan. She tried to flee but was stopped by the hold on her wrist.

"Wait. Are you crying?"

"No."

"I can see it."

"I said I'm not." Her voice trembled, and a wail escaped passes her lips.