Under That Niqab

47. Visit

She got up in the middle of the night gasping for air, apart from her loud and greedy breathing voices everything was quiet. Keeping a hand on her chest she tried to take as much air in as conceivable.

Teardrops landed on her hands, below her neck which made her realize that she was crying.

And she didn't know what made her cry, she wasn't even feeling like crying but her body mechanism needed to vent out the repugnance in the form of tears, maybe it was her conscious mind trying to cope with reality by shedding tears.

She wiped them aggressively, glancing to the side to see Rabi in a deep slumber, she softly placed her legs on the cold floor and tiptoed toward the living room.

She wanted to cry so much hence even before reaching the sofa she landed on the floor, more tears pouring out from her eyes to the point she was hiccuping. She still didn't feel like she was the one who was the reason for the tears falling on the floor.

Emptiness surrounded her when her breath was lowered gradually as she tried to compose herself.

A hand came across her shoulders wrapping her and allowing her to rest her head on the shoulder.

"It's okay" Rabi murmured from behind her, but she didn't believe her. "Come on, get up let's sleep, you are very tired"

They got up together, mostly Rabi pulling her up steadying her feet on the floor, and guiding her to the bedroom making her lie down.

She was quiet now, the entire time while she felt Rabi settle down beside her, "what happened?" she asked after making sure Haya was tugged in."Bad dream?"

"It f-feels like I'm still living with that m-monster" She uttered, bringing the palm of her hand above her face and wiping the remaining tears off her face.

"You know that you can talk to me anytime if you feel like it, right?" Rabi assured and Haya just nodded. "You are far from that man's reach now, you are fine," she said.

It doesn't feel like it, nothing seems fine.

"You have work tomorrow, g-go back to sleep," she told Rabi, sighing and all the voices died in the room after that.

It was terrifying how the nights were sleepless after that day since she signed the divorce papers, her mind playing games with her making her believe that she was still within reach of that man.

At times she woke up in the middle of the night all sweaty and wrecked, with the nightmare of being strangled to death by the hands of Adnan.

It felt like death was near, and she had no life to live whatsoever.

°°°°

Rabi chirped moving across the hall to the kitchen carrying out different chores acting as if nothing happened last night, well it was not the first time she was woken up to Haya's restlessness in sleep. She always tried her best to make the atmosphere of the house less gloomy.

Haya was watching her whilst folding the clothes after Rabi put them on the couch having done with the laundry.

"I took a doctor's appointment today, I'll take you after I come back from work" She informed her.

"I don't need to go, I'm fine" Haya insisted since she didn't want Rabi to do things that were least important as she already was doing enough.

"I know you are fine but a little health checkup won't do any harm, alright?"

"I'll go on my own," Haya said.

"You definitely are not," Rabi said. "The first thing I have to do is visit Hareem's office and I have no idea why did he call me so early and then go to work. I won't be late though, will try to come by 5, be ready okay?" She notified her and Haya nodded, recalling about Hareem finding out something crucial which might be the reason he called Rabi.