The Killer's Kiss

7. Hamza, Sarah and his mother

When Hasna woke up, she was surprised to find the bed beside her empty. The familiar warmth of Hamza's presence was gone, replaced by an unsettling stillness. She sat up, glancing around the room, but there was no sign of him. Anxiety crept into her chest as she quickly searched the entire house, only to confirm that he was nowhere to be found. What if something had happened to him? Or worse, what if he had left her without saying a word?

As she made her way back to her room, she heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Her heart leapt with hope—maybe it was Hamza—but when she entered the kitchen, she found Khala instead. The older woman had returned, her presence a comforting sight amidst Hasna's unease.

"Assalamualaikum, dear. I'm so glad to see you," Khala greeted her with a warm smile and a hug.

Hasna tried to smile back, but the worry in her heart lingered. She chatted with Khala for a while, but her mind was elsewhere, tangled in thoughts of Hamza. Eventually, she excused herself and retreated to her room. She took a long shower, letting the water soothe her frayed nerves, and then performed her Fajr salah. But when she opened her Quran to recite, she found that she couldn't focus. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over without warning.

"Allah is enough for me. He is enough for my dunya and akhira," she whispered, trying to calm the storm inside her.

Just as she was beginning to regain her composure, a knock sounded at the door. Wiping her tears, she opened it to find Khala standing there, holding out a phone.

"Here, Hamza's calling," Khala said, her smile soft and reassuring.

Hasna's heart skipped a beat as she took the phone, her hands trembling slightly.

"Assalamualaikum," Hamza's voice came through the line, calm and steady. "I'm sorry I had to leave for an emergency business meeting. You were sleeping, so I didn't want to disturb you. I'll be back in two days."

Hasna let out a sigh of relief, though a small part of her still felt disappointed. She had wanted to see him, to talk to him, to share the thoughts and emotions swirling within her. But he was gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again. She put down the phone and looked out the window, watching as the sun began to rise, casting a warm glow over the tranquil island. The next two days seemed like they would stretch on endlessly, filled with too much time to think and not enough distractions.

---

Hamza entered his bedroom, the soft carpet cushioning his footsteps as he walked. The familiar scent of his wife's perfume filled the air, wrapping around him like a comforting embrace. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind, his touch gentle yet possessive. Sarah, who had been lost in her own thoughts, looked up at him in surprise, her expression quickly shifting to one of relief.

"I missed you, Sarah," he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to her shoulder.

She turned in his arms, her eyes searching his face. "Really? If you missed me, then why did you leave me here in the first place?" she teased, though there was a hint of genuine curiosity in her tone.

Hamza sighed, brushing a stray hair from her face. "What can I do, my love? I'm trapped. I have a business to handle. Otherwise, what fool would dare leave a beautiful wife like you behind? Believe me, if I could, I'd never leave you, not even for a second."

Sarah chuckled, her earlier worries melting away. She knew how to tease him, to coax out that playful side of him that she adored. "You've really mastered the art of sweet-talking your way out of trouble."

"Really? But look at you," Hamza countered, his eyes sparkling with affection. "You don't even need to do anything. One smile from you, and I'm already at your mercy."