The Ineligible

Chapter 18; Fiery Cinderella

There comes a time in every person's life when he/she realises he/she's not as young as they once were. That they have to take matters in their own hands and save themselves from the torments of the world cause apparently no one is coming to their rescue.

For Malika, that moment came when she woke up face down on the floor of Hafidh's bedroom.

Groaning over the pain coming from her body, she reluctantly attempted to move. She closed her eyes tightly and rolled over.

Now laying down on her back, she opened her eyes and they landed on the ceiling, she watched as the fan swirled around for mere seconds then turned her head slowly to the side where the bed was and tilted to look up if Hafidh was still there, he was! Sleeping on his stomach with a pillow on his head.

Last nights events came rushing to her, him on top of her and all over her. Turning her, tossing her and using her however he wanted, however he pleased. Inflicting unimaginable pain and sufferings to her, both physically and emotionally. She remembered how she couldn't make any sound but could just pray that he finished and would stop soon.

She didn't know for how long he went on with his brutal actions or what time he finished for she had blocked the reality to the extent she went numb and almost into a coma only to wake up in the morning.

She pulled herself together and slowly sat up, hardly able to ignore the pain she was feeling. She tried standing up but she couldn't. She took a long breath and tried again and this time she was managed to stand right up. She began taking small steps whilst holding in her stomach as if preventing it from leaving her body, slowly she made her way to the washroom. With the little energy left in her she started the cold shower.

There was no warm water in the house. They didn't have heaters nor was she familiar enough with the house to go to the kitchen and boil water for herself. So the cold showers were all she was going to do.

The water poured on her tired, hurting body down to her feet and her eyes poured too. She showered then did ghusl to purify her body, but deep down she still felt dirty and disgusted. She finished and took wudu.

Entering the room again she found Hafidh still on the bed laying the same way she left him. She looked for her phone to check the time and it was a few minutes before fajr. Quietly and carefully not to wake up the devil she took her mswala and spread it in a corner of the room to pray two rakats of sunnah before fajr.

And as she went to Sujood, she got overwhelmed by everything that happened, it was then when her head hit the ground that the reality of everything hit her all at once. She didn't know exactly what to ask from her Lord and the only thing she could do was cry in agony while calling out to him.

"Ya Allah!"

"Ya Allah!"

"Ya Allah!"

She finished the sunnah and prayed fajr, carefully as before prepared herself and left the house to go to work. It was too early still, but she would rather be anywhere else than there.

When life seemed to have stopped for her it went by for everyone and everything else. She reached Ganem Gas and Oil Company way too early than she usually would. The gateman looked at her and smiled and as expected she managed to smile back at him. She walked in and slowly to the elevator, the dear receptionist wasn't even there yet and that proved how early she got there that Monday.

The elevator took her all the way up to the floor where her office was located. She walked slowly to her office, took out her keys and opened her door. She stood at the entrance of her office for a moment before fully entering. She walked slowly to her desk and looked around the office. She was so lost in whatever she was searching for with her eyes that she didn't hear when someone came and at her door and called out for her.