Collision of hearts

Chapter 16

1 Week Later

I was getting ready when Zaid told me we were going out today to visit some family members after he got back from work. I finished getting ready and found him in the living room, looking handsome as always in his brown kaftan.

"Muje?" I said, and he looked up, staring at me for almost a minute. "Why don't you take a picture? It will last longer," I said cockily, and he smiled. "Good idea. Come here," he said, standing and pulling out a box. I remembered that box; it was the same one he had gotten from the mall.

I stood next to him as he opened it to reveal a beautiful piece of jewelry. He removed the one I was wearing and replaced it with the one from the box. "Perfect. You are stunning. I have a beautiful wife," he said. I blushed and said, "Well, you are breathtaking too," hoping he didn't hear. "What was that?" he asked, amused. "Nothing, let's go," I giggled, walking away, but he held my hand. "Pictures last longer, so come on."

We took some photos together. After 15 minutes, we left. We first went to the Yusuf's. Mami had gone over the people we were visiting, and we left after a while.

The first house we visited was Zaid's cousin Mansura's. "Mommy, mommy," we heard a voice coming closer. It was Ammar, so she is his mom. "Mommy, Hanan is being mean to—Anty Nadiaaaa," he ran to me, hugging me. I picked him up and placed him on my lap.

"So you are the Nadia he keeps talking about; now I can see why," Mansura said, and I smiled. After a while, she went in to call her husband, Allamu. They were a lovely couple, and we exchanged greetings. He and Zaid excused themselves.

After 30 minutes, we left and visited about eight houses. At the last house, we were exchanging greetings with the mother, who I learned was Anty Hauwa and Fatima's mother. A few minutes later, Anisa came in. "Anty—" her words were cut off when she saw me and Zaid. "Anisa, what's wrong?" Anty Hauwa asked, and she shook her head. "Nothing. Ina yini," she greeted Zaid, and he answered "Lafiya." She turned and left.

Five minutes later, Fatima came in. We exchanged greetings, and she asked to speak to Zaid in private. He nodded, saying he would be right back.

Zaid's POV

Fatima said she needed to talk to me about something, and i thought it'd probably a boy problem because she always comes to me for advice. I went out and immediately regretted it when I saw Anisa waiting for me instead of Fatima.

"Zaid, you married that girl. How could you? How could you do this to me?" she said, and I started walking away. "I'm sorry, please talk to me," she said as she held my shirt. She felt something in my pocket and reached for it—it was the jewelry box, and Nadia's jewelry was inside.

"Beautiful. Is this for your little wife?" she gushed. "Give it back," I said. "No. That bitch doesn't deserve—" I cut her off with a tight hold on her neck. "Don't you ever disrespect MY WIFE again, understand?" She nodded hysterically. "Call her names again, and you will see what will happen to you," I said, letting go of her neck as she collapsed, gasping for air. I walked away and would deal with Fatima later.

We left the house almost immediately. The ride back home was silent with thick tension in the car. We stopped to get food. I asked Nadia what she wanted, but she said she wasn't hungry, though her stomach gave her away when it grumbled. I said I would get the same thing for us.

We arrived home, and Nadia went straight to her room. I sighed and sat on the couch. Thirty minutes later, Nadia came back wearing a black hijab. "Where's my jewelry?" she asked, and I internally cursed myself; it was with Anisa.

"I left it in the car," I lied. "Can you please get it for me? It's very precious. Nene gave it to me, so I don't want to lose it," she said, and my heart sank. "It's in the car. I'll give it back tomorrow." "Okay, thank you," she said, leaving.