Broken Hearts, Hidden Secrets

Chapter Ten

 Hidden Secrets {Zianna's}

Discoveries ; {Part One}

What would you do if you ever discovered that someone you gave importance to, isn't who they seem to be? You discover a lot of things about that person. Why they are like this with you? Why do they seem always to belittle or even try to push you down? One would say to let go but how can you let go when they were your entire world?

Zianna's Past Revealed.

Zianna, a seven-year-old, eagerly anticipated her father's return after he had been working abroad for two months. She felt a mix of nervousness and excitement about being with him.

Zianna was determined not to let her father down, especially when it came to excelling in school.

Not good, but great.

Zianna's father was extremely strict with her in every aspect.

As soon as he arrived, Zianna greeted him and hugged him, which he reciprocated but with less enthusiasm than hers.

"Asalam Aleikum, I have prepared everything for you. Just go in the bedroom to rest and then after I am done with making dinner. I will call you have it with us," Zianna's mother says to her husband with a smile.

But all she got was a scowl and a shrug before he went into their bedroom.

This is what I go through just to keep my family intact. But sometimes being patient goes a long way even though not in every situation.

"Zia, go and do your homework, while youR dad rests for a while as he is tired from his work trip," her mother says trying to make her daughter happy and not suspicious.

Zianna was at the age of asking questions about people and her mother didn't want her daughter to ask her about her father's character.

Zianna's mother didn't want her daughter to witness how her marriage was falling apart because of the changes her husband displayed while returning from a work trip.

He wasn't the cheerful father that Zianna loved and would seem to be tired all the time and didn't even want to know how Zianna's day was.

A few days passed Zianna's mother hoped and prayed that her husband would be the same as he was for the sake of their daughter.

But she was in for a surprise, especially after witnessing something happening in front of her eyes.

Zianna came home from school with a project in her small hands. She hurried inside the house making her mother laugh at her antics.

She wanted to show her father who was sitting on the couch when she walked in.

"Asalam Aleikum Dad. Today at school we did a project and I..."

Zianna did not even finish what she was saying when her father angrily shoved her. She was shocked as this was the first time her father ever did something like this.

"Go away you..."

"Hussein!!"

Zianna's mother yelled at her husband before he could say what he meant to.

She then asked her daughter to just go into her room to change so that they could have lunch.

As soon as Zianna left, Hania turned to face her husband with anger that radiated on her.

"What is wrong with you? Our daughter wanted to show you something an she thought that you would be proud of her but what changed?" Hania asks her husband who remained silent. "Ever since you came back from the work trip you have become a different person that Zianna and I knew and loved..."

"Because I changed and thats what happens when all I do it provide for you and her while you do nothing but leech on my money..."

Hussein didn't even get to finish what he was saying when Hania raised her hand to slap him.

This shocked him as it was the first time Hania had done this.

"You told me to quit my job when we first got married. Although I had reservations, you promised to take care of all my needs. And now, this is what I get. You wanted me to quit the job that I had even before we met, and promised that you will provide for our future family with everything that we will need," Hania says angrily. "I never asked you for materialistic things, and all I asked was for maintaining the house and for our daughter. Or maybe you are hiding something else, right Hussein?" She added asking her husband who was shocked but he tried covering it.

Hussein didn't know what to say to his wife. And they didn't know that Zianna was listening to everything that was said with tears flowing down her face.

Mamma and Dad are fighting and it is all because of me. I am a bad daughter and Dad hates me.

Hania angrily wiped her tears and decided to go and check on her daughter as she didnt even bother waiting for her husband's reply to her question. As she turned to go to Zianna's room thats when she heard her crying and blaming herself for what just happened between her parents.

Her heart broke for her daughter as she didnt deserve any of this. But Hania couldn't understand why Hussein started changing, especially, when he loved spending time with their daughter and taking her for father-daughter outings.

"Habibty, Mamma is here..."

Zianna immediately rushed to her mother's arms and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"It is okay, Habibty. It isn't your fault, its no ones. So wipe those tears and come help me make lunch," Hania says wiping the tears from her daughter's face.

Hania even tried to put on a fake smile just to lift Zianna's emotions, but she only saw a broken child caused by her father, who was supposed to protect her.

"But Dad said those words to you and to me. He meant it Mamma..."

"Shh!! Don't say that Habibty. He has alot of things in his mind thats why. He loves you very much after all he is your father, Zianna," her mother says trying to soothe the situation for her husband who didn't even bother to apologize to her and their daughter.

Hania knew that she had to protect her daughter at all costs even if it was from her father.

In the coming days, Hussein has begun to notice the changes from his daughter.

Whenever he was around, Zianna would confide in her room until it was time to help her mother with cooking and helping with the chores.

Hussein started to feel guilty but could not bring himself to apologize to his wife and daughter for thinking such thoughts about them.

Hania even started distancing herself from her husband and began spending more time with Zianna.

But that was the first of the discoveries that both Zianna and her mother Hania would find about Hussein.

Secrets don't stay hidden for too long except when one takes his/her secret to the grave.