𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 40

Sabeeha broke the hug and looked at Ayat's face, which was completely red while tears were continuously streaming down her cheeks. She cupped Ayat's face and wiped the tears with her thumb, but Ayat sniffled and looked down, lacking the strength to meet Sabeeha's gaze.

“Ayat!” Sabeeha called her in a gentle and sweet voice. Instantly, Ayat raised her eyelids and looked at her, still sniffing, as more tears began to fall. Sabeeha wiped her tears again, but they kept coming. “Don’t cry, or I’ll start crying, and then you won’t be able to handle me!” she said, her own eyes glistening with moisture.

Ayat just stared at her, feeling guilty for her actions. Then she wiped her tears with her arm like a child. Sabeeha cleared her own moist eyes, then gently held Ayat's shoulders and guided her to sit on the sofa. By this time, Ayat had done her best to stop crying.

Sabeeha glanced at Ayat’s face, which was still red and puffy from crying. Ayat was sniffling slowly.

“Look at me, Ayat…” Sabeeha said, but Ayat shook her head in refusal, and Sabeeha looked at her with concern.

“Are you feeling guilty?” As the words left her mouth, Ayat raised her eyelids and looked at Sabeeha, wondering how she always seemed to understand her. “Then don’t, because I’m not angry or sad with you, Ayat!” Sabeeha reassured her, taking her fragile hands in her own. A pang of worry hit her as she thought about what Ayat had done to her health.

“What have you done to your health, Ayat?” Sabeeha asked gently, and Ayat felt tears welling up again but managed to blink them away.

“N-nothing!” Ayat replied in a slow, shaky voice. Sabeeha felt a little peace after hearing her speak, at least she was saying something. Soon, their mother entered the room.

“Sabeeha, Aaris is saying he has some work; we should go,” Amma said, taking her phone away from her ear. Sabeeha looked at her.

“Yes, Amma, you go ahead. I’ll be there in just a minute,” Sabeeha answered, and Amma nodded as she left the room.

Turning back to Ayat, who was staring at a particular corner, Sabeeha said, “I know you have so much inside you, but I won’t force you to open up. Just take care of yourself… Now I should go.” Ayat tightened her grip on Sabeeha’s hand, which made Sabeeha smile faintly.

“I’ll come back soon, okay?” Sabeeha assured her. However, Ayat didn’t want to let her go; her intuition was screaming for her to hold on. But she knew Sabeeha had to leave, so she reluctantly loosened her grip. Sabeeha stood up, smiling gently.

“I’ll come to see you again soon!” Sabeeha said as she put on her veil. Just as she was about to leave, Ayat grabbed her hand again and stood up, facing Sabeeha, who looked confused.

“Fi aman'illah,” Ayat said softly. Sabeeha smiled back and responded, “Hmm, fi aman'illah.” Ayat then released her hand, and Sabeeha walked out. Ayat stood there, watching her disappear

When Sabeeha was out of sight, Ayat moved toward the main door and saw her heading to the car, which was parked a little way down the small road. This area had narrow streets, so people typically didn't let cars enter, as it made turning around difficult, and as sabeeha disappeared, Ayat moved inside

Sabeeha was walking towards the car on the main road, where many vehicles were passing by. She spotted Amma and Aaris sitting inside the car, waiting for her. She was on the left side of the road while they were on the right. Thinking about crossing the road, she reached into her purse when her phone rang. As she glanced at her purse and continued walking, she attempted to answer it. Suddenly, she heard a car horn blaring at full volume. Confused, she turned to look in that direction, but fear quickly filled her eyes. She stood frozen in place as the car sped toward her. In an instant, the vehicle collided with her, and she fell to the ground with a thud. The driver didn’t stop and continued driving away, leaving Sabeeha lying on the ground, her left hand bleeding profusely.