Unsealed Fate

Chapter 34: Red Flag

This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend, adorablefanatic
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments and genuinely taking your time to read this book. You are truly adorable. I'm glad that I met you.❤🤭

RED FLAG

★★★★★

There was nothing quite as exhausting as getting ready for a big event. The preparation for Ahmad's wedding took everyone by surprise when the location was changed at the dying minute. We were supposed to travel to Kano for the wedding but I was surprised to learn that we were having it here in Abuja which was perfectly okay by me but the others didn't seem quite fine by it, especially Aunt Fatimah, the groom's mother. 

They chose to have the Nikkah at Sheikh Gobir Grand Mosque and Ahmad's friends had already picked a venue for the reception and dinner. Transcorp Hilton Hotel was a magnificent place for such an event and my sister seemed not very happy about it because she never got such a grandiose venue for her reception in her time. She had married Ahmad when he had nothing and they lived happily before he got into the army and started earning well which was a good thing by the way. Now that everything seemed perfectly fine with the couple, he decided to add a second wife. 

My heart went to my sister. It had been more than three months now since she came home and she didn't seem willing to go back to her matrimonial home. She had been sick since the day before and the wedding was going to take place the next day which happened to be the last Saturday of the month. I didn't know if she would be able to attend it given her condition. It was getting worse. The pregnancy seemed to be taking its toll on her health this time. I feel sorry for her.

I walked out of the guestroom after I was done organizing it. We had important visitors—my father's immediate younger brother, Uncle Kasim, had arrived with his family and Aunty Fatimah. He worked with a construction company in Lagos where he lived. He was married to Hajiya Maryam whom we usually called Mama Bola. She was Imran's paternal aunt. She and her husband were like the bridge between both families. 

I hadn't seen them in quite a long time and here they were. The living room was alive with chatter and laughter. I saw Bola, my charismatic cousin sitting on our three-seater couch with my sister's head resting on her lap, wrapped up in a thick blanket. "And here I thought we were coming to greet my grandmother who was unwell."She whispered, leaning over to Teslim." Instead, we are going to attend Ahmad and Hanifah's epic wedding." She said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"You didn't know they were getting married?"Teslim asked, keeping her voice low from our parents and Ahmad's mum.

"Nobody told me," Bola replied with an annoyed expression. "I didn't know until I got here. I'm still recovering from the shock." Teslim said nothing to that effect. Instead, she stared at Zainab who sat next to her older sister.

 "Why would Hanifah betray you like this?" Bola was still crying over spilled milk. "But that girl doesn't have a conscience. I thought she was your very good friend."It was obvious that Bola and Teslim were the only ones who were not so happy about this marriage. They seemed to have gotten even closer, now that they'd got a common enemy.

"I heard that it was her parents that set her up with your husband." Zainab chimed in, glancing discreetly at her mother who was engaged in a serious chat with my mother and Aunt Fatimah. I stood a few inches away, observing everyone in the room. 

"It's obvious she threw herself at him. You know how shameless that girl can be." Bola added, lowering her voice. It was obvious they didn't want anyone to eavesdrop on their little gossip.