Ties

~Chapter 34

THIRD PERSON'S POV

It was another uneventful morning in Jannah's new life, much like every other day since she had left her marital home. The air felt thick with an unsettling stillness, punctuated only by the soft, melodic gurgles of her baby resonating in the background. Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow over the table where she had just set down a simple yet colourful breakfast of creamy oatmeal topped with slices of ripe banana and fresh berries. Just as she finished, her phone buzzed with a FaceTime call from Jafar, illuminating the screen like a beacon of familiarity in her uncertain world. A faint smile broke across her face, a rare flicker of warmth, as she slipped on her AirPods.

"Hi, Jaf!" she greeted, her voice bright with an artificial cheerfulness, though shadows of doubt loomed in the corners of her mind.

"How are you, J?" Jafar’s voice echoed back, heavy and strained, lacking the usual vibrancy she had come to expect from him. There was a tidal wave of concern hidden beneath his casual words, underscoring the worry that filled the air between them.

"Well, I’m alive. That counts for something," she replied, attempting to inject humour into a conversation that felt weighed down by the gravity of her choices.

"Is it true you left Khalil? He called me yesterday morning, really worried, asking if you were at our place." Jafar's tone sharpened, laced with an edge that revealed his growing frustration.

Jannah sighed deeply, the sound escaping her lips like a balloon losing air, echoing in the stillness around her. "It’s true. I couldn’t stay after what I did."

Jafar’s brows furrowed, and he fixed her with a level gaze, disbelief etched across his features. "What did you do, J?"

"I… I stole from Khalil's family," she admitted, the words slipping out in a near-whisper, heavy with shame. Guilt gnawed at her insides like a hungry beast, consuming her from within. Still, she tried to justify her actions: a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.

Jafar's eyes widened in horror, his face a canvas of shock and disbelief. "YOU DID WHAT!?" His voice rose, echoing in her ear, puncturing the fragile bubble of her composure. Drawing in a deep breath, she recounted everything—from the moment her father had pressured her into stealing the papers that darkened her conscience to the chaotic whirlwind of events that had spiralled since that fateful decision.

"You shouldn’t have done this, NJ. What were you thinking?" His voice carried a mix of anger and disappointment, emotions tangible across the call, weighing down the previous lightness of their connection.

"It’s not like I’m happy either, Jafar. I had to," she replied, her voice trembling slightly, a delicate balance between defiance and despair.

He scoffed, shaking his head slowly as if trying to dispel the very idea. "No, J. You didn’t have to. You chose to."

In that moment, if she felt bad before, now she felt as though she had transformed into the villain in her own narrative. "Jafar, I just want his love. He’s the only family I have left."

"No, Jannah, he’s not. Haven’t Nina, Paa, Umma, and I did everything we could to ensure you never felt alone? Haven’t we?" His tone was firm, but the desperation beneath the surface clung to his words like wet ink, pleading for her to see the truth.

"No, Jafar, I swear you have. But this is different. He’s my father."

With a hefty sigh, filled with sorrow and defeat, he responded, "Just face it, Jannah. Some of us aren’t destined to receive our father’s love, and that’s totally fine."

"But at least you didn’t get his hate, Jafar. That’s all I’ve known—constant hate throughout my life," she countered, her voice thick with unshed tears, each word a reminder of her pain.