Love And Revenge✔️

Eleven

Flashback.

Mutassim was seated in his parlor, cradling his one-year-old son Abdulwahab, when his phone buzzed. He hesitated, not wanting to answer, but he knew ignoring it would only upset her.

"Hey... what's up?" he said quietly.

"I... we need to talk," she said, her voice tight. "I don't think this can go on anymore."

"Wait... what? What are you talking about?" His brow furrowed, a flicker of agitation crossing his face.

"I... I don't like this, Mutassim. I don't like how things are between us. It's... it's too much."

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to stay calm. "Look... okay. Just calm down. What happened? What's wrong?"

"It's not about something that happened. It's... it's just that we need to talk. Seriously, we need to talk."

"So... you mean... you want to end this?"

She stayed quiet for a moment, and that silence spoke louder than words.

"Fine," he said, taking a deep breath. "I'll come see you as soon as I can. You know I'm busy right now."

"I understand," she said, her voice softening slightly. "Which is why we need to have this conversation. I just... I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Okay, okay... just calm down. We'll talk. Everything will be fine."

She exhaled shakily. "I hope so."

Mutassim shifted Abdulwahab in his arms, glancing down at his son, and then back at the phone. "Alright. I'll make time this weekend. We'll talk properly, face to face. Just... don't decide anything now, okay?"

She hesitated, then nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "Okay... I'll wait."

"Good. I'll see you soon."

With that, the tension lingered, unspoken but heavy, as Mutassim ended the call and tried to focus on his son.

Madina raised an eyebrow as she walks in. "Who was that? Dr. Jibril again? Tell him to let you spend time with your family!"

"You know I'd love that more than anything, but work is work," he replied with a small smile.

A message notification popped up on his phone.

"Yeah, he just texted me. But what would I do without him?" Mutassim said, referring to someone else entirely.

"Abba, can I go to Aunty Saffiya's house tomorrow after school?" Nabila his daughter asked, eyes bright with hope.

"Why not during the weekend? I'll be going to Kaduna with her husband. You all can visit then... your mother too," he suggested.

"But I'll be busy," Madina protested.

"You need to rest too," he replied firmly, smiling at her stubborn little frown.

•

•

Present Time.

The underground parking lot was quiet, the type of silence that made everything feel heavier.
Mutassim sat in his car, fingers tapping against the steering wheel as he checked the time for the fifth time that minute. His chest felt tight. Her phone call alone had shaken him, but the wait made it worse.

Moments later, Hadiza's car rolled in slowly. She parked two spaces away from him and stayed inside, hands resting on the wheel.

Normally, she would come straight to him.
Today, she didn't even move.