MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER ONE

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"The wedding is off"

Maryam nodded as she pointed at the glass of juice with a painted finger she wasn't supposed to do as much as moving it even though her skin felt really itchy.

She sighed thinking how foolish she'd been before admiring brides that were being prepared for their d-day. Now that it was her turn, she couldn't wait for it to be over and done with.

"You're right. I really can't wait for the.... Wait what?"

Understanding and realisation  landed on her like a heavy weight dropped from a height.

"I don't understand Abdul" Forgetting the red henna on her hands, she grabbed his sleeves and pulled tightly. The red color eagerly tainted the white material shadda he was wearing.

"What do you mean the wedding is off? Is this some kind of prank or something?" She let go of him and pulled at her head tie, running her now ruined designed hands on her hair that scented of more than a dozen hair creams and oils.

The color wouldn't come off soon and her mother would have her neck for ruining the very expensive henna and hair care.

"No...no this must be a joke." She muttered to herself and turned so sharply that AbdulHaqq winced, scared that she might sprain herself somewhere. "You mustn't joke around this way you know" she was crying now.

"It's true Maryam" he answered softly, keeping his voice as gentle as he could. "My mother is talking with your mother outside. I just wanted to tell you myself." He wanted a clean cut, not something messy that would have them both yelling their heads off.

Maryam paused her in tears. Her shoulders slumped and she fell to the tiled floor in utter defeat as reality sank in.

A small piece of her heart still hoped Abdulhaqq would start laughing and say he had been playing a joke on her.

She wouldn't get angry, she would forgive him as long as he said it was a joke.

AbdulHaqq shifted his eyes because the more he looked at her, the more he felt himself waver. The abandoned look in her eyes wasn't helping matters either.

"I'm sorry Maryam. I really am but if you had told me from the very beginning, then I would have known what to do but you didn't." He removed a folded envelope from his pocket and kept it in front of her. "I'm really sorry it had to end like this but reputation means the world to my family... And to me too"

Mairo weakly opened the envelope and blood drained from her fair face once she saw the contents inside.

There were photos.

No, not just any photos but her pictures back then, in school when she had been at her worst.

Pictures of her naked, in different positions she would rather not have seen again let alone anyone, talk more of the man she would be marrying.

The feeling of pain and brokenness consumed her like pure molten lava on fresh grounds and she could hear the thumping of her heart as it broke.

Who could have done this to her?

"I hope you understand" AbdulHaqq's voice was firm and determined this time, the little string of hesitation cut loose. His eyes swept over the photos again and his expression darkened.

That was his Maryam. The modest and decent looking girl he fell in love with. The woman he almost made his wife.

Disgust filled him and he walked out with heavy strides, not bearing to look at her again.