MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

*
As soon as she locked the door behind her, Maryam lost every Joule of energy she had utilized in putting up a strong front for Abdulhaqq.

Her purse felt like a hot weight and she threw it far from her.

What would she do?

What would she do now?

All of her plans were ruined.

She dove for her purse again and unwrapped the white paper.

Slowly.

She forced herself to read the words slowly so maybe then, they would change but they stayed the same.

Pregnant: Positive.

She was pregnant.

Maryam didn't know what to feel. Should she be happy? Of course but the fact that a lot of things would change after this news bothered her.

She had decided to leave Nigeria and visit her aunt in Europe where she would study Business and try her hand at entrepreneurship.

She wasn't ready to be a Mom. Not for a baby whose father would definitely call a mistake.

The ringing tone of her phone brought her back to earth from thoughtsland and she remained motionless for a few more minutes before she reached for it.

A new number.

"Hello" She answered casually.

"Hello Mary" His voice still had that lazy drawl to it. He sounded as if he wasn't willing to talk to her.

"Sweetheart are you there?"

Maryam's hands shook so much that she dropped the phone and stood up.

The voice.

That voice.

His voice. She could never forget his voice nor the promise he made her before letting the cops drag him away.

"The second I am released, the first thing I will do is to find you"

But it had been over two years already. He was supposed to serve fifteen years in prison so how did he get out in such a short period?

She smiled. Yaks' father's a multibillionaire who had tried to get his son out and succeeded until Yaks attempted to break her out of prison too and earned himself another problem.

The higher ups put a lot of eye on the case and Yaks' Father could only get their sentence lessened.

Rather than serve two years as a forced accomplice as she told the court, money lessened it to one and now, Yaks' back.

She forced herself to sit down and wrapped her hands around her arms.

"Calm down" she whispered "just calm down"

The doctor said she was stressed enough and stress is bad for the baby.

The phone rang a shorter tone this time before it fell silent.

A text message.

With shaky hands, she opened it and read;

The queen has had enough time to play outside. But her king is back now and the kingdom needs working on.

Maryam closed her eyes. She had never felt so much regret for her past like she did at the moment. Not even when she got sentenced to jail and she had to lie to her family about having to serve in another state while she served in prison.

Fortunately for her story, a group of corp members were kidnapped by terrorists around the same time she fed her mom the story so they assumed she had been kidnapped too.

When she returned home battered and worn out, nobody tried to question her anand  since Yaks' father had everything covered, she was listed as one of the kidnapped members and her certificate was given without delay.

She stood up and clutched her head.

If Yaks' had the power to get her out of prison earlier than she needed to, then he no doubt, still has the power to put her back inside.

The room was spinning, everything was starting to blur. She leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor.

Someone was pounding at the door but her body felt too heavy. She could neither reach the door or her ringing phone.

Maryam let out a sigh as she sunk into the darkness where nothing could get to her.

*******

Salman hissed and knocked on the door with one hand, his other hand dialling Maryam's number.

From where he stood, he could hear her phone ringing but she wasn't answering.

"Maryam!!!" He yelled and pounded the door again.

The gates were pushed open and Kamal drove in. Before he even got off the car, Salman was on him.

"Do you have an extra key to the house?" As he asked, Salman busied himself with checking the dashboard.

Kamal swallowed hard.

He felt heavy guilt drop in on him as soon as he saw Salman. His friend might not be that upset with him for not checking on his sister for over two months but sleeping with her and then fleeing was another thing on its own.

"What's wrong? Hey!!"

Kamal left the car open and ran after his friend who grabbed a screwdriver when he failed to find a key.

The gateman was also at the front door and was trying to break the door.

"What happened Ado?"

"Oga, na Madame brother dey knock since and madame no gree open door or answer her phone."

Kamal's heart dropped to feet and back.

Maryam locked herself in? Was she sick? Was she depressed?

Women were naturally emotional beings and he didn't quite leave her in stable emotions when he left.

His legs felt like lead and he stood like a frozen sculpture until Salman shoved him backwards, then ran at the door full speed.

Three more hits and the door was forced open after its lock was unscrewed.

Kamal was the first one to run in and he froze again, seeing her lying so pale and lifeless on the floor.

He collected himself and gathered her in his arms.

He frowned.

Since when did she become so thin and bony? Wasn't she eating enough or maybe the gateman hadn't been passing his messages?

He gave Ado a curious glare leaving the poor man puzzled on why his boss looked like he wanted to beat him to a pulp.

Salman brought the car closer to the front door and Kamal got into the back door, still carrying Maryam.

Salman's hands shook as he controlled the steering wheel. If something happened to his sister today, then he would never be able to forgive himself.

"Hurry up ah!"

He pressed the accelerator as much as he could and fortunately, the roads weren't very congested hence they got to the hospital in no time.