Only You

thirty-three

On my way to the hospital, I received a message from the group chat.

'HAHAHA, she's MAD and...wet?'- Jacob

'Yeah dude, she stomped her way to khan's office.'- Zahra.

I didn't reply to them and hurried inside to Dr. Khan's office. When I got there I could already hear her yelling, so I didn't bother to knock and went inside.

"See? She's here! She warned me Humza I'm telling you! She told me if I spoke to you about what happened she had some "other plans" that would make you leave me!" She cried.

I looked at her unbelievably trying to look unbothered- which quite frankly I was because I knew she was lying and I had proof.

"Huda please forgive me I know you liked Humza a lot, but I waited all my life for this he was my only hope. I can't live without him or my daughter, please leave me alone please don't manipulate him! please please." She cried holding my hands.

I snatched my hands away from her.

"Stop it Mariam drop your act," I spoke gravely.

She took a deep breath and cried harder.

"I'm not acting, please believe me for Allah's sake!" She keened.

"Enough!" Dr. Khan shouted.

"Mariam, for the last time this is a hospital. You shouldn't even be here." He said- his hoarse voice from earlier still present, making his scoldings even scarier.

"Huda, is this what the break was for? You wasted valuable time for these shallow reasons. Secondly, these matters can be handled humbly." He spoke harshly.

My face grew red and tears rushed their way out- did he believe her? I swallowed hard before looking down.

Mariam stepped in front of me, facing Dr. Khan

"I'm sorry Humza, I never meant to bother you. I'll leave, but please Humza Jaani tell her to leave me alone." She said hugging his arm.

I closed my eyes in an attempt to control my emotions but this time it didn't work. I opened them, and Mariam let go of him and turned around to me giving me a sly look before walking out.

The silence of the room was tedious until Dr. Khan broke it.

"Huda, is that really what happened?"

"Do you think I would do that to her?"

"No, but why else did you go meet her-"

I pulled out my phone and opened my voice memos, playing the horrid audio that exposed her vile intentions and lewd remarks. I had in mind that this moment would be a relief to me, that my last hope not vanishing would take away the dullness I had been carrying with me, but this felt the most painful of all. He had assumed that I would be low enough to commit such a hideous act.

The voice memo finished as I put the phone back in my pocket.

"It sucks, it really sucks to know that you could think I'd do something like that even for a second. You know after all the pain I've endured this feels like a different kind of low. I did take a break, for this reason, becuase I was worried that you would take Haniah and fall into a pit of lies. So I'm sorry that I was being so shallow." I said, tears streaming down my face as if I had turned on my sadness faucet.

Dr. Khan broke our eye contact and put his face into his palm- rubbing it slowly. I could tell he was stressed and I began to worry that this was the worst time to argue with him. So I turned around to leave like I always did.

"Huda. Please stay." He called.

"I can't," I said lightly my voice cracking yet again.

I heard his footsteps near me as I turned around to see him, almost gasping I saw his eyes filled with unshed tears and his nose red. He looked more tired than he looked this morning.

"I'm sorry," He began.

"I'm sorry, that I was so caught up in her lies that I didn't notice they were...lies. I felt so guilty I had to actually consider taking her back, but after what you said last time I couldn't do it. I couldn't have you cry more. I wanted to shove everyone off and take you away, but I couldn't find a way to do it. When I talked to Mariam she told me she'd kill herself if I left her," He laughed humorlessly.

"And when I talked to you- you wanted me to go to her saying it'd be better for me but I couldn't, I couldn't go to her because I'm madly in love with you."

I couldn't believe what I heard, his words dissolved in the air as I yearned for him to say them again. Then it hit- the feeling of relief as if he had taken all my gloom and thrown it aside. I was speechless and for the last time I cried, but this time my chest didn't clench from pain but it bloomed from peace, my stomach fluttered as my body trembled.

"Don't cry anymore. I promise I'm going to make it alright now." He spoke softly.

I nodded at him, hiding my face in my hands.

"If you hadn't canceled the wedding, I'd be able to hug you right now." He chuckled.

I looked at him and laughed through my tears.

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