Being Mrs Dantata

44

Zayd put the last plate on the rack to drain and dry before he dried his hands with one of the colourful kitchen towels. It was 5:45AM and they had prayed Fajr minutes ago. Hanan was still at the hospital. Mas'ood and Mahmud watched over her the entire night so he could have some time with Amal who had been sedated when she did not stop screaming.

He put the towel back in place with a soft exhale and walked out of the kitchen, switching off the lights on his way. His head softly throbbed and he knew it was due to the fact he had not slept since the previous day's Sahur. With everything that had happened and Amal's breakdown, there was no time to even nap.

He slowed as he stepped into the living room, his gaze immediately landing on Amal who lay on the rug. She had a blanket drawn to her shoulder and a cushion under her head. Her eyes were open but unfocused and he knew she was still shaken by everything. He did not want her to fast but she had been stubborn so he had no choice but to give in. It was the least he could do.

He removed his slippers and stepped on the rug, calling out to her softly. "Amal."

She blinked, snapping out of her trance. She shifted her head a little so she could look at him, watching as he closed the space between them. He sat in front of her. She said nothing, not having the zeal to do so. She was still holding onto the hope that the previous day had been nothing but a bad dream; hope that dwindled with each passing minute.

"Do you want to talk now?"

She kept her eyes on his, wondering how he stayed so composed even after all that had happened. She wondered how things would have turned out if she never liked Hanan from the start. No one would have believed she did not poison her no matter what she said or did to prove her innocence. Then there was the fact that he trusted her enough to get to hear her side of the story before coming to a conclusion although there was evidence against her. They all trusted her and she was so grateful.

Zayd's chest squeezed when he saw the tears well up in her eyes. He reached out to gently pat her head. "Amal, please don't cry."

"I'm sorry." Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming she had done. "I'm so sorry, Sa'ed."

He sighed and pulled her up to a sitting position so he could hug her. He cupped the back of her head lovingly with one hand and patted her back with the other. "I should be the one saying that, Amal. You went through so much when you should have been resting after a stressful week."

"We should all have been resting." She pulled back and sniffled, keeping her eyes on his. "I'm sorry this had to happen. I'm sorry someone I loved caused all this."

"Amal," His hands found hers and he softly squeezed. "Who did it?"

The question made her start to cry again, her pain laid bare for him to see. The suffocation in Zayd's chest returned and he forced himself to breathe as he spoke. "You have to tell me who it is so we can set things right, Amal. I know this is painful but we need to get this out of the way."

She cried for a short while and he was there, offering all the support he could. The sun was rising when she wiped away her tears and exhaled.

"I'll tell you. I know you may not believe me but she's the only one who knew every tiny detail and there are so many things she did that I overlooked until last night."

When the urge to crumble again underneath the weight of everything threatened to pull her under, she took a break to breathe.

"I don't want to believe she did this, Zayd." Her voice broke. "I really don't want to believe she did this."

Zayd's heart bled for her. He already knew who it was. They had been inseparable in the past weeks, all three of them. He blinked back his tears and managed to smile.