Once Upon A Sultan ✅

Chapter 24.

-HAKEEM SUNUSI'S POV-

Maroudi, Nigeria.

I hate myself.

My world feels like it's crashing down.

I know I didn't have the best relationship with my father in the past few years, but a father is still a father nonetheless even if our relationship is strained. I can't take the entire blame for it though, because he has a part in it too.

Besides, I've always been a firm believer that even parents make mistakes too—all adults do. Just because they are older doesn't make them perfect, and that applies for my father too.

And to be honest, all these years, I don't really feel bad for the strained relationship. Up until now that is.

I feel so stupid for harboring anger towards him all these years because of that particular reason. He's my father for Goodness sake. But no, I acted like a stupid person and made our relationship strain instead of accepting it as it is and trusting his decision.

No matter how wrong I still believe it is. And I'm sure he feels that way too.

I couldn't fully give into the feeling of misery though at that moment. Because in between trying to pacify my mother, and Adnan, I didn't exactly get the time to even worry about myself. I'm just glad Nafisa is at school at the exact moment. I don't think I can handle trying to pacify the young teenager too.

Ammi, Rauf's mother and my step mother is handling this better than Mami is. And Rauf, well, he disappeared about the same time Azeez did. I don't, and can't vouch for Azeez, but I'm certain Rauf left because he didn't want any of us to see him break down.

Of the three of us, he's the closest to our father. If I'm being honest, at a point in my life, I was jealous of how close they were. Maybe it was only a stupid insecurity, or it wasn't, but I still felt that way for years. And perhaps, that was one of the reasons I wasn't a good brother to him growing up. Like I said before, I can vouch for Azeez but he wasn't exactly a good brother to Rauf either.

So yes, we are at fault for Rauf becoming the man he is right now. The closed off guy that doesn't give a hoot about us.

The only person I've ever seen Rauf close to, aside from Nafisa that is, it's Adnan and Zainab. If only Zainab was here, then I'll have no doubt he will open up to her with no restraints whatsoever.

At a point, Ammi took over pacifying Mami and Rauf came back too; his eyes red but as always, he kept his lips shut and refused to spare me a glance. It didn't bother me much, since he took over taking care of Adnan so I used the time to take a while to myself.

Baba is still unconscious, and unaware of what is going on around him. My heart broke even more at the sight of him, laying therepale. I didn't want to accept that in a short while, he will no longer be here with us.

I ran a hand across my face and walked out of the hospital, my shoulders slumped. I can't bear to spend another second in that place. Getting into my car, I revved it to life and drove with no destination in mind. I just needed to put as much space between me and the hospital as possible. It's probably not the best idea, but it's too much.

A while later, I found myself parking in the last place I would ever expect myself to be in that situation—the police station. But deep down, I know why I came here. I'm here for one person alone and if not for her, nothing would bring me here.

I didn't fight it, because it's pointless. I simply got out and casually strolled in. But, even walking felt like a huge task. I feel like I'm dragging myself there and not simply walking as how people see it. As always, there were people going up and about the place, be it civilians or the police.