"I believe you, Jadwa" Hannan said cleaning the tears off her face "And trust me, we might not know how, but we'll figure this out. Tell Ya Ahmad. He'll involve the authorities. This isn't a joke."
Hope sparked in Jadwa's eyes, then died just as quickly. "Ya Ahmad is going to be angry at me," she whispered, shame burning in her chest. "But even worse, he's so excited about the baby... I can't bring myself to do this to him."
"You can't let them control you, Jadwa!" Hannan exclaimed, her voice tight with anger. "This is exactly what this person threatning you wants, for you to not tell anyone and bury yourself in this mess, and even worse! We'll fight this together. But you have to tell him."
Jadwa slumped to the floor, the weight of the situation threatening to crush her. "I don't know what to do," she choked out.
Hannan knelt beside her, her touch a grounding force. "We will figure it out," she promised. "But first, you need to calm down. Pray. Trust in Allah. You are strong, Jadwa. They are trying to break you and you can't let them!"
"I don't know how to tell anyone"
"Well you can't keep shoving threats down your throat!" Hannan's voice was tinged with anger now, her frustration mirroring Jadwa's own.
Lost in a mess of fear and uncertainty, Jadwa could only nod in agreement, her mind reeling with the enormity of the situation she found herself in.
"We will figure it out Jadwa," Hannan's voice was a soothing balm to her frayed nerves, reminding her that she was not alone in this battle.
"What do I do to get this off your mind for now?" Hannan sighed at the sight of Jadwa.
"I am okay" Jadwa chuckled getting up to wash her face again.
"I'll figure something out you can't remain like this, unless you want everyone to know what's happening"
And as she felt her sister's reassuring hand on her shoulder, Jadwa knew that no matter what lay ahead, she had her sister and her family.
They walked back to the room to find the couple discharged from the hospital and preparing to leave. Jadwa, with the thought of telling her brother later, muted the messages and tried to get the whole thing off her mind.
***
Abdulhakeem's call came in, and she stepped outside to answer. Feigning cheer, she said, "Hi baby."
"Babe! I've called several times. Where have you been?" His concern was evident.
"I'm so sorry, babe. I'm at the hospital. I got busy," she apologized, switching to a video call.
"Everyone okay? You are good?" He scanned the screen, worry etched on his face.
"Just came to visit my sister-in-law. She wasn't feeling well, but she's great now. We're heading home," Jadwa explained.
"Oh my bad, darling. I'm so sorry. May Allah grant her quick recovery. We'll meet some other time, okay?" Abdulhakeem apologized, his tone apologetic.
Jadwa, having completely forgotten about their planned meeting, blurted out, "I am so sorry, InshaAllah during the week."
"Alright, baby. I love you so much," he said, his voice warm.
As she was about to reply, a wave of the beautiful oud cologne announced Muhammad Imran's presence. He stood in front of her, leaving Jadwa confused. Lost in her conversation, she hadn't realized she was blocking the doorway.
"Excuse me" he walked past her, not sparing her a glance as he stepped into the room.
He closed the door behind him, and Jadwa's attention returned to her phone. "I love you too, darling. Take care," she ended the call before he could respond.
