UNDER HIS PROTECTION

- Chapter 43 -

"None of this is adding up," Mr. Latif ran his fingers through his hair looking at all the evidence he gathered in front of him. The mystery of Anisa's mother had haunted him the whole night and he wasn't going to be able to sleep unless it was solved. 

"Sir, I think you should interrogate the woman once more. We still have her under our custody. Agent Tahir told us to hold onto her until he personally came in for a questioning," one of his agents informed. 

"Well if he's going to question her then he's going to do a better job than I'm going to," He stood up from his chair, looking at the whiteboard with all of the notes he had written. 

"It's worth a try," The agent shrugged his shoulders.

Mr. Latif finally sighed and thought to himself of whether it was worth a try and he finally walked out of the room to meet with Yasmin Abadi.

Upon his entrance into the room, her head perched up to look at Mr. Latif in utter confusion, taken back by his presence. 

"Hi, my name is Mr. Latif. Normally, I'm not assigned to be questioning you but you and I both look like we're about to fall off the edge of a cliff if we don't get answers soon enough," he began

Yasmin looked at him in agreeance.

***

"Anisa Hassan, would you like to marry me?"

Anisa froze as she normally would when she would encounter a sudden moment. She looked into his eyes and tried to get a read of the emotions spiraling in them. Of course, it still wasn't easy. She hadn't mastered that art yet. 

As she did, all she could ever think of was how to respond. This man meant so much to her. There was never a moment he ever hurt her. He was always trying to teach her and comfort her. He was her security and someone she'd share her emotions with. 

Once she came back to reality, she shook her head and Tahir grew impatient as seconds ticked. He was curious as to what was taking her response such a long time. It was probably the longest minute of his life. 

Anisa took a deep breath and finally said, "Yes, I would like to spend the rest of my life with you."

Tahir's expression brightened up and he really wanted to embrace her in a tight hug, carry her up, and show her how content and thrilled he was with her answer but, his injury wouldn't allow for that and he wanted to make sure it was done right. 

Meanwhile, outside of Tahir's room, Saif and Reem looked at each other, wondering if Tahir was able to propose. Saif knew of this proposal when he went in to check on Tahir before Anisa did and he also informed Reem on it. 

"I wonder what she said," Reem questioned.

Just then, a man appeared. He seemed fairly in his late 50's, wearing a thobe with Mr. Amin and Mr. Latif behind him. He looked at both Reem and Saif for confirmation. 

"This is Agent Tahir's room, right?"  

They both nodded in utter confusion. 

"Well, I'm here to perform a Nikah and since I already have my two witnesses for Tahir, I need two more for Anisa," he informed them. 

Saif and Reem looked at each other and all they could do was nod, "Yes, of course."

With that, they knocked on the door and waited a few seconds before welcoming themselves in. 

As soon as they entered, Anisa was surprised to see them all gathered in the room. 

"Assalamu Alaykum, I hear that I have couple in need of a Nikah," the Sheikh announced. 

Anisa looked at Tahir in utter shock and he told Anisa, "This is Sheikh Karim. He's going to be officiating our Nikah."

"I...well..." Anisa wasn't able to form words but Tahir knew she needed an explanation. 

"I didn't want to wait any longer. I know it's selfish of me, but I wanted to do this the right way," he explained.

Anisa couldn't help but smile. She didn't want him to wait either. But, she also asked herself if this was an appropriate thing to do in a dress that wasn't formal and with a face that hadn't had a drop of makeup. 

"Are we able to start now?" Sheikh Karim asked 

Tahir nodded and Anisa gave her full attention to Sheikh Karim while the others stood either behind Tahir or Anisa, being their wali's. 

"Bismillahirrahmanirrahim," Sheikh Karim started, "It is said that we are created in pairs and today we are here to finally bring together Tahir and Anisa. I would like to remind both of you that marriage is a sacrifice and it is a contract. The husband must provide for the wife under any circumstance as long as he is the husband and the wife has her responsibilities such as caring for her husband."

Tahir and Anisa both nodded. 

"I don't want to take up much of your time as I know how last minute this is. But, I will start by asking Tahir," Sheikh Karim turned to face Tahir, "Do you accept Anisa as your wife?"

"Yes," He responded without wasting a second.

"I will ask again, Do you accept Anisa as your wife?"

"Yes."

"This is the last time. Do you accept Anisa as your wife?"

"Yes."

This time, he turned to face Anisa and asked her the same question, "Do you accept Tahir as your husband?"

Anisa nodded, "Yes."

"I will ask again. Do you accept Tahir as your husband?"

"Yes."

"Once more. Do you accept Tahir as your husband?"

"Yes."

After hearing her last "Yes," Sheikh Karim officiated the Nikah with a dua and also gave his blessings. Everyone raised their hands to join his dua to share their blessings for the two.

Tahir's view of Anisa immediately changed upon the Sheikh's dua and officiating their marriage. It was like the curtain that once covered his eyes with modesty had now been unveiled and saw a stronger worth in the woman sitting across from him. 

Anisa was filled with joy yet she was nervous for what was to come. Her and Tahir had only a work related relationship up until recently. Now, she needed to go through another adjusting phase to get used to the many memories they'd make.

But the last thing that the both expected was holding a Nikah in the hospital yet it happened in the most beautiful way after they both fought to be with each other through the several trials that tested them both.

***

A/N:

Hi Everyone!

I'm back home and I've re-read this story twice in order to complete this chapter because it's been that long. I was gone for over a year away from where I actually live so my circumstances weren't the best in terms of updating on a regular basis. But, now I can confidently say that I'm able to provide frequent updates for you all.

I missed everyone on here and I hope I didn't disappoing anyone with this short chapter but the next one is sure to be more of your standards☺️

Don't forget to hit that star button and leave a comment anywhere you'd like!

p.s: Also, just curious, who's been with this story since its beginning? 😌