Endurance

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

"Who are you looking for Ma'am?." A janitor asked and she turned in the direction of the woman's voice when she knocked but nobody answered.

"Oh sorry, good morning. I'm here to visit the patient that was admitted into this room. The one who had a stem cell transplant." She had no idea if that piece of information was necessary, but she had to try sounding convincing. The look the woman gave her felt as if she didn't trust her, but that was the least of her concerns. Alright, it was a big concern dammit.

"The patient for that particular room has been discharged." The woman declared, giving her a pointed look.

Rude much?. But her words registered soundly into Layla's head and right then the janitor's rudeness didn't matter anymore as indignation took over.

"What do you mean discharged?." She dumbly asked while the woman gave her a scornful look before trying to pass by her. She looked down at the sheepish multicolored ruffle dress with slippers that she wore and cursed at her choice of outfit for that day.

"Ma!, please I need to know when she did." She sprinted behind her and the woman turned around giving her an annoyed look, not for a second hiding her displeasure.

"Yesterday. She got discharged yesterday." The woman hissed out, a look of finality on her rude face before turning on her heel, the contemptuous tone and look she had quickly replaced with a cheerful one when a young couple walked in with their adorable daughter who laid a head on her father's shoulder. Layla rolled her eyes and left, too stunned and too embarrassed to say anything else. Trying to order for a ride home, she walked out of the hospital.

"So..I can finally have a moment with you my love." Her heart thudded painfully at the menacingly familiar voice that rendered her blood cold, the belligerence clear in its tone. Keeping her mouth shut and her back to him, she took deep breaths to calm her rattling nerves. The strong grip that took a yank at her arm roughly turned her towards him, face to face. Layla looked around but the street was almost empty and there were no vehicles passing by the spot they were.

"Get your filthy hands off me." She gritted out and struggled in his grip, which only tightened painfully on her arm. She turned to see if anyone was there to help but people had mostly departed to pray.

"What are you going to do daddy's girl, huh? Kill me like you did my child?." He sneered.

"You killed your own son Malik, and you know it."

"A son. " He whispered and repeated, as if testing the words in his mouth for the first time.

"You killed my son!." His voice got a notch louder as he shook her vigorously, his saliva getting on her cheeks. He had never looked as ugly to her as he did then.

"Well you have women. I'm sure a baby is not that hard to make, especially for you." She shot back when she regained control of her shaking body, steering her face away from him.

"You'll pay for it." He threatened.

"I curse the day I met you Malik. I curse the day I went against my parents for you. I curse the day you took my child away from me because of your cruelty. Wallahi I'll never forgive you and Allah will judge you for all that you did to me. I hate you!." The hatred and anger that burned in her at him and all the years of bitterness blurred her vision that she had no idea he had raised a hand at her, set directly to hit her face when she heard a blow that came from a fist making contact with a body, then a sickening crack, then more blows landing.

Layla blinked multiple times to adjust her vision only to see her former husband bent over clutching his nose and eye, blood trickling between his fingers as he turned and sauntered off into a corner that was between the hospital and another building.