True Purpose

c h a p t e r 7

Zaynab was initially paralysed in shock because of what her eyes had shown her.

Standing there were Samina and Sahir, both with furious expressions on their faces.

Zaynab finally recovered from her shock. "H-how di-did y-you fi-find me?" She managed to ask.

Samina walked over to her and raised her arm. The next thing Zaynab knew was that her cheek was stinging in pain. As she was still recovering from Samina's slap, Zaynab felt an iron grip on her arm. She looked at Sahir, who had grabbed her arm so tight that she was sure her blood couldn't pass through his grip. His fingers were digging into her flesh, his nails pressing into her skin, even though her wedding dress was long-sleeved and her arm was clad in the sleeve.

"You ungrateful brat! This is the thanks I get for looking after you for nineteen whole years? How dare you?" Samina shouted.

"As for how we found you. I must say that you're not really the genius you think you are, Zaynab. We got the police to track your phone. You made a phone call so we could track down your phone and found your location. Well, I'm glad you happen to be so dumb, because you did us a favour!" Sahir snarled.

"B-but, you want t-to g-get rid of m-me. So ev-even if I ra-ran away, you'd sti-still have g-gotten rid of me. Th-then wh-why do y-you want m-me to g-get ma-married?" Zaynab asked, stammering.

"Shut up!" Samina screamed. "I don't want to hear your wretched voice anymore!"

"Let me answer that," Sahir sneered. "Mum promised her colleague that she'll get you married to her son. So she couldn't go back on that promise, you idiot! Now shut up and let's go home!"

Zaynab's vision was clouded with her tears. She was sure that her makeup was probably ruined with all that had happened.

With her arm in Sahir's grasp, he dragged her to the curb, and he dumped her into the backseat of his car. Samina got into the passenger seat and Sahir got into the driver's seat, and they drove off, headed to Samina's house.

Once they entered inside the house, Samina shoved Zaynab towards the stairs.

"Go to your room and fix your makeup. And don't you dare try anything stupid again, or this time, I swear Zaynab, I won't spare you!" Samina snapped.

Zaynab winced and nodded fearfully. She quickly scurried away up the stairs, terrified of what would happen if she didn't do as she was told.

Zaynab touched up her makeup and made sure it looked as good as it did when she first applied it. Giving her self one last look in the mirror, she went back downstairs, only to see her aunt waiting impatiently at the bottom of the staircase with her hand on her hips.

"Your wedding is in half an hour! Go sit in the living room, the guests will start coming just now!" Samina ordered.

"Okay," Zaynab said and began to leave.

"Wait! Before you go," Samina called, and Zaynab faced her. "This family is a very staunch Muslim one. So your the marriage will be said in a mosque. What do they call it?" Samina scrunched her face, searching for the correct word. "Ah yes! Nikkah! The nikkah will be said at the mosque. All men will be over there. And the ladies will come here. After the nikkah, your husband will come here, and he'll take you to your new house, alright?"

"Yes, Auntie," Zaynab replied.

Samina said that the family was staunch Muslim. So it was her mother-in-law to be who had gotten her the headscarf which she was currently wearing. Zaynab liked it, and even though she didn't understand its purpose, she had decided that she would start wearing it from now. Besides, if she was getting married into a religious family, then she had to abide by their practices.