The lie in my marriage (EDITING)

Chapter 55 (Bitter sweet)

"I've been good. How's Na'im? "

"He's responding to medication. Nothing major except for a broken leg and some bruises on his arms. He's been sedated to have him relax well otherwise he would've been awake now".

"How about Malik?".

Zain asked eagerly watching intently as their faces fell with worry.

"Malik is in the emergency room,his case is more severe than Nai'ms."

"How severe?"
Zain found herself asking almost losing herself. Malik's mother placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Right now he needs your prayers Zain. He hasn't regained consciousness yet but according to the doctors report, there is a number of in his head,a fractured shoulder, broken ribs and his spine has been affected which will leave him with a major backache after recovery. Let's just pray for the best".

The words sank into her cutting every fibre of her being bit by bit. She never knew he would be coming home soon because they never discussed it through the small talk they've engaged in for the past weeks. She had always wanted to ask when he would be coming home but she didn't want to sound too desperate after saying she wanted to slow things down before they reach any milestone. She didn't realise that she has been crying until Aaliyah passed her a tissue paper to clean her face. She took the tissue and wiped the tears off her face.

"Can i see him... please?".

"Only family are allowed to see him,but let's see what we can do".
Malik's father stated as he made his way out of the room.

Zain watched his retreating form feeling a stab in her chest knowing that she's no more Malik's family now,she'll have to wait for sometime before she sees him.

Malik's father came back with the doctor,from the expression on his face,she can judge that the authorities might allow her in to see Malik.

"Which among them is his wife?".
The doctor asked looking between Zain and Aaliyah and Malik's father pointed to Zain's direction.
"Follow me please ma'am ".

The doctor instructed as he began ti make his way to the emergency. Zain was taken aback by Malik's father's action but right now,she doesn't have the time to ponder upon it so she did follow the doctor behind turning back and mouthed a thank you to Malik's father which earned her an appreciative nod and a small smile from him.
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"Do not let your emotions get the best of you please ma'am".

The doctor spoke as they reached the room and Zain nodded assuring him that she will be calm and won't stay too long.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside the eerily cold room. The room was full of machines and medical equipments with dark grey walls making it look darker than normal. Silence enveloped the whole atmosphere there with nothing but the beeping sound of the monitor machine. She walked closer to the have a better glimpse of Malik who was laying almost lifeless on the bed. An avalanche of emotions rushed to her making her put her hand flat covering her mouth to muffle her cries. There were scraches and small injuries on his face as his head was rounded with a bandage. IV wires were attached to his hands and she felt the strong urge to hold his hands and draw him to herself. His breathing was been steadied with the help of oxygen as she watched the slow rise and fall of his chest. He looked nothing like the Malik she knew and as much as she was happy to see him,she was sad. It was a bitter sweet moment. A fresh set of tears made their way on her face as she quickly wiped them with her sleeve.

"I'm so sorry Malik. I'm so sorry".

She found herself saying and wishing that he'll wake up and speak to her,but the room remained silent jist the way she came in.
She couldn't keep her emotions on check as she promised,afraid to disturb the peace of the place,she quickly dashed out of the room and walked straight out of the hospital premises to the parking lot where Aaliyah parked. There she cried silently as the memories of how they used to be came crashing down on her.
The last day he came to her,still vivid in her head as she cried and cried harder. She remembered him pleading and begging her to forgive him, all the time he had been hot on her trail from her home to her office,but she had been too angry to even grant him audience.

'What if he doesn't make it alive out of that place ?'
She questions herself and that left her with an answer she spoke audibly to herself.

"That means you've lost him for the second time,and this time forever ".

"No No ! I can't lose him like that. My life will never be normal".

Her cries intensified to the extent that her head began to throb. She managed to gather herself and dialled Aaliyah's digits on her phone.

"Meet me at the parking lot".
She crooked out in a strained voice.

In some minutes Aaliyah came and unlocked the door as both of them stepped in the car.

"How's he?".
Aaliyah asked.

"Not good".
Zain replied with a sigh as her shoulders sagged dejectedly.

"He will be fine by Allah's will".
Aaliyah said almost non chalantly as she started the ignition furious at her sister for crying her eyes and being too weak.

"I pray so Aaliyah,i don't want to lose him again".

Aaliyah was taken aback by Zain's statement and she felt her temper rising as she clutched the wheel tighter. She scoffed and began to speak all she had been holding inside.

"Did you hear yourself Zain? You don't want to lose him again? Seriously. You are still hung up on a man who chose somebody in place of you,granted you divorce,broke your heart and went on with his life as if nothing has ever happened. Your love for him is weakening you and you're holding on to nothing because as much as you don't want to hear it,i got to tell you this. Malik never got you,you're on your own Zain because he didn't fight to be with you,he chose to seperate your marriage instead of trying to fix things. And let's not forget that he went behind your back to love another woman because you couldn't conceive a child for him or for some foolish reason best known to him!. Oh Zain you're quite unbelievable ".

She finished with a dry laugh drumming her fingers on the wheel.
Zain felt red hot anger surge through her as her throat constricted from absorbing what her sister just said. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at her sister with her nose flaring.

"You don't get to decide for me,wait until something like this happens to you before you make a decision. We are now talking about a man who's almost lifeless on a sick bed that we are not even sure if he will ever wake up or not and you're bringing back the past? You're hurting me as well Aaliyah and it's a shame considering how close we areas sisters. I am trying to let past be,forgive myself and forgive Malik for the sake of my own sanity because take it or leave it he is the man i am still in love with. I never gave Malik a choice,i decided for him,that divorce was my choice and he had no other choice than to oblige as i had refused to stay under the same roof with him. You think i am all clean? Well i am not! And every day it eats me up to remember that the phobia of being pregnant led me to deciding on my own to be on the pills without him knowing because he was my husband and he deserved to know but i hid my fears and my decisions from him. And i was the one who never fought for what i want,for him and for us and instead i ran away from my problems not knowing that they will still haunt me. Aaliyah, you're just been too angry and i don't blame you,i have been there too but i promise you being angry will never get you to the bottom of whatever you're facing. Malik kept coming and i kept distancing myself from him by being cold and irrational because i was angry,too angry to even have a decent conversation with him. I want you to look into this and have a place in your heart to forgive him just like i have done. Do it for me please because i can't hold myself right now. I am on the verge of losing him again,and this time forever. I don't want that, i don't want that. And if you say i am weak,yes i am. He is my weakness and i want him back. That's my choice now".

She finished almost breathlessly putting her face in the palm of her hands as another warm tears find their escape from her eyes.
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