Bound ✅

A Tale of the Broken

Due to the cliffhanger in the last chapter, I'm here to give you a sweet chapter. Have fun and please, all 700 others of you who read the last chapter and didn't vote, well done oo. God bless you.

August 11

Halima could not sleep all through the night. Jamal had ensured that she got home safely, infact he and his groomsmen dropped the bridesmaids at home. Kemi went with his friend whom they all knew now as Chike.

On the drive home, Halima's heart rate had been furtive, in hopes that Jamal would not ask her any questions. She sat there, her veil wrapped in an askew way around her head and shoulders.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked when they all got to the motel's carpark. Halima nodded shakily and got out of the car without a word. The adrenaline pumping in her helped her get down without any help.

When Hajjo helped her out of her dress at about eleven-fifty, she swiftly washed off the makeup on her face and prayed all the prayers she missed. While there, she wondered how Jamal knew. She wanted to call Summayah but when she looked at her phone's time, it was twelve- thirty. So she turned it off and turned it on again to read the Quran.

At one, she began pacing, walking all arohnd her mother's room, the generator had been turned off at twelve. So no one knew the wiser, it was just her and Ya Jannah in the room with Safeenah and they were fast asleep.

At two, she sat and cried softly. Ensuring not to wake  the ones sleeping, she noticed that after crying, she felt a bit better, the pain in her throat seemed to recede. She didn't sleep until after Fajr prayer.

At this rate, no one knew what Jamal would do or what even Halima would say to him later that day when they met. She resolved not to tell him unless he asked her. With that, she added a large duvet to cushion her prayer mat and fell asleep.

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"Why is she still sleeping at this time? What kind of married woman sleeps till ten in the morning?"

When Halima had heard the door open seconds earlier, she had rolled her eyes. Her mother had warned everyone not to wake her up. No one knew how she had known Halima did not sleep.

"She was very tired yesterday." She heard her elder sister try to placate her father's aunt. The old woman hissed and walked to Halima to harshly wake her up.

"What kind of dirty sleep is this? Is this how you used to sleep when you were married or now that you're married again you feel like you need to behave like a queen?" She asked in Hausa. Halima feigned sleep and woke up, putting a fist to her eyes to rub it.

"Ah, Good Morning ma." Her aunt eyed her and sat on the bed, waiting for her to get up. Halima got up, aches and all, went to the bathroom to wash her teeth and sprinkle water unto her face.

"Welcome. Your royal majesty." Halima fought the urge to roll her eyes at the older woman's sarcasm as she sat cross legged on the floor. This was the family's adviser.

Halima raised her head and watched as Ya Jannah begged her comically. She pursed her lips and waited for the old woman to begin talking.

"Alhamdulillah for your new marriage. I hope you thanked Allah well for this huge blessing he gave you. I also hope you will use it well. I heard that the family has money. Good! You did well.

Now listen, when all other women are talking later, they'll say, worship him, make him happy, they'll say don't let him cheat on you.

I say, do yourself. Be yourself. Enjoy your life as much as possible. If love is in it, enjoy it, get yourself ready for any eventuality.  Be a good woman, then you'll be a good wife, ask him to help you with chores, tell him things that you feel like he has to change and when he says same to you, wonder about it and do better." Jannah who was behind the older woman was wide-eyed in wonderfilled amazement.