Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Faith (Belief) consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya (This term "Haya" covers a large number of concepts which are to be taken together; amongst them are self-respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruple, etc.) is a part of faith."
Sahih al-Bukhari, 9
In-Book Reference: Book 2, Hadith 2
*****
It has been a week since Hanan's last meeting with Ammar, and she couldn't be happier that she hasn't seen him again.
If there's one thing she wishes for, it's to never cross paths with him in this lifetime. However, she knows it's her wishful thinking.
In the past week, her family has been emotionally blackmailing her into marrying Ammar Sheik.
She's currently feeling overwhelmed and unsure about what to do.
She had considered running away before, but she can't abandon her family, especially considering their precarious financial situation.
She has been praying consistently to Allah, hoping for guidance and the best outcome for her.
At this point, she's completely lost and confused.
Unfortunately, her family isn't making things any easier for her, and they claim that Ammar has been pressuring them about the marriage as well.
Her hatred for Ammar keeps growing, blaming him entirely for the predicament she finds herself in.
Why did he involve her in his business dealings? Is he making a fool of her?
She still can't believe that he truly loved her. When someone loves another person, they're willing to sacrifice anything for them. But Ammar isn't like that; he's unwilling to compromise for her.
When she remembers going to his company to plead with him to reconsider marrying her, she despises herself for doing so. She had foolishly believed he would be kind enough to help her.
Regardless of the situation, it serves as a valuable lesson for her.
"Bestie"
"Ya, Hanan!"
Hanan heard the voices of her best friend and sister, and she looked up to see the two enterings her room with gloomy expressions.
"Assalamu alaikum," Hanan said sarcastically, eyeing them.
"Waalaikumussalam," They replied sheepishly as they sat down on the bed.
"What's wrong with you two?" Hanan asked, studying their sullen faces.
"You don't want to know," Mehar, Hanan's best friend, and sister-in-law, said, wiping away a tear.
"Eman, why don't you tell me?" Hanan asked Eman when Mehar refused to share.
"Ya, Hanan," Eman said, throwing her arms around Hanan as she burst into tears.
"Now you two are scaring the hell out of me!" Hanan exclaimed, feeling a sense of dread. Perhaps something terrible had happened.
"Hanan, if you don't take any action, we'll go bankrupt in a day or two," Eman sobbed, her tears flowing even harder.
"What?" Hanan exclaimed. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon. She thought they had at least a month or two.
"We were also shocked when the stock price started plummeting rapidly," Mehar replied, wiping her tears.
"Hanan, please, I beg you to consider marrying Ammar if you want to save our family from bankruptcy," Mehar pleaded, moving closer and holding Hanan's hand.
"Yes, Ya Hanan, please save us. I can't imagine what our lives would become if we went bankrupt. Please help us," Eman joined in, pleading with Hanan.
That's what Hanan meant when she said her family was emotionally blackmailing her.
Hanan remained silent and didn't reply.
Hanan felt an immense burden placed upon her as if she were the only one who could save their family from financial ruin.
What should she do now? Should she accept the marriage and break her vow, even though she feels she has no choice but to refuse?
Zain, what would you advise me to do? Hanan asked herself, recalling Zain's perspective. She knew he would tell her to accept the marriage to save her family from bankruptcy.
Does that mean she has to marry that ruthless Ammar now?
"Bestie, you haven't said anything?" Mehar nudged her when she noticed Hanan lost in thought.
"Okay," Hanan nodded.
"Does that mean you've accepted to marry Ammar Sheik?" Eman's face brightened as if she hadn't been crying seconds ago.
"Not yet," Hanan corrected.
"That means you're considering marrying Ammar Sheik, and the probability of you accepting is high," Mehar said, smiling.
"Thank you, thank you!" Mehar and Eman beamed as they hugged Hanan.
"Don't crush my fragile bones," Hanan said, but she hugged them back.
"I thought I would also spend my life unmarried if you didn't get married!" Eman said after they broke the hug.
Eman had made a promise not to marry unless Hanan remarried.
"My childish little sister," Hanan shook her head.
"Hey, I'm twenty-one years old. Stop calling me childish," Eman retorted.
"Okay. Are you serious about not getting married?" Hanan asked.
"I've never been more serious. I made that promise, and I won't marry until you do," Eman said, determined.
"Me too, I wanted to stay unmarried until you were ready to remarry, but your brother didn't allow it," Mehar said, smiling sheepishly.
"Yeah, says the one who can't stay away from my brother and is eager to marry him!" Hanan pointed out.
"That's right, Ya Hanan. Ya Farouq and Ya Mehar can't stay away from each other. Our parents think it's better to get them married," Eman joined in, teasing Mehar.
"Shut up, Eman. Where is your boyfriend that you're always on a call with? You have the nerve to say you're not planning on getting married," Mehar said.
"Now you're attacking me. I never planned to get married to him until Ya Hanan did. And here I am, saying you're my favorite sister-in-law," Eman said, shedding fake tears.
"I am your only sister-in-law!" Mehar pinpointed.
Hanan watched the two in amusement as they bickered, sometimes she's even thinking that Mehar and Eman were the best friends in this situation.
Had she changed so much that she wasn't the cheerful and talkative Hanan anymore?
But despite her moody attitude, her best friend stuck with her day and night to make her happy.
A knock came on the door, interrupting Hanan's thoughts.
"Come in," Eman replied.
"The madam said you should all come for dinner," a maid informed them, and they nodded before she left.
"Let's go and eat. I'm already starving," Mehar said, rubbing her tummy.
"Me too," Eman chimed in.
"You two go ahead. I'll join you in a minute," Hanan said.
"Are you sure?" Mehar asked, concerned because she didn't know what her best friend was thinking. It had become difficult for Hanan to open up to her, bottling everything up inside. Despite Mehar's efforts to encourage her to share, Hanan continued to refuse.
"Yes, I am," Hanan replied, and Mehar nodded, choosing not to push her further. They left with Eman, leaving Hanan alone to gather her thoughts.
"Zain, I'm going to accept getting married again. Did I make the right choice?" Hanan asked, holding Zain's picture frame in her hand.
"What am I thinking? You can't reply to me," Hanan said as she wiped away her tears.
"You have made the right choice, Hanan," She heard a voice reply. When she looked and saw the person, her blood boiled with anger.
"Who gave you permission to enter my room?" Hanan said angrily.
"Easy, tigress. There's nothing wrong with entering your soon-to-be wife's room, right?" Ammar asked, smirking. Despite knowing he was inviting trouble for himself, he still entered her room.
Ammar yearned to see her. It had been almost a week since he last saw her, or should he say since they last talked? He had kind of stalked her when she was going to the orphanage. He couldn't stay calm if he hadn't seen her for even a day!
"Stop creating scenarios in your head. Soon-to-be, wife? In your dreams!" Hanan scoffed.
"Now, can my soon-to-be wife come down for dinner? Everyone is waiting for her," Ammar asked with a small smile, ignoring what she had said.
Hanan didn't reply to him as she walked out of the room, and Ammar trailed after her.
"Assalamu alaikum," Hanan and Ammar greeted when they entered the dining room.
"Waalaikum assalam," They all replied, and everyone was happy to see them coming to the dining room together.
Ammar pulled a chair for Hanan to sit down, but she ignored him and went to sit on the empty chair beside Arif.
Ammar just smiled as he sat down.
"Baby, I miss you," Arif whispered to Hanan.
"I miss you too, pumpkin," Hanan whispered back, causing Arif to growl at the nickname.
"You can call me 'baby' too, not 'pumpkin'," Arif complained.
"Be grateful I even call you that," Hanan said.
"Okay," Arif said softly.
"Smile, my pumpkin," Hanan said, pulling his cheek.
Ammar Sheikh was awestruck by the way Hanan was behaving with her brother.
Perhaps she still acted like her old self when she was with him! That's what Eman had told him. Now he believed it since he saw it with his own eyes.
And then a plan struck his mind. Maybe he could use her brother to win her heart, right?
"Arif and Hanan, stop chitchatting and eat your dinner silently," Ammi rebuked.
"Okay, Ammi," Arif and Hanan replied simultaneously.
After they finished their dinner, Hanan cleared her throat. "I have something to say," she announced.
"Okay, daughter, what is it?" Abu said affectionately, making her look at her father, who had lost some weight and appeared sick since the bankruptcy began.
"Yes, Hanan, tell us," Ammi said, also smiling at Hanan. When Hanan looked at her, she noticed that Ammi also looked tired and sick, although to a lesser extent than her father.
Hanan glanced at Ya Farouq and saw the dark circles under his eyes, and noticed that he had also lost weight. She knew it hadn't been easy for him as the CEO of the company.
Hanan looked at all her family members and thought that maybe accepting the marriage proposal from Ammar Sheikh would bring back their happy faces.
When her eyes met Ammar's, she almost changed her mind about accepting his proposal.
But Ammar would regret forcing her into this marriage!
"I have decided to accept getting married again," Hanan announced, and immediately smiles appeared on their faces.
"Really Hanan?" Abu asked, his face beaming with joy, and Hanan nodded.
"Thank you, Baby," Arif said, side-hugging her.
"That calls for a celebration," Eman said, high-fiving Mehar.
"That's a great decision, Hanan. I'm proud of you," Ammi smiled.
"That's my girl! I knew you would make the right choice," Farouq said, his smile brightening.
"Bestie, I love you," Mehar sent her a flying kiss, which Hanan caught.
Seeing the happy faces of her family made her feel happy too.
Even though she wasn't happy about the marriage, she was ready to get married again for the sake of her family.
"I'll soon officially be your son-in-law, then," Ammar uttered with a smile on his face.
"Yes, Ya. Ammar," Eman said cheerfully, causing Hanan to wonder when he became Eman's "Ya Ammar". Eman had already accepted him as her brother-in-law. But what did she expect from Eman? Ammar Sheikh was her crush, and now he would become her brother-in-law. She should be happy.
When her eyes met Ammar's, he gave her a beautiful smile, and she responded with a glare filled with anger.
"Excuse me," Hanan said, standing up and excusing herself. After looking at Ammar, she questioned her decision about marrying him.
"Are you alright?" Arif asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.
"Yeah" Hanan forced a smile and she quickly left the dining room before she change her decision about marrying Ammar.
Do I make the right decision? Hanan asked in her mind.
*****
Am I hearing some wedding bells?😂💃💃
Hanan has accepted marrying Ammar. Did she make the right choice?
I hope Ammar can keep our Hanan happy when they get married.
I kind of pity Hanan because she has no choice but to get married as the burden that was placed on her.
What are your thoughts on the chapter?
Till the next chappy.
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Love Zahra💕