Abu Huraira reported:
Umar b. Khattab was delivering a sermon to the people on Friday when 'Uthman B. 'Affan came there. 'Umar hinting to him said: What would become of those persons who come after the call to prayer? Upon this 'Uthman said: Commander of the faithful, I did no more than this that after listening to the call, I performed ablution and came (to the mosque). 'Umar said: Just ablution! Did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (my peace be upon him) say this: When any one of you comes for Jumu'a, he should take a bath.
Sahih Muslim, 845 b
In-Book Reference: Book 7, Hadith 6
*****
However, Hanan's steps staggered when she entered the office and witnessed Ammar hugging a woman whom she could only assume was Nadia.
Upon hearing a sound, Ammar looked towards the door, and his eyes widened in shock as he spotted Hanan standing there.
Ammar swiftly pushed Nadia away from his body, leaving her staring at him in shock.
"Hanan, it's not what you're thinking," Ammar rushed to explain.
Hanan fought back the tears threatening to spill.
Could she truly believe what she had just witnessed? Did Samreen's words hold the painful truth?
"Sweetheart, let me explain," Ammar said as he gently took Hanan's hand. She hadn't even noticed when he had approached her.
Sweetheart? Now she was his sweetheart after he had embraced his lover?
Hanan snatched her hands away, casting an icy glare at him. "Don't you dare touch me!"
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart, but please let me explain myself," Ammar pleaded.
"Baby, what's there to explain? It's just a normal hug, something couples do," Nadia Kabeer finally spoke after her prolonged silence.
Baby?
Couples?
Nadia's words pierced Hanan's heart, and she couldn't comprehend why.
"I don't want to hear you speak again, Nadia! And stop trying to mislead MY WIFE, as you and I both know we are not a couple!" Ammar warned, his finger pointed accusingly at Nadia, silencing her instantly.
Oddly, Ammar's words soothed Hanan a little, but she still couldn't bring herself to believe him. Who knew if this was just another one of Ammar's acting performances, for he was a good actor.
"Ammar, there's no need to raise your voice at your supposed-to-be wife," Hanan stated. "I'm sorry for interrupting when you two are in the middle of... Never mind, I'll leave and give you two some space." Ammar was alarmed, realizing how difficult it would be to convince Hanan that he and Nadia were not the couple she believed them to be.
"By the way, it's nice to meet you, Nadia Kabeer. It's an honor to meet you in person. I've always admired your fashion designs," Hanan said, forcing a slight smile.
Nadia stared at Hanan in shock, taken aback by her calm demeanor. Not everyone would remain as composed as Hanan after catching her husband embracing another woman.
"Thank you. Nice to meet you too, Hanan," Nadia replied with a polite smile.
With that, Hanan turned and left Ammar's office.
"Are you pleased with the chaos you've caused?" Ammar shot a menacing glare at Nadia.
"Baby—" Nadia began, but Ammar swiftly cut her off. "Don't call me that again!"
Ammar hurriedly left his office in pursuit of Hanan but halted when he noticed Tareeq waiting outside.
"Ensure that Nadia leaves my office immediately," Ammar ordered, and Tareeq nodded in compliance.
"Hanan, wait," Ammar hurriedly walked toward the lift, noticing that Hanan had already entered with the bodyguards.
"Ma'am, Sir is asking you to wait for him," One of the bodyguards informed her.
"Close the lift!" Hanan ordered firmly.
"But—"
"I said close the lift!" Hanan raised her voice slightly.
"Okay," The bodyguard nodded, complying with her command.
By the time Ammar reached the lift, the doors were already closed, and it had started descending. In response, Ammar quickly made his way to the employees' lift, as Hanan had taken his private one.
Three employees looked surprised when they saw Ammar entering their elevator, considering he had his own.
"Good evening, Sir," They greeted him, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
Impatiently, Ammar tapped his foot as he waited for the lift to descend. It felt like an eternity to him.
When the elevator finally reached the ground floor, Ammar swiftly exited and started walking. He soon spotted Hanan with her bodyguards trailing both in front and behind her.
"Stop!" Ammar called out, causing the bodyguards and Hanan to halt.
Upon seeing Ammar, Hanan initially continued walking.
"Ma'am, Sir said we should stop," One of the bodyguards informed her, following closely.
Ignoring him, Hanan quickened her pace.
Ammar quickly caught up to her and grasped her hand.
"Release my hand," Hanan demanded through clenched teeth.
"I won't," Ammar replied calmly.
"How dare you!" Hanan exclaimed, her voice rising slightly.
"The employees are watching us," Ammar pointed out, and when Hanan looked, she saw that they were indeed being observed.
"Now, please be a good girl and come with me," Ammar suggested as he started walking, still holding Hanan's hand, with the bodyguards following closely behind.
Upon reaching his private parking lot, Ammar opened the backseat of his car for Hanan. "I won't get in," she protested.
"Please, Hanan, we're going home," Ammar urged, and Hanan reluctantly complied, though she planned on giving him the silent treatment.
Ammar settled into the backseat on the other side, which was already opened by one of the bodyguards.
"Sweetheart, please let me explain what you saw," Ammar began as they drove away from the company.
Hanan continued to ignore him as she had planned to do.
"Hanan, please hear me out," Ammar pleaded, attempting to hold her hand, but she pulled hers away.
"Ammar, I'm tired. Can you please leave me alone?" Hanan requested, closing her eyes and leaning back in her seat.
Ammar decided to give her space for now, but he knew that once they reached home, he needed to explain things to her. He didn't want her to misunderstand the situation.
After a few minutes, they arrived home, and Hanan promptly exited the car without waiting for the bodyguard to assist her.
She walked swiftly, determined to avoid any conversation with Ammar.
"Sweetheart, why are you running away from me?" Ammar inquired, trailing behind her as they entered the house.
Hanan ignored him and increased her pace.
"Sweetheart, please be careful. Don't rush up the stairs like that," Ammar voiced his concern as he observed her climbing rapidly.
Hanan paid no heed and continued ascending hurriedly.
Once she reached her room, Hanan attempted to close the door, but Ammar placed his hand on it, preventing her from doing so.
"Hanan, why are you acting childishly?" Ammar entered the room as well and closed the door.
"Am I acting childish?" Hanan responded with a painful laugh.
"Yes, you're running away from me and preventing me from explaining what happened," Ammar said, his gaze fixed on her.
"There's nothing for you to explain because I've already witnessed everything, and I believe it. No amount of explanation will make me believe otherwise," Hanan declared, crossing her arms.
"I think I can clarify everything if you just calm down a bit," Ammar suggested, looking at her earnestly.
"I'm not calming down. Maybe you should go calm down your ex-fiancée since I know she's not happy about you following me and leaving there," Hanan remarked, taking Ammar by surprise.
Ex-fiancée? How did she know?
"Who told you she's my ex-fiancée?" Ammar asked.
"That doesn't matter and don't worry. I'll be leaving you soon so that you can marry the woman of your dreams. I can't bear to separate two lovers who are deeply in love, right?" Hanan smiled.
"Who told you this nonsense, Hanan? Who fed you these lies?" Ammar demanded.
"They are not lies, Ammar. Maybe I would believe their lies if I hadn't seen you and your lover hugging each other," Hanan retorted.
"If you looked closely, you'd see I wasn't hugging her; she's the one who initiated it!" Ammar stated.
"That doesn't make a difference. She hugged you, and you allowed it. I'm not blaming you for hugging the love of your life," Hanan replied.
"Don't call her the love of my life again!" Ammar's voice rose, making Hanan apprehensive.
"You are the love of my life!" Ammar stated possessively in a low voice.
"I want you to know one thing. You are the only woman I will ever love in this lifetime! If you were to look into my heart, you'd see that you occupy every inch of it, leaving no room for anyone else."
Hanan couldn't deny the impact of Ammar's confession on her. He was slowly breaking down the walls she had built, and she was allowing him to do so.
However, she still couldn't fully believe him; he could be lying.
Samreen mentioned that he's even taking revenge on her and her family. Should she confront him about it now?
"Tell me one thing, Ammar. Why did you marry me?" Hanan inquired, hoping for the truth that he married her for revenge.
"Because I love you! I can't imagine my life without you in it," Ammar stated emphatically.
"You're not telling the truth, Ammar! From what I've heard, you married me for revenge. You're seeking vengeance on me and my family. Can you tell me the reason behind that?" Hanan questioned, leaving Ammar shocked and perplexed.
Why would he seek revenge on the person who is in his life? Has anyone ever sought revenge against his life?
"Hanan, I'm not seeking revenge on you or your family. You have to believe me," Ammar pleaded.
"And can you tell me who fed you this nonsense?" Ammar inquired.
Hanan considered mentioning that it was Samreen who told her, but she decided against it. She didn't want to create a rift between the siblings. "You don't need to know," Hanan replied.
"Alright," Ammar decided not to press her further on this matter; he was determined to find out on his own.
"We'll continue our conversation later; it's past Maghrib now. I'll go and pray," Ammar said, glancing at his wristwatch. Hanan nodded, as she too wanted to go and pray.
***
Ammar sank into his office chair, lost in thought, reminiscing about the events that had unfolded in his office.
Flashback
"Ammar, Nadia Kabeer is in Nigeria, and she's currently inside your company!" Tareeq exclaimed, abruptly entering Ammar's office.
"What?" Ammar exclaimed, rising from his seat.
"Why is she here?" He wondered aloud.
"I'm not sure, maybe she's here to see you?" Tareeq ventured.
"Why am I only learning of her presence in Nigeria now?" Ammar asked as he returned to his seat, arching an eyebrow.
"She just arrived today, and I only found out now," Tareeq admitted.
"Should I bring her to your office?" Tareeq inquired.
"No," Ammar responded coldly.
"Ammar, you might have no choice but to meet her, as I believe she traveled all this way just to see you."
"You're mistaken, Tareeq. I do have the choice of whether to see her or not, especially since she didn't inform me of her arrival," Ammar asserted.
"If she had informed you, would you have allowed her to come to Nigeria?" Tareeq asked.
"No. She has no valid reason to be here," Ammar stated firmly.
"She believes her reason is you," Tareeq commented.
"Tareeq, have you become Nadia's spokesperson?" Ammar asked, his tone icy.
"I apologize, Sir," Tareeq replied.
"Go and bring Nadia to my office," Ammar instructed.
"Okay," Tareeq nodded before leaving.
After a few minutes, Tareeq returned with Nadia and excused himself.
"Ammar!" Nadia exclaimed as soon as her eyes met Ammar's.
"You can sit on the sofa," Ammar said, gesturing to the nearby seating.
"Ammar, it's been so long, and you're not even going to give me a hug?" Nadia said with a tinge of sadness, gazing at Ammar.
"Please, take a seat," Ammar responded, choosing to disregard her comment.
Nadia followed his instructions and sat down. Ammar then positioned himself across from her.
"What brings you here?" Ammar inquired.
"Is that the first thing you'll ask me after all this time?" Nadia asked, her voice tinged with emotion.
Ammar remained silent, ignoring her question.
"Do you still care about me?" Nadia pressed.
"Nadia, stop making assumptions. I've already told you it's over between us. You know I'm happily married to my lovely wife," Ammar said, causing a tear to roll down Nadia's cheek.
"Ammar, why are you doing this to me? Is it my fault for loving you so deeply? Don't forget, there was a time when you loved me just as intensely," Nadia burst out.
"That's in the past, and we're in the present now," Ammar replied coldly.
"Ammar, why are you punishing me for one mistake I made? I've apologized countless times. What more do you want from me?" Nadia asked tearfully.
"I want you to forget about me, to erase any memory of loving a man named Ammar. It would be best for you unless you want to continue pursuing a man whose heart belongs entirely to his wife," Ammar declared.
"Ammar, why do you love your wife so much? What does she have that I don't? If it's beauty, I'm more beautiful than her. If it's wealth, I'm wealthier. So, what do you see in her?" Nadia questioned.
"Don't even attempt to compare yourself to my wife. You can never measure up to her. In terms of beauty, Hanan surpasses you, and as for wealth, she's married to me, and all my wealth belongs to her. You're not wealthier than me, right?" Ammar responded fiercely.
"And, Nadia, you need to understand that love isn't about comparing beauty or wealth. What I have with my wife goes far beyond material possessions. It's about shared dreams, trust, and the profound connection I've built with her."
"It's time for you to leave. I'm running late, and I don't want to keep my wife waiting," Ammar said, rising from his seat, and prompting Nadia to do the same.
"Okay, Ammar. I'll leave for now," Nadia said as she approached Ammar.
Ammar didn't anticipate it, but suddenly, Nadia hugged him just as Hanan entered his office.
Flashback ends.
*****
Hello, lovelies😍
How was the chapter? Hope you enjoyed enjoyed reading it.
Do you believe that Ammar no longer loves his ex-fiance, Nadia? Or there is more to it?
Does Ammar only love Hanan now?
Ammar is a complicated person that even I don't understand what he's thinking🤔
What about the revenge thing?
Follow me as we continue to unravel things.
Your votes and comments matter.
Love Zahra💕