"You leave me with no choice." He says pushing her to the wall.
"Don't... She whispered observing his lustful gaze.
And before she knew it, he grabbed her waist holding her tightly against the wall, and then he inched for her lips slamming his into hers.
Once it happened, Hanan felt instantly weak to the core, like she had just been electrocuted, she could also swear that her heart reacted but in such a way that she couldn't express.
She was helpless with zero strength to do anything other than to succumb in his arms, letting him take control of her as he wished.
He held her face kissing her gently. She didn't reciprocate but she let him.
How and why did she let him? She wondered unconsciously as Faruk barged in yanking him away from her with a hefty smack.
While it happened she stood blank watching Faruk's parent trying their best to separate Faruk from Najib who he had completely turned into his punching bag.
"Faruk! Are you out of your mind?!" His father yelled, successfully pulling him away.
"No! But he has dad, how dare he kiss her?" Faruk glared, speaking in between heavy breaths.
"Why did you hit him?!" His mother chips in angrily. "And Hanan, leave the shower you will catch a cold you're already soaked." She says turning off the water, she holds Hanan who is all soaked and looking emotionless.
"Let's go, I will get you dry clothes." She says taking her hand with her, Najib holds them back.
"Aunt, before you take her, please I want to have a word with her."
"Okay...
"But I don't want to hear you." Hanan breaks her silence walking away, he pulls her back.
"Habiba, please hear me out...
He says but he didn't get the chance to complete his statement when she slapped him and that got everyone shocked.
"Stay away from me!" She scowled not sparing a minute she ran out of the bathroom.
"I don't understand what's going on, but whatever it is, I don't support this violence you all are doing, talk whatever it is maturely, I will check on her." Faruk's mom says disappointed before leaving.
"Hey!" Faruk glared pointing sternly at Najib. "I won't spare your bones if you ever go close to her again, I mean it!" He says also storming off.
He leaves Najib and his Father looking lost and disheartened.
"Najib, I'm sorry, you know how naive and foolish your brother Faruk is, forgive him...
"It's fine uncle, I'm the foolish one here, I should leave." He says.
"You can't leave wearing these wet clothes, you should change before you leave." He replied.
"Follow me."
And quietly he did so, walking behind his uncle like a lost dog. He soon dwells deep in thoughts on the news of his unborn baby.
A baby he never knew existed, how and why didn't he ever know?
He was never informed about it, and after their divorce, he never set his eyes on her till of recently, so how could he have killed his baby and even tried to kill her?
Many unanswered questions were slowly driving him crazy, surely there was a big misunderstanding and only one person could solve it and that was Abdul.
Only Abdul could solve this riddle since after their divorce she has been in his custody.
He continued to think till his attention was caught.
He heard heavy sobs from the door he just walked past and he knew it was Hanan. The door was ajar so he stood seeing her cry in Faruk's mother's arms.
He wished he could make her understand that she was mistaken, he never even knew he was going to be a father talk more of killing it.
He listens to her talk while she cries.
"Loving him was hard, it was hell." She sobbed.
"He never was a good husband but I accepted him and learned to love him still, I was even mistreated and compelled by his stepmother and mistress to claim crimes I didn't even commit just to save my mother, that day is still clear in my head... My birthday marked the day I stopped being his wife, I swear Aunt, Najib is a beast, he killed my baby, and now he wants to kill me...
"No Hanan, Najib won't do such, stop crying."
"I wish he didn't, I wish he couldn't, but he is a murderer!" She kept crying and Najib who had been listening felt sorry and guilty.
Guilty that indeed he was never a good husband, he never deserved her, and from the moment he recovered his memories, he has been suffering from guilt and regrets.
He turned to leave to meet Faruk glaring at him.
"I hope you are satisfied seeing her cry. It's your fault and you don't feel regretful, do you? You caused her pain and you still have the nerve to act innocent?" Faruk says bitterly expecting to get a reply from Najib, but rather he walks past him.
"If you have any more of humanity or regret in you, then you would let her be, forever." He says and Najib had to stop his steps.
He turned to face Faruk.
"I wish I could, but I can't let her go, it was torture for me when I lost her, but I won't this time." He replied and hurried out of the house, in a hurry to meet Abdul with the hope he would get everything resolved.
He got to Abdul's house but unfortunately, he didn't meet him, Nanny Ann was the only one available around to answer his questions.
"Nanny Ann, please I need you to tell me everything you know about Habiba three years back."
"I'm sorry Najib, but I can't tell you anything as of now, I think you should ask Abdul."
"It's urgent please, I can't wait for Abdul, as you said he is on a trip and I have been trying to call him but his lines aren't going...
"Okay, but...
"No buts, I know everything, I know that Habiba was pregnant for me, so I just need more details to connect the dots, to understand why she believes I killed my child!" He snapped, he was losing his patience trying to understand why Abdul and Nanny Ann were secretive about it.
"Okay, have a seat, but first, do you remember who Habiba is to you? I heard you lost some of your memories...
"I regained them back a few months ago, just tell me everything you know please."
"Exactly three years back, Abdul found Hanan in a delicate state, she just had a car accident which caused her a miscarriage, and to the knowledge I gained from her, is that you are the one who drove her over, but Abdul couldn't do anything other than let her believe so...
"He couldn't do anything?" Najib uttered in disbelief "Obviously he could have contacted me...
"He did, but that was the same night you had that fatal accident which caused him to conceal the truth till now, he couldn't also make Hanan understand things so he sent her Abroad to further her education and move on but she didn't, rather she is adamant and obsessed about taking revenge."
"I'm surprised that Abdul kept me in the dark all this while, but thanks Nanny Ann for sharing what you know."
"It's my pleasure, but don't get Abdul wrong, he did it for your sake, he was concerned about your health, you had lost your memories and the doctors advised that they shouldn't be forced back, so I guess he was scared of jeopardizing your health...
"That's not a good reason for him to hide such important things from me, I was going to be a father and he never told me, and I'm sure he won't still me even if I ask which is very disappointing...
"I apologize on his behalf, once he returns I will send him to you because I don't know all the necessary details but all I know is that a guy who used to work for you named Musa was the one who told Abdul everything, that it was your ex-girlfriend Zaitun that paid him to kill Hanan...
"What?!" Najib blurt out. "Zaitun tried to kill Hanan?!" He glared.
"Yes, and she did other dubious things, and if I'm certain Abdul told you about them."
"Yes, he did, I remember the night I had the accident I was going to confront Zaitun but the issue is that she has disappeared with no traces, I never knew she could stoop so low."
"Yeah, and also I think Hajiya your mother, knows about it."
"Hajiya?" Najib sighed.
"Yes, I suspect she knows because according to what Musa told Abdul, is that he worked for both Hajiya and Zaitun."
"Huh?! I can't believe all this went on under my roof and I never knew."
"I'm sorry, we also contributed to everything by concealing the truth, especially from Hanan, by letting her believe you were behind her accident we have wronged both of you, and that's why we need to speak to her, but she won't even come home or share her address neither is she picking our calls."
"Let her be for now, once Abdul returns please send him to my place, I need to hear more from him."
"I will, and we are sorry."
"It's fine, I should leave it's getting late."
"Okay... Wait, it's Abdul calling."
"Please put it on speaker."
"Nanny Ann, it's urgent, I just got a call from Faruk about Hanan, I will forward you his home address, please get a taxi and go pick her up."
***
"How is she?" Abdul approached his mother who was clearing the dining table alongside the maids.
"She is asleep." She muttered tiredly.
"Thanks for taking care of her." He smiled "And you shouldn't be doing this, you look exhausted from cooking all day...
"And you ruined my efforts by fighting with your brother, look at my meals, they were left almost untouched, I prepared so much for this dinner but you turned into a disaster dinner." She said disappointed.
"Mom, I'm sorry for that but Najib isn't my brother...
"Then what is he? A stranger?" She sighed. "Why did you hit him? Tell me?"
"Mom, I hit him because he deserved it, why should he touch her?"
"And why shouldn't he? Is she not his wife Habiba that he has been searching for?"
"Mom, She is his ex-wife, not his wife and you don't need to defend him, he is a murderer...
"How dare you!" His father walks in slapping him right in the face.
"Alhaji!" His mother shrieked.
"Shut up! Is this how you trained your son to be?" He glared at her.
"And you..." He turned to Faruk.
"What evidence do you have to accuse him of being a murderer? Just because that girl, that stranger, tells you lies and then you decided to believe?" He glared.
"Don't you realize that she is trying to come between you both? She wants to ruin your relationships but you don't realize it because you're always gullible and stupid...
"Dad! Hanan isn't a stranger, she is important."
"Important enough to ruin your family ties?!" He frowned.
"Yes!" Faruk yells. "She is much more important to me than that murderer!"
"Wow!" His father gasped. "Then who is she to you? Tell me?"
"My girlfriend!" Faruk snapped. "She is my girlfriend and he has no right to her now, he has lost that right!" He glared.
"Mindblowing! So now you have grown wings to yell back at me?!" His Father snarled heading to him for another slap when his mother intervened.
She blocked Faruk by standing in between the Father and son.
"Yes, he is wrong but that doesn't mean that you should keep hitting him!" She glared.
"Like mother like son! You are the sole reason my only child became this way, you have pampered and spoilt him to the core that he is not less than a loser!"
"My son isn't a loser!" Faruk's mother cried out making Hanan intervene.
She had woken up a while ago due to their shouts, she traced their noise to the dining room and she was left utterly shocked to find the whole family fighting because of her, she felt bitter and weak to watch them, especially now that Faruk's mother was in tears.
"Please stop fighting, please!" She exclaimed attracting their attention.
"Please stop it." She says again while joining them.
"I'm sorry sir, it's all my fault, not Faruk's, please don't get angry at him." She tells his father with folded palms.
"Aunty, Faruk, I'm deeply sorry, you shouldn't fight because of me, I will leave now."
"By this time?" Faruk asked walking to her. "See the time, it's past 11." He says pointing at the wall clock.
"I should leave, I will order an Uber." She smiled.
"No, I will take you home, let's go." He replied taking her hands to leave but his father intervened.
"You aren't going anywhere." His Father snapped.
"Dad? C'mon mom talk to him...
"Faruk, it's fine, I will be fine on my own." Hanan smiled removing her hand from his grip but he held them back.
"No Dad, I'm sorry but...
"You go and I disown you." His Dad stated sternly and left the scene in a rage leaving everyone utterly shocked.
"Faruk, please listen to your dad, good night ma," Hanan said and hurried out of the house before Faruk stopped her, and just then it began to rain heavily.
"Mom, it's raining, please talk to Dad, we can't let her go home alone in this condition, it's too late," Faruk says nervously to his mom who was barely listening as she gulped a glass of water to ease her throbbing heart.
"Faruk, just do as he says." She sighed. "Let her go, she isn't a kid, she will find her way home." She replied.
"But mom, she is our guest...
"If you respect me as your mother then you will end this chapter and do as your father says." She says and quietly leaves the room, leaving Faruk to his temptation to leave.
He ran to the door but once he tried to take a step out, he remembered his mother's words and couldn't help but feel helpless, particularly after he turned to see his mother staring at him.
With anger, he banged the door closed and walked to his room where he normally lodges whenever he was at his dad's.
He tried calling her phone but it was unreachable and that got him more frustrated.
He was left with no choice but to resolve to the least of options open to him.
With that, he scrolled through his contact list and dialed Abdul's number.
***
A/N
A lot of twists and drama coming up, keep reading, and don't forget to vote, thanks.
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