Two years later.
Adeelah.
When people say everything shall come to pass, i usually gape at them as though they grew some horns because it's so cliche. I hate to hear it, even. But now as i sit, waiting for my husband's return from London, I couldn't help but ponder on my life. When i say my life, all i could see before my eyes was this two years of bliss. He had been everything to me and more but of course, you know the life drill. Some days sweet, some days bitter.
We haven't had our baby yet, and i have been so worried like i have never been in my life. He hinted me that it was fine but nay! It would never be fine. Apart from this aspect of my life, everything was going smoothly.
I thank Allah for his endless blessings. He, my Lord is the Most compassionate and the most Loving.
True, i had had some scars in my heart due to the happenstances of my life. To be truthful, i still remember the worst days of my life but they do not pain anymore. Sometimes you just learn to live with the reality.
My relationship with my parents, Abba and Ummah was nice and still growing like never before.
The relationship between me and myself was also improving. We tend to forget that, my minds, our hearts and our bodies need inspections time to time. And what i had learnt to keep my mind in check was writing my thoughts out. You see, after everything finally settled, i saw a therapist that taught me this technique.
Funny how amongst my problems was Salisu himself. It was hard to balance between him being Salisu and ElMustapha and even Adeel.
Him being Salisu was that man that annoyed the heck out of me, him being ElMustapha was that arrogant man. And him being Adeel was not the combination of both, it was another personality on its own. I realised i had never forgive him for being the Salisu in my life, i just learnt to accept the new him, so i had to let that out. With him being ElMustapha, i had to fight that feeling of dislike that sometimes surface in my heart even though i knew the ElMustapha i knew wasn't actually him. And then him being Adeel, was another thing on another level. So i had to section my book into different columns and write what i felt. At last i gave him the book because it was like reading my mind.
I could still remember how devastating his eyes looked after reading all that i felt about him. I just had to be honest with him. And i was, and it helped immensely.
Now i was fully settled mentally, Alhamdulillah.
It's so refreshing.
Nafeesah had moved on with life and she got married last year to someone else. We wished it was Muhammad but she couldn't bring her heart to it. She couldn't do it and there's no compulsion.
Shahid came once and i faced him instead of her. You know what I'm capable of doing. I made him apologize to her even though it won't add anything to her. I just hated the fact that somewhere in her heart, she still loved him then. She still wished things got right. It's hard watching her let him go for the best of it.
I sighed and glanced at time.
My Adeel was supposed to be back in few minutes. He was on a business trip because he's working on opening a juice extraction factory under my name. The perks of being a billionaire's wife. It took me a lot of time before i learnt to live with the fact that he would always spoil me with money.
He's now okay with sharing his wealth with Baffa Kabo and his son even though he knew they were still coming after him. The way he handled them was a mystery i could never solve.
We live in Abuja because most of his factories are here. I heard the zoom of the gate and walked to the door to receive him. I wanted to run throw him a hug but i saw that he was with Nawwar, his cousin. I mean his fake cousin since the Kabo family is fake. I hate the way she behaves around him and i had clearly showed my displeasure but he told me not to worry.
So when i saw them together, i looked away. I managed to remain normal but I couldn't. I wanted to dash away from the door but they had seen me so i just displayed a facade of smile and approached them.
"Hi, welcome." I hugged him anyway. She should deal with it. The way he looked at me, i knew he got the message.
"Hi Nawwar." I said, showing them both the way in. They both walked in and he reduced his pace. I only turned to give him a lingering look before i proceed to talk with her as though he wasn't there.
When night came, he was tired of the attitude. "Nawwar will stay here because her wedding preparations have started and she didn't want to stay at the house."
I shrugged. "Make me an apology coffee because you made me feel bad."
He laughed. "Yes, Heer." He bowed dramatically and sashayed to the kitchen. In case you don't know, he makes the best coffee.
*****
I felt so lonely these days so I regularly call Celine. Sometime i call Hidaya, Ameer's wife. Two of my brothers will soon get hitched too.
I got a few kittens to keep me company because this days he had become a busy bee. Cats are an imperial part of our lives. I don't know how they came to be, but it turned out that we really adore them. I had been trying to conceive and to be honest now, it's no longer funny. I badly want a child. Other days, i stay with baby Adeelah and baby Aayat Ya Nafeesah's kids but you know the feeling aint gonna be the same with having yours made by you and yours.
The worst part of it was last year, a gossip blog started dragging my infertility on the net. It was really traumatizing that i had to sit with Maami. Now it's been six years and i was almost giving up.
For the last time, i decided to take the test again. I knew that same test would be the last string that would hold me. I knew i would break if it turned out negative like i had always been. I knew this time I wouldn't only stay in the shower and cry. I would just lose interest in life.
I brought the strip out of the drawer and clutched it like my fate depended on it.
Adeel's call interrupted me so i picked. "I am at the door, Heer." It was a surprise to me so I quickly rushed out. The moment i saw him standing, i crashed into him and began to sob. I didn't even know why i was crying. I felt his hand weakening.
"Did you?" He asked, knowing that only one thing would break me.
"I want to. I feel so useless that I can't do it. Isn't it a feminine nature? Why can't i do it? And the talks wouldn't even stop coming." My speech was full of frustration and regret and heartache and heartbreak and tiredness and everything.
He cupped my cheeks and used his thumb to clear my tears. This someone calmed me down.
"What do you think? I didn't marry you with a condition to give me children, Heer. Infertility is not gender based. It could be me. Not all that, i want you to never think of yourself as less than a woman. You're everything i want, you have everything, and you not conceiving has never once in my life touch the way i love you. I love you as you, not as who you can be or what you can give to me. I love you unconditionally." He stopped to hug me really tight before he proceeded.
"I want you to promise me that this will be the last time you will shed a tear because of this. I'm not complaining and i will never."
I coughed out the remaining cries and nodded. "I promise only when you allow me check this once."
"We do that together then."
He walked hand in hand to the bathroom and we stood in suspense for the next few seconds. I closed my eyes and let him see the result first.
When i heard silence from his side, i knew the answer but i felt him lift me in the air and twirl us around.
"It's positive Heer, congratulations my heroine." I beat him to drop me so i could see for my eyes. When my eyes met the lines, i broke into tears of joy. This time he didn't stop me from crying. I kept muttering Alhamdulillah until I couldn't count.
I dragged him to the edge of our bed and sat him down.
"For everything, i will forever be thankful." I said, taking his hands in mine. He kissed our entwined hands and held my eyes in his.
"My love for you is immortal, Adeelah."
He always beat me with the words. I'm glad he is my husband, I'm glad he is my chauffeur. I'm glad I'm all his, soul, body and mind.
Eternal.
*****
Finally!!!!!!!!! Alhamdulillah. Please get your reviews ready, as an author note will come soon. I can't believe i woke up today and felt like i must finish this book today. I'm so emotional 🥺🥺🥺