Chapter 25: You're My Wife

The adzhan woke her up, and as she stirred with a muffled 'La ilaha illal lah' from her lips, Nadia's heart lost a bit when she saw the room she was in. Yes, it looked exactly like hers, but then different in many places she didn't care to mention. She thought everything was a dream, wasn't it? Her fingers subconsciousness went to her lips and even though it felt the same it did a few months ago, she was certain something had happened to it. What she was thinking of as a dream wasn't a dream but reality. She had kissed her husband's twin!
Okay, maybe this wasn't the first time she had kissed him. No, that sounded absurd even to her ears. The first time he had kissed her. Wait, she made him look like a pervert. Maybe they had kissed each other would've been perfect. Yes, this wasn't the first time they had kissed each other but it felt different. Last time she thought he was Hassan, but today, she was certain it was him and still went for it nevertheless.
She needed to get out of here, she thought as her eyes laid on the bed side clock he had. It was getting to two and she didn't know what Hajia would think not to see her there. She got down from the bed, turned the AC off as she aimed for the door but found it locked. What the hell did Hussain meant?! Was she a captive or something she wasn't aware of?
She caught a glimpse of her phone on the bed side drawer and sat back on the bed, how the phone got there wasn't her main concern now. It was to get out of this goddamn room before her heart burst into pieces. She dialed his number without a second thought and he picked up almost immediately.
"Are you up already?" He asked, and she rolled her eyes as though he was there to see her.
"No, I'm calling you from my dream." She knew sarcasm couldn't save her in this situation, especially with the temper she knew Hussain had. But to her utmost surprise, he laughed. "Being sarcastic doesn't even look good on you, Singleton."
"I've told you to stop calling me that." She didn't give him a room to reply when she asked. "I wonder your reason for locking me up in your room." She sighed and rubbed her eyes exasperatedly, "Whatever your reason is, that's the least of my concern. I need to get out of here, now." She knew if she showed him how urgent it was, he might even use that to take his time before he came to unlock the door, whatever way, she wasn't safe from his tactics.
"Oops, my bad. I only did that so they couldn't disturb you, especially Sohila. But I've told Hajia that you'd take a nap so she doesn't get worried about your absence." He knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted to know whether he was on his way to the room already or not. "Hajia sent me on an errand, but I'm close to the house. The key is with me so don't even suggest someone unlocking it for you, I suggest you use the room however you want to before I come back, okay?" She hung up on him, because the phone call itself wasn't important now that he wasn't home.
She logged into her WhatsApp and lots of her friends were wishing her good and Baby H, she had uploaded his picture today on her status. But something else caught her attention, even though Hussain too, for the first time texted her which was a reply under Baby H's picture, but that wasn't what caught her attention. It was a new number, but with the same dp as his own but a different name.
'Assalamu Alaikum, Good morning Aunt Nadia, I hope this finds you in good health. My name is Mufeeda, I'm not sure whether you can remember me, I collected your number from Sohila. How's Baby H? I hope he's doing fine? I wanted to come for the naming ceremony but I have an exam to write. My regards to everyone please, I hope to meet you soon.'
She stared at the message for almost two minutes before she chuckled, rolled her eyes at the mixed feelings she got before she chose to clear her mind and replied her in the shortest way she could ever imagine. But it took Mufeeda only a few minutes to reply back as Nadia dropped the phone without looking at the message and she went to the bathroom.
She came out to find Hussain seated on the sofa as he tried to lull back Baby H to sleep. Nadia watched him for a moment and wondered how this fatherhood looked so good on him and how she was certain he'd be the best father to baby Hassan. She was about to smile when Mufeeda's message came back to her mind, and what transpired between them before she fell asleep and that made a frown appeared on her face instead of a smile.
He looked up at her with a soft look, "Shhh," he whispered, staring at Baby H's face carefully. "Hajia asked me to bring him to you, that he's hungry. But it looks like he's sleepy to me, maybe he'll fall back to sleep." She was just staring at him as she sat back and took her phone.
She went directly to Mufeeda's number, and her replied said; 'I want to talk to you please, Aunt Nadia, it's about Second H. I know you're busy now but if you could spare me some time, it's killing me and Sohila isn't helping anymore.' Her eyes instantly looked up at him and at the same time, he was looking at her.
"Why are you frowning your face at me?" He asked as he carefully laid Baby H beside him on the sofa.
"I think your wife needs you. It's killing her that you're not there or maybe you aren't even contacting her to see how she's doing. If you could save me the stress of having to hear the dreadful story of her one sided love and contact her now, I'd really appreciate it and might even decide to forgive you for what you've done." She spoke in one breath and he was looking at her without even a blink of his eye.
"Woah there, take a breath!" She rolled her eyes at him, "And who's my wife? You?"
She had to stop herself from hissing at him, "I'm being serious here if you could please listen to me for once, Hussain! Mufeeda, isn't she your wife?"
"She's not." He said as she shook his head while glancing at Baby H that squirmed in his sleep.
"Then who is?" She asked, thinking of the perfect reply for Mufeeda, if not for the fact that she'd feel bad for leaving her on read, she would've done that since the first message.
"You need to keep your voice low..." He wasn't done talking when she yelled at him.
"I'm here being serious about something that bothers an innocent girl and you're acting nonchalant about it, Hussain! I don't even know what I'm still doing in this room." She stood up and walked to the door, at the same time Baby H shrilled and woke up in full forces. Hussain had to tame down his laughter at the look of terror she had on her face when she heard the baby's cry.
She gulped down an angry look as she walked back to the sofa to pick him up. But instead, Hussain pulled her wrist and have her sitting beside him while she fully scooped Baby H into her arms. "Let go of me and I think I've told you not to ever touch me again?" Her eyes were filled with fury and at this point, she wasn't sure why she was angry at him. It wasn't about the door, she knew.
"I think the air in this room has been infused with J, because someone is surely high on it." He mumbled silently, even though she heard him just that confused at what the word J meant. She rolled her eyes as a response to that but he stopped her when she wanted to stand up by zipping her gown down.
"What the..." She almost choked on her breath when she felt his hand in her gown as he scooped one of her bust out. She screamed and closed her eyes, trying to get out of his hold but he had already positioned it into Baby H's mouth and the innocent child was already suckling that she had no choice but to stay still, her eyes still closed but somehow, tears already found their ways to her cheeks.
"What's this Hussain? Innalillahi." She was trying to control her tears, still feeling how his hand felt on the most sensitive part of her body and how it felt all normal to him as though he hadn't broken a barrier that was forever meant to be locked between them.
Hussain stared at how she had her eyes closed and was still crying while he smiled, "What? I was only trying to save you the stress and here, my child has been hungry for quite sometime now. I've told you, that I'd feed him myself, didn't I?"
She wiped at her tears but more gushed down, "This is outrageous. How could you do that calmly and still have the nerves to say that?" Her bloodshot eyes slowly opened and she laid them on his face. Looking so handsome that she wished in some type of way he's her husband but then she hated him now for making her feel this way and having a wife he didn't care about.
He stared back into her eyes, emoting whatever feelings and emotions he was certain she would never get to understand. She tore her eyes away from him, aware of how his eyes unnerved her soul. More tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, "Why are you doing this to me, Hussain? Are you doing it on purpose or you want to see me miserable?" She looked back at him, all her attempts to covering her body while she fed Baby H proving futile.
As she cried while her whole body shook, Hussain realized how confusing all this might be for her and to her, just how she asked him if he wanted to be seeing her miserable, that's what it might felt to her. "How would I ever want to see you miserable, Nadia?" His voice was low as he spoke and he wished he could wipe her tears away but he knew she'd appreciate him creating distance between them now than anything.
"I've clearly told you that I hate all this because it's confusing me. I've lost a husband who happens to look exactly the way you are and I still love him, Hussain. I can't move on if I have to be seeing you everyday and you doing things only a husband could do to me. You've kissed me, oh Allah." She lifted her face up in an attempt to stop her tears but more gushed down to her cheeks. "And now this, if it has gotten to the point that you could pull my bust out in the name of feeding a child then I won't be surprised next time if you do it for your pleasure. It's a sin, I don't know how many times I'll have to remind you of this. I get that you might need a wife or something but here," she flashed the screen of her phone to him, "A beautiful young girl, she doesn't have a child, she has never been married. She loves you so much, Hussain. You're already married to her, you can do whatever you want with her and will only get a reward in return. But this...you're pushing me to do what I don't want to, please." Even if she didn't speak a word, he was sure her tears would've sent him the perfect message.
"Mufeeda isn't my wife, Nadia. And I won't get a reward if I touch her or do things to tempt her, I can't even fantasize over that because doing that too is a sin."
"Then why are you doing it to me?! You can't fantasize anything sexual with a woman that loves you then why are you freely doing it to me? Being extreme with it even. And if you weren't married to her then who is your wife? I'm tired of all this!"
"You are." He wasn't sure if how low his voice sounded she would be able to hear him, but she did. Her eyes bulged out and she was shaking her head as though to get everything off her brain, she didn't hear him right. "I can do all this and more with you, pleasurably because it's not a sin, Nadia. I'd get a reward touching you, I'm sorry but it makes me happy doing that. I'm sorry that I confused you and turned your heart into a game plate but I was afraid of how you'd take it. I'm still trying to digest it myself. But it was you Hajia got me married to, not Mufeeda. You're my wife, Nadia."