Chapter 72 I Love You

They heard the sound of a wheelchair being rolled into the living room and when they looked, even though in so much physical pain, Na'im bubbled with more anger than he did with pain. His eyes immediately did a brisk scan of the room and when he saw the Maryam clasped under the strong arms of Sadeeq and she was grunting in pain as life threatened to get away from her body, he roared, totally forgetting about his head that throbbed.
"What do you think you're doing, Sadeeq?!" He thundered, but when he rolled the wheelchair closer to him, Sadeeq had tightened his hold so much that in any second, they would all be able to hear the sound of her neck breaking and she would slump there, lifeless.
His heart thumped with fright and even though he was right there in front of her, it seemed like Maryam didn't even know he was there. It seemed like she had already embarked on the journey to after death. "One more step towards me, Na'im, your baby bride would be dead right here."
"Sadeeq!" Alan Gubro thundered, but Sadeeq was filled with so much hatred and anger that he was never going to succeed over his father because now that he had seen this, he was sure he would never forgive him and there was that case about her sister, which he was certain Na'im knew about and would do all it took to bring him down. If he was going to be down, why not give him a souvenir of grief that would slower his actions?
"I hate to do this, Sadeeq, but you left me with no other choice." Na'im said, his voice barely audible due to how sick he was and how much anger and pain he felt. "Bring her in." They were all silent, including Sadeeq that waited to see who they were bringing in. If it was Ya Gumsu, he knew she wouldn't mind being in some pain so long as he would do what he wanted.
But his heart took a leapt when he saw his baby. The little girl shrilled happily when she saw him and was already extending her hands towards him to be taken by him, but she wasn't handed to him. She was handed to Na'im that cradled her in his arms warmly as though she was his daughter. There wasn't hatred in his eyes when he looked at her, his touch on her was soft and he even smiled to ease the little girl's worry. She was wrapped warmly in her blanket and Na'im pulled the edges to make sure she wasn't exposed to the harshness of the weather.
"I'm sorry, girl, I'd have to use you to get my own girl out of the hands of your Dad, okay?" She giggled like the baby she was. Because in her mind, every handsome man was her dad and this one looked so much alike like hers.
"What do you think you're doing, Na'im!" Sadeeq thundered, but he had never felt as frightened as he did. He had thought that his secret would be left hidden forever, how in the whole world was he holding Asta?!
"Give me the gun, Jafar!" The venom was back in his eyes when he looked up at Sadeeq, though whoever was there present in the room knew that Na'im would never be able to kill the little girl, but Sadeeq was so frightened to think that way. The gun was handed to him and he aimed it at her little head, she looked up with a giggle in her mouth.
"Da! Da!" She said joyously and they all felt as their hearts shook.
Sadeeq clasped his eyes shut and cursed himself when he felt his tears rolled down to his cheeks. He had been begging Asta for over a month to call his name but she chose to say it to Na'im's face. His heart was moved in a way, even though he knew it might be over for him, he knew he wanted to be given the chance to hold his daughter in his arms, alive and safe.
"Looks like the girl loves her Dad as much as he loves her." Na'im said, fire flying from his eyes. He refused to look at how lifeless Maryam looked in his arms, his heart ached for both the girl in his hands and that in Sadeeq's hands. "I bet from the tears on your cheeks, you'd want to save your daughter from a painful death she didn't deserve, Sadeeq. Let go of my wife before you make a damage on her that might not be easily forgiven by me."
"You'll regret doing this, Na'im." He said through gritted teeth, but they all watched as Sadeeq began to loosen his hold on Maryam, but not entirely.
"Not as much as you will, if you don't let go of her. Because you see, Maryam might be saved, but your girl will instantly be killed by my bullet, especially..." He moved the bullet to her tiny chest that beat with the little life she had, they all heard Sadeeq gasped, "Especially if the bullet hits the brittle heart that gives her life."
Sadeeq threw Maryam on the floor and she was so drained to even gasp for air, she just lay there, feeling as her lungs continued with the fight to get enough air and for her heart to pump enough blood to keep her alive. She thought she would be dead in a few seconds even though she had been hearing some voices under hypnosis that would have sounded exactly like that of Na'im if she wasn't aware of how sick he had been and wouldn't be able to rescue her.
Na'im motioned for Amjad to go for Maryam and when they were sure she was taken into his hands and no longer lying on the floor, he sighed and handed the gun back to Jafar. "I wouldn't have forgiven myself, Baby. If your Dad has forced me to hurt even a nail on your body." He lifted her up and smiled at her genuinely, and she giggled joyously at him. Na'im plastered a peck on her forehead before he looked up at Sadeeq.
"If you'd want a bloodshed before you're taken away to the hospital, which I doubt about that-ask your boys to stop doing what they're doing and bring back our sister, right now." He referred to both Hafiz and Saima that was still in their hands.
With one movement of his head, they both were released and Saima ran and hugged Alan Gubro before she burst into tears. "I was so terrified, Abba, I thought I was going to die." Even though he was in pain after witnessing what he had just did-because all his life he wanted nothing but for his family to love one another but it seemed like Sadeeq wasn't ready for that-Alan Gubro brought her closer to his body and she hide her face on his chest.
"Alan Gubro didn't want the army involved in this, I would've ordered you go directly to the barrack. But for now, you'd go to the hospital for your leg to be treated and then your boys will be taken to the royal prison, which later you'll join them after you're discharged." He smiled down at Asta that seemed to be happy being in his embrace.
"I hate to depart with her, she's a good kid. I hope she doesn't end up harboring so much hatred like you, Bolori." He wordlessly placed the girl down on his laps and Sadeeq was so quick at bringing her up to his chest and he hugged her warmly, closing his eyes as he sighed with a sign of relief. "Had it been you'd love everyone the way you love her, your life wouldn't have been so hard."
He turned away from him and ordered, "Take them away."
Before anybody made a move, Alan Gubro stepped towards him with resentment in his eyes, "I would've taken her away from you if she's not still being breast fed. Take her back to her mother and I'll arrange how you'd never see her again. It's not her fault to be born by you and that too, out of wedlock. Have it in mind that this will be the last time you'd hold her in your arms."
Sadeeq watched as they all evacuated out of the house and he brought Asta closer to his body before he burst into tears. Everything, everything he had worked so hard for had crumbled right before his eyes and he had nothing to do. But one thing was certain, he'd make sure he avenge on him and would never forgive him.
"Let's go! Drag all of them out!" Lieutenant Hafiz yelled at the soldiers and Sadeeq only closed his eyes, it seemed that he had lost even his military power.
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Maryam woke up and the first thing she had seen in her surroundings was the dim light in the room she was in and the scent of incense that calmed her nerves. She felt the bed she was sleeping on, it was so warm that it didn't at all resembled the cold and scratchy floor Captain Bolori had her sleeping on for the past two days. It was so dark outside, but the dim light came and gave her eyes the chance to see what was in front of her.
She tried to move and even though she was perfectly fine, she felt so heavy to move and her throat felt like there was fire burning in it. She doubted if she would be able to speak like she would want to. The IV she saw attached to her body when she lifted her hand to touch her neck proved to her that she was in the hospital and indeed, someone had ended up saving them from Captain Bolori.
She squirmed on the bed and it only took a few seconds before strong arms pulled her into the broad chest she had loved and missed. Maryam didn't know when she sighed in utmost relief and fought her tears back. Because this wasn't the right time to cry, it was time she held him as much as she had dreamt about holding him those days. How much she had missed him so bad.
She turned to face him, staring at his face under the dimming light gave her enough chance to do that without being intimidated by the look in his eyes. She was being careful of the IV that was attached to her hand and she felt him moved closer to her, evident to show her that his body was free, if not for the bandage on his head.
"I've missed you, Hoor." He spoke silently and Maryam snuggled into his chest. Her throat pained so much for her to speak and even though she knew that he was here with her and for the whole night she could be held by him and be with him, she still felt a feeling of foreboding because she knew, Na'im would be taken away from her by his father by tomorrow in the morning.
He thought she was crying when he lifted her face up to stare at him but there were no tears, just that she had her heart in her eyes and he was able to see how much she was hurting within. She was glad to be together with him at last, but there was fear of being separated with him in her eyes and she had missed him so much.
"Can you speak?" He asked lovingly and she shook her head lightly, placing her hand tentatively on his cheek so she would be sure that it was him, he was there, alive and would be heathy in a few days.
They stared into each other's eyes longer for Na'im to sigh before he leaned and pecked her forehead, aware of how much she loved his forehead kiss. "I love you, Maryam. I love you with everything I've got in my entire body; soul, heart, body, you name it. I love you, so much that it hurts when you're out of my sight even for a few hours." She left her hand on his cheeks and even though she had told him that she couldn't speak, he loved what he was seeing in her eyes.