Chapter 91: Aimed To Kill

They stayed that way for a while until Maryam was sure she was a bit calm and she looked up at his face with her hands still wrapped around his waist. He didn't know what he felt when he looked into those eyes of her, but it felt like he had once seen them before. Everyone claimed that she was his wife, even though Na'im had no idea when or how he got married to her. He had memories of things intact but there wasn't a picture of her.
But right now as he looked through her eyes, those two universes that she had, he felt something moved in his heart. "Can you please come down a bit?" She asked with a low voice due to the tears she had shed and just for today, Na'im found himself leaning down and he made sure their faces were facing each other.
Maryam stared at him and thought, maybe what Dr Summayah had thought would happen was happening right now. Maybe if she did something to him that would remind him of her, he would see a flash of a memory or two in his mind and that might help. She placed a quick kiss on his lips and had to close her eyes when pulling apart from him because of how much she had missed him, but she knew she wasn't welcomed by this Na'im, she had to keep her distance.
"I'm sorry that I haven't kept up to my promise of telling you this. I love you, Na'im. Always and forever." She said right through his eyes and Na'im staggered back a bit due to how her words had struck him right in the heart.
Who was this lady and why was he badly affected by her? How could he be feeling as if she was used to doing what she had just done to him and even though he wanted to get angry at her, he couldn't? "Who are you?" He couldn't help but ask, even though he had known that numerous time whenever he asked her that question her answer had always been...
"I'm your wife, and this," reluctantly, Maryam took his hand and placed it on her bulged belly, instantly, the baby moved and he felt the urge to cry. She was staring at him to see his reaction, "This is our baby." She said with tears pooling her eyes, but she didn't want to cry so he wouldn't think that she was trying to manipulate him. She was going to keep a straight face.
"What's your name?" He asked, but Na'im found himself unable to take his hand off her stomach and the baby kept moving along the beat of his heart. What would he do now? He wanted to bring this woman back into his arms and hug her, but she felt like a complete stranger to him. She even looked like one.
Yet, there was a strong force in his heart that kept pulling him to her and there were nights that he thought of her and wondered if what she had said about her being his wife was true. Alan Gubro had said she was his wife, too. Mammi too, Hafiz, Saima, the triplets, everyone; on the day he said she had to leave his chamber because she brought chaos to his mind whenever he saw her.
"Maryam Bukar Ibrahim." The name echoed in his mind. The walls of his brain rang with a deafening sound that he couldn't stop even when he placed both hands on his ears. She was still looking at him, and even when he nearly fell down and somehow found a way to slump on the bed instead, she was still looking at him with those eyes...they unnerved him.
"Get out!" He thundered, because he knew so long as she was there, Na'im would never be able to retain his peace. He watched her trying to walk towards him, but he quickly yanked the gun on his bedside and pointed it to her, "One more step, and I'd shoot you! Get the freak out of my sight, damn it!"
Maryam stood there staring at him as her tears cascaded down to her cheeks as though a fountain. Even when he had been claiming that he had forgotten about her and now that she had confirmed about everything from Dr Summayah that he could indeed forget her, she had never believed he actually did forget her until today. He even seemed frightened by her. But seeing the gun he aimed at her was enough evidence that the Na'im she fell in love with, was no longer the Na'im that sat away from her.
She tried to take a step towards him, to defy him and his useless brain for forgetting her. She wanted him to shoot her so that maybe, he would be able to remember her after she was dead. Because if this was the life she was going to live with him as far as he didn't remember her, Maryam didn't want to live anymore. She took two steps and his gun didn't even waver from her direction. She remembered how good of a shooter he was, and was certain that it would take a single shot by him to end her life, but she didn't care anymore.
"I'm warning you for the last time, get the hell out of my sight." Her stomach churned and he watched her placed her shaking hand on top of it as she mumbled some incoherent words. In an instant, how the baby felt under his palm when it moved was back to his heart and he wished to scream at the pitch of his lung.
She took two steps towards him, her crying eyes still fixed on him and Na'im knew he'd rather kill her than go through what he was going through right now. "One more step," he said through gritted teeth and she heard the coldness in his voice, which confirmed to her that he would really kill her if she wasn't being careful. She took the one more step he had forbade her from and she heard the sound gun made as he cocked it, ready to shoot.
Maryam felt her entire body shook with fear, with agony, but she wanted to bring an end to this. "Maybe when you kill me and have my body laying in a pool of blood, you'd be able to remember me, Noory." What scared him the most was the smile on her lips as she kept on walking towards him. He couldn't keep up with this, he knew. And she was barely five steps away from him when he released the trigger and there was an echo of a gunshot that echoed through the whole chamber.
He had his palms on his ears as he clenched his eyes shut. He had never being afraid of shooting at someone but her and right now, his heart might as well be a feather in a storm because of how it kept shaking with over a thousand emotions he had felt. He wanted to open his eyes to see if he had really shot her, even though he knew how good or even perfect he was whenever he aimed at something with his gun. A small part of his mind prayed that he didn't shot at her, but then if he killed her or even wounded her, that will make her run far away from him and he'd have to peace of mind that had deserted him since the day they came back.
"Are you alright, Maryam?" He heard a feminine voice uttered and then he forced to squint his eyes open. It was Saima, helping her up from the ground when she had slumped down abruptly due to the fear she had felt when she heard the the gunshot.
Na'im didn't know when he heaved a relieved sigh and watched as Saima helped her to the sofa and she handed her the bottle water he had just drank before he went in to shower. She looked so shocked to even move a limb and her eyes were distantly staring at the floor and she looked so pale for him to say that she was even breathing. When he looked at the ceiling to bring his thoughts together, he saw where the bullet had gone into, probably Saima had lifted his hand up to keep him away from shooting his so-called wife.
She turned at him with fury in her eyes, "What have you just done, Yarima? You could have killed her if I wasn't in here in time!" She yelled at him and all his life, he wouldn't even remember Saima being annoyed at him. But the way she looked now, it looked as if she was ready to kill him back if she was opportuned.
"I asked her to leave, but she was being adamant!" He tried to defend himself, even though he knew that there wouldn't have been an excuse for him if he had indeed turned out to kill her. What would he tell his father? The police? Court? That she claimed to be his wife when everything said she was and he didn't believe her, so he killed her? It didn't even make sense to him.
"How many times do you want to be told that she's your wife, Yarima?! You might've temporarily lost your memories of her, we believe that but that doesn't qualify such behavior towards her! What if you end up killing her along with your child? I can assure you that you'd never be able to forgive yourself." She helped Maryam to her feet, "Because you love her more than you love yourself. Search your heart, you phone, your brain, the things around you and see if you aren't going to see her all over your life. Get a hold of yourself, please! The least she wants from you is you're gentleness!"
Saima was out of his room, his chamber-altogether along with Maryam-but her words kept ringing in his brain. 'Because you love her more than you love yourself.' He didn't know why these words stuck into his mind and he wasn't even trying to deny that. His heart accepted the words the moment Saima had uttered them and his body reacted calmly to them.
He remembered she had asked him to search everywhere, maybe he would find clues about her, even tough it wasn't going to change a thing, maybe he'd just learn how to treat her better. Because it seemed really true, now that Saima yelled at him when he knew she would never have done that if the circumstance wasn't serious enough for her to do that.
He started with his luggage, because he thought unpacking will give him enough time to search for her in his heart, mind and brain-but when he opened the first box, all he could see were baby's clothes, his heart lost a beat and he slumped back on the floor staring at the clothes as if they were some sort of explosive that could kill him in an instant. He shook his head, rubbed his eyes as he thought about whether or not what he was seeing was true.
Na'im pushed the luggage aside because he didn't believe this, he wasn't going to believe it. He could remember shopping them now that he had seen them, but for what? He opened the second one and it was his clothes and belongings, he didn't know when he sighed out of the relief he felt. But when he opened the third one, it was clothes and he had no doubt, they were meant for her.
Because even now that he had zero memories or feelings for her, as he lifted the first evening gown he had bought in a boutique while they were walking on the street, Na'im had a brisk image of her in the gown and he clenched his eyes shut. He felt his heart pounding so hard against his ribcage, Saima really meant it, he was going to find her everywhere if he looked.
But what happened? Had he forgotten her too like he had forgotten his bunch of ex-fiancées? But he seemed to have loved her enough to marry her and be this way towards her. Hell, she was even going to have his baby. It was so hard to believe that what they had been saying all this while was true, but Na'im knew he had to believe them. He picked his phone to call Hafiz, he wanted to ask him a few things about this girl but the he thought of Saima's words, silently praying that he wouldn't have to find her in his phone as well.
The first thing he began to check were his photos and there she was, looking like a goddess, a fairy in all those pictures...and videos. They had snapped some together, she had a very long hair, he noticed. He had kissed her in some pictures, held her warmly against his body in some and while he stared at them, he came to the first picture he had of her and nearly threw his phone away.
It looked like in...that house he had bought in Damboa road. He knew he had a reason he had bought it, but Na'im couldn't remember why. He wanted to scream, he was going crazy, he didn't even have to play the videos because if he did, nothing could stop him from running mad.
A call came through his phone and when he saw that it was Hafiz, he was so quick at picking it up. "Hafiz..." He was about to rain questions on him when he heard the sound of gunshots and that was when he remembered he had assigned Hafiz and other soldiers under Alan Gubro's order to escort Sadeeq's baby mama to Chad's border. She was an indigene of Chad that came to Maiduguri to get some work but ended up a prostitute. Like Alan Gubro wanted, Sadeeq would never be able to see them again.
"Is something wrong, Lieutenant?!" He asked roughly, standing up as he totally forgot about Maryam and what a mess his life was in.
Gasping for breath, Hafiz seemed to look for a hideout as he kept exchanging bullets with whoever it was they were fighting with. "We've been attacked by Big Boss's men, they've killed..." He let go of his words and Na'im heard more gunshots than he wished to because he was so terrified and he wanted to be there! "His daughter, she has been killed by them and now they're trying to run away with the mother. I just thought I should report in case we need backup."
Na'im didn't know when he slumped back on the bed as emotions knocked him down. "Make sure you save her and come back home safely too, Lieutenant." He ordered and didn't even give Hafiz the change to salute him when he ended the call and immediately got ready before he rushed out. He had to go to the barrack, no. Maybe he had to see Alan Gubro first.
That baby...he thought. That innocent baby, her laughter, her small and frail body. The way she had looked innocently at him, how she had called him Dada when she thought it was her father. Na'im felt a twitch in his heart, he felt terrible because of her death. She didn't deserve to get a father like Sadeeq, she deserved someone far more better than him. Nor did she deserve to be born out of wedlock.
He should have adopted her, he thought. But so long as they both lived in the palace, it wasn't going to end the feud between the two of them and at any given chance, Sadeeq would want to get his daughter back. He almost bumped on Saima as she walked out of the chamber on his way.
"You seem agitated, Yarima, is everything fine?" She asked and before he got the chance to reply her, she spoke again. "I'm so sorry for yelling at you in there, I was out of it."
"Don't bother about it. Did Alan Gubro came back from that seminar he went to?" He asked as he rushed outside, he wasn't even calm enough to take his car, he was going to run to his chamber knowing that would even give him some chance to tame down his anxiety.
"Yes, an hour ago. Even though I'm not sure if he's going to see anyone now, he might be taking a nap..." He broke into a run even before she was done with what she was saying and Saima knew he wouldn't be this agitated if it wasn't serious. And what had happened between him and Maryam wouldn't make him run his way to Alan Gurbo, let's say he had even remembered her, he would have run to her first.
Saima felt anxious, so she broke into a run to catch up with him and when she did, she was heavily panting. "I can't keep up with you, but can you please tell me what's going on?"
He turned and briskly stared at her, "Can I trust you not a say a word about it, Gimbiya?" He asked while running, and it seemed she would collapse at any given chance. So he lowered his pace a bit.
"Cross my heart and wish to die, Captain."
"Some men attacked Hafiz when they went to escort Sadeeq's Baby Mama. They have killed the adorable girl and right now, they're trying to run off with the mother. They're under a serious battle trying to rescue her and right now, I have to report it to Alan Gubro and then rush to the barrack to send them a backup. That's why you should stop distracting and just go back to your chamber!" He yelled the last words, because he had continued running in such a high speed and she was left slacking behind.
Na'im didn't even wait for his eunuch to announce his arrival, the moment he had asked whether he was inside while he panted for his breath and the answer came out as a yes, he rushed inside, not minding how agitated they seemed because of his attitude. He ran to his room and did the same and when Alan Gubro saw him without anyone announcing his arrival, he knew something was wrong.
But he was out of breath to even speak. "Are you alright, Na'im?" He asked when he sat down on the bed and Na'im walked to the fridge to get himself a bottle of water. He gulped down the whole water in an instant before he sat down to calm himself down.
"I just got a call from Hafiz, Abba," he made a mental note to address him as that, because he knew if he was going to address the king, then his behavior was unacceptable and might even get him punished.
"Is everything alright, then? Even though your state at the moment didn't tell me that it is." He got down from the bed, eager to hear what had gone wrong as he wished for the safety of those that mattered.
Na'im told him everything and he was silent for a while as he thought of the best thing to do. "First, make sure no one tells Sadeeq about this. The royal prison isn't tight enough to keep him there without making a wrong move, because we all know he's going to accuse you of killing his daughter if he knows."
Na'im sighed and nodded his head before he stood up, "He has a way of getting news to him even if they're buried deep into the ground, I just pray he doesn't find out about this one. It's going to break his heart, the way he looked and held that child, he must've really loved her."
Alan Gubro smiled at him, "You have a good heart, Na'im. May Allah bless you."
He smiled sadly, "Thank you, Abba. I should hurry to the barrack so I can send the backup on time."
He bowed to his father to show his respect before he rushed out of the room. He didn't even have time to apologize to those by the door for his harsh behavior as a prince. And he was thinking about how he would run back to his chamber to get his car when he saw Amjad driving and he called out his name, "Take me to Giwa barracks." He said and it only took that word and the sign of urgency in his voice to show Amjad that he had to speed up.
On their way out, he saw Saima where he had left her, just that she was now on the ground, crying her eyes out while the maids kept begging her to get up and cry in private, but she didn't care. He knew why she was crying, it was obviously because she thought that by now, Hafiz must've been died and no matter how messed up he felt within, he couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. What a stubborn and strong headed girl she was.