Chapter 21: Chapter 21

They both rushed to where Hayfah was layed on the ground___she wasn't breathing, her skin looked pale and lifeless.

"Fake besty, she isn't breathing, help me please!" Fareeha roared, crying hysterically. She kept shaking Hayfah but it loomed she wasn't going to pick up.

Malik leaned in___trying to pick her up, but was halted by Umma's grisp. She disgustfully looked at him, "What do you think you are doing? Trying to lay those filthy hands of yours on my daughter? That too in my presence? Move joor," she roared, yanking him backwards. They both ignored her, not that what she did hasn't hurt them, but what they have in store is much more than this.

Luckily, Amna halted infront of the house, she swiftly ran towards Hayfah and lifted her up___Fareeha helping her. "Let's take her to the hospital please," she half yelled, looking at Malik; whose brain has gotten into a hiatus.

Fareeha and Amna carried her, and put her in Malik's car. Crest fallen, they both entered the car and zoomed off, not giving a yelling Umma a look. She was rushed into accident and emergency unit, Malik couldn't think straight, all that has been happening had jumbled up his brain.

With the help of the doctors, she finally gained consciousness; but was too weak to even squint an eye. Amna and Fareeha sat opposite her, both giving her sympathetic looks. Amna has different questions rummaging in her brain, but her sister's health matters alot.

It was time for prayer, Malik went to the mosque and prayed, whilst Fareeha and Amna prayed in the room. The room was eerily quiet, only the fan's screeching sound.

Amna looked at Fareeha, "Don't you think you need to go home? It's past Maghrib already," she spoke silently. Deep down___she desperately needs to know the cause of all this.

"Yeah. I too want to go, but I'm afraid she wouldn't be safe. Take care of her please, she's in an agonizing pain," Fareeha replied, as she cleared the tears that cascaded down her cheeks.

Amna moved close to her, and held her hands in her "Tell me, please. Tell me what happened, what happened to her? Why is she in this state. I know she's in an unvocalizing pain," Amna whimpered, the tears she had been fighting with; rolling down.

"I don't know how you would take it, but it was Umma....," Fareeha narrated all that happened to Amna. Amna could only smile ruefully and clear her tears; which aren't stopping.

"I'm so sorry please, I'm sorry for Umma's accusations towards you. Malik too, Ya Rabb! How would I face him?" Amna broke down completely, her shoulders shaking from the hysterical tears that had been cascading.

"It's okay, Addah. You really doesn't ne..," Fareeha was cut off by Hayfah's frail voice.

"Please, Umma, please. I beg of you, stop saying those words to them, they doesn't deserve them. All they deserve from us is___our gratitude, they've sacrificed all they have in making my life beautiful," she kept whimpering, shaking her head___tears rolling down from the sides of her eyes.

They couldn't take it anymore, they broke into tears, crying hysterically___when Malik sauntered inside the room; gasping as to what he saw. "Why are you crying like this? You really need to be strong for her, we all knew she needs the shoulder to cry on. Please," he spoke sombrely, and sat on the chair beside Hayfah's bed, his heart twinging at the afflicted sight of her.

In not less than thirty minutes, Amna's phone rang, she picked the call with a salam___but her mouth became agape, vacantly staring at Hayfah, as more tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"Subhanallah, Abba, wallahi...," she couldn't finish, when he ended the call. She broke down completely, "Hande a wuni (I'm in a dilemma). What should I do now?" She kept talking to herself, not caring to answer the questions Malik and Fareeha were been asking.

"When would she wake up please?" She directed her question towards Malik, her eyes were swollen, nose fluffy.

"Is there any problem? She might wake up in not less than an hour," he answered, they both were giving her puzzled looks.

Amna moved close to Hayfah's bed, she held her hand___tears rolling uncontrollably from her eyes. "Wake up, Hayfah, wake up please. Let's go back home ASAP, there is really a fire on the mountain, please, Hayfah," she sobbed, clutching onto her hands.

As if on cue, Hayfah slowly squinted her eyes, she laboriously began roaming her eyes around the room; before they landed on distraughted Amna, whom was crying profusely.

"Addah, what happened? Why am I here?" She inquired weakly, before it somersaults in her___what happened earlier. She made an O gesture with her mouth, as tears filled her eyes.

"Noo, stop crying please___alot more awaits you at home, let's leave," Amna sobbed harder, wiping away her tears.

Hayfah was silent, what does she mean by alot more awaits her? Has she done something again? Or has Umma accused her again?

She got discharged, together; they sauntered out of the hospital. They alighted infront of their house, both their hearts beating vigorously, they couldn't imagine the fire burning in there. Fareeha and Malik wished her quick recovery before they zoomed off.

Being supported by Amna, Hayfah trudged inside the house, she silently salaamed___but what caught her attention was Abba's and Tahir's shoes on the floor, she looked up; only for her gaze to fall on distraughted Abba and infuriated Tahir.

Before they could take a step forward, Tahir came and slapped her hard across her right cheek. She almost lost her balance, if not by Amna's tight grisp on her shoulder.

"Hamma Tahir?" She slurred, unsure of her words. Is it her Hamma? Is he really the one? What has she done? Wouldn't he even ask her how she's feeling? Was this his kind of hospitality?

"Why Hayfah? Why would you do this to me? Where did I failed in bringing you up? In neither the modern nor the Islamic education? Allah knows I've tried my best. But this is how you'll repay me? Bringing shame into my family? I'm shattered, Hayfah, wasn't expecting this from you," came Abba's voice, it was laced with sheer anguish and pain. How his voice sounded___he was really shattered.

Hayfah looked between Tahir, Abba and Amna, she needed an explanation, she knew nothing about what Abba was saying, and she couldn't fathom a single thing. Her heart was at the state of melancholy, she have had enough this evening, and now this___could her heart keep pumping and beating like always? Wouldn't it just fail down, so they could both rest? Ya Rabb! Ya Malikul kuddus! Ya Zuljalali wal ikrahm! She knew she couldn't take this alone.

"Abba..." she drawled, the tears in her eyes rolling down slowly, emanating how detrimented the beholder is. "What happened please? What happened, Abba?" She inquired slowly, as she took trudging steps towards the mat they were sitted on.

She was about to sit down, when Tahir swiftly moved backwards. Was he afraid of her? Or is she some sort of a garbage? Ya Allah!

"Don't sit near me, you're nothing but a stained veil," Tahir flared up, disgustfully looking at her.

She ignored him, and fixed her gaze on Abba, whose head was hung low___he might be crying. "Abba please, I didn't know what I've done, tell me, Abba, please," she cried. When he looked up; her heart almost lost a beat at the look she saw on his face.

He kept opening his mouth, but kept procrastinating. How his Adam's apple kept bubbling up and down was enough to tell her; the words he was about to utter wouldn't be vast for her, but they were also afflicting to him.

"What's there to be obfuscating about? Just tell her now! Hayfah, you're three months PREGNANT, this isn't the first time___you've did numerous abortions. And he's here___disappointed in you, but I see no reason, because it was history that repeats itself," came Umma's bitchy voice, as she was clasping her hands on her wrapper, flashing Hayfah an equivocal look.

"Innalillahi wa'inna ilahir raji'un (From Allah we are, and unto him we shall return)," that was what Hayfah kept monotoning, she was shaking her head vigorously, the tears weren't flowing anymore. She felt her heart squirmed, lungs choked, and joints detached.

"Abba, wallahi...," she couldn't complete the sentence, before Umma cut her off.

"What's there to worry about, Talhah? You should just get her married to avoid any hassles. This boy loves her so much, and is willing to marry her. That boy, what's his name again?...ehen___Malik," she chirped in, with a mischievous smile plastered on her lips.

It was now that Hayfah's tears began streaming down. She knelt before Abba, "Abba wallahi, trust me, Abba. Wallahi I did nothing from what she elaborated, trust me Abba. I dashed out this evening, she was accusing my friends, calling us names, I begged___but she kept mum to my pleadings," Hayfah was going out of her senses, she kept looking between her siblings and Abba___all looking for a helping mouth.

She took Abba's hand in her, "Here..if you didn't believe me___touch, wallahi there is nothing like a baby inside my womb, I've never been intimate with any guy, Ya Rabb, Abba feel it," she placed his hand below her navel, her temperature was so bad; which made Abba withdraw his hand immediately.

She gave Abba an agonized look, and moved towards Tahir "Please, feel it yourself, wallahi I have nothing, please Hamma Tahir," she pleaded, ocean of agitated tears soaking her clothes. He looked lunatic.

Tahir yawed his gaze from her sight, she looked at him; and laughed humorlessly___before crawling to where Amna was. She took her hands in hers "You're a lady, you knew all those signs of pregnancy, see my eyes, my palms, my lower abdomen, wallahi I have nothing, Addah; trust me please," her voice was drastically softening, so was her heart beat___as she dilated her eyes, spread her palms, and put Amna's hand on her lower abdomen.

Amna clasped her shoulders tight, she was in tears too, "Hayfah, please.." she couldn't complete her sentence, when Umma yanked her off. Hayfah looked at her, her face devoid of emotion towards her, before she trudged back to where Abba was.

"What will I do for you to believe me? Should we go to the hospital? They can even testify if I've ever made an abortion in my life. Please, Abba," she slumped on the ground, beside Abba, she was drenched, energy quenched.

"What's there to go to hospital for? I'm a woman, and a mother also, I know all those signs___so no one is going to the hospital," Umma declared, with a tone of finality laced on her voice.

Hayfah looked at Abba, "Say something please, say something, Abba. Even if it's an insult, wether you're going to curse me, I prefer it than your silence, it eats me up," she slurred laboriously, impotently looking at him.

With every sight of her; his heart breaks into shards; he has mixed feeling, he didn't know what to do. He opened his mouth to talk, but procrastinated___he didn't want to say something that he would regret later. The prophet (SAW) teaches us not to be angry. So to avoid any act of regret, it's better to keep mum.

Hayfah slowly closed her eyes, feeling how the pain was etching her heart, shattering it into tiny pieces that couldn't be mended. She opened her eyes "Abba, I'm now not your little princess you've always said? What about the 'I trust yous'? Wouldn't you believe me now, it might be my last encounter with you, what I feel in my heart___I know I wouldn't stay long in this dunya; which is full of pains.

I'm really tired of this life, how I wish Allah will take off my soul, I would've been forever greatful. Thank you, Abba. I'm so sorry for putting you in pain," she laboriously muttered, and yawed her gaze towards Tahir, whom was intensely looking at her.

"Hamma Tahir, Thank you for believing me once, for making my adieu a memorable one. The good days we've spent together would forever be treasured by me. I love you, I really do," she wiped away her tears, and looked at sobbing Amna.

"Addah, I know we had some bad moments, but believe me___those were the moments I would cherish the most, I love you for that. I know you knew this wasn't the truth, the truth would be unravelled one day. Thank you for being a sister to me, Addah."

Yawing her gaze towards Umma, she felt like her heart was stabbed; at the triumphant smile she saw on Umma's lips. That made her asked the question she had been longing to ask. "Umma, I know even if I ask Abba, he wouldn't tell me. So please, tell me the truth, I really want to know the truth before leaving this dunya, I don't want to die with a curiosity gnawing at me. Umma, are you my biological mother?"