Chapter 78: Chapter 78

Before any of them could blink an eye; the call went off. He stared at his two mothers' with the fleeting hope of a solution from them, but they seemed to be more panicked than he already is.

He didn't take the man's last words to heart, because he knew he rather die than divorce his Rania. But still; his hands were shaking like a dead leaf being lifted by the wind. His Rania, Mysha; are they safe?

He watched as Mom and Mama slumped on the floor with hands placed helplessly on their thighs. None of them spoke a word, and he regained back into his senses when he saw them shedding tears aguishly, looking at eachother with a look he would never fathom it's meaning.

"Call the number again, what kind of kidnap is this?" Mom slurred, and that's when Adyan tasted the salty taste of his tears on his lips. He shook his head and redialed the number, and the man picked the call.

"Is the divorce letter ready?" That was the first question he asked, and from the background, Adyan could clearly hear Hayfah's whimpers_that was what infuriated him and made him realized how hopeless he is.

"Please, let's sort this out. What do you mean by a divorce? She's my wife, why on earth am I to divorce her just because she got kidnapped by you? How much do you want? It shall be given to this night!" She didn't know he was yelling out the words with outmost rage until Mom gestured for him to lower his voice lest their do something harmful to either Hayfah or Mysha.

"Oh calm there young man! This isn't your known type of kidnap; it's a marriage deal here! And we're getting her married to someone before letting her out of our custody. You divorce her today, she spend three months with us to do her Iddah, and get married to a new husband. If she likes, your daughter might be back to you." And the call is ended without further words from the culprit. Adyan felt his world revolving slowly, and all felt like a dream before he blacked out.

Mama was unable to move, it was Mom that had the energy in her to call Dad and inform him_and shortly, Kassim's call came in.

Mom knew they couldn't do anything to awaken Adyan from this, and so she left all to Allah. They sat down together with Mama crying their eyes out when Kassim called, and she slid the answer button with tears rushing down her cheeks.

"Hey Dad! I saw it on social media that she's named Rukayya right? But we can call her Mysha! I love the girl already. How are they doing?" Kassim chirped with a tone that emotes his sheer happiness, he was widely smiling and his heart was being filled with the love of his niece.

"They're kidnapped. And Adyan has blacked out for the past five minutes! The whole house is in a deep mess, are you willing to come back or not? Are you staying there like how you did before he got married?!" Mom barked and burst into more tears. She could remember how they begged Kassim to come back when Adyan was sick before he got married and Kassim claimed he has lots of work to do.

He took in a sharp breath and found it so hard to let the oxygen he inhaled to get into his lungs. "Mom..."he began, for it's been long they had a phonecall, she stopped taking his calls from the day he brought his excuse of having lots of work to do; until Dad forced her to.

"I know, you have work right? Do your work Kassim. But know; henceforth, don't call me your mother!" And she ended the call and hugged Mama that was still unable to utter a word.

Dad came in and they lifted him together with the driver to the car. Dad could see the face of the innocent Ruru am dancing on Mama's face, but alot are happening that he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Adyan was taken into the accident and emergency unit and they waited until he was given a room with a proper medication. Mom and Mama didn't share a word, they spend their night praying to azza wajalla to bring out Hayfah and Mysha safely, and grant Adyan health.

***

Kassim boarded the early morning flight to Nigeria. He landed safely in Nmadi Azikiwe international airport and took a cab home, dropped his luggages before the driver took him to the hospital.

He asked for the room and was directed by the nurse. He uttered a faint salam and entered, his eyes falling directly onto Adyan's eyes that were slowly being lifted by him.

Adyan darted his eyes fully and smiled at Kassim, for some nanoseconds; he forgot what happened, what brought him to the hospital and all. The tissues of his face began forming into a frown as realization hit into him, slowly to anguish before he abruptly sat down.

"Are they back?!" He didn't know where he got his voice from, and it didn't scare him how hoarse and dying he sounded.

Mom and Mama looked at eachother and wiped away a strand of tear. "Adyan you need to calm down, be strong also. They aren't back yet, don't panic okay?" The first time Mama spoke after hours of silence since yesterday night.

He was silent for what seemed like forever, and Kassim was at the door, his eyes fixed on his brother and he couldn't even move a limb. "Where's my phone? Kassim is that you or I'm hallucinating?" Adyan asked at the same time, looking between Mom and a statue like Kassim by the door.

Kassim smiled faintly and entered the room. He greeted Mom and Mama and got an answer from only Mama. He moved close to Adyan and took his hand in a squeeze. "Be a man Adyan, we all have out destinies in life. We should try our possible best to get them back." Kassim didn't know that no ransom was needed. The ransom needed was a token of Adyan's life.

"Had it been all they want is money, Rania and Mysha would've slept together with me yesterday. But no, Kassim; they want my life. They want me to divorce Rania as her ransom!" And he slumped completely onto Kassim's shoulder in defeat, crying his eyes out_which made the women to shed more tears as well.

Kassim's eyes bulged out, and he slowly began patting Adyan's back. He collected his phone from Mom and handed it to Adyan, "Take, call them again. Where's Dad?" He directed his question towards Mom, and she gulped down a chord of bitterness in her throat before answering him.

"He went to the police headquarters to file a report. Since you're here, let's go back home please." She cried. Kassim looked into her broken eyes and felt all his world crumbling slowly. What hurts more than seeing as tears pool in your mother's eyes and they slowly cascade down in melancholy?

He looked away and handed Adyan the phoen before he stood up. "Don't show them you're vulnerable about this. Be as brave as you can. I'll be back with your release letter from the doctors so we can go back home." He patted his shoulder once again and shot a stare at his mother before he walked out of the room.

Adyan cleared off his tears and looked at his phone as if it was a monster that could suck up his blood any minute from now. He surfed through his call log and there stays the number; confidently with so much pride Adyan felt his heart crushing.

He hit the dial button and waited as his heart thumped together with the ringer volume through his phone. "Hayatee!" Was the voice that hit his ears as though a volcano spurring down into an ocean. How her goice sounded feels like she saw as her daughter got diced up before her.

"Rania!" His voice has different emotions laced on it. He couldn't bring himself to pointing out a single emotion he was sure was in his heart.

Mom and Mama stood up in alarm and moved to the bed; for the call was on speaker mode.

"Hayatee, I know you love me so much that even the word divorce between us is life threatening. But please do me this favor, divorce me! They would hold me captive to forever if you didn't divorce me. Adyan I need to see my mother, My Mama needs me. I haven't felt her warmth for all the years of my life; I need her right now.

And our Mysha, don't you think she deserve to live a normal life? Do you want her to live a life that's more torturing than mine? I love you Adyan, but please! There faces are scaring my life, they haven't raped me yet; but I'm sure they would. Adyan please...." And he heard as the phone got snatched away from her, her crying voice evolving in blues. Adyan shut his eyes closed and felt as his heart slowly started moving out of its enclosure! This is too much!

"Divorce her; with three talaqs, and they shall be safe." He heard the words echoing through the walls of his soul before it got disconnected.

***

It was midnight already, and all efforts were being made to track down the number of the culprits but it proved futile. Nothing was showing, not even a single string they could pull.

Adyan hadn't talked since the phonecall he had with Hayfah, and none of the women spoke to him about it. He considered Hayfah's situation, life hadn't been fair to her, and now that she has started tasting the nectar coming from life_this happened. She needs to see her Mama! Their Mysha deserves a normal life!

He sat upright from his laying position-face staring at the ceiling-and the first thing his red eyes caught in the wardrobe that was untouched from how Hayfah left it-was a Black hardcover and a pen slipped into it.

He felt as his legs dragged themselves to the wardrobe and he pulled the book out. From the first page, it was boldly written 'My Life In The City I Thought Was Heaven'

He need not more elaboration, he was sure it was her life carefully written, the life she lived in Abuja! The first pages were filled with her gratitude towards Allah for blessing her with a family like Maami and Rayhan, and he got to her first day at work! The same Alkaad Group Of Companies he works as a CEO, but then, his brother has the position.

She could taste the salty taste of her tears as she wrote about what Muntasra did to her. How she wrote about Kassim's words towards her, retaliating for what she did to him four years ago. The first meeting she attended, how she waited until it was 4:30 before she lived. The tears she shed, Malik's visit. The slap! Kassim slapped his Rania! The hurtful words! She almost got raped and they rescued her! Alot more. But what stroke into his heart was what she wrote for him on 8th August! He prayed he read it before she dies, and here he is, reading what she never thought he'd read while she was his wife!

The book got to an end, for she left it bereft in hunger for more words from her heart. He closed back the book and trudged out of the room; he needs to see Kassim for this!

On arriving to his room, he heard as Kassim was talking in a hushed tone. "Make sure she eats that food, and you should be leaving her alone if she's to feed Mysha!" Adyan's hand fell off from the door knob, and he lost his balance completely!