OCTOBER 10TH

TWELVE

BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA.

Mahnoor went back to the hospital room and took her baby's body, backed him with the towel she's used to close his body after she'd given him a bath earlier. She left the hospital, tuning down the sounds of her driver and doctor calling her back. The driver decided to drive the car closely behind her without interrupting her alone time with her baby. She looks to be out of the world and into her own inner circle where no one is allowed to come through. This is between her and her baby, last time with him before he is really taken away from her.

She walked the whole ten minutes drive in a car to the Ajuji manor, her feet aching but she wasn't feeling it. All she is focused on is going to see the faces of the people that have caused nothing but pain to her. Ever since she was introduced to that family, she knew nothing other than the pain they've caused her. She's tried shunning away from it but this is the last straw.

Banging on the front door upon arriving, not feeling the cold as the thunder strikes the sky with frightening outcry, Mahnoor permit her eyes to stay rooted on the front door. A maid opened the door with panicked eyes since they've heard about what happened from the hospital. Each and every member of the Ajuji family is standing there in the family living room looking every shade frightened, pained and also hurt. Traitors, she mused in her head as she trudged several steps to where they are scrutinizing her.

The sisters are also standing beside each other, Najeeba have tears rolling down her cheeks and the other sisters are also trying their best to not let them fall at the sight of the sad broken and shattered mother in front of them. Najeeba is crying with sobs, her shoulders wracking as she sat on the couch, her legs not able to hold her weight and knees wobbly. All the others are standing, their postures broken and sad but that's not enough for her. Her heart is bleeding excessively, crying the tears her eyes aren't allowing to gush. Her chest is aching, the type she's never felt in her entire life. Not even when she's lost her favorite uncle.

Her rolling stomach made it hard for her to breath, coming out in heavy or sluggish rasps as she stood in front of them like the modicum she's always felt. Even with the power to bring them down now in her hands by exposing the murderer of her child, she is like a tiny frivolous, harebrained piece of shit.

All of them standing together look sovereign and authoritarian, ready to squash down any problem that will come their way and stop their dreams from becoming true. She felt chills, fingers cold but she didn't falter to warm them up, that's the least of her troubles.

Swallowing hard, her chest tingling and weighted with so many emotions that left a sour taste in her mouth, an ache in the back of the throat making it difficult for her to swallow. She shook off the dizziness and the way her limbs are shaking, she touched her baby's back with her hands to make sure he is still wrapped around her and the weight of him is true and not an illusion.

Fadwa was about to step forward to help her get Aasim off her back when she raise her hand up to stop her, she shouldn't come close to her because she needs no one's help at the moment. She's been reliable and dependent on them for a long time, it's time for her to do something by herself so when she ruin their lives, she won't be indebted pr duty-bound. Not after all she's endured and all the problems and dolors that kept on augmenting just by being under their care.

She unhurriedly untied the towel from her braless chest and hold him in her arms before placing him gently on her shoulders as though he is alive, she cannot help it when she is used to doing so all the time. Her emotions are interspersed and littered all around, she doesn't know which one to take.

"Are you happy now?" Her eyes are on Aman who stood quietly at the end of the long vertical line they made in front of the couch. His eyes are blank as he stared at both the baby and her, he didn't offer a word.