"You'll always have me," I repeated. "Even when you hate me... "
"I don't hate you, Zain," she interrupted. I believed her but knew it wouldn't last.
"One day, Rah, you will hate me and be repulsed by what I did. Just know that on that day and all t...
A/N: Another longish chapter so I am extended the date when Zain's story comes off Wattpad. It'll come off Oct 15th now. If you need more time let me know, but there is a good reason why I want to take it down soon. (Read my note at the end)
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Ameerah
6 months later
"Pan-cake," Rahim spoke slowly at the breakfast table.
"Very good, Rahim. Now take a bite too," my mother-in-law replied to her picky grandson.
The doorbell rang. Leila immediately jumped off her seat and ran to the door. I quickly followed. "Baba," she yelled at the closed door, her little face bright with excitement.
Alas, I knew her heart would break yet again. After all, I was an adult and mine broke too as each day passed and we had no news from Zain. I picked her up before opening the door and letting the cleaning lady in.
"Leila, Baba is out on a mission catching bad guys. Remember we talked about it?"
Her slender shoulders slumped. "When Baba coming?"
"I don't know, baby," I told her, just like I had every day for almost 4 weeks.
It was the first time Zain had been deployed out of the city after our wedding. Other than promising that he would take care of himself and not take unnecessary risks, there was nothing else he could tell me. I understood, but boy did I hate it.
"Aimmy beta, eat something please. Otherwise, Zain will blame me for starving his beloved wife while he was away," Ami said when Leila and I walked back to the dining room.
If I am that beloved maybe he shouldn't have dumped me, my impatient inner voice huffed. I missed him terribly. Combine that with the constant anxiety of not knowing if he was okay, and it felt like everyday was a living nightmare.
Yet, I forced myself to take a deep breath. The way I was sure Zain's mother had to do several times in the past, and maybe she still did behind her closed door. That was the price we paid for loving a man who had dedicated his life to protecting the country from both internal and external threats.
"How did you get used to this, Ami?" I asked her.
She gave a tired smile. "You can't get used to it. You just learn to ignore your angst and go on the best you can. And you pray for him every time he crosses your mind."
"Okay, I'll try." I swallowed the lump in my throat.
Rahim came up to me, his round brown eyes so full of concern I forced myself to smile. He placed a small hand on mine and said, "Baba said I keep Mama safe when he gone."
Tears instantly blurred my vision. The thought of my son protecting me when his father was out protecting others hit hard. His innocence was in such stark contrast to the evil of the world that we lived in. That is why no matter the burden I carried, I realized I had no choice but to support my husband - he was one of the few good people in this world who did everything they could to maintain the innocence of children.
