Behind A Smile ✔

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Unedited. Read with caution 🙏

•

Zaahida couldn't contain her happiness. She was finally going to get married to Bilal tomorrow. Her lips curved into a duchenne smile. After their marriage, she would do everything in her power to tame him. To make him realise she wasn't a dimwit like his so called wife. She took it upon herself to make him fall in love with her, which she was sure he would in no time. She was positive.

"Hey, Zaahida." Nazmeera called, pulling her out of her trance.

She gazed at her with a smile plastered on he face. "Yes?"

"I just want to have a word with you. Do you think we can right now?" She asked.

"Of course." Zaahida smiled. "We can talk now."

"it's about your marriage with Bilal." She started.

A huge smile appeared on her face. "What about it?" She asked, inquisitively.

She heaved a sigh, before asking; "Are you sure you want to go ahead with it?"

Zaahida suppressed the urge to glare at her. "I am. Why are you suddenly asking me this?"

"Because..." She trailed off for a while. "I have seen the type of treatment Bilal used to give to his previous wife, Zynah. He can be brutal at times." She warned. "Unlike Zynah, I like you and I don't want you to suffer in the hands of my brother. I want you to be happy."

Zaahida couldn't suppress a chuckle, so she let it out. "But nothing would make me happier than getting married to Bilal." She voiced.

"I know you love him, but -"

"Please." She raised a hand, cutting her off. "I don't want to hear of it. I love him and that's what really matters. Moreover, I'm not Zynah. I'm. Zaahida!" She enunciated. "We're two different people. The way he treated her may not be the way he would treat me - I will ensure that happens."

"Bilal can't be changed." Nazmeera remarked. "The way he treated Zynah wasn't right at all. I witnessed it with my own eyes."

Zaahida raised a brow at her questionably. "And why are you all of a sudden so concerned about that woman?" Irritation dripped from her voice.

"Don't me mistaken." She responded. "I have never cared for that woman and I never will either. It's you, I'm concerned about."

"Thanks, but I'm absolutely fine." She rolled her eyes. "Why don't you focus on your marriage instead." She didn't wait for her reply, before storming out of the room, infuriated. Instead if sharing her happiness, the witch wanted to shatter it.

•

"I have decided to file for a divorce from Bilal." Zynah announced to the family. They were all seated in the living room, while Adnan was left in his room to rest.

"Are you really sure this is what you want?" Hafsa asked. She wasn't against the idea, but at the same time, she felt uneasy about the whole thing.

"Yes, mum." She replied. "I really want this."

Mr. Aliyu gazed at her in disbelief. "Of course. That's just the right thing to do! That man should not only be divorced, but sent to jail as well!"

"Dad is right!" Ramah intervened. "For abusing you for so long, he deserves to pay. You should file a case against him for domestic abuse as well."

"Is that even necessary?" Rashida chipped in. "If you all ask me, I think Zynah should go back to her husband. Nothing in this world can be perfect. She can change him if she really wants to."