Behind A Smile ✔

47

Dedicated to all of my fans in India ❤

•

Zynah took another look at her wrist watch. They had been waiting for Bilal in a cafeteria for over two hours and he still hadn't showed up yet. She didn't want to believe he stood her up. This was a chance she gave him and if he ends up not showing up, she just might reconsider her decision.

"Let's go home." Adnan whined.

"Soon, baby." She assured, caressing his cheek. "Don't you want to meet your daddy anymore?"

"I'm sleepy." He complained. "I just want to go home."

Zynah understood he needed to rest, after all it was Saturday. "Let's wait a little longer, okay? Do you want me to buy you more ice cream?"

"Yes." His mood lightened a little bit.

After ordering for another cup of ice cream for Adnan, Zynah picked up her cellphone on the table and contemplated on calling Bilal. "Did he forget we are supposed to meet up?" She asked herself. "I should call him." She pushed aside her ego and dialed his number, but unfortunately, he didn't pick up. She tried calling him for the second time and ended up with the same result as the first.

She shrugged her shoulders - at least she had tried. "Finish up, so we can leave, sweetie."

•

"Zaahida!" Bilal wiped away the beads of sweats that had formed on his forehead for trying to break down the door in the last one hour. "This is getting out of hand. If you don't open this door right now, I'm going to divorce you " he threatened. He really didn't know what more to do to make her give in to his demands. He was willing to stoop that low if it would work. He was getting really desperate.

"Divorce?" Zaahida asked in a high pitched voice, then burst into laughter. "A man who threatens his wife with divorce is nothing, but a weakling. Besides, you and I both no you won't be able to do it."

"Alright, I'm..." He trailed off, finding it really difficult to let out the words. "Please open the door."

"No!" She responded with no intentions at all to succumb.

Utterly irked by her response, Bilal gritted his teeth and threw one last kick at the door. The impact of the collision finally broke down the wooden door.

Zaahida gasped in horror at the state she saw Bilal in - his hands were balled into fists and blood was oozing out of them. His eyes were bloodshot. His shoes had been removed and she could see blood oozing out of his feet as well. He looked disheveled. Had she gone too far? She instantly felt bad. It wasn't her motive to hurt him in that way. Her heart ached for him.

Immediately he started taking steps towards her, she began to back away, afraid of what he might do to her. The way he glare at her, she knew he wasn't going to forgive her that easily. He would make good of his threat. "I'm... I'm so-"

She was cut off by a resounding slap across the face. "Give me the keys." He boomed, startling her to a frenzy. His hands shaking to hit her some more, but something seemed to be holding him back.

Without hesitation, she unfolded her hand and showed the keys to him.

He snatched them away and pointed his index finger at her. "We are not done. Don't make the mistake of still being in this house when I return, I. Just. Might. Kill. You." He enunciated each word venomously and dashed out of the room to change his clothes, before exiting the house.

Zaahida swallowed a painful lump in her throat and tears prickled her eyes - this was exactly what she signed up for when she decided to get married to him come what may.