Afrah

"Who do you think you are to touch me?" She fumed; her heart breaking into a thousand pieces. Afrah knew she would never be able to completely move on from Jameel, but meeting him again so unexpectedly, she realized she was still deeply hurt by his betrayal. She had gone against her parents for a worthless man.

"I'm s...orry," Jameel's voice cracked. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I couldn't stop myself when I saw you."

Afrah could practically see the bliss in Jameel's eyes but it didn't move her at all. After all, men are so perfect in faking expressions. She blamed herself for being so vulnerable and falling for Jameel's lies and fake promises in the past.

"Afrah, you—"

"If I had known you work here, I wouldn't have come!" She turned to leave.

Jameel was quick to walk ahead of her and shut the door.

Afrah narrowed her eyes at him in disdain. "What is this supposed to mean?"

"Please hear me out," he beseeched. "I won't do anything...I won't touch you," he promised. "I just want to talk, please."

"And I don't want to talk to you!" She yelled. "What part of that don't you understand?"

"JaFr—

"Don't!" Afrah blinked, fighting back the tears that were threatening to escape. The good memories they shared flooded her mind. She used to feel tingles whenever he called her that, but now, she felt irritated by the name. "You have lost the right to call me that. It's Afrah—AFRAH! to you."

Like a maniac, Jameel stared at her for a few seconds before moving closer to her.

Afrah took a step back; glaring warningly at him. At that moment, all she felt was a boiling rage—hate.

"What happened to you, Afrah?" Jameel's eyes were glassy. "Where have you been? I haven't been myself since I lost you."

Afrah huffed. Every word that emerged from Jameel's mouth was considered a blatant lie. Fake expressions, fake promises, fake being!

"Afrah," Jameel continued. "I thought...I thought you died."

Afrah couldn't help but let out a humorless chuckle. Was his hate for her so much that he wished her dead?  "Unfortunately for you," she replied. "I'm hale and hearty. A heartbreak isn't enough to kill me. I'm tougher than you think."

"I was lied to," Jameel muttered; a tear falling from his eye. "For five years, I was made to believe you passed away." 

Again, Afrah huffed. His lies were piling up. "You're despicable! I have never come across a man so guileful."

"If you will only hear me out—"

"There is absolutely nothing for me to hear and even if there is, I don't care. I'm not interested. Do you know why? because I have moved on a long time ago. Moved on from the deceptive web I mistook for love."

Jameel closed his eyes and gulped; his Adam's apple bobbing as he did. "I have never deceived you. I loved you."

Loved?

Jameel's last sentence sent a pang to Afrah's heart. She felt stupid for having believed that the love they shared was incessant. Of course, he had moved on. He had a wife and most likely, a child too.

"And I still do," he continued. "My feelings for you haven't changed—never will."

A lump suddenly got stuck in Afrah's throat, making it difficult for her to swallow. She didn't know who Jameel's wife was, but she already felt sad for her. She absolutely despised fallacious men. "Does your wife know the type of person she married? I doubt she does." Afrah was quick to wipe away her tears before they could fall. Jameel's fake love had rendered her so blind that she couldn't see him for whom he truly was.

"About that..." Jameel's voice trailed. "I don't love her. I only got married to her because—"

"Enough!" Afrah shouted; totally fed up with him trying to justify all of his actions. She could no longer suppress her raging emotion. "Don't you dare give me that! You should be ashamed of yourself. How comes I didn't see this side of you?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You really aren't the person I thought you were. You promised me that you would never get married to someone else and I naively believed you. I went against my parents because of you! I regret crossing paths with you, Jameel. I don't want to see you ever see you again. Get lost!"

"Please hear me out," Jameel beseeched, blocking her path. "I just want to explain my side of the story to you. If after I have explained to you and you still don't believe me, I will let you walk out."

Afrah remained silent.

Jameel took that as his cue to go on. "A few months after we talked, when you asked me to give you time to convince your family, I returned to your house and your father informed me that you had died in a car accident while returning from your village... I wouldn't have believed it if someone else had broken the news to me, but it was your father who told me so himself. I know he doesn't like me, but I never thought he would tell such a lie about his own daughter."

Afrah opened her mouth to say something but ended up closing them because no words could emerge.

"Do you know shattered I was, Afrah?" More tears glistened in his eyes. "I almost lost it. For months, I lived like a dead person. Do you know the pain I went through? The pain inflicted on me? Not a day goes by without me thinking of you, Afrah because you're the only one my heart recognizes. I can't believe you're really standing in front of me." He blinked, making the tears roll down his face. "Is this another dream? Will I wake up and realize this is just an illusion? Please say something, Afrah... am I really not dreaming?"

Afrah took a few steps back, shaking her head. "You're lying to me. My dad would never say that." 

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Because you want to justify the fact that you broke the covenant we took," she gnashed her teeth. "You got married to someone else! Own up to your fault and no one will kill you. Stop being a coward. This is the last time you will involve my father in your shenanigans."

"Do you really think I'd lie to you like this?"

"Why not?" She rolled her eyes. "If you could remorselessly break a promise, you'd tell a lie just as easily."

Jameel closed his eyes and reopened them in an instant. "I'm telling you the truth, Afrah, but if you don't believe me, ask your father. He told that lie because he wanted to separate us."

Afrah wiped her tear-stained face and forced a smile. "Let's assume you're telling the truth, Jameel, let's assume that I had indeed died. So this is how you'd have moved on? So easily? After taking a covenant with me? I trusted you, Jameel. I never expected this of you! If I were in your shoes, I would not break my promise. Everyone keeps pressurizing me to get married. They mocked me," she chuckled, wiping the corners of her eyes. "They called me stupid for still keeping my promise even when you broke yours, yet I didn't give in. I fought for us. I expected you to do the same."

Jameel lowered his head.

"In front of my family, you've made a mockery of me..."

"I'm sorry," Jameel mumbled, then got down on both knees; no words spoken.

"I don't need your apology," Afrah stated. "It's of no use to me. You've chosen the path you want for yourself. Now, I will choose mine."

Jameel looked up at Afrah. "I only got married to Najah because of my mother...I really didn't want to break my promise to you, but you see, my mum is the only closest family I have. She is hypertensive. I didn't want to do anything that would make her leave me. I thought you had left me, I didn't want mum to leave me too. I shouldn't have broken my promise, I know...I'm very sorry, Afrah. Please find it in your heart to forgive me. I'd never intentionally do anything to hurt you, you know that. Najah and I may be married but we don't share that type of relationship. She understands that I can never give my heart to her because it already belongs to you. She's very understanding and—"

"Why are you telling me all these?" Afrah cut him off, irritated.

"Because it concerns you," he replied. "You need to hear them."

"I don't need to hear anything," Afrah scoffed. "If you'd excuse me."

"Afrah!" Jameel got up and pressed his back against the door, preventing her from opening it.

"What?" Afrah sighed. "I stayed back and listen to your Banbury story of a cock and a bull, what more do you want from me? Do I need to create another fracas?"

"Where do you stay?"

"Are you for real?" Afrah snorted.

"I just want to know where you live."

"Why?"

"You already know the answer to that question." He responded. "Give me your CV, you're hired."

In a split second, Afrah's lips curved into a smile, then morphed into a frown just as soon. "Thank you very much, but NO, I'm not interested anymore. I'd rather remain jobless than work in the same building as you."

Jameel's brows furrowed. "do you hate me that much?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She hummed. "In case it isn't, I will say it to you then; yes, I do, Jameel, I hate you so much. Just as I've been dead to you, you're also dead to me now. I want absolutely nothing to do with you anymore."

"But I want everything to do with you."

"That is your headache."

"I won't give up on you, Afrah," he continued. "I won't make the same mistake twice." With that said, he stepped away from the door. "I love you, Afrah. I never stopped."

"You've already lost your chance," Afrah muttered before opening the door and walking out.

•

Walking out of the building, Afrah hailed a taxi and got in. She clutched the left side of her chest and sobbed; reminiscing all of Jameel's fake promises to her. She thought she had her emotions under control, but she was wrong. The pain she felt meeting Jameel after so many years was like none she had felt before.

She wanted to believe what Jameel had said about her father, but she trusted her father too much to doubt him. "He'd never do that to me."

"We're here," the cab driver informed, pulling her from her thoughts.

She handed him the fare and alighted from the car.

Afrah made sure to wipe all traces of tears from her face before knocking on the gate.

"Who's there?" The gatekeeper yelled from inside.

"Open the gate," she yelled back. "it's me."

Immediately the gate was opened, Afrah stormed into the house. She threw her bag on the couch and began to pace to and fro in the living room.

"Ya Afrah." It was Jinan. "What's wrong?"

"Where is dad?" Afrah asked, gritting her teeth. "Is mum back?"

"They are both inside," she responded. What happened?"

"Are you aware that dad told Jameel that I died in the car accident I had?"

Jinan took in a sudden breath. "What? Who told you that? Dad would never do such a thing."

"Exactly," Afrah heaved a sigh. "that was exactly what I thought but I still need to confirm from dad himself."

"What do you need to confirm from me?" Dr. Abdulmalik asked, walking into the living room. "if it's not about your marriage, then forget about it."

Afrah suppressed herself from rolling her eyes at his statement. "Is it true that you told Jameel that I died in a car accident so that he'd stay away from me?"

Dr. Abdulmalik's eyes twitched in what seemed like a shock.

"Is it true?" Afrah asked again; impatiently waiting for him to deny the allegation.

His silence made Afrah's heart thump aggressively in her chest. The compunction in her father's eyes wasn't subtle.

"Yes," he admitted. "I did."

Instantly, tears welled up in Afrah's heart. She couldn't believe her father would stoop so low. He didn't only hurt her feelings, but also, made her lose some respect for him. "How could you?" She asked in a low-pitched voice. "Is that what you really wanted? For me to have died in that accident?"

"Don't be stupid!" Dr. Abdulmalik boomed. "I only told him that because I wanted him to stop chasing you, and it worked!"

"In trying to dictate what's right for me, you've destroyed my life." Afrah cried. "Even an enemy wouldn't do this to me."

"Afrah!" Mrs. Amina yelled, aggressively turning Afrah to her. "Mind the way you speak to your father."

"He is not my father!" Afrah yelled, yanking her arm away from her mother's grip. "A father wouldn't go around telling people his daughter is dead when she's very much alive."

Mrs. Amina's gaze trailed to her husband in incomprehension.

"Do you know that dad told Jameel that I died in a car accident?"

"SubhanAllah!" Mrs. Amina exclaimed.

"It's true, mum," Afrah sniffled a sob. "dad faked my death because he wanted to separate me and Jameel. He knew Jameel would not give up on me otherwise."

"How—"

"Enough!" Dr. Abdulmalik hollered, cutting his wife off. "I did what I had to do, and if given the chance again, I'd still do the same thing."

Afrah stood almost daringly in front of her father and wiped her tears. "You gave me an ultimatum to either introduce a suitor to you or leave your house. I'm leaving right now because even in ten years to come, I will still not be interested in getting married to anyone!"

"Afrah!"

"Ya Afrah!"

Mrs. Amina and Jinan called simultaneously.

"I give you thirty minutes to begone." Dr. Abdulmalik's last statement before he walked away.

•

Assalamualaikum/hello guys!

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