The room seemed to grow smaller, suffocating Najah as she witnessed a sight she never thought she would see. Her eyes widened in disbelief. It all felt like a dream.

Jameel, the strong-willed and confident man she had known for a long time, now knelt in front of his mother; his shoulders slumped and his eyes downcast. His vulnerability was obvious. He wouldn't even be able to hide it if he wanted.

Najah's face contorted with a mix of shock and concern as Jameel began to speak.

"Please don't do this," Jameel's quivered. Najah didn't fail to notice how hard he was trying to articulate his thoughts. Each word stumbled out hesitantly. His eyes were a reflection of insecurity and fear. "Don't make me do this. If she's made a mistake, she's going to apologize to you... Fawaaz is just a year old. He needs his parents with him. I don't want him to grow up in a broken family. I know you also don't want that for your grandson."

Najah swallowed a lump in her throat. Standing there and watching the scene unfold before her, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. She wanted so badly to intervene and voice out her thoughts, but at the same time, she did not want another embarrassment from Jameel. In as much as she was angry with Afrah for how she treated Hajiya, she felt the punishment for too harsh.

"Do you think I care?" Hajiya's high-pitched voice broke Najah from her trance. "I don't! You're going to divorce her, and that's final. Unless you want me to disown you."

Najah averted her gaze to Jameel who was still on his knees in front of his mother. Her heart ached at the unpleasant sight before her. Seeing him in that state was completely foreign to her. He looked broken. So broken that he couldn't even speak. He tried a few times but couldn't get any word out.

"Hajiya..." Najah's voice trailed. She knew she shouldn't be talking after the way Jameel shut her out, but she couldn't stay quiet anymore. Her conscience was tugging hard at her. "I know you're very angry, and I understand you totally. I know you're only saying this right now because you are angry. For the sake of your grandson, ple—"

"Enough!" Hajiya yelled, cutting her off. "Do you know what your problem is? You're too good. You don't have an atom of bad in you. You believe everyone else is as good as you are. Afrah is an evil woman. The way she spoke to me today has proven to me that I was right about her in every sense. She's a manipulative witch."

"Okay," Jameel agreed, making Najah let out an inaudible gasp. She definitely did not expect Jameel to give in so easily. "If that is what you want, I will do it, but just know that you will lose me too. I may be alive but I will be rendered lifeless. You know how much Afrah means to me. You were there when she left me. You saw how much I suffered...how hard I tried to go on. You witnessed everything. You are my mother. My happiness is supposed to mean the most to you, but it's obvious it means nothing to you."

Najah's heart tightened in her chest as she listened to Jameel express his undying love for Afrah. In that moment, she realized how big a fool she was to ever think Jameel was capable of loving another woman after Afrah. It was obvious that his world started and ended with her. Her presence in the room did not make him suppress his feelings. It didn't make a difference at all. He was laying his heart bare for all to see.

Jameel's eyes brimmed up with tears as he continued; "I love you so much, Hajiya. I want to do everything in my power to make you happy. I promised you that I would. No one is more important to me than you. I know you're currently mad at Afrah, but I have spoken to her, and she's promised to apologize to you. Can't you just forgive her? For the sake of your only grandchild? I cannot go on without her, Hajiya. I don't want to lose her or you. I know you don't want to lose me too. Please let's not make things difficult for each other."

"In a nutshell," Hajiya scoffed. "Are you trying to tell me you won't be able to do it? Is that it? I am your mother. Do you think I want the worse for you? I'm doing this because she's not right for you."

"Please forgive me, Hajiya. I cannot live without her."

Jameel's words were like daggers in Najah's heart. She had never felt so jealous in her entire life. Her feelings were of no importance to Jameel. It was as if she was nonexistent to him. Her heart was ripping apart, yet she couldn't scream. It was all too much for her to take. She felt like disappearing from the room, but she couldn't move. Her emotions were weighing her down like a mighty force.

"I have heard what I needed to hear," Hajiya spoke. "Please leave. I don't want to see you. Leave." 

"Hajiya—"

"Get out, Jameel!" Hajiya boomed. "get out!"

"I'm sorry," with that, Jameel rose to his feet and walked out of the room.

"Did you see that?" Hajiya's question was directed at Najah. "Do you believe me now?"

Najah remained silent for she didn't know what to say. She still hadn't recovered from how Jameel stood his ground against divorcing Afrah. Her emotions were all over the place.

"That wasn't Jameel," Hajiya continued. "Jameel would never look me in the eyes and go against my wishes. It has never happened before. That evil woman has bewitched my son," tears ran down Hajiya's eyes. "Jameel is not himself, Najah."

Najah's thought drifted to how confidently Afrah had told her in the past that she had Jameel wrapped around her little finger, and how she could easily make him dance to her tune. It all made sense to her now. Hajiya was not wrong. She was spitting nothing but the truth. "I think you're right."

"You think so too, right?" Hajiya chuckled humorlessly. "You see it too, right? Alhamdulillah, I'm not crazy."

"Of course, you're not, Hajiya," Najah went to sit beside her on the bed and grabbed her hand in hers. "Don't say that about yourself. I know how difficult it must have been for you to admit even to yourself that your only child is under the influence of a spell."

Hajiya facepalmed. "This is the main reason I didn't want him to marry someone from that tribe. Those people are known for bewitching people. My poor son! I wonder what she has done to him. He can't even think for himself anymore. She has him locked in a bottle. Jameel, my son, would never speak to me like that. He has never disrespected me before. Afrah is controlling him."

Although Najah shared the same belief as Hajiya, she felt Jameel didn't disrespect Hajiya. He tried his best to keep it respectful. And he did. "Hmm. What are we going to do now?"

"He needs our prayers more than anything else. I will pray hard for him. Please do too. Afrah is going to be shamed. I can't stay and watch Jameel under her influence, I will be leaving the house first thing tomorrow morning."

"What?" Najah shook her head. "You can't do that, Hajiya. Please stay. Are you going to just leave her to do as she pleases with him? Please stay, Hajiya. At least, he still listens to you. Please don't go. Not now."

"He still listens to me?" Hajiya asked. "He would have divorced Afrah like I wanted. He doesn't listen to me anymore. I need to go back home."

"And let her win?" Najah asked in disbelief; tears welling her in her own eyes. "You're going to give her the satisfaction she wants? You told me she said she'd ensure she makes you leave, didn't you? Are you just going to allow her to get what she wants? What will become of me in this house?" Najah broke into sobs. "If you decide to leave, then I'm going with you."

"Your place is with not your husband, not me. I won't allow you to go with me."

"Hajiya," Najah held her hands again; this time, looking directly into her eyes. "I can't do this alone. I'm exhausted. Did you see how disheartened Jameel was when you asked him to divorce Afrah? Did you hear how desperately he begged you to reconsider? Jameel will never do the same for me. He doesn't hold me in that regard. Afrah might wake up tomorrow and ask him to divorce me, and he would without even batting an eyelash. If you leave now, I ask again; what will become of me? Please stay, Hajiya. I can't do this alone."

Hajiya heaved a sigh. "You're right...she will indeed think she has won. I will stay."

Afrah's lips widened. "Thank you, Hajiya. You don't know how much this means to me."

"But," Hajiya looked elsewhere. "I won't be staying for too long."

"That's fine. I think that would be enough time to set things back to how they used to be. Should I go and have a word with Jameel?"

Hajiya shrugged.

"I should," Najah decided, standing up. "I will be back."

•

As Najah walked into Jameel's room, she immediately sensed the heavy atmosphere that hung in the air.

Jameel sat slumped in his armchair; his face etched with deep lines of sadness and despair. The pain in his eyes was as clear as day. It was obvious he hadn't gotten over what Hajiya had said to him. He seemed to be in deep thought.

Slowly, she approached him; her footsteps gentle as if afraid to disrupt the fragile silence that settled over the room. She could feel the weight of his sorrow, and it was almost suffocating.

"Jameel?" Najah called when she noticed the tears on his face. Jameel's demeanor was completely shattered, leaving behind a vulnerable soul yearning for solace. Najah wanted to be the one to give him that, but at that moment, she realized it was more important to speak to him about what transpired between him and his mother.

"What do you want?" Jameel asked before she could even compose what she had to say in her mind.

"Hajiya was—I mean is really angry."

Jameel's brows furrowed even more. By the look of the face, Najah could tell he was wondering why she felt the need to remind him.

"I know she went a little too far asking you to divorce Afrah, but I can't even blame her for that—" Najah was cut off by Jameel's intense glare. "Don't get me wrong," Najah cleared her throat and sighed. "I don't even know how to say this without being misunderstood by you again."

Jameel's glare was making her so uncomfortable but she knew she couldn't back down. She needed to continue what she had started. "I was around when they talked. I walked into Hajiya's room immediately after Afrah left. The state I saw her in was bad. Afrah isn't innocent in all of these. I wonder what she must have said to you to make you believe her, but believe me, it's not the whole truth. Afrah said really mean stuff to Hajiya too. She talked back at her."

"You baffle me," Jameel shook his head. "I keep seeing a new side of you. What do you stand to gain by doing this? Did Hajiya put you up to this?"

"What?" Najah's eyes widened in disbelief. "Myself aside, do you honestly think Hajiya would stoop that low?" More than ever, Najah was finally convinced that Jameel was under the influence of Afrah. "Is that how much you rate her?"

"Don't you dare put words in my mouth!" Jameel warned. "Don't do that. You know that's not what I mean. I know you're close to Hajiya so it's natural to support everything she does, but don't go overboard. I also know Afrah is stubborn, but she's finally making an effort to be close to Hajiya. I'm not as stupid as Hajiya has made you believe. I know exactly what I'm doing. Don't come here and try to brainwash me. Just stay within your limit."

"What's my limit?" Najah asked; her eyes glassy. She was tired of keeping her emotions at bay. She was tired of being treated as a second fiddle. It was enough. Her heart couldn't take anymore.

"Najah, look," Jameel gulped. "I don't want to argue with you. Please drop this. If Afrah indeed lied to me, I'm going to find out. It's not in your place to tell me." 

Najah's heart fell. Jameel was doing it again. Shutting her out. He always brushed her concerns aside, insisting that it wasn't in her place to talk about it. What was her place? She wanted to know by all means.  She could see the way he avoided her gaze when she tried to make contact. "What is my place in your life?"

"Najah," Jameel called, warningly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm tired of acting like everything is fine, Jameel," she sobbed. "I'm tired of being treated like a guest in my own matrimonial home. I'm your wife. What place are you always speaking about? Am I not allowed to involve myself in family matters? Stop treating me like a stranger. It hurts."

Jameel shut his eyes; massaging his forehead with his thumb and middle finger.

"Hajiya wants to leave, but I have convinced her to stay."

"Thank you."

"But if she changes her mind and decides to leave, then I'm going with her."

"If that is what you want, fine."

•

Assalamualaikum/hello

How are you all doing?

It's 2024 🎉🎉🎉

What do you think about Hajiya in this chapter?

Jameel?

Najah?

Seems Afrah is winning this 👀💀

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