This chapter is dedicated to @sereneserica. I always look forward to read your long comments 😍

• • •

Manal totally forgot about what Khadijah had told her and continued playing like she didn't hear a word from her friend regarding her mum.

"When will your daddy come back?" Khadijah asked while painting on her friend's book.

"I don't know. He normally comes back when I'm already asleep. I haven't even seen him since this morning." She replied.

"That's sad! My daddy always comes home by 5:00pm everyday."

Manal was about to speak, when Maryam and Aisha walked in, interrupting her.

"It's already late, dear, we should leave." Aisha said.

"No mummy, let's stay a little longer pleaseeee." She pleaded.

"I wish we could, but it's already late."

"Pleaseeee mummyyy," she continued begging, almost crying.

"Dear, listen to your mummy. Do as she says. Manal will be coming to visit you soon. I promise. I will specifically bring her to your house myself." Maryam said.

"Please mummy, let's stay a little longer. I haven't finished showing my painting skills to Manal." Khadijah continued to whine, stamping her feet on the floor.

Maryam smiled at the little girl's cuteness and averted her gaze to Aisha. "Why don't you allow her spend the night here?"

"I'd have allowed it, but she has to go to school tomorrow." Aisha explained, apologetically.

"But there is a public holiday tomorrow." Maryam informed.

"Ohh!" Aisha recalled. "Tomorrow is October first - independence day."

Maryam smiled. "Does that mean you're allowing her to stay tonight?"

Before Aisha could give a reply, Khadijah and Manal had started jumping up and down. "Yay!" She squealed.

"I haven't given my permission yet." Aisha said, slightly glaring at her daughter whose demeanor instantly contorted in sadness.

"But why, mummy? Don't you want me to sleep here?" She asked, pouting.

Manal as well as Maryam fixed their gazes on Aisha, anticipating her reply.

Aisha sighed. This daughter of hers would get her in trouble one day! She was making it seem as if she was avoiding to let her spend the night at their house intentionally. "Because I haven't told daddy yet and you know he'd-" she cut herself off, seeing as tears were already gathering in her daughter's eyes. She hated to see tears in them. "Alright, you can stay."

"Thank you, mummy." Khadijah squealed and wrapped her tiny arms around her hips.

Seeing how ecstatic Khadijah was, Aisha smiled. She waved at the kids before leaving the room with Maryam.

"I will make sure I return her back to you early tomorrow. Try not to miss her too much." Maryam teased.

"I will be free from making unnecessary noise tonight. Khadijah can be a brat when she wants to. I get tired of listening to her stories everyday." Aisha chuckled.

"Manal is different. I have noticed she doesn't talk much like before anymore." Maryam said.

"Yeah. I have noticed to." Aisha agreed.

"Do you think there's a reason for that?" Maryam inquired, worriedly. Manal used to be a very jovial child and she changed in just a shirt period of time. It bothered her a lot.

"I don't know. Maybe you should try talking to her." Aisha suggested.

"Alright, I will do that as soon as I get the chance." Maryam smiled, appreciatively.

They got to where Aisha's car was parked in the compound and she got in, waving at Maryam. She waved back, smiling and waited for her to leave the compound before going back to Manal's room. She made sure the kids ate their lunch before retiring back to her room. Immediately she lay down in bed, she started thinking of how to tell her husband about her pregnancy and how to convince him to allow her continue working. She knew for a fact he was going to get angry about her not telling him earlier and he would try to convince her to resign, but she wasn't going to - she was determined to stand her ground on the matter. She wasn't going to allow him detect to her how her carrier would end. She had worked so hard for it and it had been her dream ever since she was a kid. She knew giving it up at this junction of her life would be regarded as cowardice and indecisiveness! She wasn't going to allow it.

• • •

"Let's go and play in the balcony." Khadijah suggested after they were done drawing and painting.

"Okay." Manal replied and took her hand in hers as they ran to the balcony.

They really had a great time playing and bonding with each other. Manal was extremely happy and for the time being, she forgot all about a certain Nafisa in her life.

Nafisa was going to the kitchen to fetch herself a plate of food when she sighted the kids running around the house and disarranging things. It irked her beyond explanation. "Stop running around, kids." She yelled, cautiously, not wanting Maryam to hear and think she was yelling at them.

To her astonishment, Khadijah stuck her tongue out to her and purposely poured the water she was holding all over the floor and ran upstairs. Manal had no other option than to follow her for she knew if she had stayed a second longer, Nafisa would have diverted all the anger she was feeling towards her.

Nafisa stood on the same spot looking flabbergasted. Did that just happen? - she asked, herself in disbelief. She swore to make Manal pay for what Khadijah had done because she knew there was no way she could punish the kid without her telling her mum, but Manal wouldn't. She took that as an opportunity to release her anger on Manal when her parents are away.

• • •

"Why did you do that?" Manal scolded. "Don't you know she will be furious at me?"

"But you weren't the one that spilled water all over the floor." Khadijah pointed out.

Manal sat down on the floor and instantly began to cry. Now Nafisa would have more reasons to maltreat her further. "You shouldn't have."

Khadijah was confused as to why Manal was acting the way she was. Why was she so afraid of ?- she wondered. "Why are you so scared of her?" She voiced out.

"Because... Because..." She trailed off, hearing Nafisa's voice in her mind, warning her to keep quiet otherwise she would kill her.

"Because what?"

"Nothing."

"Are you afraid she would hit you?" Khadijah asked, clueless. "You don't have to worry about that. She can never do that to you."

"But she does all the time." Manal blurted out. She quickly realized what she had just said and gasped. She covered her mouth with the palms of her hands and stood up immediately.

"She does?" Khadijah asked with widened eyes. She was in total disbelief. "You should tell your mummy."

"No, I won't." Manal yelled and ran out of the room speedily and collided with a body, making her body hit the ground before she could comprehend. She looked up to see who it was and fear ran through her whole body seeing it was Nafisa. She got up quickly and attempted to down the stairs when Nafisa yanked her back by the arm.

"Are you stupid? Didn't you see me? You will be sorry when I deal with you later."

Manal began to struggle to free herself from Nafisa's hold, but it remained firm. She did the first thing that came to her mind; she clamped her teeth on Nafisa's wrist, drawing blood from it in the process. Nafisa squeaked in pain and without thinking twice, she pushed her down the stairs.

Khadijah who had witnessed the scene unfold before her eyes, took a short, sudden breath; her mouth wide opened.

~~~

What do you think will happen next?

Will Manal die?