"What in the world do you think you're doing?" Zynah shrieked, her heart hammering frantically against her chest. The amount of blood oozing out from the fresh cut made her dizzy.

  "Exactly what you see." She smirked and within few seconds, her face scrunched up in pain. "Bilal!!" She bellowed. "Please save me!"

  The sound of Bilal's heavy footsteps sent shivers down Zynah's spine. Bilal appeared in the doorway, a whirlwind of concern. His gaze darted towards his wife first, taking in her trembling form, before averting to his sister. His eyes widened when he saw her bleeding arm. "What the hell is going on here?" He boomed; his brows tightening.

  Silence, thick and suffocating hung in the air.

  "Will someone give me an answer immediately?What's happening?" He moved closer to Nazmeera and grabbed a hold of her hand. "How did you get injured, Nazmeera?"

  Whimpering, Nazmeera spoke. "It's nothing, Bilal... I don't want you to get mad at —"

  "Nothing?" he roared. "You're bleeding! This is not nothing. Tell me quickly!"

  "Jameel—"

  Nazmeera was cut off by Jameel. "Did she do this to you?" He spat, pointing an accusative finger at Zynah.

  "Please just let it go, Bilal." she pleaded mockingly. "I'm sure she didn't mean to—" before she could finish her lies, the back of Bilal's hand connected with Zynah's cheek, making it swerve to the side.

The impact of his callused palm sent a wave of pain through Zynah's head, blurring her vision.

  Nazmeera's head tilted, a triumphant smile spreading across her face, but she wasn't done yet. "Bilal!" she yelled, pulling him back from Zynah. "What are you doing? Why did you slap her? She couldn't have possibly done that on purpose..." She trailed off, letting the implication hang in the air.

  "Of course she did." Jameel narrowed his eyes at Zynah. "She definitely did it on purpose, because she has a motive. Don't even try to defend her!"

  Zynah who couldn't even defend herself, fought so hard to suppress her emotions. Like always. Weakness was a luxury she couldn't afford, especially not in front of her tormentors. She'd rather die.

  "Please, forgive her already. She must have felt bad when you asked her to cook for me," Nazmeera said, faking empathy. "but violence isn't always the answer. She shouldn't have done this to me. I forgive her though. You should too."

  Gritting his teeth, Bilal turned to Zynah. "I have told you this before and I'm going to say it again; if you ever disrespect my sister or hurt her again, you're going to get much more than a slap across the face." With that been said, he stormed out of the kitchen with Nazmeera trailed behind him like a shadow.

  Zynah stood alone, the weight of Jameel's words and Nazmeera's action crushing her spirit. She swallowed a painful lump that formed in her throat. Things were getting worse for her with each passing day. Jameel was becoming more monstrous by the day. Was there no room for peace and quiet in her life? How much more abuse could she tolerate before she crumbled? These questions hunted her daily. She did not want to admit it, but she was close to giving up. A miracle was all that stood between her and complete surrender.

  •

  Hours turned into days, each one a fresh assault on Zynah's spirit. Nazmeera made Zynah's life a living hell in her own matrimonial home. Treated worse than a servant, Zynah became Nazmeera's beck and call girl. Worse still, she fed Jameel with all sort of lies about her, making him mistreat her even more. It even got to a point when he accused her of being a curse to his life. As much as she didn't want his words to get to her, they did. The same man she had fought so hard to be with, was the same person telling her those hurtful and demeaning words.

  Though she desperately wanted to clung to the notion of lost love, it seemed like a flimsy shield. Love wouldn't crumble so easily. If the love she had for him had truly faded, then his words wouldn't sting so deeply. They wouldn't leave her drowning in a sea of hurt. This realization hit her like a speeding truck.

  For this recent discovery, she felt so stupid and foolish! What was there to love in a man who had absolutely no regards for her? A man who beat her up for the fun of it? Perhaps to him, she was a punching bag. A man who taunted her by her weakness each time he got bored and didn't have anything interesting to do? A man who didn't love her. Not anymore.

  In spite of all these, she couldn't understand why her heart still yearned for the very hands that tore it into shreds over and over again? Perhaps she was getting punished for all of her previous mistakes. Had she been able to predict the future, she would never have chosen to meet Bilal.

Flashback

  Miserable and exhausted after trying to convince her dad, but to no avail, Zynah ran into her room and began to cry her eyes out — she just wanted to be happy. Why was her dad so against the man she had chosen? Did he not want her to be happy? — she couldn't help, but have these thoughts.

  Entering into the room, Ramlah felt so bad, seeing the condition her sister was in. She also did not see anything bad in Bilal, she had made her stance clear to Zynah. Why did their father despise the idea of him so much then?

  Shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the thought from her head, she rushed towards her sister and started rubbing her back soothingly. "Everything will be fine, ya Zynah. Trust Allah to make everything right again."

  "Nothing will be alright, Ramlah." She sniffled a sob. "Dad will never accept him. He told me so himself."

  Ramlah's heart plummeted as she gazed at her sister. Deep within her, she also knew that it would be almost impossible for their father to have a change of heart and accept Bilal. Their father was known to be a man of his words. "Here..." she stretched her hand, showing a phone.

  A flicker of surprise danced in Afrah's eyes as she looked at the outstretched phone.

  "You can call him with my phone, Ya Zynah. I know you want to speak to him right now." She smiled. "I will be right outside."

  With glistening eyes and a genuine smile on her face, Zynah threw her arms around her younger sister's neck. "Thank you." She beamed. She did not know what she would have done without her sister by her side. She had always taken her side whenever any misunderstanding arose. She was the only one who understood her. "I love you so much, Ramlah. Thank you so much."

  Smiling in response, Ramlah disentangled herself from her sister and stood up. "May Allah ease your pain." With that, she sauntered out of the room.

  Zynah's trembling fingers fumbled across the screen as she punched in the familiar digits, a silent prayer escaping her lips as the phone connected. "Bilal!" she breathed.

  "My Zy!" Was all he could utter. The surprise evident in his voice even through the phone.

  An awkward silence stretched between them for a while before Jameel finally broke it. "Whose number is this, my Zy?"

  "Ramlah's." She replied, curtly. "We don't have enough time, Jameel. I just called to let you know that I'm fine."

  "I was so worried," Jameel confessed, his voice rough. "I have been trying to call you since yesterday, but I couldn't get through. I thought something bad had happened to you. What happened after I left?"

  "My cellphone was seized by dad." She replied in a low, barely audible voice.

  Jameel's response was a frustrated growl. "No wonder! But why would he do that? I mean, you're an adult for crying out loud."

  "He's my father." She reminded. "He can do whatever he wants to me."

  A heavy sigh echoed through the receiver. "I know."

  "How are you?" She inquired. Despite her own turmoil, she couldn't help ignore the tremor in his voice.

  "Honestly," he admitted. "I am miserable."

  "What happened?" She questioned; the worry dripping off her tone.

  "What happened?" He asked in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

  "I'm sorry." She apologized, realizing she had phrased her question poorly.

  "I can't bear this anymore, my Zy. I really can't." He breathed. "I don't want to keep living like this. This separation... it's killing me."

  "I know." She fought back the urge to cry. "It's killing me too, but what can we do? I think my father is never going to give you the permission to marry me."

  "That's why I have come to a decision," he declared. "Are you going to accept the decision I have taken for the both of us?"

  "What decision?" She asked with quivering voice. "Are you... Giving up on us?"

  "Of course not!" His voice rose a notch. "That's one thing I'm never going to do. You know I'd give up on everything, including life, except you."

  "Then?" She prompted, swallowing hard. "Tell me your decision."

  "Let's elope." He declared, his words sharp and sudden.

  "What? El...ope?" She stuttered. "Do you even understand what you're saying?"

  "Yes." He replied, the desperation in his voice palpable. "Let's run away from your family, my family, everything. Let's put our happiness above everyone else's.

  "What are you even saying?" Her gasp, her mind reeling. "I can never betray my family in such a way. Never! They've done so much for me. I can't do that to them, Bilal. No, I can't."

  "Look, my Zy," Bilal pleaded. "I also don't want to leave behind my family and choose you over them, but I have no choice if I want us to be together." He explained. "And it's only for the time being. After we get married, we will come back home and make them forgive and accept us. What do you think?"

  Zynah shook her head vigorously. "I can't. I'm sorry, I can't. I just can't."

  "This is the only solution I can think of, Zynah. Please understand."

  "That's not a solution, please," her voice quivered. "What will happen when we run away? get married, then what?"

  "It will only be temporary, Zynah," he assured her.

  "And then what? Reappear after a few years and expect them to just accept and forgive us? I can't do that, Bilal... I'm sorry. I don't have it in me to hurt my parents like that. Please understand. We can co—"

  "Wow!" Bilal exclaimed in absolute disbelief, cutting her off. "You can't? Do you think this is easy for me as well? Don't I also deserve a chance at happiness?"

  "Jameel, I... that's not—"

  "You know what, Zynah," he cut her off, his voice laced with disappointment. "I think I'm the only one fighting for this relationship of ours. It seems you don't even care about me at all. You're making me realize this."

  "That isn't true." She cried. "This is just so hard for me to do. My parents, especially my dad will never ever forgive me. Can't you see how difficult this is for me?"

  Jameel fell silent for a while before finally speaking in a firm voice. "If you truly love me," his voice left no room for argument. "Then you will meet me tonight."

  "Bil—"

  "We will elope tonight," he repeated. "I will wait for you outside your house."

  "I...I can't."

  "Fine." He heaved a sigh of frustration. "If you don't meet me there by 8:00pm tonight, we're over. I will never see you again, but if you show up, we will go ahead with our plan And get married." He gave an ultimatum.

  "Please don't do—" before she could complete her sentence, he had already ended the call.

  Zynah's chest fell and her tears continued to fall uncontrollably — she was in a dilemma. Her family or Bilal?