37~Fixing it #3
"Ma'am Amina." Emma called as she hurried over with a spare key. "Here's the key you requested... Is everything alright?"
"I hope so." With trembling hands, Amina unlocked the door.
The moment it opened, she froze.
The room looked as though a storm had torn through it.
Broken picture frames littered the floor.
A shattered lamp lay beside the bed.
Drawers had been emptied, clothes scattered everywhere.
Najib sat on the floor amidst the chaos.
His knuckles were torn open, fresh blood dripping from wounds he got by punching the wall over and over again.
He looked... broken.
His eyes were lifeless.
His shoulders slumped beneath a weight no one else could carry.
He replayed the same moment in his mind.
Her trembling smile.
Her tear filled eyes.
Her soft voice saying yes to another man.
He shut his eyes.
"Why?"
His voice cracked.
"Why did she choose to hurt both of us?"
He picked a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a bottle of whiskey.
Just as he was about to light one...
Amina snatched everything away.
"You promised."
She stared at him.
"You promised you to stop smoking and drinking."
Emma silently collected the bottle and cigarettes before taking them away.
Najib gave a hollow laugh. "I only made that promise because Habiba hated it, she can't stand it and that's why I abstained from it."
He lowered his gaze.
"I changed because I hoped... one day she would be mine again."
His lips curved into a bitter smile.
"But now that hope is gone... What reason do I have to keep that promise?"
"Ya Najib..." Amina knelt beside him and gently cleaned the blood from his bruised knuckles.
"I know you're hurting."
"I know this feels like the end."
"But don't say your hope is gone."
"It isn't."
He looked at her. "How can you be so sure?"
"She accepted his proposal."
Amina met his eyes without hesitation. "Because destiny didn't bring you together twice for nothing."
"You found each other."
"You lost each other."
"And somehow... you found each other again."
"I refuse to believe that's meaningless."
"We still have a week before the wedding."
"You, Abdul, and I will stop it."
Najib slowly shook his head. "No."
Amina frowned. "No?"
"You're giving up now?"
"After everything you've fought for?"
"I said no because I won't force her into my life." His voice was calm.
"If marrying him is truly what she wants... I'll respect it."
"I don't want to become a burden in her life."
Amina scoffed. "A burden?"
"You should've seen her after you left."
"She looked completely shattered."
"She won't survive marrying another man."
"She still loves you."
A faint smile crossed Najib's face. "I know."
"I saw it in her eyes."
"Then why would she say yes?" Amina frowned.
A long silence followed.
Finally, Najib sighed. "Because that's who she is."
"She carries everyone's pain."
"She will eagerly sacrifice her own happiness if she thinks it'll save someone else."
Amina threw her hands into the air. "That's ridiculous!"
"At the cost of her own happiness?"
"I swear, one day I'll knock some sense into that stubborn head of hers."
Najib couldn't help smiling despite everything. "You'll do no such thing."
"We can't force her back into our lives."
Before Amina could reply...
The bedroom door slowly creaked open.
They turned.
Grandma stood at the entrance, staring silently at the destroyed room.
She looked stunned.
They both rushed to support her before she could lose her balance.
"My goodness..."
She looked around.
"What happened here?"
"Forget the room, Grandma." Amina frowned.
"Why aren't you using your wheelchair?"
"Your legs are still weak."
She called for Emma.
Grandma gently stopped her. "Leave Emma."
"I came to speak with both of you."
They helped her onto the sofa before sitting beside her.
She held each of their hands.
"I heard the maids talking."
"They said Habiba accepted Faruk's proposal."
She looked at Najib.
"Is it true?"
Amina forced a laugh. "Grandma..."
But Grandma already knew.
She only wanted confirmation.
Najib nodded quietly. "It's true."
Grandma watched him for a moment.
"How do you feel?"
He smiled sadly. "It hurts."
"More than I imagined."
"But maybe this is my punishment."
"I failed to value the woman Allah blessed me with."
"I hurt her."
"I humiliated her."
"So perhaps this pain..."
He lowered his eyes.
"Is my karma."
Grandma gently cupped his face.
"I'm proud of you."
Both siblings looked at her in surprise.
"You've matured so beautifully, you have finally become the man your mother prayed you would be."
"A man who admits his mistakes."
"A man who repents."
"A man willing to put someone else's happiness before his own."
She smiled warmly.
"Leave the rest to Allah."
"If Habiba is truly meant to be yours... No force on earth can take her away."
Najib nodded. "In sha Allah."
Amina smiled softly. "In sha Allah."
Grandma squeezed both their hands.
"May Allah grant each of you peace, happiness, and what is best for your hearts."
"Ameen."
"Ameen."
.
.
.
***
A/N