Chapter Thirty Four – A step closer to happiness

“I…. I don’t think so Zayaan. My father just said that your father called him asking for help to get an attorney. Apparently, your mother is getting arrested for having involved with a criminal.” Aleesha said, leaving Zayaan in shock.

 

“What?” Zayaan blurted out in disbelief.

 

“Yes….. I will text you Heena’s address. I need to get going right now.” Aleesha said in a rush and the call disconnected.

 

Zayaan picked up his phone from the desk with his shaky hand. At once, he called his father. The phone kept ringing until Zayaan thought his father won’t be picking up. Nonetheless, his answered just as he was about to give up hope.

 

“H..hello…” his father’s voice was jagged.

 

“Dad…. what’s going on at home? Where is mom?!” Zayaan asked.

 

There was no answer from the other end.

 

“Dad, are you there? Is mom still at home?” Zayaan asked again.

 

Again, no answer.

 

“Dad please answer me….is mom taken-“

 

“Stop talking about that devil of a woman!!!” his father’s voice came out as a scream this time, startling him.

 

He never heard his father talking about his mother that way until that moment. So, he was too stunned to be able to say anything.

 

“She betrayed me and broke our trust! I told her to do everything she can to bring Saba back to you when you were bedridden. It was only when I saw you in that condition that I realized that we were doing wrong to you by going against your marriage. And today I get to know that you were in a coma for months is because of her doing!” Zayaan heard the pain in his father’s voice as he spoke. He tried hard not to imagine the state his father was in because it was too much for him to bear. His father spoke again, as he was at a loss for words.

 

“I am so sorry, son. I never wanted to see you in pain. The only reason why I wanted to keep Saba away from is because I thought you could find a better match. But today I realize how much that girl loves you. The only reason why she walked away from you was to keep you safe.” Farooq said and Zayaan’s heart skipped a beat with those words. For a moment, he thought that his father was talking about today.

 

“How do you know, Dad?” Zayaan asked.

 

**

 

The next morning, Zayaan was a driving a car that he rented across a highway in Lagos State. His father’s words kept ringing in his head as he drove with his heart hammering against his chest.

 

“Her youngest brother was finally caught by the police in the investigation of the last crime he committed in the luxury building. Apparently, it was Zeenath who sent him there and even reported him to the police. Because the woman wanted him to stop blackmailing her about how he was going to report her. She didn’t think that he will have evidence against her. She underestimated him and got him caught by the police. And as a revenge, the criminal gave the recordings of the conversations he had with Zeenath to the police.”

 

 

He also gave the details of what Zeenath had done to Saba. She had forced Saba to stay in hiding even in Nigeria. She in fact tried to kill Saba through a fire incident at a train station in Nigeria. Sinaah said that she got contact numbers of some of his friends who might do such a thing. And he said that one of those friends revealed to him very recently about her intentions. Apparently, she had a plan of calling Saba to blackmail her. She was that afraid that Saba might reveal the truth to everyone….”

 

“Did she die in that incident? S…Saba?”

 

 

Zayaan had interrupted his father’s words to ask the question he desperately wanted to ask. As devastated as he felt about what happened to his mother, his heart fluttered as he remembered the rest of the things his father said.

 

“Actually Zayaan, there is a chance that she might be alive. Sinaah said that Zeenath wanted Saba to disappear, even if she didn’t die. She had wanted others to believe that she was dead. So, it could be that Saba is still living in hiding because of Zeenath’s blackmailing. Find out where she is Zayaan, she might still be alive.” his father had said.

 

A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips as those last words echoed in his head. A sigh escaped from his mouth as his smile grew wider. The mere thought of seeing Saba again filled his heart with happiness. He stepped on the accelerator as he remembered that he was heading a direction that would take him closer to her.

 

After a few hours of driving, Zayaan parked his car near one of the houses in the countryside as the GPS directed him. He looked to the right and saw a small house built with planks of wood. The design of the house and the flowerpots all around the house reminded him of the house he had shared with Saba.

 

Zayaan stepped out of the car and looked towards the house even as he closed the door. As he was about to take a step forward, he heard a familiar voice from inside the house.

 

“Mama let’s hurry up! They are going to run out of my favourite bread.” it was none other than Hamadh, who opened the front door and came running down the small staircase. He stopped in his tracks when his eyes met with Zayaan’s. Zayaan smiled, seeing how Hamadh had gotten a bit taller than before.

 

“Whoa! Look who is almost about to reach my height.” Zayaan said, going closer to Hamadh.

 

“Uncle Zayaan…” Hamadh said, still looking at Zayaan and in shock.

 

“Who is it Hama-“ the woman who was coming out of the house stood still too, when she saw Zayaan. An uncomfortable silence overtook the surrounding and Zayaan was the first one to break it.

 

“Well first of all, let’s get you the bread Hamadh. Would you like a ride with Uncle Zayaan?” Zayaan said with a smile. Hamadh looked back at his mother who nodded to give him permission. He then followed Zayaan to get into the car.

 

There was silence in the entire trip to the bakery and back to home. Zayaan had a feeling that Hamadh did not speak to him perhaps because of the sadness of losing his loving sister. Hence, he didn’t ask Hamadh anything and waited until he met Heena.

 

Heena had made tea for both him and Hamadh when they reached her home. Hamadh went to the dining room for breakfast while Heena set Zayaan’s tea in the living room before sitting across him on an old sofa.

 

Zayaan was about to ask Heena about her health as he took a sip from the tea, but she spoke before that.

 

“Saba used to show your pictures and talk about you a lot, so I know who you are.” Heena said and Zayaan felt a shiver down his spine, as he heard about Saba. He kept his cup on the table as he felt a tremble in his hands.

 

“She used to laugh and then cry when she talked about you. She told me about how you met each other, how you took care of her, how you showed love to her. She told me about how much she loved you too. Then she would cry every time as she repeatedly told me about how you were in a coma when she left you. And there was no way for her to find out about how you were as your mother would never reply to her messages. And your mother blackmailed her of the worst every time she tried to contact her or your father. She cried for days on end and she barely slept or ate…..Saba had come here to help me out. She reunited me with my son, found me a donor and used her savings for my surgery along with Aleesha’s help. But there was no way for me to help her and that broke my heart every time I saw her.” Heena tried her best to hold back her tears as she talked about Saba.

 

Zayaan sat there too, with pain growing in his chest, not being able to say a word or look up.

 

“And if that wasn’t enough, your mother ended up killing her! I will say this till the day I die even if it doesn’t get proven because I clearly heard the call your mother made. She told Saba that she would die the same way her mother did. And Saba had gone to a store at the station while she was on a call with your mother. Don’t you dare tell me that it was a coincidence that the fire started in that exact store just a little while after Saba went i-” Heena said in rage.

 

“My mother is being punished for her crimes.” Zayaan said quickly, trying to get a hold on his emotions.

 

“What?” Heena said, suddenly having calmed down.

 

“She was arrested yesterday as she was involved with one of Saba’s brothers. Saba’s brother testified against her so now she is being investigated.” Zayaan said with a heaviness in his heart as he imagined his mother’s state.

 

“Saba’s brother? Why would any of them do that though?” Heena asked, hesitant to believe what she had just heard.

 

“My father said that it’s because my mother kept blackmailing them that she would report them.”

 

“I see….I’m glad they did the right thing at least once.” Heena said, fully knowing that the three brothers always do as per the decisions of the eldest one.

 

Heena said and silence fell in the room again. Zayaan sighed and waited a little bit to frame the question she was about to ask in an appropriate way. He spoke when he figured it out.

 

“When Saba was with you, did she talk about Lagos Forensic Center by any chance?” Zayaan asked.

 

“La….yes of course. She had gotten a scholarship from a university to study forensics, and she always said she would work at the Lagos center once she graduated. Why do you ask?” Heena asked and suddenly, the pain in Zayaan’s chest vanished.