Sophia POV
"My ex." The word resonated round the defending silence of the house. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Was he cheating behind my back?.
Why did she come back?
Was he going to leave me for her?.
Millions of unanswered questions swam in my head.
When he noticed my unresponsive self he continued,"But it is not what you're thinking, wifey," he rambled quickly.
My nose flared up. Lying again, how dare he!.
"Then explain to me, what is it?" I said calmly, trying to calm the rate of my beating heart.
"After I was through with the client, she came crying; telling me about her dead father and I was just comforting her, that's all. I swear to Allah, there's nothing between us. Everything was over between us since last year," he defended, looking sad.
I was over boiled. I swore if I was a cartoon, hot steam would have been trying to escape from my ears. "Your ex?! Can you hear what you are saying, your ex came to you?" I poked his chest angrily.
"You of all people? Didn't she have any friends? Anyone but You?! Wait tell me, are you a person who goes around comforting every person who comes to you? No. A Samaritan?" I said angrily. He looked like he wanted to talk but I was hearing nothing.
"Let me finish. Don't you dare interrupt me" I warned, pointing my index finger at him. "How would you feel if one day, when you came home from work and saw me hugging another man? And not just any other man but my ex?!" I screamed. "Telling you I was comforting him" I said sweetly with mockery.
I saw him clenching his fists with jealousy.
The nerve of him to be jealous!
"Tell me, how would you feel?" I said with a stream of tears. How I wished it could be raining so that I could pour all my heart out.
"I'm sorry darling, forgive and pardon me," he begged.
"No," I replied.
"Please honey. I'm sorry" he said softly, holding my cold hands in between his warm hands while I jerked my hands away from his and folded it then turned to stare at the wall.
"Darling, this young man is wronged. Please kindly find a place in your heart to forgive him" he said softly while caressing my hand.
"Do you still want her?" I asked softly. I needed to know if he still loved her or might have a chance with her. I braced myself for the rejection to tell me he was in love with her.
"No" his voice void of any emotion. "I don't love her, you are the only one for me. You've captured my heart, senses, eyes since the moment I saw you" he said with adoration. And I smiled, I smiled widely and hugged him then clung him round his neck, wrapping my legs around his waist securely to prevent me from falling.
"I'm sorry for screaming and doubting you" I mumbled at the crook of his neck.
"Issokay to protect what you have," he said, playful.
"What?" I teased.
"Me" he pointed to himself, "your sexy handsome husband" he wiggled his brows.
"Whatever" I muttered while waving my hands dismissively.
"Chocolate" he said.
My eyes lit up,"chocolate " I screamed happily.
"With..." My eyes twinkled with mischief, "movies" I beamed.
"Not again" he groaned, carrying me to his room.
***Next morning***
"Wifey, I'm sorry for yesterday." He pecked my forehead.
"It's okay." I smiled, touching his face.
"Ahem, you know Zainab? She is coming today, with her husband," he said nervously.
"Zainab? I don't think I know her." I replied confusedly.
"Um... My ex," he blurted out, not looking at me while I retracted my hand like I was being burned.
"Your ex?" I asked in a small voice.
"I'm sorry I told her about the incident and she is coming to know you and settle it," he said.
"Okay," I replied with a high pitch voice, detaching myself from him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What does it look like I am doing?" I replied sarcastically, walking out of his room to mine.
I avoided it throughout until when his visitors arrived.
She has arrived!. I thought, mumbled some prayers.
"Assalamualaikum, yusluv," I saw the girl running to meet my husband hugging him like there was no tomorrow.
"Waalaikumsalam, how are you, zainbee," my husband greeted her.
Wow, what am I missing out here?
Yusluv?!
Zainbee?!
My ass!
Their nerves!
How dare the two of them, using those nicknames and flirting while I was standing.
I was sad and angry, seriously.
I looked at her and I immediately felt insecure because she was taller, curvier, more beautiful than me and had an angelic voice. She was the definition of beauty. Why wouldn't he want to comfort her and receive her hugs?' I thought bitterly.
"Zainbee, meet the love of my life," I was snapped out of my dwelling thoughts.
"I'm Zainab, Yusluv's childhood friend and best friend," she said proudly with mischief in her eyes.
I thought this girl was up to no good. All I wanted to do was to snub her but my mama and religion didn't teach me that.
We must be nice to our visitors.
"I'm Sofia, Yusuf's wife," I said and she smiled.
"Okay, let's get inside," he clapped his hand and gestured for us to get in.
I sat beside Yusuf and Zainab sat beside her husband - Khaleed.
I stood up from the couch. "Let me go get the food ready," I walked towards the kitchen.
"Oh wait, Sophy, let's go together. We can chat and they can talk, man to man," she walked towards me and winked at my husband- my Husband!. I was already feeling a ball of anger and jealousy but I prayed to Allah to give me sabr* (patience).
We entered the kitchen and I started cooking.
"Sofia, how did both of you meet?" She asked curiously.
"We met by Allah's grace," I replied shortly. I was not here for questions and answers.
She held my hand forcefully. "Little girl I'm talking to you." She gritted her teeth, making her look like the stepmother in Cinderella.
I tried to remove my hand from her grasp but I couldn't; she held me in a strong grip. She was really strong for a female. I thought.
"Zainab, please release my hand. I need to check what I'm cooking, and you are hurting me," I pleaded out. She was letting the memory resurface.
The memories I wanted to keep hidden.
The memories that haunted me.
She laughed at my weak state. "Yusluv can never be with you or love you. He is created for me, only me. He's just deceiving you, he only loves me. I'm his Zainbee. And if you want to test it out, you can. He only loves, believes and trusts me," she still held me in her strong grip and eyes glistened with pure evil.
"Leave me alone, you manic. He can never love you. I'm his wife. He's mine not yours," I seethed.
Before I knew what was happening, I felt a hard sting on my cheek. She slapped me.
Ya Allah!
The last string of sabr cut.
As I raised my hand to retaliate, I saw my hand was being held by Yusuf.
"Sofia, what's wrong with you? Why did you slap her?! I told you there was nothing between us." he accused me.
"But she's the one that slapped me," I said, trying to remove my hand from his hold when I glanced at her and saw her crocodile tears while holding her cheek.
"Sofia, I can't believe that you can stoop so low like this. You slapped her," he said while shaking his head.
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I swear, I didn't."
"You did."
"You don't believe me?" I asked slowly.
"I believed you but all of this is pointing towards you," he said.
"I hate you. Even if I had done it, you were supposed to stand by me" I snapped at him while retracting backward.
"That's what a husband is supposed to do. I hate you!" I said and ran out of the house with a pool of tears.