Mubarak dragged me out of my room telling me he had something for me. He looked nervous and happy today.

I dressed quickly, wanting to know what he wanted to show me that made him so happy.

Upon getting to the garden, I saw every flower had been arranged in orders. There were some red petals on the floor. I looked around; what was the occasion. Everyone was outside.

"There she is"I heard Hajia's voice around the corner and I went to her.

"What's happening?"I asked her in a hushed tone.

"I don't know, it was Mubarak that called all of us out, that he had something to say and he has been smiling and laughing since morning. Something he hardly does" she said emotionally. No mother would be happy to see her child behaving abnormally.

"I'm very happy that my baby is getting back to himself" a lone tear escaped her eyes while I hugged her and whispered 'is okay'.

Mubarak walked up to the stage, holding a mic. This was the first I was seeing wearing a suit. He looked dangerously hot! But we didn't have physical and biological chemistry together.

He cleared his throat and brought the mic to his lips."Hello everyone, sorry for the emergency call but I need to because I'm very happy today is my birthday. But I've some important announcements to say" he said smiling cheekily. He looked boyish and carefree of the world, opposite of his dangerous self.

"Please Ruqyah, can you please come to the stage" he called me unexpectedly. Everyone's eyes set on me, making me nervous. I walked shakily to the stage and he came to stand by me.

Some girls looked jealous, some looked happy, some looked sad while Aisha smirked at me as if she knew what was going to happen.

Mubarak held my trembling hand, got on one of his knees and brought out a box.

"Since I've met you, I know you are mine. You capture my heart away with your eyes while your smile freezes me and your voice casts a spell on me. Since the first time, I know you have enslaved me. I love you so much my Ruyyah. Can you do me the honour of making me the happiest man on earth by saying yes to my proposal. Ruqoyyah Ajike Abdulhameed will you marry me?" He said while I stood there shocked, not knowing what to say but hearing at the background how some people awwed and clapped. I didn't know what happened but my mouth moved faster and blurted out "No" everybody gasped.

"No," I said again.

"No, I never love you, Mubarak. I don't love you" I said shaking my head vigorously.

"I'm still waiting for my man and I just take you as an elder brother, nothing more!" I shouted and ran inside.

~**~

It had been a week since the proposal, the house had turned upside down. Mubarak always came home late and drunk. Rambling and slurring nonsense.

"Where are you coming from?"I asked him, trying to help him stand.

"Leave me alone, as you care" he pushed me making me feel on my butt. I groaned and rubbed my ass.

"I care," I said softly.

"You don't, You rejected me because of him. I'm never enough, even my mother chose him over me" he cried.

"Can't you just marry me, there's no need for you to love me?" he said with hope.

"I'm sorry, I can't," I said and left him alone.

~**~

"Yahyah, can you please talk to him. He is getting worse day by day. He is not eating. He has been getting into street fights lately. He's going to kill himself. Please save my boy" Hajia cried.

"Please yahyah, save my boy. Please just help him" she clutched my hand, begging. I didn't know what to do.

"Okay hajia, I will think of what I could do, " I told her, If it was for this family, I think I could forfeit my happiness.

~**~

"Zainab!" I called Zainab out. I'd been waiting for her for the past five minutes.

'Females and getting ready on time' I grumbled under my breath as if I was not a female.

"I'm going, meet me on the way," I said looking at my wristwatch. I walked down the narrow path. I like walking in the forest because; The trees calmed me down. As I was walking, I heard a twig of branches. I looked back, "Zainab is that you?" I called out in a low voice.

"You better come out now because I'm not playing hide and seek game with..." my voice was muffled by being covered from behind, I was gripped. I struggled but my head was hit on the nearest tree. I cried out. The unknown person hurdled me up like a sack, I kicked the person but it was in vain. Blood continued to gush out, I suddenly felt light-headed; feeling consciousness going and coming before everything blackout.

~**~

"Mum, she is not picking her phone" he nearly screamed at hajia.

"She never comes home late, she is..." he rambled, thinking of any possibility.

"Maybe her phone is dead" Hajia tried to reason with her stepson- Zain; talking. She pitied him and looked concerned.' Ruqoyyah never comes home late, Then where is she? what happened?' A lot of unanswered questions flooded through her.

"Mom, we all know her; her phone never dies and she never releases her phone."

Mubarak stumbled-walking, wobbling and slurring out some senseless words.

Zain attacked him unexpectedly making him fall on the ground," where is she" he gritted, holding him on his collar.

"What?" Mubarak asked.

"Where is Ruqqoyah?" he said calmly, trying his best not to pounce on him.

"Ruyyah, Ruqyah-My beautiful ruyah" he sang out making Zain hit him again while he coughed out blood.

"Oh!, I remembered. She left school earlier with her friend..what's her name... yeah Zainab" he grinned cheekily.

"She is not back" Zain yelled at him.

All the traces of alcohol or playfulness had gone. " You are telling me that my Ruyah is not back," he growled.

"Not yours, remember. she rejected you." Zayn smirked.

All the household went out in search of her, upon getting to Zainab's, they found Ruqoyyah's bag and phone with traces of blood.

He whistled to others to follow the blood. They walked deeper inside the forest and saw an abandoned hut.

Mubarak and Zain entered, leaving another outside.

They walked through the darkroom before Zain stumbled on something making him fall on a body. He screamed while Mubarak rushed to him to bring a flashlight.

What both of them saw made their heart break in a million pieces.

~**~

Since I'd been rescued from the abandoned hut with a tattered cloth. I'd not been talking or eating. I always had a nightmare about that night.

I could never forget!

I could still remember clearly everything, I could never forget. No matter how I'd scrubbed my body to make me forget but the memory kept surfacing.

I remembered, I begged and begged till my voice gave out; I was physical and emotional hurt.

I stood abruptly in the bathroom, I scrubbed my body; how I always did, I needed to forget everything.

I scrubbed till my energy drained but I never relented, I went inside to take a blade and pills.

I swallowed half of the pills and took out the razor blade and cut my wrist. It hurt a little bit as I continued to enjoy it. The world started to spin around, black dot covered my vision till everything ended.

I really wished all that happened was a nightmare

~**~

I woke up groggily and heard many incoherent voices; some were wailing or shouting. I pointed out Zain and Muhammad cries, telling me to wake up.

"Ruqoyyah, why?, why did you do this to yourself? You are hurting me. Please wake up; show me your big brown eyes and let me hear your angelic voice. I never expected something like this, I felt like my life had ended when I saw your unconscious body on the ground. I was scared. I felt like I've failed your parents and especially you" his voice crooked out.

"I failed you" he growled and I felt him hitting the wall.

"I failed you again and again" he continuously hit the wall.

"Zain" my voice was hoarse and was stiff when I called him.

"Rukky, Rukky" he rushed to me; taking my hands in his, smiling while tears trailed down his cheek.

"Lemme go call others" he rushed out.

As I was getting set to get down, I fell on my butt and I heard a tsked sound.

Aisha

"Look at the mighty Yoruba girl" she mimicked my voice.

"But look at her," she laughed.

"Remember whore" I flinched when she said that word because it was bringing back unfortunate memories.

"Oh!, it hit a nerve, sorry" she fake cooed at me.

I didn't cry but I felt like I would soon burst out.

"Leave me alone" my voice was shaky.

"I just want to give you a piece of penniless advice my daughter" she patted my head gently like a mother.

"If I were you, I would have hung myself. Do you know why?" she shook her head."no".

"I can't live my life as a disgrace. You are a disgrace to your parents and your parents are going to be disappointed in you" she said softly exactly opposite of her.

"You were not only raped by an unknown man but also with his baby inside you," she said dismissively. And my world cracked, I felt suffocated.

"Who is going to marry an unmarried girl, with a disgraced bastard as a child" she tsked, "but like I said earlier. If I were you, I would hang myself. To save myself from further disgrace" I cried out, screaming and thrashing.

When Zain came in, she went out not before mocking me.

Zain rushed to me."Rukky, what happened?". Everyone was in the room, Looking at me with pity.

I hated that look.

Pity.

I hung on to him."I can't continue to live like this?"I cried heretically, feeling my chest constricting.

"I'm a disgrace. My dream has been shattered. I'm a failure. Who is going to marry me? I need to kill myself from further disgrace. Dad is going to disown me while mom is going to be heartbroken and hate me" I screamed, thrashing while he patted me.

"Zain" I looked up at him and saw his face set in a firm and stoic as if he was thinking something hard.

"Zain..." I didn't even know what to say.

"Zain.."

"It's okay rukky," he said softly, kissing my forehead.

"No, it's not because..." My voice trailed off.

He uttered the words that were going to bound him to me forever.

"I will marry you," he said firmly.

.

.

.

"What?" Aisha screeched...

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