~°°~Every beginning has an end~°°~

Gwarinpa, Abuja, Nigeria. 26th November, 2022. 1:36pm ~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~ Though assumption is the lowest level of knowledge, it is still a form of knowledge. He assumed it will produce an effect out of all proportion to the trifling muscular effort he had made to dress himself up for her.

Sayf knew it was always the ladies that dress up for their husbands but he decided the rule should change. He wanted to do things that she was supposed to do herself.

Satisfied with how he looked, he smiled one last time before moving out of the closet to the room.

"How do I look?" Sayf asked and Tauhida turned to look at him. "You say what now?" Tauhida asked back. "I asked how I look" Sayf replied and Tauhida burst out laughing. "Seriously, what is making you laugh now?" Sayf asked moving closer to her "Are we in a circus?" He asked again.

"Not really, usually the ladies ask about how they look. Kai miye naka da tambaya irin wannan oho" Tauhida said before turning back to the mirror.

"Kika sani ko I've decided to be a lady?" Sayf said smiling sheepishly. "Kambu Sayf" Tauhida voiced swiftly turning back to look at him.

"It's Roohie for you and just tell me how I look, I decided to dress up for you" Sayf said. "Why bother asking if you already know the answer?" Tauhida asked. "I want to hear you say it" Sayf said in a flirty tone making Tauhida to chuckle. "You look drop dead handsome, like a prince" Tauhida said and turned immediately to prevent him from seeing the blood that rushed on her face, instant goosebumps.

"I believe it now that you told me yourself" Sayf said hugging her from behind.

"You still haven't told me about the first time you saw me" Tauhida said. "You went shopping with your sister" Sayf said. "Many girls went shopping that day I'm sure, what made you notice me instead?" She asked. "A guy came to flirt and you cried, that was what made me notice" Sayf replied honestly. He didn't want to give her in details but wanted to tell her the truth, even if it was part of it.

"You're rare, you fell for a cry baby?" Tauhida voiced.

"I knew you faked it so it was normal to be amazed at that. It was just amazement at first, I fell when we met again" Sayf again. "I'd believe you, now let's get going" Tauhida said picking up her veil to cover up her body.

Sayf held her hand and together, they exited the room to go have a shopping date. They ought to spend some quality time together before Sayf returns back to work.

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~ 1:42pm ~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

One of the most potent elements in body language is the eye behaviour. Sayf stood there as he exchanged eye contacts with her. He didn't know what to feel, or how to react or even how to decipher what was in front of him.

After months of searching only to see her being slapped by someone while she was on her knees. Of course he got angry and slapped the person back, the person had to run for his life. Then they stood there, no words exchanged but an eye contact was definitely made.

Though it didn't remain long before she burst out in painful tears. "Come here" Sayf said as he dragged her into an embrace. He didn't care that she'd ruin his shirt with the dirt on her body or even her tears, all he cared about was to make her feel better.

Tauhida all the while just stood and watched them not knowing what to feel. She didn't know who the girl was and of course not the relationship she had with her husband so watching was the only thing she could do.

"Where's Momma Aaliyah? where have you three been?" Sayf asked after he broke the hug and her cries subsided.

Tauhida picked a hint then, she remembered when Layla told her the story about their stepmother and her children after they were kidnapped by Marwan. That was when Tauhida knew that Abdul was not Mami's son but Momma Aaliyah's.

"Please help us Ya Sayf" Munawwarah pleaded.

"Take me to her" Sayf said and Munawwarah nodded. Sayf turned and held Tauhida's hand before he walked the two girls to the car and together, they drove to where Munawwarah directed them to.

It wasn't a complete slum but neither was it a maintained area, but the place they lived though was an uncompleted building.

Sayf couldn't explain what he was feeling. He thought they had money, how then did they end up in such a situation?

They entered a room in the house and there, they met Aaliyah laid on a mat while a pillow supported her head. She wasn't asleep but she had her eyes closed when they entered.

"What's wrong with her?" Sayf asked because anyone could see that she was sick, she didn't look like she was just sleeping or laying down.

"Paralysis" Munawwarah replied. "Inna Lillahi wa'inna ilaihi raji'un" Both Sayf and Tauhida voiced. "Before we do anything, we should take her with us" Sayf said and went ahead to pick Aaliyah in his hands, bridal style.

Putting her in the car, he drove back to the Elnafaty's residence. And of course, that was how their Shopping date didn't take place.

Apart from paralysis, the doctor that came to check her diagnosed high fever and flu which was what made her even more weak than she already was, they had to put her on an IV strip.

"After we left here, we didn't know where to go but since we had money with us, we booked rooms in a hotel. But then we woke up the next day with no sign of Ya Marwan whatsoever and also, all of our fortunes were with him. We thought maybe he went somewhere but we were wrong about that. Luckily for us, the booking was for a whole week so we could stay at the hotel. But then after two days, Momma demanded a refund because she knew we needed the money more than shelter so we left the hotel. We found the house you picked us up from and got it cleaned for our stay" Munawwarah narrated. She had taken a shower and ate some food before Sayf decided to ask her how they turned out like that.

The puzzle was yet to be solved in his brain.

"Everything fell worse apart when two months after, the money we had all ran out and unfortunately Momma met with an accident that made her paralyzed. I had to start going out to look for ways we could survive. I had thought a million times to come back to you for help but felt too ashamed to hence never came back. The reason why I was being slapped earlier was because of debt, I borrowed his money and couldn't return all of it" Munawwarah completed with tears on her face as Mami patted her back in consolation.

"It's fine now Munawwarah, stop crying" Mami said and she nodded. Not that she stopped crying immediately after that.

"Did you by chance meet ya Marwan since then?" Munawwarah asked after a while. "Yes I did" Sayf replied, he didn't plan to hide anything from her. She should at least know it all and be sad all she wanted so that when happiness knocks again, it wouldn't leave.

"He kidnapped my wife, Amani and Layla. He is in prison for lifetime" Sayf added and all Munawwarah could do was nod as she looked down on her fingers.

She was not just ashamed but also regretting how her mother and brother did damage to their family. Even though her mother was not satisfied before she was still happy, she was happy to be among her family and also her father who loved her.

"What about Abbas?" Mami asked. "He died" Munawwarah replied with a sob. "Inna Lillahi wa'inna ilaihi raji'un" Mami chanted "How?" Sayf asked that time around. "It was natural, we just woke up one day and he was gone" Munawwarah replied. And then everyone started to say a prayer for him.

Who would have thought their family would ever go through something like that?

It was true that they were into an everyday issue but then something that extreme wasn't expected. Their father dying, Aaliyah getting paralyzed, Abbas dying and Marwan in jail. To add that everything happened in just a year, even less.

Sayf did what he was good at again, promising within his heart.

He promised that no matter what strike them again, he would not let any of his family to experience something as worse at that. It would only make sense that he protects them with everything he had and that, he'll make sure it happens.

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

A month later

Copenhagen, Denmark.

20th December, 2022. 4:18pm ~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

Green lands stretched through a far distance like a green yarn, climbing and dropping like strong surfs on an ocean. They were on a bridge, beneath which there is crystal blue water flowing gently.

Her phobia for deep water though made her to hold him tightly, afraid she might fall.

"We should leave if you can't handle it" Sayf said to her. "That's a good idea" Tauhida said and he chuckled before they walked back down the bridge. That was when she released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"You should have declined the idea at first if you know you have a fear for water" Sayf said.

"I thought it wouldn't show since we're not inside a boat or something, I guess I was wrong" Tauhida said. "Let's go try something else, hope you don't have a fear for heights?" Sayf asked. "I don't, I can't be afraid of everything" Tauhida replied. "Well then let's go" Sayf said and they walked to try the rollercoaster.

You must be wondering what happened within that month that they got a chance to come for a honeymoon right?

Well, Tauhida fainted the very day Munawwarah and Momma Aaliyah returned back and she was rushed to a hospital. The doctor had said she fainted because of exhaustion but then Sayf insisted on a careful and thorough test.

After the test was carried out, the result came out with malaria and pregnancy.

Sayf was extremely happy, blessings had been knocking on his door ever since Tauhida came into his life. She became someone very special to him and his heart.

That was how Sayf instantly decided to drop the army, so he left. After all he never wanted to be in the army, it was all because of the problems that struck his life before. Army was just like a hiding place for him. And Tauhida couldn't even stop him because she knew she was the one who agreed to it.

And then, he insisted on the honeymoon they didn't have the chance to go after their marriage.

From a honeymoon, they decided to give birth to a citizen of Denmark. So there they were, preparing a new life together. They decided to do things they didn't get to do in their lives within the nine months duration it would take before welcoming in a new form of happiness, Tauhida's baby.

"Roohie, no more of this. I'm tired, let's go home for now" Sayf said sighing in exhaustion.

"We didn't finish everything on the list fa" Tauhida pouted. "Seriously, our baby will get tired. Spare the little guy" Sayf said in a pleading tone. "And when did you decide that it'll be a boy?" Tauhida asked with raised brows.

"Ever since I decided we'll name him Dauda" Sayf replied and Tauhida laughed.

But then she stopped when she saw that Sayf wasn't even smiling. "You're not joking?" Tauhida asked with widened eyes. "Nope" Sayf replied before starting to walk away.

"Haba Roohie, what happened to Adil? Ajmal? Amaar? Faeq?" Tauhida said as she rushed to follow him but he kept shaking his head in denial. "Fayad fa?" Tauhida asked again. "No" Sayf replied. "Hibbaan? Jamal? Jaafar? Luqman? Liban?"

"That's not even a sweet name Tauhida" Sayf replied and she hung her mouth open.

It was decided, her faith was sealed because Sayf never called her with her name, like never!! "It is not but at least it is better than Dauda" Tauhida said and she tripped, almost falling to the ground but Sayf held her up.

"Careful, you'll hurt yourself and our baby" Sayf said before helping her to stand properly.

"My baby" Tauhida corrected, it was her time to be the boss. "What? What do you mean by that?" Sayf asked. "Why do you care?" Tauhida pouted, just what he wanted to see. He loved it when she pouts, she looks very cute.

Sayf leaned in and placed his lips on hers, he held her by the waist so as to maintain her position as he kissed her passionately. It lasted for a minute before he parted their lips for some air.

"You should have told me if you wanted a kiss, why scare me for nothing?" Tauhida asked.

"I was serious about it though, it's the name of my dead childhood friend" Sayf smiled before starting to walk again. "Seriously? What happened to Alamin, my father's name and even your father's name? If you're looking for dead peoples' names there are a lot of sweet ones, why Dauda?" Tauhida said but neither did he stop nor reacted.

He loved it when he teases her, he had intended to name the child after her father but it wasn't any fun if he didn't scare her. That lady that makes him smile.

She was his, his alone, she was Tauhida.

~°°~Every beginning has an end~°°~

The end!

~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~

Alhamdulillahi Hamdan kathyran!!

This is the end of Tauhida, I'm literally in tears because of the extreme happiness I'm experiencing right now!

So readers, it was worth the wait since I came back with the complete chapters of the book!! Thank you for your patience.

Now to appreciate those of you who have been with me from the very beginning. I love you all and thank you for showing me so much love.

To those who haven't been with me from the beginning but have read the book, you have a special place in my heart no one will be able to replace.

Now a special appreciation to some people..... Readers, these people are the secret of my success!!

• My mother, she showed her support on me writing books even though we both knew I was going for science class, medics to be precise and I love her so much for that.

•Maryamaaa___ it all started with her after all. She was the one who read my first book ever, during our junior secondary school.

•Aasmaamour •__blackgold •giiiwa_halee •Sulaym--

I love you all for being the greatest support.

For those who haven't read my other book, you should read it.

That's it, I'd love you to comment at least on this last chapter. Lots of love,

Deedi--🥺❤️