He opened his closed eyes slowly, as if he didn’t want to talk much.
"Look, I’m leaving since you’re upset," he said, standing up.
She grabbed his hand, and he felt something stir deep within him.
He didn’t like her touching him, especially unexpectedly, feeling her hands on his body. In a low voice, he said, "Let go of my hand, Huddy."
She stared at him again. Only after he shouted at her did she let go and walk away quickly.
He knew leaving Huddy was like leaving a part of himself behind. She would cry, and he didn’t have the heart to follow and console her, as she often confused him too much.
---
His closed eyes opened, causing his heart to stop at the sight before him.
He looked at the girl sitting on the neatly made bed in the room.
Something pierced his heart. Feeling he couldn’t bear it, he left the room, gently closing the door behind him.
---
She heard him leave. She lay on the bed, too weak to even change her clothes.
She cried so much she didn’t think she had any tears left.
"Sannunki,"
That was the word his mind gave him to say to her the first night as her husband.
It was a different kind of fate. She never imagined marrying anyone other than Ammar.
Just thinking of his name made her heart boil.
She had hated this man even before seeing him. He had separated her from her Ammar. Out of all the women in Kano, why did he have to marry her?
Because of sheer injustice and ignorance of the value of love.
She looked at the henna on her hand, feeling it was useless now, and her heart recalled a moment when she had red henna, sitting with Ammar.
---
"My love, I really love henna. When we get married, you’ll keep doing it for me,"
he said in the soft voice she adored.
She smiled shyly and said, “Then you’ll have to pay for it first.”
