Chapter two
by @aishatu98
Sirrin Da Na Rufe
Behind every luxury… is a locked heart.
Safna ta bude ido a hankali, hasken fitilar dakin na haskaka fatarta da ke sheki kamar zinariya. Ceiling ɗin dakin yana da ado irin na Turai, fari da gold, da wani chandelier da ke kama da kwalliyar sarki. Gadonta king-size ne, an shimfiɗa masa farin bedsheet mai laushin da kamar furanni suke.
Sai dai… dukan wannan bai shafi zuciyarta ba. Tana jin kamar ta rasa kanta.
A jikin gadon, ta zauna, ta rufe fuskarta da hannayenta. Daga baya aka buga ƙofar a hankali, tana jin kamar yana da kyau ta ce “Shigo.”
Khalil ne ya shigo, sanye da dogon farar jallabiya, fresh kamar yaron waje. Agogon Cartier a hannunsa ya bayyana, fararen takalman suede da turaren oud na gaske ke tashi a jikinsa.
“Good morning,” ya fada da nutsuwa, ya ajiye mata breakfast a kan karamin table kusa da gadon.
“Morning,” ta ce a hankali, ba tare da ta kalle shi sosai ba.
Khalil ba mutum ne mai yawan magana ba. Haka yake – gentle, mysterious, but distant. Kamar yana son ta… amma ba sosai. Ko kuma yana ɓoye wani abu.
Yana fita, ta sauka daga gado, ta shiga bathroom ɗinta mai kama da na palace. Bathtub ɗin nan fa — glass, da furanni, da sabulun rose milk. Mirror ɗin da ke nuna cikakken jikinta ya nuna mata kyakkyawar mace, amma idanunta sun ɓoye raɗaɗin zuciya da ba a faɗa.
Ta zauna a cikin ruwan zafi, tana lumshe ido. Sai kuma… tunanin ya dawo.
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💭 Flashback — One Year Ago
A lokacin, su Safna da Fahad suna zaune a kan bench kusa da wata tsangayar makaranta a Kaduna. Ruwan sama ya fara sauka a hankali. Fahad ya duba ta, ya ce:
“Safna, if I ever go silent… just know it’s never because I stopped loving you.”
Ta murmusa, “Then why would you go silent?”
Ya kalli sama. Sai dai babu amsa. Kamar wani abu ke damunsa.
⸻
⏳ Present…
Safna ta buɗe ido. Shikenan. A yau, komai ya canza. Ita matar wani ce. Kuma mijinta… ba yanda take tunani ba.
Sai ta tsinkayi wata paper envelope a kan vanity table. Tana fitowa daga wanka, ta tsane jikinta, ta buɗe envelope ɗin. Har yanzu, tana mamakin yadda ba a taɓa budewa ba tun da aka kawo lefen aurenta.
Ta buɗe. Sai taga wata invitation card.
“You are invited to the engagement ceremony of…
Fahad A. Sulaiman & Zara Aliyu.
Date: December 15th
Venue: Royal Signature Hotel, Kano.”
Zuciyarta ta tsaya. Fahad? Engaged? Wannan ba zai yuwu ba. Sai dai… kwanan wata ya kusa. Kuma an buga ne da ink na gaske. Real. Not a dream.
Sai kuma taga ƙaramar note a bayan invitation ɗin:
“Some truths were hidden from you. You deserve to know.”
– Anonymous
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🌒 Fade out…
Safna ta dafe ƙirjinta. Zuciyarta tana bugawa kamar za ta fasa. Waye ya aiko da wannan card? Wane sirri aka ɓoye mata? Kuma… me Khalil ke ɓoye?
Zuciyarta ta fara faɗuwa cikin rami mai duhu.
Tana jin kamar an shuka mata wuƙa — a cikin zuciyarta.
A zuciyata… akwai sirri da ya fi ƙauna ciwo.