Chapter 3
by @aishatu98
CHAPTER THREE
“Truth doesn’t knock. It bursts the door.”
Ruwan sanyi na safe ya sauka a Abuja, amma zuciyar Safna tana ƙonewa da tambayoyi. Ta tsaye a gaban full-length mirror ɗinta, sanye da atamfa mai launin coral da rawaya — tayi kyau, kamar sarakiyar gidan Khalil. Amma idanunta? Sunyi ja.
Kamar yadda aka saba, Laraba ce — ranar da Khalil ke zuwa ofishin mahaifinsa. Sai dai yau, kafin ya fita, ya tsaya ya ce mata da murya mai laushi:
“I’ll be gone till tomorrow. Business trip.”
“Okay,” kawai ta ce. Ba ta tambaye shi inda ba. Ba ta tambaya me business ɗin yake ba. Wannan aure ba irin auren da ake sharing zuciya bane. Aure ne da aka ɗinke jikinsu, amma aka bari soul ɗinsu a buɗe.
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☕ Midday…
Wani kamshi ya cika gidan chef ɗinsu, Aunty Maryam, ta gama dafa jollof rice da spicy grilled chicken. Sai dai Safna bata da appetite. Ta kunna AC, ta kunna laptop ɗinta, amma tunaninta ya tafi Kano Fahad da Zara.
Waye Zara? Kuma me ya sa Fahad zai auri wata bayan ya fasa aurenta ba tare da bayani ba?
Ta kira Salma best friend ɗinta tun makaranta. Salma ta ɗan tsani Khalil saboda yadda Safna ta shige aure batare da son zuciyarta ba.
“Salma,” ta fara da muryar sanyi, “do you know anything about a girl called Zara Aliyu? She’s engaged to Fahad.”
“Wait… what? Wallahi, I don’t o. Fahad? Engaged? How? To who?”
“That’s what I want to find out.”
Salma ta yi shiru. Daga karshe ta ce, “Bestie, I’m coming to your house this weekend. We’ll figure this out. But you… you need to prepare your heart.”
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🖤 FLASHBACK – Last Call
A sati kafin auren Safna da Khalil, an kira ta da unknown number. Da ta ɗaga, babu magana. Sai kuma muryar Fahad rauni a cikin sautin:
“Ina fatan ki zauna lafiya, Safna. I’m sorry I couldn’t fight for us…”
Ta ce, “Fahad? Me ya faru? Me aka ce maka? Me suka yi maka?”
Amma kiran ya katse. Kuma daga nan… shiru.
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📦 That Evening…
Yayin da take goge vanity table ɗinta, wata ƙaramar box ta faɗo daga bayan drawer. Tana buɗewa, sai taga small flash drive. A jiki, an rubuta da marker:
“If you’re reading this… it’s time.”
Zuciyarta ta tsaya. Hannunta na rawa. Ta saka flash ɗin cikin laptop.
A cikin sa, akwai video guda ɗaya.
Safna ta kunna shi. Screen ya kunna.
Fahad ne a cikin video — cikin room ɗin da ba ta taɓa gani ba.
Tears sun cika idonsa. Sai ya ce:
“I wish I could tell you this in person, Safna… But what they did… what he did… you deserve to know…”
“Khalil… he—”
VIDEO YA YANKE.
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🌑 END OF CHAPTER THR