Lahat ng Kabanata ng Behind A Smile : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

Meanwhile, downstairs, a storm was brewing. "Ramlah! Get the food flask already! Why are you acting sluggishly all of a sudden?" Hafsa bellowed, her voice laced with barely contained excitement. To celebrate her daughters return, she decided to prepare all of her favorite dishes. "Mum." Ramlah rolled her eyes and face palmed. "I just did a while ago, It's right in front of you." "Oh! Right!" She smiled sheepishly. "How about the cupcakes in the oven, have you checked them?" Ramlah rolled her eyes again. "Mum, you literally put them in the oven like a minute ago. There is no way they are baked already." She groaned. "Can you blame me, my dear? I just want everything to be ready before she wakes up. I hope you didn't set an alarm for her? Let her sleep for as long as she wants. She looks exhausted." "No alarm, mum," Ramlah reassured her. "Good, good. Now, let's get back to cooking. While I check on the rice in the kitchen, why don't you start setting the table." Hafsa inst

Muffled by her hands, Zynah's sobs wracked her body, the tears slipping down her cheeks. Her legs trembled, barely holding her upright. She couldn't believe her ears. She was not part of their family? She was adopted? A stranger? The revelation hit her like a truck, leaving her gasping for air. In that very moment, she felt the pain she had never felt in her entire life. Her heart felt too heavy for her chest to carry. She couldn't grasp what was happening around her. It had to be a dream. A nightmare. Her family wasn't hers? Her father wasn't really her father? She betrayed the family who had mercy on her after her real parents abandoned her, and she chose to repay them by choosing a man over them? The thought made her feel like the worse person on the surface of the earth. She couldn't even begin to imagine the sacrifices they made to adopt her, yet she betrayed them. It became crystal clear to her why Rashida hated her so much. She finally had the answer to her lifelong questio

Regaining consciousness, Zynah's eyes opened to Hafsa and Ramlah sitting beside her on the bed, and surprisingly, Mr. Aliyu sitting on a chair at the extreme of Ramlah's room. "Zynah! Alhamdulillah, Zynah, you're awake." Hafsa squeaked, relief flooding her features as she embraced her tightly. "I was so worried." "Ya Zynah, are you alright now?" Ramlah asked, her voice laced with concern. Zynah managed a weak nod, her gaze fixated on no one else, but Mr. Aliyu. "Why didn't you tell us you are pregnant?" Hafsa asked with furrowed brows. "Why didn't you?" Realizing they had already found out about her pregnancy, she hung her head in shame. She really didn't want them to find out, especially since she wasn't going to be living with them. She didn't see the need to add to their burdens. "I'm sorry," Zynah mumbled, her voice barely audible."It's alright, dear. It must have slipped your mind," She smiled, reassuringly. "Why don't you stay the night here? You can leave in the morni—"

"How... How did you find out?" Hafsa's voice broke. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversat—" "No," Zynah answered, shaking her head. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I just happened to overhear your conversation." She fiddled with her fingers, avoiding Hafsa's gaze. "I'm sorry." "Zy...nah..." Hafsa trailed off, lost of words. "Why... are you apologizing?" "I'm an ingrate. Out of the goodness in your hearts, you... Adopted me, yet I disobeyed you two," a humorless smile curved its way on her face. She blinked rapidly, fighting back tears. "What are you saying?" Hafsa's voice rose a notch. "You're not adopted, okay? You. Are. Our. Child." She enunciated each word in a soft, yet firm voice. "There is nothing they can change that. You're my daughter." "I still can't believe this," Ramlah shook her head aggressively. "How did this even happen? Please tell me it's just a lie, mum. Ya Zynah is my sister, right? Ya Rashida was just saying those things because she—" "Are you deaf?" Hafsa

"What do you mean?" Hafsa asked, puzzled. "I don't want that baby, mum. Please just take him away from me. Give him away to anyone you want, I don't care, but I can't keep that baby with me," Zynah's voice cracked with a raw emotion that sent shivers down Hafsa's spine. "Do you even know what you're saying?" Hafsa boomed, startling the poor baby who instantly began to wail. "This is your child, Zynah!" "He. Is. Not. My. Baby," Zynah enunciated, each word hitting Hafsa like a wave. Hafsa looked at Zynah in absolute disbelief. In her arms was the tiny baby, crying for his mother's comfort, yet Zynah's gaze remained remained distant. "You must be out of your mind. Instead of thanking God for this blessing, you're here denying him. Are you alright at all?" "I'm perfectly fine," Zynah replied, her voice a monotone. "But I won't be if I keep seeing that baby. I'm pleading with you, please, mum, take him away. I need to sleep and he is just...disturbing me." Hafsa was taken