At sudais's mansion, Afaan and sudais searched for the brown envelope life their lives depended on it.
"Where did you get those information from anyway." Sudais asked his brother.
"I hired an investigator to get them for me, well he had to spy on her but it was worth it." Afaan replied.
"Call that investigator again, he should be able to carry out the task just like he did before." Sudais said. He was eager to see them, he wanted to know exactly what his brother was referring to.
"He's moved to England. But I can hire another one." Afaan replied.
"Good." Sudais said. Afaan noticed that his brother was losing it. He's been asking about what were contained in those papers since early in the morning after fajr.
"The boy, whom you thought your wife was having an affair with." Afaan started, he thought that it would be best to start telling him before showing him the proof, he knew his brother too well. After finding out everything, it would be hard for him to be able to take it.
Sudais's eyes snapped to his brother who was sitting on the office chair.
"What about him?" He asked, although his heart jumped when it was mentioned, he still was able to compose himself.
"It was all a set up. I don't know who did it but I managed to contact the man who was hired to snap those pictures. He gave me the rest of them. He said there were no other copies of them, and the ones he gave me have suddenly disappeared." Afaan said, his eyes locked with his brother's. Sudais was starting to get infuriated.
"What do you mean its a set up. I saw it myself, my wife in a romantic act with a stranger. He confessed himself." Sudais said. He was completely baffled.
"It wasn't like that at all. Apparently, the guy had been pursuing her at school. He was her classmate. He had a motive for doing it." Afaan said.
"Of course. He pursued her and she fell for him. How is she innocent in this?" Sudais asked.
Afaan face palmed himself, he knew he shouldn't have interfered in the matter.
"Brother, this is the reason I gathered the evidence before telling you about it. You're too stubborn."
Afaan stood up to leave, he wasn't really a fan of drama and he hated to be in a state of explaining himself.
"Where are you going Afaan?" Sudais asked when he saw afaan leaving without enlightening him.
"Anywhere, as long as you're not there. You're giving me a headache." Said in annoyance and slammed the door shut.
Sudais was holding his waist, pacing across his study. Afaan had left him in a state of confusion.
"What were you trying to say you afaan?" Sudais murmured. He would find out soon.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled martan's phone number.
"Wa'alaika salam martan. I need you to do something for me. You will book tomorrow's flight to Dubai and visit our university. Collect all the CCTV footage for the past six years." Sudais made clear and hung up.
He turned towards her picture on the wall and stuffed his hands back in his pockets. His heart hammered in his chest, regret had started to make a way to him even before seeing the evidence.
"I hope I haven't wronged you."
"The medical reports afaan was talking about." He remembered and strode out.
"What do you want?" Afaan became annoyed when his brother barged into his room without knocking. Afaan was a lover of privacy.
He was sitting on his bed, legs folded and typing something frantically on his silver apple laptop.
"I'm sorry for not understanding you earlier Afaan, but I am definitely not sorry for barging in. You should have gotten used to it by now." Sudais said and afaan rolled his eyes although sudais was right, he should have gotten used to it.
"If you keep barging in, I'll be compelled to go back to my place." Afaan made clear without looking up, making sudais arc his eyebrow.
"Oh really. Anyway, I'm here to asked you about the medical reports you spoke of earlier." Sudais sat on the beanbag again, he was starting to like it.
Afaan looked up at his brother and folded his hands on his chest, it was now his turn to arc an eyebrow.
"So now you are ready to listen."
"I told martan to get the CCTV footage from the university, I want to check all the ones from six years ago."
"You realize that will take months to gather right?" Afaan asked.
"What other choice do I have afaan, you said it yourself, those pictures were the only copies he had." Sudais said.
"Maybe we should capture him and make him confess where that Samar is currently and why did all that." Afaan suggested but sudais didn't approve of it.
"So that we'll both get thrown in prison for kidnapping? No way." Sudais almost yelled.
"Dad will get us out." Afaan said playfully.
"And our reputation will be thrown out the window." Sudais said dramatically.
"Don't worry brother, I'll have the medical reports brought here by tomorrow and about the spy and Samar, I don't know but I'm sure we will get to the bottom of it." Afaan assured his tensed brother and sudais gave a short nod.
***
"Will your mother be here to pick you up?" Fahad asked Farida. It was already past one and non of them have prayed zuhr yet, Fahad wasn't someone who liked to miss Congregational prayers, he wanted to get to the mosque as soon as possible.
"No, she's gone to a friend's place with dad but I brought my car, don't worry. Besides, you have to go to a nearby mosque. Its getting late."
"Sure, I'll walk you to your car and go to the mosque." Fahad insisted. With the mat folded, both parents walked out of the park with their children by their sides, they bid each other goodbye with sad faces.
"I think we should call each other some times." Farida was about to get into her car but stopped when Fahad made that suggestion, she turned and looked at him with a smirk, her eyebrows raised in amusement.
"I mean...they kids will like to talk to each other again. We shouldn't let them miss each other too much. Its bad for them." Fahad said and cleared his throat, he obviously wasn't referring to the kids and Farida had it all figured out. "Men and their lame excuses" she thought. Although she wasn't going to say no to him since the boys have decided to tie a knot of friendship. They exchanged numbers and Farida drove away, not before kissing faysal on the cheeks.
Fahad stared at her car until he couldn't see it anymore, almost forgetting that he was supposed to find a close by masjid. His smile widened as he remembered how much her personality resembled that of his late wife.
***
Thankfully, Fahad was lucky enough to join the congregational prayer just as they were about to go into the first sujood. He went straight home after that, he could barely wait to tell his beloved sister about the beautiful encounter he had with his fine woman.
Him and faysal walked hand in hand through the pathway of their beautiful home. Everyone who entered their home would compliment its beauty. It was a white building, with pink and purple flower plants all around the edges of it. The path was tiled but it had red white and pink roses at both sides of it. It wasn't a very big house, which was actually what had always surprised their guests considering their riches. The fences were white woods with a little gate.
Jasmine, fahad's mother had never been a woman of luxury, even though her father had owned the biggest and most selling halal food company and industry in Ireland. Her mother was the third daughter of the emir of Dubai. Her son Fahad owned a private university in Dublin and there in London, he also took over his late father's halal food business.
His father was an Irish man, he belonged in a noble and humble family. He met with an Arab woman who had the same mentality with himself and married her. Jasmine was a beautiful rich yet humble woman, people often admired her simplicity.
Jasmine did very well in bringing up the only two children they had. They took after her.
Fahad and faysal were greeted by the scent of food. Plenty of empty but used plates were scattered on the white dining table. It wasn't surprising to fahad, Jasmine received guests everyday and she wouldn't let them leave without eating. Typical mother.
The two pulled off their shoes and arranged them in the shoe rack that Jasmine had placed just beside the door. It was the teaching of their father and something they've been practicing even after his death. Of course Jasmine wouldn't let his discipline go in vain, she saw to it that his wishes to raise a respectful and honorable family was fulfilled.
Jasmine and fauziya walked into the dining room to clear the table and Fahad requested to help.
"Mom, please sit down and let fauziya and I finish the work." Fahad wouldn't jusy sit and watch his mother working so hard.
Jasmine didn't bother to protest. She knew that her son would insist until she let him do it.
"Thank you son." Jasmine smiled warmly and patted his back and he smiled back.
Brushing her golden hair from her forehead, Jasmine extended her hand for faysal and he excitedly grabbed it.
"How is your new friend doing my Darling?" Jasmine asked the toddler as she sat on the two sitter couch and placed him on her lap. Faysal told his grand mother all about the day, including the part where his father almost missed prayer.
"How come you nearly missed a prayer Fahad? That's so unlike you." Fauziya said dramatically.
"I lost the track of time, the boys seemed to be enjoying each other's companies." Fahad said and fauziya resisted the urge to laugh. She could tell that her brother had been hit with a love arrow.
"Fahad?" Jasmine called out to her son.
"Yes mom." Fahad replied and walked quickly to his mother and sat beside her.
"Do you remember that friend of mine from college?" Jasmine asked and removed her glasses.
"Which one of them?" Fahad wasn't sure which one she was referring to. She had many friends at college.
"Seema. The blonde one." She exclaimed and slapped his arm hard. Fahad yelped as fauziya and faysal made fun of him.
"Okay, I remember now mom." Fahad said quickly so that his mother wouldn't slap him again, although this time he really did remember.
"Well, she came for a visit today with her husband. It's been a while since I've seen her you know. She's even more beautiful than I remember." Jasmine said excitedly, it was obvious to Fahad that his mother was happy with the reunion.
"Shall we go see them some other day?" Fahad suggested and Jasmine patted his hand.
"Of course my son, we will all go visit some day. She was so happy to see fauziya"
"She didn't ask about me? Ouch!" Fahad placed his hand at his chest to fake a shocked expression.
"She did!" Fauziya said between laughs.
And so the happy family discussed and spent the rest of the day together. Although the fine woman had been on fahad's mind all through.
****