*Chapter 5*
*The Twins 2*
Two Days Later
Zainab slowly opened her eyes, her vision hazy as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings. The stark white walls, the faint beeping of machines-it was a hospital. Confusion clouded her mind until her gaze landed on the first person she saw.
Alamin.
Her brother sat beside her, his expression a mixture of relief and something unreadable.
Why is he here? What am I doing here? she wondered, trying to sit up. But the moment she moved, a dull ache spread through her body. Then, like shattered pieces falling into place, the memories came rushing back.
The accident.
Panic gripped her chest as realization hit.
Alamin's face lit up for a brief moment upon seeing her awake, but the joy was short-lived. He quickly leaned forward, gently placing his hand behind her head to help her sit up.
"Zainab, you're awake," he said, his voice soft yet strained.
She nodded weakly, a small smile forming. But the relief was fleeting.
"Where is Mubarak? Zara? And even Lukman?" she asked, her voice laced with worry. "Are they all okay?"
Alamin hesitated. The warmth in his eyes dimmed, and his grip on her hand tightened slightly.
She frowned. "Mubarak, I'm awake," she called out, her heart pounding.
Still, there was no answer.
Alamin swallowed hard, his silence stretching unbearably. He squeezed her hand gently, as if bracing her for something.
"It's been two days since the accident," he finally said, choosing his words carefully. "You lost consciousness."
Zainab's breath caught in her throat. "And the others?"
Alamin exhaled deeply. "Lukman is fine," he said. "He's in the room opposite yours."
A small wave of relief washed over her. But it was short-lived.
"What about Zara? Mubarak?" she pressed, her voice rising slightly. "Call them for me, please."
Again, silence.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched Alamin's face. He couldn't meet her eyes.
Before she could demand an answer, the door opened, and Yusuf, Hafsat, and Atika walked in. Their expressions were somber.
Zainab's fingers gripped the sheets tightly.
Something was wrong.
Something was terribly wrong.
Zainab's throat tightened as she looked at each of them. No one spoke.
For the first time, Yusuf was silent. Hafsat's eyes were red-rimmed, as if she had been crying for hours, while Atika sat stiffly on the bench near the door, wringing her hands, avoiding Zainab's gaze.
A heavy weight settled in Zainab's chest. Something was terribly wrong.
Hafsat moved closer, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Zainab, I think you should rest."
"No, Hafsat," Yusuf cut in, his voice unusually tense. "We can't hide this from her." He looked at the others, then his gaze landed on Zainab before he fell silent again.
Zainab turned to Alamin, her voice barely above a whisper. "Brother... what are you all hiding? Please tell me. Where is Zara? And Mubarak?"
Alamin lowered his gaze, his fingers tightening around hers.
When he still didn't speak, she turned to Atika, who remained seated on the bench, staring at the floor. Atika never shied away from telling her things, never sugarcoated the truth.
"Atika," Zainab whispered desperately. "Hope all is well...? They're fine, right?"
Alamin exhaled shakily, squeezing her hand. "Zainab, I want you to have faith in Allah and take whatever happens as qadr. You know how life is-some days, you gain, and other days..." He hesitated.
Zainab's stomach churned at his words.
"Please, brother." Her voice cracked. "Tell me what's going on."
Yusuf, seeing how difficult it was for Alamin to speak, stepped forward.
"Zainab, please take heart," he began, his voice hoarse. "May Allah ease your affairs."
Her pulse raced, her heart pounding in her ears as Yusuf's words hung heavy in the air.
Yusuf drew in a shaky breath, his face pale and strained. "Since the accident two days ago... we haven't seen Zara. We don't know what happened to her. We don't even know if she-" His voice faltered, and he stopped, as though the very thought of continuing was too much. "We haven't found her, Zainab."
The world seemed to fade away around her. Her vision blurred, and her chest tightened.
"No..." she whispered, her voice trembling in disbelief. "This can't be real. No..."
But Yusuf wasn't finished. He swallowed hard before continuing, his voice thick with emotion. "And-" He choked on the next word, clearly struggling to maintain his composure. "-we lost Mubarak."
Zainab's heart skipped a beat, her body going cold.
He didn't survive. He couldn't have.
The weight of his words crushed her chest, stealing the breath from her lungs.
"No." Her voice broke, a desperate cry. "No! You're lying! You must be lying!"
She gripped Alamin's sleeve, her hands shaking uncontrollably as her mind refused to process what she was hearing. "Mubarak can't be gone! He was right there beside me! He was-"
Her words turned to gasps, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts. Her chest felt like it was caving in. She clutched her stomach, her body trembling with the shock, the loss, the disbelief.
And then, as her world spun out of control, Zainab collapsed, the darkness closing in on her as she fainted, her body crumpling to the ground.
___
Two Days Later
Two days had passed since the devastating news shattered Zainab's world, but the reality still hadn't fully sunk in. Every passing minute felt like an eternity, and the only wish she had left now was to vanish alongside the ones she had lost. What was there for her in this world now? Mubarak was gone. Zara was missing.
The only words Zainab had heard were the same: "Have some faith in Allah and pray for them."
They kept telling her that over and over, as if those words could somehow heal the deep wound in her heart.
Even Barakah, Mubarak's twin sister, had arrived. Zainab barely had the strength to acknowledge her presence. Barakah seemed to be handling everything better than she was, which only made Zainab feel more lost. Barakah was more composed, and-Zainab couldn't help but notice-far stronger than she felt.
Her heart felt empty, a hollow ache where once there had been love, laughter, and warmth.
She feels like she had become a burden to everyone around her, slipping into deep, uncontrollable states of shock whenever the reality of her losses hit. Every time she was reminded of what had happened, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't accept it.
Mubarak-her moonlight, her source of warmth, the man who had filled her days and nights with love-was gone.
She could still hear his laughter, his voice, his presence in everything around her. It was all so real, yet so far away. She couldn't reach it anymore.
And Zara-her twin, her heart's reflection, the one she had dreamed of growing old with-was lost. Gone. They searched for her, but found nothing. The world felt like it was crumbling around her, as if she were trapped in a nightmare she couldn't escape.
Zainab gripped the edge of her hospital gown, her fingers shaking. Each breath felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, suffocating her. She had to wake up. She had to, but no matter how much she willed it, nothing changed.
Finally, today, she was strong enough to leave the hospital room. For days now, she had begged her brother to let her go, but he insisted she stay. Her stress was affecting her pregnancy, and for that child's sake, she gave in.
As she made her way down the hallway, her heart heavy with the weight of everything she had lost, she overheard a raised voice coming from a nearby room. Lukman's voice, sharp with frustration, cut through the silence.
"If you can't find her, then I'll find her myself!" he shouted, the anger in his tone unmistakable. "Zara can't be missing! What kind of stupidity is this?"
Zainab peeked through the slightly open door. Lukman stood in the middle of the room, his injured hand wrapped in bandages, his face twisted with anguish. Yusuf and Alamin sat beside him, and a police inspector stood nearby.
Lukman kept yelling until the inspector finally left, his shoulders tensed with helplessness. Yusuf and Alamin tried to calm him down, speaking to him in low, firm tones.
"Lukman, when we lost our parents and even Afra, did anything happen to us?" Alamin asked.
Lukman let out a bitter sigh. "You don't understand," he said, shaking his head. "Zara is the only one left for me. I can't live without her. She has to be found." His voice cracked with desperation.
"what about us your family, and They're still looking for her, Lukman," Yusuf said gently. "But you have to prepare yourself for the possibility that... she might not be...."
"Stop saying that!" Lukman snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. "Is she not your sister? How can you talk like that? Zara has to be alive!"
Alamin sighed. "Lukman, please don't lose yourself-or your iman-because of this." His voice was firm but gentle. "We both lost Afra before, yet we're still here."
Lukman let out a hollow laugh. "You didn't feel it because you never cared about her," he spat.
Alamin didn't respond to that. It wasn't worth arguing about, especially not now.
A heavy silence settled in the room, broken only by Lukman's quiet, choked sobs.
After a long moment, Alamin placed a hand on his shoulder. "Turn to Allah, Lukman. Have faith in Him." And with that, he left.
Yusuf lingered for a moment, offering a few final words of advice before following Alamin out.
Zainab was now seated on a chair near the door, hearing them.
Lukman stormed out of the room, his face set with grim determination. Ignoring everyone, he grabbed his brother-in-law's car keys and left without permission.
As he drove, he unwrapped the bandages on his injured hand, ignoring the sting. He needed both hands free-nothing else mattered now.
For nearly an hour, he sped down the deserted roads, his mind racing with desperate thoughts until he reached the accident site.
Just as he stepped out of the car, he froze.
Someone was with him standing there.
Dressed in a hospital gown, her scarf barely hanging over her shoulders, Zainab stood a few feet away from him.
It only took a moment for him to realize: She must have been hiding in the car to follow me.
Lukman's brows furrowed. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to look for Zara," she answered firmly.
Lukman didn't argue. They were here for the same reason. Without another word, he turned away and began searching.
For the next hour, they combed through the area-left and right, deep into the bushes, but there was nothing. No sign of Zara. Not even a single house in sight. Just endless wilderness.
Lukman's frustration mounted with every passing second. His wounds reopened, his hands scraped against thorns, but he didn't care.
"How can someone just disappear in this place?" he muttered under his breath, voice shaking with anger. "Someone took her. I know it."
Zainab, on the other hand, was growing weaker. The hunger gnawed at her, but worse than that was the worry settling in her chest.
Her baby.
She pressed a hand to her stomach. She couldn't lose her child. It was the a part of Mubarak left for her.
"Lukman, please, let's go back," she whispered. "I'm hungry."
Lukman didn't even glance at her. Instead, he shoved the car keys into her hands. "Go back yourself. I'm not leaving without Zara."
Zainab's heart sank. "But I can't drive this far."
Lukman exhaled sharply, turning away. "I never asked you to follow me."
"Please," she tried again. "We'll come back tomorrow."
He ignored her, pushing forward into the thick brush. His mind refused to accept what everyone else was saying-Zara had to be out there.
Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through Zainab's stomach.
She gasped, clutching her belly. A cry of pain escaped her lips. "Ahh-my child!"
Lukman halted, his heart dropping.
Zainab, His Zara's twin.
In a blink, he was by her side. She was wincing, tears in her eyes, struggling to stay conscious.
Without hesitation, he lifted her into the car. "Zainab, be safe," he whispered under his breath as he sped down the road, pushing the car to its limits.
Zainab whimpered in pain beside him, gripping her stomach.
Lukman's grip on the wheel tightened. Zara will never forgive me if something happens to her sister and child because of me.
Faster. He had to get her to the hospital-before it was too late.