Hisham let out an emotionless laugh as he remembered the words from one of his Mama's favourite quotes...

"Having somewhere to go is Home, having someone to love is Family and having both is a Blessing." ~Unknown.

Home?

Family?

Well today, he had neither of those, all thanks to his wife. The woman through whom he had supposedly completed half his deen. The one woman who was supossed to be his Qurratu'l-'Ayn (coolness of his eyes). The one woman who was supposed to make his house the 'home' Mama had always talked about.

The one woman who made many duties and responsibilities as a wife but was not at all bothered in fulfilling them.

He wondered where he had failed as a husband.

He had offered her his friendship, he had offered her his love, he had freaking offered her everything but despite all his tremendous efforts, she only but... despised him.

He clicked open the gallery on his phone and lazily scrolled through their wedding pictures until he got to one particular picture.

It was just not any picture but rather it was a picture he had always considered "special."

It was a picture of their entwined hands and he considered it special because that was the very first time she had tightly held on to his hand and it was at that very moment when he had realised that there was one more person he now had to look out for. There was one more person he had to keep happy. There was one more person for whom he had to do everything he could.

But then Zulekha had never appreciated anything right from day one. He swiped to the next picture and he faintly smiled. It was a picture of her laughing at a joke he had cracked and to be honest, that was the only time he had actually seen her laugh. But now if he thought about it, it must have only been for the picture.

He raked his hands through his hair in frustration his mind completely clouded with thoughts of his wife, his marriage, his child, his family. Everything was a mess right now and there was only one person to blame for all this.

Himself...

He could no longer really blame Zulekha because he was the coward here. He was the one who had allowed himself to get manipulated. He was the one who had fallen for all her deceitful lies. He was the one who agreed to all her crazy demands. He was the one to be blamed for all of this. Nobody else.

But then again, its not like he had not tried to put his foot down. He had pleaded with her, he had shouted at her and in the end when nothing seemed to have worked, he had even asked her for a divorce but then she had turned out to be pregnant with his child.

Or had that too been a mistake? Could a child be a mistake?

No.

Never.

He could never allow an innocent child to suffer just because of the sour relationship between him and his wife. He had to hold on. But for how much longer? What if Zulekha decided to walk away with his child after the delivery? Would he be strong enough to stop her? Or would he once again let her have her way?

"Ya Allah, please help me. I cannot do this anymore," he whispered as tears fell from his eyes.

"I just cannot do this. Please grant me some ease Ya Rabb. I no longer have anyone to turn to. Please help me," he added as more tears fell on his office desk.

It was true. He no longer had anyone. He had pushed everyone away. Baba was already very annoyed with him because he had rejected the Ceo's post. Then today, he had fought with the one person who was the most dearest to him. Even Khaleel had been at the receiving end.

He wondered what they were thinking of him? Did they think that he was selfish? Did they think that he wanted the shares for his own selfish gains? For the first time in his life, he felt ashamed to even face them. Ashamed to face his very own brothers.

But at the same time he felt hurt. He had never expected that Yasir would say no. Didn't his younger brother trust his Akhi? Had he lost him as well? Was their strong brotherly bond now broken?

He no longer knew. All he knew was the fact that no one was there for him, when he had needed them the most. Not even Yasir. The one person he thought he could always count on.

His thoughts were cut short by the sound of sliding papers. He quickly stood up and walked towards the door only for his eyes to land on the very familiar transfer documents that he had left in Yasir's office.

But they were no longer in Yasir's office but rather, they currently lay on his office's posh carpet.

Wow.

Did Yasir not even want to see his face anymore? Couldn't he have at least come to sort things out? Were they now just going to be sliding stuff under each others doors?

He picked up the documents with a heavy heart and once again his eyes landed on a yellow sticky note that had been stuck on top of the file. He recognized the handwriting to be Khaleel's but the words were defintely Yasir's. It read...

"

He let out a small laugh after reading the last part afterwich with trembling hands, opened the file only to find his brother's very neat and clear thumbprints on each and every page of the documents.

He closed his eyes as more tears trickled down his face. How could he have doubted him? How could he have doubted the one person who gave away part of his inheritance just because his Akhi asked for it?

Ya Allah. What had he done? And what sort of test was this really? Even after receiving the shares, his heart had still not found peace because deep down he knew that his wife would never be satisfied. Not even with this.

He quickly grabbed his phone from his desk and sprinted towards Yasir's office. He needed to talk to his brother. He needed to tell him the truth. It was about time he let it all out.

"Sorry Sir, but he is not in," said Mark as soon as he saw Hisham.

"Where did he go?"

"He went home."

"How was he when he left?"

"Sorry Sir, i don't know what you are..." stuttered Mark.

"I asked you, how was he when he left?"

"

And that was enough for him. He had had enough. He was tired of hurting everyone unknowingly. It was time, he put his foot down. Once and for all.

He rushed to the elevator and as soon as the doors closed, he turned to stare at his reflection in the mirror and he immediately hated the man he saw. The man in the mirror was a coward, a sissy, a man who could not stand up for what was right.

But not anymore.

He slammed his hand against the mirror in frustration and it immediately broke, pieces of the glass getting embedded in his hand.

But he didn't care.

Why?

Because there was only one thing coursing through his mind...

****

If someone saw the way Yumnah was blushing while ironing her husband's thobe, they would have easily mistaken her to be a newly wed bride. Her cheeks were crimson red and there was a dreamy look on her face.

She just could not stop herself from thinking about the first time she had seen Yasir after they were all grown up.

He had been wearing a thobe similar to the one she was currently ironing. She still could clearly remember how he had walked right past her while laughing at something Hisham had told him. Never had she seen someone look so handsome and it was at that precise moment when she had realised that she had feelings for Yasir Hosseini.

She blushed even harder when she remembered how she used to steal glances at him whenever they attended the same party or event.

He had always been the one for her and today Alhamdullilah, he had made her his.

And now, she was even expecting their very first child. She rubbed her hand over non existent bump, her face turning more and more red as she remembered what had transpired between them the previous night.

Yasir changed into his T -shirt, a shy smile on his face because he could feel his wife's eyes on him.

"Yumnah, stop staring at me please."

"Whaaaat? Im not even looking at you," she lied.

How could she not look at him? He was so handsome and so well built aaaaand he was her husband, so she had all the 'halal' rights to look at him. Forever.

"I can feel your eyes on me."

"You wish!"

He laughed as he sat down on the bed and she immediately scooted close to him.

"Yasir?"

"Yeah?"

"I have something to tell you," she said, a very serious expression on her face.

"What? That you were just checking me out a while back?"

"Im serious."

"About checking me out? You don't have to Yumnah. I am all yours."

"Yasiiiiiiir," she said as he flung a pillow at him.

"Okay fine fine. What is it Habibty?" he asked as he took her hand and brought it to his lips but Yumnah could see that he was trying his best not to laugh.

"I think I am expecting twins!" she finally burst out.

"What?"

"Yeah!"

"How do you know?"

"I already have a bump," she replied excitedly.

"Yumnah, its not even been a month or should i say a week. You can't be having a baby bump."

"I do Yasir and that is why i think that its twins."

"Here, feel my belly," she said as she lifted her blouse and quickly placed his hand over her warm belly.

Yasir did not even know what to say. He slowly rubbed his hand over her belly, blush creeping up his face.

"Yumnah," he said after a while.

"Its twins right?" she asked excitedly.

"I have only one thing to tell you Habibty."

"What is it?" she asked and she too blushed when he moved his face close to her ear.

"I have only one thing to tell you after touching your belly Yumnah. And that is..."

She expectantly looked at her husband, her eyes twinkling.

"What?"

"Please stop overeating during dinner," he said before he burst out into laughter.

Yumnah quickly grabbed another pillow and flung it at him.

"Yasiiiir. That is so mean. I hate you!"

"But I love you," he said in between his laughs.

He just could not believe his wife. I mean, it was not even a week yet. How could she even have a bump? Crazy Yumnah.

"But I was sure about..," she began but he quickly put his finger on her lips and pulled her closer to him.

"I thought someone had told me to go with the flow. So why is she herself not going with the flow?" he asked as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"This bump which you cannot feel is part of the flow. I am telling you Yasir, its twins."

"Hmmm," he said no longer listening to her.

"Yasir?"

"Hmmm?"

"Yasir listen," she said as she got out of his embrace much to his dismay.

"What is it now Yumnah?" he asked as he tried to pull her towards him again but she slapped his hands away.

"Okay I am now very serious about this. So listen."

"Okay. What is it?"

"I didn't have lunch nor dinner today Habibi," she said, her face totally serious.

"What?"

"Yeah!"

Yasir immediately sat up straight not at all believing his ears.

"Are you sure Yumnah?"

"Of course. I haven't eaten lunch nor dinner because of the nausea."

"Ya Allah."

"Yaaaaaay. We are having twins Habibi. Mabrook," she said as she flung her arms around him.

Yasir raked his hand through his hair not knowing how to react. Not that he didn't want twins but he doubted he would be able to handle two kids and a crazy wife all at once.

"I thought twins are hereditary or something. Shouldn't there be someone in the family who has had twins before? I know of no one from our family who has had twins," he said.

"Well twins run in my family Yasir. And it doesnt always have to be hereditary. It could be Allah's blessing you know?"

"Yeah but..." he said as he passed his hand through his hair a few more times.

Yumnah stared at her husband trying her very best not to laugh. He looked soo scared. How she wished she could take a picture.

"Yumnah," he began.

"Ha! You should have seen your face! It was priceless!," she said as she stood up and dashed towards the bathroom, the room filled with her loud laughter.

"Wait, were you...?" asked Yasir not at all believing that she had been pulling his leg all this time. But the only answer he got was her loud laughter from the bathroom.

"Yumnah, you retard, come back here this instant."

"Not happening Habibi," she shouted back.

"Then you will sleep in that bathroom tonight," he said as he placed his hand over his racing heart.

"You wish!"

She had for sure given him the fright of his life. But then again, having twins with a woman like Yumnah Saeed was not really a bad thing after all.

But not now. Maybe in the future. Just maybe.

He laughed as he picked the pillows from the floor and put them back on the bed while waiting for his retarded to get back.

Yumnah Saeed needed to sleep with her eyes open because she was going to pay for what she just did.

He would think of a comeback soon.

And then he would strike...

Hosseini style....

*****

She let out a laugh as she remembered his scared face. It had been priceless for sure.

She laughed harder as she remembered how he had kept calling her a retard the entire night.

Guess she now had a new nickname: Yumnah the Retard.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard the familiar tapping of his cane on the staircase. Was Yasir already back from work? How come?

She rushed to the door only to bump into his hard chest.

"Asalam aleikum Yasir, " she said as she flung her arms around him.

"Waleikum salam."

"Oh Yasir, I am so glad that you are back so early, i have so much to show you...," she began ranting.

But what poor Yumnah did not notice due to her excitement, was the fact that...