Yumnah tightly wrapped her hands around her father's arm for support the minute she heard her mother begin to shout her head off.

She stood still, a pained expression on her face as each and every single word of her mother's sliced through her heart like a sharp knife.

How she wished she could just go back home.

Back home to Yasir -Her Husband.

"I cannot believe it. This is all just but utterly ridiculous. You two did not even last a year, Yumnah. Where is all your so called love now?" spat Saeeda, not at all bothered by the murderous glares her husband was sending her way.

"And worse off is the fact that he sent you back pregnant. Now what will you do Yumnah? What if that child of yours is born blind just like the father?"

"SAEEDA!" shouted Bilal, not at all believing his ears.

How could his wife be so heartless?

"Don't you dare shout at me Bilal. I am just but stating the truth and I had told you from before that Khaleel was the one for her..."

"That is not at all true, Mama. Khaleel was never was the one for me and never will he ever be," whispered Yumnah as she fell to the floor, her heart overly burdened.

Why couldn't her mother just understand? Understand that she only but only loved Yasir.

Yasir Hosseini.

The one man who had given her more than enough love and respect than she could ever ask for.

"But Khaleel...," began Saeeda but her husband quickly cut her off.

"Is now Yumnah's BROTHER- IN-LAW. Respect that relation Saeeda," he said through gritted teeth, his anger rising by the minute.

"I know that Bilal but all I am saying is that Khaleel is a good man. If only this stupid girl had listened to me back then. She would now be married to a man who is so responsible, kind hearted, sensible..."

"She is already married to such a man, Saeeda. Yasir is all that and much much more," her husband once again interrupted her afterwich he knelt down to embrace his now sobbing daughter in a large fatherly hug.

"If Yasir is such an honourable man then why did he send away his wife despite knowing that she is pregnant? And forget Yasir, have you heard the state in which Hisham has left Zulekha Akram in? Its simply horrendous. Those two Hosseini brothers never deserved to be married. Now if only Yumnah had listened to me and married Khaleel..."

"Who IS also a HOSSEINI," shouted Bilal once again.

"Khaleel is not a Hosseini. He is Khalid and Husna's son and...,"

"And he has been brought up by Yasmin and Hussein. Khalid and Husna might be Khaleel's birth parents but the type of man he is today is all because of Yasmin and Hussein. They are the ones who brought Khaleel up and they brought him up in the very same way as they brought up Yasir and Hisham. The three brothers are a reflection of each other. So Saeeda, please," said Bilal as he lovingly patted Yumnah on the head in a bid to comfort her.

Something he knew that his wife should be doing as a mother but no, Saeeda was hell bent on taunting their daughter and listening to rumours and gossip about the Hosseini family. Rumours and gossip that were now spreading like wild bushfire across every household in the entire city.

"But...,"

"ENOUGH! I have heard enough Saeeda. Don't forget that the Hosseini's are now part of our family as well. I don't care about what people are saying out there but no one Saeeda and I mean no one shall badmouth any of them in this house."

"But Bilal..."

"I said ENOUGH!" he shouted once again not understanding as to why his wife could not just let things go.

"I do not want to hear another word regarding all of this. Please Saeeda," he said afterwich he gently helped his daughter up and slowly led her up the stairs to her old room.

"Papa?" asked Yumnah the minute he had helped her sit on the bed.

"Yes, my dear?"

"How did Mama...I mean how did the both of you find out that I was expecting? Who told you?" she asked inquisitively but with her head lowered due to guilt.

Her father remained silent for a while contemplating on whether he should tell her or not but the minute he saw her tear stricken face, his resolve broke.

"It was Yasir."

Flashback...

Bilal's face instantly lit up the minute he saw Yasir's name flash across his phone's screen. He immediately picked up the call, a large chesire like grin on his face.

"Asalam aleikum."

"Waleikum salam Papa," replied Yasir and Bilal's heart immediately warmed up to the core on hearing Yasir call him 'Papa'.

"How are you my son?"

"Alhamdullilah. What about you?"

"Alhamdullilah I am fine as well but are you sure you are okay? Is Yumnah treating you well? Is she being good to you?"

Yasir immediately let out a chuckle and Bilal's grin grew even wider.

"Aren't you supposed to be asking whether I am the one treating Yumnah well and not the other way round?" asked Yasir, his voice laced with a slight hint of surprise.

Bilal let out a humouress laugh before replying...

"Let's just say I know my daughter. It can get crazy with her at times and so please don't doubt me when I say that I am genuinely worried for you."

"You were supposed to have warned me about all of this before we got married."

"Would you still have married her then?"

"Over and over again," replied Yasir confidently, once again proving to Bilal that he had not made the wrong decision by giving him his daughter.

"So, what made you call this old man of yours at this time of the night? Is all okay?"

"Alhamdullilah everything is okay. In fact I have some very good news for you.

"Really? What?"

"You are going to become a grandfather soon."

Bilal remained silent for a while as he tried to register what he had just heard after which he shouted numerous 'Mabrooks' followed by even more louder 'Alhamdullilahs' and poor Yasir had to literally put his phone away from his ear inorder to avoid going deaf.

It was now absolutely crystal clear to him as from where his Yumnah got her craziness from.

"I am so happy right now. This is amazing news, Alhamdullilah. Mabrook to the both of you. Can I talk to Yumnah as well, please?" asked Bilal animatedly.

"She umm...she..."

"Yasir?"

"She umm... doesn't know I made this call," whispered Yasir and Bilal's heart immediately sank.

"Oh!"

"Yeah! She..."

"Its okay Yasir. I understand," said Bilal knowing very well the reason as to why his daughter had not told him the good news.

It was all because of his wife, who had not yet accepted Yasir and he doubted she would be too happy to learn that Yumnah was now expecting hers and Yasir's first child.

"But Yasir..."

"Yes Papa?"

"Why are you telling me all of this, then?" asked Bilal confusedly.

"I am your son, aren't I? And I think that you deserved to know and I am also doing this for Yumnah because I know that she really wants to tell you but she...she just cannot right now. So, this is for her as well.

"Oh, I see."

"But Papa?"

"Yes Yasir?"

"This particular phone call never happened so whenever Yumnah does tell you, please act very surprised. Okay?"

"Oh, don't you worry kiddo. I can pull off all kinds of suprised."

"Yeah, I saw yours and Baba's ' surprised' acting skills when you both pretended to have bumped into each other at the mall some few months ago," said Yasir while palming his face and Bilal let out a hearty laugh.

"It wasn't that bad okay."

"It was so fake Wallahi. Just don't ask."

"But hey, its because of that particular day that you two lovebirds got married isn't it? So stop hating. I got this."

"I hope so," said Yasir, a small smile playing on his face as he recalled the events of that particular day at the mall.

That one day where he had thought that he had officially lost his Yumnah to that Munair. Wait, it was Muneer. Whatever. Yumnah was his now and he was the one who had had the last laugh so...Hahaha.

"One last thing Papa," said Yasir as his smile grew wider and wider.

"What is it?"

"I want you to be the one to name our child, In Sha Allah!"

Silence once again reigned at the other end but this time Yasir smartly placed his phone a few centimetres away from his ear as he patiently waited for Bilal to answer.

"But...but...Yasir..."

"There are no buts Papa."

"But why me? Let it be Hussein or Yasmin or why don't you and Yumnah name your first child? Why me, son?"

"I want it to be you because its mostly because of you that I got to marry Yumnah. You saw past my blindess. You didn't judge me at all and Il never ever forget that. I don't think anyone would have given me their daughter as willingly as you did. You made it easy for me and you made me feel that I am indeed worth Yumnah and that is why I want you to be the one to name our baby," said Yasir genuinely.

"Yasir its not..."

"And I am sure you could have gotten over a million proposals for Yumnah but you still chose me. A blind man. A man considered handicapped by society but you didn't think about all of that but rather you just gave her to me and that is just but a small way of how I can try to thank you Papa. So please, do not say no."

"But Yasir...I...I...thank you," he finally whispered not knowing what to say because Yasir's each and every single word had literally left him speechless.

"So Papa?"

"Yes Yasir?"

"Who is the better child now between me and Yumnah?" asked Yasir, a mischevious grin on his face.

"It will always be Yumnah," answered Bilal, at the same time trying his best not burst out in laughter.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry."

"That is so mean. I am taking back this phonecall along with everything else I just said ," joked Yasir.

"Too late. I am already thinking of baby names at the back of my head."

"I am glad you are Papa and please remember, this phone call never happened."

"What is a phone even?" asked Bilal and he laughed when he heard Yasir laugh.

"Well, I guess you got this. Asalam aleikum Papa."

"Waleikum salam and thank you once again," said Bilal his grin now even wider than ever before!

**

Yumnah stared back at her father in shock not at all believing her ears. Not even in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that Yasir could have known of the turmoil she was going through deep down in her heart. She had never even talked to him about it but still...

He had known and she now loved him even more just because of that.

"When did he tell you all this?" she asked, her thoughts clouded with those of her husband.

"The very same day he got to know."

"That stupid traitor."

"Hey. I thought I just made myself clear downstairs that no one shall badmouth the Hosseinis in this house," said Bilal and Yumnah immediately let out a small laugh much to her father's joy.

"Papa?"she called out after a while.

"Yes my dear?"

"You see? Yasir is not bad. He is just not himself right now..."

"I never said that he is bad my dear but...but," said Bilal, raising his index finger.

"But what Papa?"

"I am very much disappointed in him. This was not the solution to all that happened."

Yumnah sadly nodded her head, her eyes once again beginning to stain with tears.

"But then again he is Yasir and I doubt il be able to stay mad at him for very long," said Bilal and Yumnah slightly smiled while once again nodding her head in agreement because it was definitely true.

As much as she too wanted to be mad at Yasir right now, she couldnt. She just couldn't.

Why?

***

❤

SORRY IF THE CHAPTER IS SLIGHTLY RUSTY :(