I didn’t make it to the exit door when suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my head, as if it had been kicked. It was followed by the sensation of drums beating in my head, and I had to stop and clutch my head with both hands.

“Is Muido okay?” I heard Auntie Hajaar inquire. I couldn’t respond immediately due to the excruciating pain; I simply nodded, attempting to convey that I was fine, but I ended up collapsing to the ground.

As I struggled to regain my composure, I noticed that I was back on my feet and searching for assistance. I made my way back to the edge of the bed, where I took a seat.

“Nako’s bride, are you alright?” That’s when I heard my friends gathering around me, some perched on the bed and others standing before me, waiting for an explanation.

Ash entered the room and said, “Come on, Fateenah, all the girls, let’s go…”

Seeing that I was surrounded, Ash hastily covered herself with her veil and rushed away, pushing through some of our friends who blocked her path to get close to me.

“Fateenah, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Why were you holding your head with both hands?”

Fear filled Ash’s heart. Azucia chimed in, “Oh God, if Fadima discovers who her fiancé is, what will happen? How did you end up in this situation?”

Ash had been outside when the couple arrived. She met Mahmood, who was introduced to her as Fadima’s fiancé. At that moment, she felt a knot in her stomach and an urgent need to use the restroom because she thought she might have diarrhea. She decided to hurry to the toilet.

However, after coming out, she returned to the room once more. It was then that they encountered Suhaima, who also asked her to take photos with the groom. Suhaima saw him as her sister’s betrothed, and she rolled her eyes in disbelief to confirm if it was true.

For Suhaima, it wasn’t just a glance. When she decided to return to the room to inform her sister, they bumped into Ash.

Ash said, “What’s gotten into you, sis? You were running so fast that you didn’t even watch where you were going.”

Arud’e added, “Hmmm! Auntie Ash, do you know who I suspect is Yaya Fadima’s groom? By God, it’s her ex-boyfriend Mubarak from Kano… Do you remember him? His name is Engineer Mahmood or something.”

Ash exclaimed, “By God, I saw him too. When I saw him, I had to rush to the restroom because I thought I had diarrhea. I heard you coming to me at the same time because I was scared…”

“But could this be true? Does he really love her? And did he manage to convince his mother to marry her after their initial dislike for us, especially Fadima? Fadima can be quite stubborn in this matter. How did all of this happen?”

Suhaima was expressing her doubts and concerns slowly and tensely. Ash responded, “All these questions will be answered by the wedding guest. We’ll find out soon enough. And…”

“Wow, Suhaima, why are you standing around instead of coming to take pictures? People are waiting for me.”

Auntie Hajaar interrupted their conversation as she was trying to call Fadima out to take pictures with her.

Ash quickly took Suhaima’s hand, and they moved away from Auntie Hajaar, heading outside. As they were leaving, they caught Engineer Mahmood’s eye, and he gave them a charming smile.

They exchanged glances, and Ash whispered to Suhaima. Suhaima smiled and approached him to take pictures. She advised her not to show any surprise on her face or question him about marrying Fadima intentionally.

Meanwhile, Ash returned to Fadima’s room. She prayed to God fervently that by the time she got there, Fadima hadn’t already caused a scene. It was almost unbearable for her to witness Fadima’s reaction to the situation, even though she had insisted it wouldn’t happen. Although Fadima seemed somewhat composed when she was taken to Mahmood’s home, the shock of seeing him here had the potential to unravel everything.