MY HUSBAND’S BROTHER

SEARCH PARTY

The sun dips below the horizon, painting the sky in pink and orange hues.

A tranquil breeze rustles the leaves, creating a delicate melody that whispers through the air and creates a soothing sound. It takes on a gentle caress, carrying the fragrance of blooming flowers, earth, and the subtle notes of nature's perfumes.

It's peaceful, serene, and calming.

Maizah and Tarid enter the house, and everyone stops what they are doing and looks at the front door where Tarid and Maizah are standing.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with the stares, Maizah thinks about moving and hiding behind Tarid, but then again, she will be living with these people for a long time; she holds her head high and stares back at them.

Seeing her staring back at them, alive and uninjured, they continue moving to wherever they were going; Zahrah, on the other hand, haphazardly runs towards Maizah and almost trips on her way as she opens her arms wide, hugging Maizah for her dear life.

Zahrah catches Maizah off guard for a few seconds even though Maizah has seen her coming. She definitely didn't see a hug coming, but she hugged Zahrah back, patting her on the back as she felt Zahrah's shoulders shaking.

"Are you crying?" She whispers in Zahrah's hair.

Zahrah quickly pulls herself out of the hug and looks at Maizah, holding her face and touching her shoulders; she stares at her for a few seconds to ensure she's alright.

Maizah stares back at her. They only met each other yesterday, yet Zahrah acts like she has known Maizah for years.

Zahrah sees that there's nothing wrong with Maizah. "I was so worried about you; I thought you got lost and got devoured by wolves."

What a wild imagination. "There are wolves here?"Maizah asks, terrified, but it's a little late for that. She is back, safe and sound, and she didn't hear any howling sounds nor saw any animal footprints on that dirty road, but she can't help but think about what if she met a pack of wolves on her way to the river.

"No. I don't know. You don't want to find out the hard way either." Zahrah replies, wiping her tears.

"I'm sorry to worry you, my darling, but I have only been gone for half a day." Says Maizah, raising her eyebrows.

Zahrah sighs and starts explaining, "Mr. Amare said you didn't go to bed last night, and he didn't see you this morning; we have been searching for you the whole day. Mrs. Jackson has already called for a search party; they should arrive any minute."

"What! Oh my god. I should probably go and tell her that I'm not missing." Says Maizah, not wanting to upset Rebecca. That woman doesn't like her at all, and she never tried to hide it from the very first day they met. The last thing Maizah can do is have Rebecca call a search party even if she's not missing.

"Don't worry, the head maid is already going to inform her. You must be hungry; let me go and prepare you something to eat." Zahrah leaves before Maizah can answer her.

With her poor appetite, she is not even hungry, even though she hasn't eaten the whole day. The last time she ate was yesterday at dinner, and she didn't even like that Scallops fancy dish; she just wanted a simple smoothie, but she didn't want to come off as a picky eater, which, of course, she is, but she ended up taking a few bites before getting laughed by Fatima on the hallway, that laugh will forever haunt Maizah.

"I guess this is goodbye," says Tarid, who is still standing by Maizah.

Maizah gives him a genuine smile and expresses her appreciation. "I'll see you around. Thanks for today."

Tarid flashes one of his million-dollar smiles. "Anytime." He replies before leaving Maizah.

"What were you.."

"Ahhh!" Maizah screams, throwing a hard punch as she hears a voice behind her.

Amare catches her wrist before Maizah can successfully land a punch on his chest. "People are usually jittery for two reasons: guilty and nervous, so tell me, what are you nervous about?" He says, looking at Maizah's trembling hand.

There's also worried and FRIGHTENED. Maizah wants to tell him that, but she decides against it; she's still holding a grudge against him.

It's not because she has poor coping skills or has a short temper. No! It's because she's hurt. Amare hurt her for real just because she lost her family members, and to Amare, it sounded like she was competing over dead relatives.

It doesn't matter if people who hold grudges don't go to heaven; she's willing to take that risk until he apologizes.

"I heard someone screaming. Is everything okay?" Kay, one of the security guards, asks.

Amare lets go of Maizah's wrist and gestures at her with his eyes to answer Kay. Maizah, who gets the message clearly, looks at him and tells him to respond with her eyes. Amare refuses; she begs him to tell Kay that everything is okay, but he still refuses.

Kay, who's looking at them, waiting for an answer,"..."

The two continue gazing at each other like they are having a silent conversation;, only the two of them understand, but none speak out until Kay clears his throat.

Maizah smiles shyly. "Yes, I just saw a cockroach, and it scared me, but everything is okay now."

Amare looks at Maizah with wide eyes. Is he the cockroach?

"Okay, have a good evening." Says Kay.

Maizah gives him a small smile in appreciation, then he nods and goes on his way.

Amare looks at Maizah bewildered, "You're always polite to other people. What did I do to you?" He complains

Maizah looks at him under her lashes. "When was I ever impolite to you?" she asks.

"Just now, you called me a cockroach."

Maizah bursts out laughing. She tries controlling her laugh since she's still mad at him, but the laugh continues.

Rebecca, who is about to check on Maizah, stops in her tracks. She looks at Maizah, laughing. She's confused and angry. Why is the farm girl laughing?

Rebecca doesn't know whether she told her son to make the farm girl happy or occupied, but she's sure as hell that if her son falls in love with the farm girl, her plans might be ruined. People tend to do crazy things when they are in love, and she's the living proof of that. She finds out later what kind of a man she married.

"Mm, new love. I can even smell love in the air, but there's also a sour scent I can't put my finger on." Says Fatima, smirking next to the angry Rebecca.

"Oh, it's you. What's with the sour face? Your assistant didn't order your favorite face cream?" Fatima adds as Rebecca continues glaring at the two newlyweds.

Fatima grins from ear to ear. "You know, I was asking myself why I wasn't invited to my nephew's wedding, so I did some research, but I didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Seeing you like this makes me understand why Amare hid his bride until the last minute." She says, chuckling.

Rebecca glares at her, "You don't know what you're talking about, so just shut your mouth." she hisses

Fatima chuckles, "I can sense a strong connection between them, even though they are both lost now. When the time is right, they will find each other and become a powerful force to be reckoned with, striking fear into the hearts of their enemies with their fiery passion."

Rebecca looks at Fatima with furrowed eyebrows, "You always say crazy things unprovoked. I should have put you in a psychiatric hospital a long time ago." She says, walking back to her bedroom. She's not in the mood to look at the farm girl giggling like a high school girl, nor is she in the mood to listen to her crazy sister-in-law any longer.

Fatima takes a moment to watch the newlyweds with a smile before heading to her meditation room to reflect and find her inner peace.

Sadly, the two women don't know the real reason behind Maizah's laughter is only caused by a simple misunderstanding.