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ZARRAH BOOK COMPELET
Section A: The Relocation Request and Dad’s Decision
In the evening, all three of them—including Mum—headed to Dad’s quarters to greet him, with SANAAH carrying his tea.
As they walked into the room, SANAAH unexpectedly lost her footing just as they crossed the threshold. At that exact moment, everyone in the room caught the distinct, commanding scent of the Fleet Admiral (Raheem). Flustered and refusing to look up, SANAAH quickly retreated toward the back of the group, avoiding any direct contact.
She quietly made her way toward Dad, sitting composedly on the floor by his side and placing the tray from her hands onto the table. When she greeted him, he responded with immense affection and attentiveness—a stark contrast to how he casually brushed off the greetings of the others.
Mum then respectfully greeted him, and he replied with equal care before acknowledging Fammah, whom he also held dear to his heart, speaking her name softly. As soon as they had entered, Mum had focused her attention entirely on her husband, just as Fammah had immediately greeted her father.
Before any other topic could be introduced, Mum spoke up out of nowhere, addressing Dad:
"Dad, I actually asked Fammah and her sister to move back over to our wing before we eventually relocate, just so their Mommy can get a little rest from their youthful noise. SANAAH mentioned that you had forbidden her from staying anywhere else in this house, so I am formally requesting your permission to let them move over with Fammah."
Upon hearing this, Dad, SANAAH, and the Fleet Admiral all fell completely silent, utterly shocked by Mum's unexpected request. It was an arrangement none of them had anticipated. Dad kept his gaze fixed calmly on Mum for a long moment. Then, he slowly looked up toward where RAHEEM was seated. Raheem raised his eyes composedly, locked gaze with Meenah (Mum) for a fleeting moment, and then looked away, completely avoiding his father's eyes.
Dad let out a sophisticated smile, leaning back deliberately as he shifted his focus to SANAAH, who had lowered her head in deep distress and bitter anxiety. Opening his mouth, he said:
"There is no problem with that at all. She should pack her things and move over there. I have given the order."
SANAAH lowered her head even further, feeling her entire body go numb with helplessness, knowing she had absolutely no choice but to obey whatever Dad decreed. Delighted by the outcome, Mum showered him with gratitude, praying for his long life and enduring health. Dad then dismissed them, telling them to go ahead and make their preparations.
Section B: Hidden Tears and Mid-Night Emergency
SANAAH was the first to rise. She quietly walked to the door and exited before Fammah and the others followed. She desperately suppressed the overwhelming anxiety choking her, forcing a fake smile while they walked. Mum continued to chat with her happily, expressing how thrilled she was that nothing could stand in the way of having the girls close to her now.
They parted ways along the corridor; SANAAH headed toward Mommy’s wing while the others retreated to their side. The moment she reached their living room, she stopped and pressed her hand against her forehead, feeling an overwhelming urge to burst into tears as her eyes grew heavy and bloodshot.
Mommy, who was sitting nearby, looked at her in surprise and asked, "What is it? What happened?"
SANAAH sat down heavily on a chair and explained the situation. Mommy fell silent, deeply troubled. In her heart, she genuinely wanted to avoid anything that could snowball into a massive conflict. However, since the matter had already reached Dad and he had sanctioned the move, there was absolutely nothing they could do but endure it.
SANAAH stood up and went into her room, locking herself in the bathroom. Leaning heavily against the door, she closed her eyes tightly and let the silent tears flow, finally easing the suffocating weight pressing down on her chest. After crying it out, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding her throbbing head.
Meanwhile, back in Dad’s quarters after the women left, Dad did not say a word to Raheem about the matter. He simply shifted the conversation to other affairs, knowing fully well that Raheem, in his ultimate stoicism and reservation, would never offer a comment on the situation anyway.
Late into the night, after Fammah grew tired of waiting for SANAAH to bring her pajamas so they could prepare for bed, she followed her. Together, they packed their belongings into two suitcases, and Safiya helped wheel the luggage out for them. Fammah spent a long time chatting happily with her parents late into the night before finally going to check on SANAAH. Mum assumed SANAAH wouldn't move her things until the next morning, but by the time Fammah returned, Mum and Dad had already retired to their bedroom.
In Fammah’s bedroom, Safiya stood chatting while organizing their clothes in the closet, teasing them about how much she would miss them by daybreak. As they talked, Fammah began experiencing mild, intermittent abdominal pain. She took a quick shower, changed into her nightwear, and lay down, drifting off to sleep despite the dull ache in her stomach. SANAAH took her shower next, dimmed the bedroom lights significantly after Safiya left, and went to bed.
In the dead of night, a sudden, agonizing abdominal pain woke Fammah up, making her feel as though she were on the verge of death. Overcome with raw terror and panic, SANAAH grabbed Fammah’s phone, unlocked it, found Mum's number, and dialed it. Her hands shook violently as she watched Fammah writhe in absolute agony, looking as if she might lose her life at any moment.
The call timed out without an answer. Shaking with panic, SANAAH called again, tightly wrapping her arms around Fammah, whose body was beginning to go limp. She kept redialing. Because the phone was on silent, it wasn't until the ninth attempt that a sleepy Mum finally answered: "Yes, Fammah?"
Hearing SANAAH’s frantic voice and the terrifying news, Mum’s eyes snapped wide open, her heart hammering against her ribs. She bolted upright, threw off her soft duvet, and swung her feet to the floor. Without even thinking to wake Fleet Admiral Raheem, she dashed out the door with the phone clutched in her hand, her legs trembling with panic. Her profound, consuming love for her daughter far exceeded her love for her own life; the mere thought of losing Fammah felt fatal.
Mum burst into the room frantic, dressed in an elegant matching pajama set that clung softly to her figure. SANAAH looked up with bloodshot eyes, holding back fresh tears, and gently cradled Fammah closer to her chest. Mum rushed to the bedside, frantically grabbing Fammah, screaming:
"What happened?! What is wrong with her?! What did she eat?!"
Tears finally rolled down SANAAH’s cheeks as she shook her head helplessly, "I don't know! The stomach pain just suddenly woke us up. Please, Mum, let’s go to the hospital!"
Before Mum could reply, a convulsing Fammah violently vomited all over SANAAH’s nightwear. Seeing this, Mum quickly pulled her back, but Fammah vomited violently a second time. They helped her down from the bed as she groaned in unimaginable agony.
Mum rushed back to her own bedroom to fetch emergency medications from her private medical kit, given her medical background. Upon her return, SANAAH dashed to the kitchen, fetched warm water, and they carefully managed to get Fammah to swallow the medicine while she tossed and turned in pain.
Section C: The Morning Encounter with the Fleet Admiral
They faced this terrifying midnight crisis entirely alone, without alerting the rest of the household. SANAAH was paralyzed with fear, and Mum was completely frantic. However, since Mum was a trained professional herself and didn't trust any other doctor with her daughter, she took complete charge of Fammah's care, administering the necessary emergency treatments.
By dawn, the piercing pain finally subsided, and Mum, assisted by SANAAH, carried Fammah over to Mum's own bedroom because the girls' room was in complete disarray. Fammah immediately fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. Both women let out a massive sigh of relief.
SANAAH's eyes were completely swollen from crying. Seeing her state, Mum gently wrapped her arms around her, offering comforting words of gratitude and reassurance, telling her to go take a shower, perform her dawn prayers, and rest, promising that Fammah would be perfectly fine.
SANAAH turned and walked back to her messy bedroom. Quietly and methodically, she stripped the soiled bedsheets, gathered the mess, and moved it to an empty utility room. She turned on a humidifier, filling the space with a soothing, crisp fragrance. She then slipped into the bathroom and took a quiet shower. Her body felt entirely drained, and her breath hitched in involuntary after-sobs from her earlier crying fit.
As she finished her shower, the call to prayer echoed through the villa. She put on her nightwear and threw a long, floor-length hijab over it, standing up to perform her Fajr prayer. When she finished, she offered a long prayer, her body still shivering as if a fever or a brutal headache were setting in. Exhausted, she crawled into bed, pulled the heavy quilt tightly around herself, closed her eyes, and quickly drifted into a deep sleep, sighing heavily in her rest.
As daylight began to break, Fleet Admiral Raheem returned from the estate's private mosque where he had performed his dawn prayers. He walked straight into his bedroom, picked up his phone, and saw a text message from Ms. Meenah (Mum). She had chosen to text him rather than call, wanting to avoid disrupting his sleep, even though she knew his routine. The text explained that Fammah had been severely ill through the night and they had barely managed to stabilize her by morning.
After reading the message, he quietly put his phone down, turned on his heel, and walked straight out of his room toward the girls' wing.
He opened the bedroom door and stepped inside, wearing the pristine white luxury jellabiya he had worn to the mosque. SANAAH, deep in a feverish, uneasy sleep brought on by her throbbing headache, did not hear the door open.
His eyes immediately fell upon the bed, where she lay huddled under the covers, her back turned to the door. Expecting to find Mum by her side, he noticed the room was otherwise empty. Walking with deliberate, quiet steps fueled by an intense, protective affection, he approached the bedside and sat down. His signature masculine scent instantly began to softly permeate the room.
Sensing a physical presence sitting on the edge of the bed, SANAAH’s heavy, exhausted eyelids fluttered open. Waking up in a daze, she assumed it was Fammah returning to the room. She turned around completely to face him. At that exact moment, his hand moved forward to check her temperature, his palm landing directly against the bare skin of her neck.
SANAAH stared at him in absolute shock and terror, bursting into involuntary tears. In her panic, her right hand instinctively gripped the fabric of his jellabiya tightly at his knee, while her left hand flew to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart from what felt like an impending panic attack.
Raheem himself froze in shock at the realization that it was SANAAH, not Fammah, in the bed. However, as an elite, battle-hardened military officer who possessed unflinching psychological composure, absolutely no sign of his internal shock registered on his face. He kept his piercing gaze locked entirely on her. He felt the intense, radiant heat of her fever transferring directly into his palm. He moved his hand slightly against her neck, confirming that her body temperature was dangerously high.
SANAAH slowly opened her eyes and gradually loosened her white-knuckled grip on his clothing, refusing to look up. It was only then that she fully registered the cool, stabilizing contrast of his palm against her burning skin. She tried to pull back into the headboard, but moving away meant her chest would flush dangerously close against his, as he was still leaning deeply over her from his initial movement.
She slowly raised her eyes—which were glassy and filled with fresh tears—and looked directly into his face. In that slow-motion, highly charged moment, his hand remained wrapped around her neck as their eyes locked completely. The striking, unforgettable features of her face—features he could never truly erase from his mind—stared back at him. Maintaining his strict, unyielding self-control, he finally broke eye contact, withdrew his hand from her neck, and stood up completely. When he spoke, his deep voice resonated through her entire being, marking the closest and most intimate interaction they had ever shared:
"Where is Fammah?"
SANAAH was completely unable to find her voice as the sudden surge of fever left her completely weak. Without looking up, she simply pointed her hand toward the adjoining wall, signaling Mum's bedroom. Without a single backward glance, Raheem turned and walked out of the room.
The moment he left, SANAAH collapsed back into the pillows, pulling the heavy quilt over herself as a fierce chill rocked her body. Raheem went straight to Mum’s bedroom, saw that both Mum and Fammah were fast asleep, checked Fammah's forehead briefly, and quietly exited, satisfied that her condition had stabilized.
Section E: The Secret Co-Wife Plot and Dr. Mum’s Return
Meanwhile, Dad was already executing a calculated chess move. Ever since Meenah had requested the girls' relocation the previous day, Dad had planned to leverage this to force Raheem's mother (Dr. Mum) to return to Nigeria. He picked up his phone and dialed Maamah, who had acted as their trusted liaison and messenger over the years.
When she answered, she greeted him respectfully. Dad started the conversation directly:
"Masha Allah, well done, Fatima. Your son has clearly listened to the counsel I asked you to give him. As we speak, he and his family are living peacefully under one roof with all of his wives. However, his senior wife (Meenah/Mum) is still entirely oblivious to the identity of the co-wife she is living with. I intend to break the news to her myself, since neither her husband nor anyone else has told her yet. You should also call her and comfort her when the time comes, as I know her cultural background strictly abhors polygamy."
Maamah held the phone in absolute, paralyzing shock. Her conversation with Dad ended in a daze, and she barely remembered hanging up. She stared blankly at Dr. Mum, who was sitting nearby, looking elegant in her reading glasses while working on her laptop. Maamah was so tongue-tied she didn't even know how to break the news, until Dr. Mum looked up and asked:
"Is everything alright, Maamah?" (Note: Dr. Mum called her Maamah out of respect, while Maamah addressed her as 'Dr.').
Maamah took a deep, heavy breath and relayed everything Dad had just said.
Dr. Mum immediately slammed her laptop shut, a wave of profound anger and bitter resentment washing over her face, directed entirely at Meenah and Hakeem (Dad). She knew Meenah was completely short-sighted, arrogant, and obsessed with social status—flaws that had blindly walked her into a dangerous, trap-laden situation. Meenah had happily moved into the same quarters as her co-wife without even realizing it!
Worse still, breaking this explosive news to a woman like Meenah while she was isolated in a family villa could cause an absolute catastrophe. Meenah was volatile and consumed by an insane, toxic jealousy that far exceeded normal bounds. She was fully capable of reacting so aggressively that Hakeem could easily use it as a legal excuse to force Raheem into divorcing her, or she might pull down the entire Jeerah empire in her rage.
As these terrifying scenarios raced through Dr. Mum's mind, her head throbbed with a severe headache. Her inherent family pride, stubbornness, and unyielding maternal instincts kicked in. She refused to sit idly by and watch her son's household implode or allow Hakeem’s family to manipulate the situation. If a marriage had to end, she would ensure it wasn't on their terms. If Raheem was her true-born son, he would not be forced to live with a woman she despised.
Abandoning her unfinished work, Dr. Mum grabbed her phone and dialed Raheem's direct line. The call rang out, and the moment he picked up, before he could even utter a greeting, she commanded with absolute authority:
"I am on my way back to Nigeria. Have a fitting, fully prepared residence ready for my arrival immediately."
Part 2: Narrative & Literary Analytics
1. Structural Irony & The Polygamous Trap
This chapter centers on a massive instance of dramatic irony engineered by the patriarch, Dad (Sir Hakeem Jeerah).
- The Irony: Mum (Meenah) believes she is successfully playing a game of domestic dominance by pulling her daughter Fammah and her "protegé" SANAAH into her private wing to consolidate her family unit. In reality, she has unknowingly demanded that her husband’s secret second wife (SANAAH) be moved into her household.
The Objective: Dad intentionally uses this move to trigger a chain reaction. By revealing this to Maamah, he forces the hands of the overseas matriarchs, successfully baiting his ex-wife (Dr. Mum) into breaking her years-long exile to return to Nigeria.
2. Character Proxemics & Sensory Motifs
- The Fragrance Motif: Fleet Admiral Raheem’s presence is consistently heralded by his elite, masculine scent. It acts as a structural warning system in the text—triggering physical avoidance in SANAAH and signaling a shift in the room's power dynamic before he even speaks.
- The Fever Incident: The bedroom scene shifts the relationship between Raheem and SANAAH from distant coldness to a highly charged physical intimacy. The sensory contrast between his cool palm and her burning, feverish neck serves as a metaphor for their relationship: he is the stabilizing force to her chaotic, trauma-ridden world.
The White Jellabiya vs. Long Hijab: The clothing choices symbolize purity, forced maturity, and absolute conservative boundaries, emphasizing that despite the deep, unspoken psychological tension between them, strict moral boundaries are maintained.
Part 3: Chapter Summary
This chapter marks a major turning point in the family hierarchy. Mum (Meenah) successfully convinces Dad to let SANAAH and Fammah relocate into her private wing, completely unaware that she is moving her husband’s secret co-wife into her own home. That night, a severe medical emergency occurs when Fammah falls dangerously ill with acute abdominal pain, forcing SANAAH and Mum to stay up until dawn administering emergency care.
The next morning, Fleet Admiral Raheem enters the bedroom to check on his sister, resulting in a highly charged, accidental moment of physical intimacy with a fever-stricken SANAAH. Meanwhile, Dad uses the relocation as leverage, calling Maamah abroad to reveal that Raheem's wives are now living under one roof. This shocking revelation outrages Dr. Mum, who realizes Meenah has walked into a trap. Driven by maternal protective instincts and family pride, Dr. Mum abruptly calls Raheem, breaking her long-standing exile, and commands him to prepare a residence for her immediate return to Nigeria to handle the impending storm.
