The Untainted-Lines of Loyalty
Morning arrived quietly, but tension was already waiting.
Basit stood near the far end of the university parking lot, leaning against his car. His expression was calm, but inside his thoughts were anything but.
Ridwan watched him from a few steps away.
"You look like a man about to start a war."
Basit sighed.
"I'm not here to fight."
Ridwan folded his arms.
"You're here to talk to the man who might marry the woman you love."
He raised an eyebrow.
"That's basically the same thing."
Basit didn't respond.
Because at that moment, another car pulled in.
Qazeem stepped out.
His posture was composed, but his eyes immediately found Basit.
They both knew this conversation had been coming.
Ridwan quietly stepped aside.
"Gentlemen," he muttered. "I suddenly remembered I have somewhere else to be."
And just like that, the two men stood facing each other.
Across the Parking Lot
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Qazeem said calmly,
"You wanted to talk."
Basit nodded.
"Yes."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally Basit spoke again.
"I'll be direct."
"That would be appreciated."
Basit exhaled slowly.
"Are you planning to marry Rihannat?"
Qazeem didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The word landed heavily.
Basit closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
"I thought so."
Qazeem studied him carefully.
"You still love her."
It wasn't a question.
Basit laughed quietly.
"That obvious?"
"Yes."
Another silence passed.
But then Basit surprised him.
"I'm not here to compete with you."
Qazeem's brows narrowed slightly.
"No?"
Basit shook his head.
"If she chooses you… then that is her choice."
Qazeem watched him carefully, sensing the weight behind the words.
Basit continued,
"I only wanted to know if your intentions were serious."
"They are."
Basit nodded slowly.
"Good."
Then he added quietly,
"She deserves sincerity."
Qazeem's expression softened slightly.
"That we agree on."
Elsewhere on Campus
Farouk sat under the large mango tree near the faculty building waiting for his brother. He watched as students pass by.
Balkis approached slowly and sat beside him.
"You look like someone stole your future," she said lightly.
Farouk smiled faintly.
"Maybe they did."
She tilted her head.
"This is about Rihannat."
He didn't deny it.
For a long moment he remained silent.
Then he said something unexpected.
"I won't stand in my brother's way."
Balkis blinked.
"You mean Qazeem?"
"Yes."
"But you like her."
Farouk smiled sadly.
"I do."
His voice lowered.
"But Qazeem loves her."
He leaned back slightly.
"And between us… I have always been the one who lets go first."
Balkis studied him with new respect.
"That must be hard."
Farouk shrugged gently.
"Family matters more."
Rihannat's Home – Afternoon
Rihannat helped her mother arrange fresh flowers in the sitting room.
"You're decorating again," she said with a small smile.
Her mother smiled back.
"It's good to keep the house welcoming."
But inside, her thoughts were troubled.
Because every time she looked at Rihannat now, the past whispered louder.
Her elegance.
Her beauty.
Her quiet grace.
None of it came from them.
And one day…
Someone might notice.
Elsewhere – A Private Office
An older man flipped through a stack of documents.
Across the desk sat another man speaking quietly.
"We finally traced the hospital records from that year."
The older man looked up sharply.
"You're certain?"
"Yes."
He placed a photograph on the desk.
The older man stared at it.
A baby wrapped in white cloth.
The hospital seal was visible in the corner.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"The missing child…"
The other man nodded slowly.
"There's a possibility she survived."
The older man's eyes darkened.
"And if she did…"
His gaze fell on another paper beside the photograph.
A childhood engagement agreement.
Two names written in elegant ink.
Basit Al-Hassan.
And another name beside it.
A name that had been missing for years.
Rihannat.
University – Evening
Rihannat walked across campus alone.
The wind lifted the edge of her green hijab slightly.
She didn't know it yet.
She didn't know about the promise made before she could even walk.
She didn't know about the family still searching for her.
She didn't know that fate had been quietly circling her life since childhood.
But somewhere in the distance—
Basit watched her walk away.
And something inside his heart whispered a truth he couldn't explain.
She was always meant to return.
@OlukoyaZainab