The sound of screeching car tyres pierced the silence of the front courtyard, and Inaya's heart skipped a beat with excitement. She quickly checked the preparations one last time and gave a thumbs up to her friends who were anxiously waiting to hide behind the sofa. Joon and Aria were holding two confetti each, ready to sprinkle the celebrant with a burst of colours. Lucas held a cake with the utmost care, and to everyone's surprise, the mighty William Walton had joined the plan and was in charge of the lights. As they turned off the lights, the tension in the room was palpable, and Inaya could hear her heartbeats thumping with anticipation. Finally, the doorbell rang, and the guest of honour, Abraham, arrived. The stage was set, the players were in position, and the air was thick with suspense. It was time to pull off the most important and amazing surprise ever, and they were all pumped up to make it a memory of a lifetime for Inaya and Abraham!
Inaya opened the door, and Abraham was taken aback by the poorly lit room and Inaya's hijab. He knew that Inaya did not wear the hijab when they were alone together, but he was in no mood to inquire about that.
He went to their room in long strides and before Inaya could follow him he came back with a small bag. The atmosphere became awkward and those hidden behind the sofa couldn't decide what to do. The trio looked at William and agreed when William decided to put the show on hold. On the other side of the sofa, Abraham's face was serious, and the enthusiastic Inaya caught on to his demeanour.
"What happened, Abraham?" Inaya asked in a serious tone.
"We need to talk, Inaya. It's urgent," Abraham said in a cold voice. Inaya was taken aback by his tone, as were the others behind the sofa.
"Inaya," Abraham hesitated. Inaya silently waited for him.
"Let's get divorced," Abraham's words sounded like thunder, even though his voice was low and precise. For a moment, Inaya thought she heard something wrong. She searched for Abraham's eyes for confirmation that it was a prank, but all she found was guilt. Inaya was about to say something when Abraham's phone rang. He took out his phone, and "Jenny" was displayed as the caller's name. Abraham answered the call and said something which went unheard as Inaya was still in shock.
"I'm sorry, I have to go back now," Abraham said to Inaya after ending the call.
"Wait," Inaya came to her senses. "You cannot just drop a bombshell and leave. Divorce? Are you kidding? It's not funny, Abraham. You cannot move an inch without giving me an explanation. What the hell is going on?," Inaya shouted, her head spinning. She had tears in her eyes.
"Jenny is pregnant and in the hospital right now, Inaya," Abraham said silently.
"So what? What does she or her pregnancy have to do anything with our divorce?" Inaya said loudly. It took a moment of silence to understand the meaning of Abraham's words. JENNY IS PREGNANT.
At that moment her world shattered into a million pieces. It was as if everything that she had ever known and loved was suddenly taken away from her. The sound of her heart beating in her chest was deafening as her mind raced to make sense of what was happening. As she stood there, frozen in shock, she couldn't help but wonder what went wrong.
Abraham's phone call only added to the chaos in her mind. Inaya felt a knot forming in her stomach as she tried to come to terms with the fact that Abraham had cheated on her and that he was going to be a father to someone else's child.
Inaya watched as Abraham walked out of the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She was left with nothing but the sound of her heartbeats echoing through the room. She knew that the life she had once known was over and that she would never be the same again. She wanted to scream and cry but it was as if she forgot how to do it. She held her lower belly and sat down on the cold floor which didn't seem cold anymore.
As the lights came on, Inaya's friends came out from behind the sofa. Lucas became angry and put down the cake on the table with a thud. Aria tried to offer her words of solace, but nothing could ease the pain in her heart. William looked at the cake, " Abraham, we're gonna have a baby- Inaya" was written there, then looked at Inaya with blue eyes which became colder than ice.
Inaya was too preoccupied to think about anything. She was mentally and emotionally devastated. She wanted to cry, but her inner self made it hard. She excused herself and went to her room after requesting her friends to keep her pregnancy a secret from others specially from Abraham for now. She needs time, time to think, time to healheal.
It's my first time trying to write a novel. As a writer, I need your help. Comment what I need to improve and how do you feel about Inaya's journey. I'll be waiting for your opinions.