*Echoes of Zaria (Flashback Chapter)*
The faint rustling of leaves echoed in Fatima's mind as she sat by the window, her fingers clutched around her chest . The memories came uninvited — sharp, vivid, and bitter. Zaria. ABU. The place where everything began... and ended.
**
(Flashback)
It was her second year on campus when she first laid eyes on Jamil Danlami.
The university auditorium was packed for the Leadership & Youth Conference. Fatima sat quietly at the corner, taking notes with the precision and discipline her father drilled into her. She had dreams — to graduate with honors, to make her parents proud, to build a future untouched by scandal or regret.
Then came Jamil ,tall, charismatic, son of a billionaire. Everyone knew him. He wasn't just popular, he was *powerful*. Girls admired him, boys envied him. He spoke during the conference like he owned the stage — and he did.
He noticed her — the girl who didn't look up. The only one not clapping.
"Who's that?" he had asked his friend.
"She's a nursing student. Keeps to herself. Her name's Fatima Usman."
That was the beginning.
**
He approached her the next week, flashing his signature smile. She ignored him.
He tried again. She still ignored him.
And again.Until he began helping with her group project — offering resources, getting contacts, being patient. Fatima, though guarded, began to soften. She started seeing another side of Jamil — one hidden behind the arrogance. They spoke. They laughed.
Until it happened.
**
He invited her to an end-of-semester dinner with his "business club," claiming it was formal. She reluctantly agreed, wearing her simple navy blue abaya and scarf.
But when she arrived, there were no formalities — just loud music, dancing, and drinking. And whispers. Lots of them.
Jamil was nowhere to be found. His friends smirked at her. One even recorded her on his phone. She fled, shaken and humiliated.
The next morning, pictures of her at the party — looking confused and uncomfortable — surfaced online with twisted captions. "Jamil's latest toy." "Hijabi caught in scandal."
Her reputation was shattered.
She never spoke to him again.
**
Back to present…
Tears welled in her eyes as she snapped out of the memory. That was the man she was married to. The same man who offered to save her father — after destroying her.
Could she ever forgive him?
Could love grow in the ruins of betrayal?
---