With a gentle stretch, she rose from the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, and muttered to herself, "Morning, my choice."

Her partner's voice cut through the silence, "Morning, did you sleep well yesterday?"

She replied sleepily, "Not really, I had a restless night."

He chuckled softly and said, "Alright, you should get up, let's have breakfast together before you leave for work."

With a sigh, she replied, "But my choice, I had breakfast alone yesterday, why don't you go ahead and have yours."

He nodded, got up, and headed to the dining table to prepare tea. He poured tea into a cup, added sugar, and stirred it with a spoon. As he sat down to drink, he said, "I'll be heading to the office."

Looking at the clock, she said, "Office again? My choice, yesterday you said you'd be home for 2 days, but now you're going back to the office."

He sighed heavily and said, "Patience, my dear. I have many responsibilities that require my attention. In sha Allah, I'll be back home by 2:00 pm."

He reached out and gently squeezed her hand, his eyes filled with affection. "I know, but please don't be gone for too long," she pleaded.

He reassured her, "In sha Allah."

After a brief goodbye, he left the house, and she watched him drive away before returning inside.

She sat at her desk and picked up her phone, dialing a number. After a few rings, someone answered, "Hello, who is this? Do you have news?"

She asked a series of questions, and her friend responded, "I'm fine, thank God. How about you?"

She joked, "Well, Nuratu, your absence hasn't caused me any trouble, but every task we do together feels incomplete without you."

Nuratu laughed and said, "That's true. Your absence hasn't affected me either. That's why we're such a great team."

"Indeed, I've noticed," she replied.

"Today, after finishing our project, we discussed the next steps, and now he's talking about marrying you, right? Are you ready to apologize to him?"

Mufida sighed and said, "Honestly, I know Alhaji Sani now realizes that I'm married, and if he wants to marry me, he'll have to kill my husband, and then he'll be on trial. That's why I'll discuss it with him."

"Alright, my dear."

Then, Nuratu advised her on how to approach Alhaji Sani. After bidding farewell, Mufida hung up the phone.