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Everyone eventually dispersed, except for one of Aminatu's younger sisters, who was left behind to help take care of the children, Abdulrahman and Abdulmalik. Mariya remained the same with her bad attitude, forcing Aminatu to work despite being in the delicate state of postpartum recovery. Over time, Aminatu’s younger sister realized the hardships her sister was enduring. However, Aminatu warned her not to tell anyone, and she agreed.
The children continued to grow rapidly, like agricultural chickens, becoming more beautiful by the day. Meanwhile, Abba and Baffa, Mariya’s children, had long started school—Abba was in Primary 2, and Baffa in Nursery 3. They genuinely loved the children, but their mother prevented them from entering the room.
Life continued, and eventually, Alhaji completed his mansion in a prestigious neighborhood known as "Gwamna Road," where the wealthy lived. They moved into their new home, each person with their own section. However, Alhaji insisted that they all use a single kitchen.
A woman who lived nearby came over to greet them, and she quickly formed a friendship with Mariya. Their characters were quite similar, except that the woman, Hajiya Siyama, was even worse than Mariya. While Mariya didn’t visit spiritualists, Hajiya Siyama knew almost all the witch doctors in Nigeria. At first, Mariya rejected the idea of using a witch doctor to remove Aminatu from Alhaji’s heart, but over time, she started to consider it.
Since giving birth to Abba and Baffa, Mariya had not conceived again, which deeply troubled her. However, it seemed Allah had decided to stop her from having more children. Meanwhile, Aminatu remained steadfast in her faith, refusing to seek help from spiritualists, as her deep knowledge of religion guided her. Allah was her only support in life.
As for Mariya and her friend, their bond grew stronger. Aminatu, however, continued to endure suffering in the household, but Alhaji remained unaware of everything. In fact, he proudly told his fellow businessmen at the market that he was fortunate to have peaceful and well-mannered wives.
Two years had passed since Aminatu gave birth to her twins, and her younger sister had returned to their village. At that moment, she was two months pregnant, but Mariya was unaware of it. Aminatu, however, had already realized, based on her past experience. She kept quiet out of shyness, but Hajiya Siyama eventually noticed and said to Mariya, "That girl is pregnant, I swear!" Mariya clutched her chest in shock. "Pregnant?" she exclaimed.
"Yes, absolutely," Siyama confirmed.
Mariya's anxiety skyrocketed. "I swear, I will make sure she loses this pregnancy," she declared.
Aminatu, who was in the kitchen, overheard everything and was terrified. She intensified her prayers, performing extra night prayers and supplications, even more than usual.
Alhaji had never approved of Mariya’s friendship with Siyama, but there was nothing he could do about it.
One day, Siyama picked Mariya up in her car, with her driver taking them to a witch doctor's house. Mariya was initially scared, as it was her first time visiting such a place, but she composed herself. Before she even spoke, the witch doctor revealed their intentions, which greatly shocked her. He gave them a charm in powder form to mix into Aminatu’s drink or water.
Overjoyed, they handed him a large sum of money before heading home. The witch doctor’s house was far beyond Zaria, so they had spent quite some time there. By the time they returned, Alhaji's car was already parked at home. He was visibly upset and had been waiting for her.
As soon as she stepped into the main living room, she saw him and started making excuses, claiming they had attended a naming ceremony. However, he scolded her severely, which surprised her, as he had never raised his voice at her in their ten years of marriage.
Entering her room, Mariya began plotting ways to completely control Alhaji and make him submit to her will. She smiled slyly to herself, knowing exactly what she planned to do.
The next day, it was Mariya’s turn to cook. She prepared a delicious meal of rice dumplings with melon soup, loaded with chicken, stockfish, and dried fish. She also made a rich tiger nut drink, mixed with dates, cloves, coconut, and a generous amount of evaporated milk. She set everything on the dining table and went to Aminatu’s room to inform her that the food was ready.
Aminatu found it strange because Mariya never cooked by herself on weekdays—she always forced Aminatu to help, unless Alhaji was at home.
"Alright, Sister Mariya, I’m coming," responded Aminatu, the humble servant of Allah.
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