Fated by Qadr(Destiny)

Silent storm

Chapter 3

Kalila

The buzz of my alarm sliced through the quiet morning. The cool air from the AC hummed softly in the background as my eyelids fluttered open. The room was still dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of my bedside lamp. I stirred, my hand swiping blindly for my phone, squinting at the time 5:15 a.m. I sat up slowly, groggy but aware. I stood up, walked into the bathroom, performed ablution, and laid out my prayer mat in the corner of my bedroom.

By the time I finished praying, I wasn’t quite ready to stay awake. So I climbed back into bed, set another alarm, hoping to catch at least another hour of sleep before the day officially began.

My second alarm rang at 7:00 am. I got out of bed feeling a little more rested, I laid my bed carefully, smoothing out the sheets and fluffing out the pillows. I stepped into the sitting room, scanning the area, there wasn’t much to do. It was already spotless and arranged. The sight of a misplaced throw pillow can annoy me more than it should.

I was in the kitchen making myself a cup of coffee when my phone rang.

“Assalamualaikum, mummy,” I said, balancing the phone between my cheek and shoulder.

“Wa alaikum salam, my dear. How are you? Did you sleep well?”

“I did, I'm preparing to leave for the store,” I said, sipping from my mug.

“Okay, dear. Don’t forget we're meeting at the police station by 3 p.m. today.

“Don't worry, mum, I remember, I'd wrap up work early,” I replied.

As soon as we ended the call, I replied to Fawzy’s message from yesterday:

“Walaikum Salam, my love. Yeah, I'm good. Just work stress. The holiday orders choke.”

“How are you too? And the date with the guy, how did it go? You know I'm coming for the full gist LOL.

I got dressed quickly in one of my work-friendly abayas, tied my scarf neatly, and added a soft touch of lip gloss.

I stepped outside into the morning bustle and joined the chaotic rhythm of Lagos.

Work was already buzzing by the time I arrived at the shop. The shop smelled like fresh cardboard and vanilla. Aisha was busy arranging skincare products on the display shelves while Opeyemi was sorting new orders that came in late last night.

“Good Morning, ma’am,” Aisha called out, grinning.

“Good Morning,” I said, scanning the shelves.

Remi arrived shortly after, panting as she slipped behind the counter.

“Those Nivea and Olay products finally came in,” she said, dropping her bag.

“Perfect,” I replied. “Let's make sure everything is sorted and updated online.”

The day moved quickly, filled with customers, invoices, and managing sales. By 2:30 PM, I started wrapping up, glancing at the time. I informed Remi I had to leave early. The store was in capable hands, my team knew what to do, so I'm not worried.

Traffic on the island was its usual mess. As I drove, my mind raced with frustration. What if Tamam was scared or confused in there? What if they were treating him unfairly? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. As the minutes ticked by, I dialed my mom.

“I’m almost there. Maybe fifteen minutes max.”

My mom’s voice was strained. “They’re not letting us see him.”

“What?” I nearly yelled.”

“Why won't they let us?”

“They said we need to come with a lawyer, and they also said until certain investigations are done, no visitation.”

My blood boiled. “Is he a criminal? Has he been convicted? They’ve not even proven anything yet!”

My voice cracked slightly, anger mixing with helplessness. “So what exactly is Kamal doing? I asked

“Wasn’t he the one who said we could come? Did he not know we wouldn’t be allowed to see Tamam?”

My mom tried to calm me down, but I was already speeding up.

When I finally reached the police station, I spotted my dad standing outside, phone to his ear, his brows knitted in frustration. I approached him.

“Is that Kamal?” I asked. My dad nodded, not saying a word.

I moved closer, I crossed my arms, impatient.

“Dad, let me talk to him.”

He hesitated. “No, it’s fine. I’ll handle it.”

“Daddy, please. Let me talk to him.”

With a reluctant sigh, he handed the phone over.

“Hello?” I said flatly.

“Yes?” Kamal’s voice came through, emotionless.

“What exactly is your problem?” I snapped. “You knew we were coming. You knew we wanted to see Tamam. Why didn’t you do anything?”

“You need a lawyer to process visitation. That’s the directive.”

“And you couldn’t tell us this earlier? You just let us come all the way here for nothing? Why waste our time?”

“I don’t make the rules. I’m not here to give emotional comfort. I’m handling what’s within my jurisdiction.”

I scoffed. “You’re unbelievable, you don’t make the rules, but you sure as hell enforce them when it suits you.”

A long pause. Then, his voice came through the line, he said flatly, “Get a lawyer, Miss Kalila.”

The line went dead.

I stood there, stunned, furious, and disgusted. Not just with the system, but with Kamal’s cold detachment. Who the hell did he think he was?

My dad reached for the phone in my hand gently. I gave it to him and folded my arms, trying to hold myself together.

I blinked away the sting in my eyes. There was nothing I could do, no calls to make, no strings to pull. I hated that. I hated how powerless I felt in the moment. All I could do was stand there, waiting, like everyone else.