The Substitute Bride of my Best Friend
Where is Zahira?

At exactly six o'clock in the afternoon, Shaka finally set foot in the homeland. After finding Ziva in one room with another man, Shaka rushed to book a flight with a flight schedule right away. The youngest of the three brothers could not bear to rush to leave the country because in that country he even got a bitter reality that had incised a wound in his heart.

Carrying two paper bags filled with bags and shoes for his wife and sister-in-law, Shaka swung his feet into his apartment unit. Although his heart ached like a sharp knife, he behaved as if nothing had ever happened to him.

"Zahira! Shakeel! I brought you guys some souvenirs. Come here, see what I brought!" shaka exclaimed as he stepped into the room. "Rome! I'm home already." Calling back Zahira's name. He did not usually go home without being warmly welcomed by his wife.

Shaka put two paper bags on the round table, then walked towards the door of Zahira's room. He put his hand forward and knocked on the door. "Ra, you don't want to see what I bought? I guarantee you'll be happy after seeing it." However, there was no confirmation from inside the room.

Finally Shaka decided to meet Zahira in the room, hoping to find a tiny, narrow-eyed figure curled up under a thick blanket. He pushed the door very carefully, not wanting to disturb his wife who might have fallen asleep after taking the medicine from the doctor. The room was pitch-black and very quiet as if it was uninhabited.

"Zahira?"

Curious, Shaka opens the bathroom door hoping to find the whereabouts of his best friend and wife. "Well, there's no. Where did the girl go?" The man turned on the light switch and after the room became brightly lit Zahira's figure was indeed not in the room.

"Rome! Najma Zahira!" shaka exclaimed as he walked towards the walk in closet. Still, there is no answer.

Suddenly the cold made Shaka's body shiver when he saw the contents of the empty closet leaping, there was not a single strand of girl's clothes in it. The man rushed out of the room looking for a living room, reading room and balcony. He roughshed his hair when he could not find Shakeela in the guest room.

"Loh, Den Shaka's home." Someone's voice distracts Shaka.

He unsheathed a sharp gaze as if he wanted to kill someone that second as well. "Where is my wife? Didn't Bibik see my wife when she came here?" he asked in a cold tone to the pent-up emotions. Making the fur of a forty-year-old woman goosebumps instantly.

Bik Erna, Rini's confidant housekeeper swallowed the hard-earned saliva as her eyes involuntarily sat in front of the man. The man's face was flushed red with jaws shaking violently holding back anger as well as fear at the same time.

"Pardon Bibik, Den. By the time Bibik got here, Zahira was no longer home. Shakeela said, Zahira left without telling where. Because there is no Miss Zahira, Sister Shakeela asked for permission to go home because the task is done," replied Bik Erna slightly stammered. Head lowered, not daring to stare at the brown iris of his master's son.

"Shoppers!" asshat Shaka rough. Without a second thought he rushed to grab the car keys in the drawer and ran towards the basement.

In the car, Shaka several times contacted Zahira but only the sound of the operator appearing made the man cluck in annoyance. "Where are you going, Ra? Why not go without asking permission first. You know I'm so worried about you." He looked out the window, hoping to find his wife out there.

Long enough, Shaka searches for Zahira's whereabouts in places he might visit. The park, the hospital owned by his father-in-law and the cafe where they used to hang out while still in High School but the wife still not found anywhere.

"Stupid! Why don't I try to ask Mama, who knows she was invited to live there."

Shaka pulled out his cell phone, then pressed his number. "Assalamu a'laikum, Ma" said the man as the phone line connected.

"Wa'alaikum salam. It just so happens that you called. Come here quickly, Mama and Papa want to have an important talk with you!" rini said without a stale base. The tone of the sound increases to make Shaka have to keep the flat object away from the ear.

Shaka put it back in his ear. "What the hell are you talking about, Ma? I'm busy so if you want to talk, just on the phone."

"What are you busy? Busy looking for Ziva's whereabouts in Singapore?" check Rini to make Shaka shut up for a moment. The middle-aged woman was really furious about Shaka's attitude that seemed to never appreciate Zahira's feelings.

The beautiful oriental-faced girl had sacrificed her freedom in order to preserve the family's good name but what Zahira got besides the disappointment that the husband had lied in order to meet the former would-be fiancee.

As a fellow woman, Rini can feel how Zahira feels when she finds out her husband went to see another woman. Although the marriage occurred because of coercion alone but the heart of a wife still hurt deeply and whether it can be treated or not.

The lawyer immediately stepped on the brake pedal when he heard Rini's words. Really, he did not expect that his secret was discovered so quickly by his mother.

"M-mama .. know where I came to Singapore to find Ziva?"

Brava! Shaka unconsciously confirmed Rini's speech and it further made Zahira's in-laws emotional. It was clearly visible from the glare of his sharp eyes while clenching one of his hands beside the body.

"Abimana Shaka! You're outrageous! Come to the house right now! Don't let Mama ask people to drag you down rudely!" rini shouted from the phone. The scream ended the conversation between him and the child.

"Fuck!" shaka hit the driver of the car.

The sound of Rini's screams is like the sound of thunder booming on top of his favorite car the results of his labor while being a lawyer. Although not too expensive but able to protect it from the scorching sun and rainwater. He was stunned for a while until his body felt stiff. Eyes glanced to the right and to the left. Around the dark there is only one lighting and it comes from his car.

Suddenly, Shaka's kudu feathers became goosebumps. The man's instincts gave a dangerous signal that would befall him in a moment. "Oh my God, is it possible that there will be a third world war when I return home?"

"Aah, stop. I'd rather go home now than keep guessing what Mama really wants to tell me." Shaka pressed the gas pedal and drove the vehicle forward and the car began to leave the deserted streets uninhabited.

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Hello everyone who stopped by the author's friend's work. His story is guaranteed. The title of the work and the pen name are below. 👇