Chapter 166 : "Innocent? Ibrahim?..."

"But won't you wait until Aqil gets back, brother Ibi?" Nayla pressed.

As he stood up from the stool, Ibrahim shook his head. "No, maybe another day. I just came to see you."

However, before leaving, he paused at the doorway, then turned back to Nayla. "Nayla, when you have some free time after you've healed, you should go see Aidan. He must miss you terribly. He wants to see his mother sometimes too."

Nayla's smile vanished, replaced by a shadow of sadness. "I... I've forgotten everything about my past life. Now, I'm happy with Aqil. I just want to be happy with him and Sahil. Aidan... he must be happy with his own father."

The wound in her voice was palpable. It was clear she was trying to convince herself, forced to forget about her firstborn son. No mother would willingly push aside such a bond, but Nayla's circumstances had forced her hand. She was forced to forget about her son.

Ibrahim shoved his hands into his pockets, a sympathetic sigh escaping his lips. "Yusuf has changed a lot these years. He takes good care of Aidan, that much is true. But..."

 He left the sentence unfinished. A father, no matter how good, could never truly replace a mother.

Nayla remained silent, her eyes downcast. "Maybe it's best for Aidan to grow up without knowing anything about me," she whispered, "If he finds out the truth someday about me , he might taunt me just like Yusuf did. It's better this way. I've dealt with enough pain in the past. Even now, I have dreams about Zainab. I used to feel like a failure – a bad friend and a bad mother. But marrying Aqil two years ago gave me a second chance at happiness."

Just then, the door creaked open and Aqil entered, phone pressed to his ear. He was mid-conversation, but upon seeing Ibrahim, his eyes widened and he fumbled to end the call. 

Ibrahim couldn't help but notice the subtle tremor in Aqil's hand as he fumbled to put the phone away in the chest pocket. It wasn't a violent shake, but a faint quivering in Aqil's fingers, a tremor that spoke of hidden nerves or suppressed fear.

"Ibrahim! You here? Any reason for the visit?" Aqil asked. 

"Nothing special. Just came to see Nayla. I'm on my way out now. Good night." After offering a nod Ibrahim opened the door and disappeared into the hallway.

Aqil's gaze darted between Nayla and the empty doorway where Ibrahim had just vanished. "What was Ibrahim saying to you? He's not exactly known for dropping by for friendly visits."

Nayla bristled. "Stop making assumptions, Aqil. Brother Ibi truly came to see me."

Aqil's eyes landed on the large shopping bag at the foot of the bed. A frown creased his forehead. He picked it up and held it out to Nayla. "Did Ibrahim bring this?"

Reaching for the bag, Nayla replied, "Yeah, Yeah. Let me see what's inside."

Aqil held the bag just out of her reach, "Hold on a second. I'll check first. What if he put some kind of bug or listening device in here? I don't trust that guy one bit."

Nayla's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Aqil!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. He placed the shopping bag on the bed with a dramatic thud and ripped the bag open, its contents spilling out onto the bedspread.

There were baby clothes – onesies in soft yellows and greens, a tiny pair of striped pants, a hooded sweatshirt with a teddy bear on the front. Each piece Aqil held up to the light to scrutinize it. He sniffed all of them, presumably checking for any unfamiliar odors that might signal a listening device. 

Even the little teddy bear with a friendly smile wasn't spared Aqil's scrutiny. He squeezed it with surprising force, then sniffed it suspiciously. 

Here Aqil was, a grown man of 25, treating a bag of baby supplies like a potential bomb. And there Nayla couldn't hold back her laughter any longer.

She finally managed to gasp out, "Stop it, Aqil! You're being ridiculous! Brother Ibi wouldn't bug a bag of baby clothes!"

Defeated Aqil slumped onto the bed amidst the scattered items. He let out a dramatic sigh. "Innocent? Ibrahim? Ha! Nayla, my love, that's like saying kittens are vicious predators or puppies enjoy long walks filled with barking at mailmen. Those two words, 'innocent' and 'Ibrahim,' simply cannot be used in the same sentence. The man practically invented deviousness."

He eyed the scattered pile of baby supplies with a newfound respect. "But, I gotta give some credits to the guy that at least he remembered to bring some clothes for his nephew."

Nayla struggled to contain her laughter, "Oh, Aqil, you are unbelievable! Sometimes I wonder if you have a hidden talent for stand-up comedy."

Aqil simply shrugged and scooped up the scattered baby items, tossing them back into the shopping bag with a satisfied grunt. "Multi-talented, that's me. Enough chit-chat though, I will bring your dinner from the canteen. It's getting late."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a new pack of medicine. "Here," he said, offering it to Nayla. "Take two of these before you eat. I'll be back in a minute to set the table."

Nayla reached for the water glass, then paused as Aqil's question hung in the air. "Well, did Ibrahim ask anything about Ava?"

Nayla tilted her head in confusion. "No, he didn't. Why do you ask?"

Aqil shrugged again, trying to appear nonchalant. "No reason, just curious. Don't worry about it." 

With that, he slipped out of the room. The hospital corridor buzzed with activity – nurses rushing by, doctors barking orders, and worried relatives pacing nervously. 

Aqil's mind was racing with the phone call he'd abruptly terminated upon seeing Ibrahim. It had been Ava on the other line.

This morning, upon returning to Kuala Lumpur, Elara, had traveled directly to Alam's house to speak with Ava as Aqil gave Alam's numbers to Ava for calling. Afterthat, Aqil had cleverly inserted one of those SIM cards into his own phone. Having one of the SIM cards readily available would make communication with Ava smoother. Elara wouldn't have to travel back and forth to their village, a 30-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, just to speak with Ava. This way, Elara could visit the hospital and talk to Ava through Aqil's phone – a much more convenient solution.

Aqil went through the hospital corridors until he reached the third floor. Unlike the busy corridors, the stairwell leading to the fourth floor was deserted. No one else seemed to use these stairs, preferring the elevators in another corner of the building. The only light came from a few flickering bulbs overhead. 

He climbed a few flights, ensuring he was completely alone before pulling out his phone. Taking a seat on the cold tiles, Aqil dialed Ava's number again.

Meanwhile, across the border in Hat Yai, Ava was busy chopping vegetables for dinner with Pimpa. Hearing her phone ring, she excused herself and hurried to her room for some privacy.

"Hello?" Ava answered, "You hung up on me earlier, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Ibrahim just showed up to see Nayla, so I had to cut the call short." Aqil reassured her. 

A beat of silence followed. "Ibrahim?!" Ava breathed. 

"Don't Panic," Aqil soothed. "He has no idea. You can call this number anytime you like – it's with me now. Just remember, if Nayla ever picks up, say you're a colleague of mine. I can't exactly tell her all about my stuffs of work, you know that."

He couldn't share anything with Nayla because of the secrecy that came with his job. Informants, spies, secret agents, intelligence officers – even some police officers – all had jobs that required keeping things confidential. Their families might know what kind of work they did in a general sense, but the specifics of their missions always remained secret.

Ava simply replied, "I get it."

Aqil wrapped up his call with a quick, "Take care of yourself, Ava," before ending the conversation. He rose from the stairs and made his way back down to the ground floor, heading for the canteen.

Unaware of the eavesdropper, a very different scene was playing out just a flight above. On the stairs between the fourth and fifth floors, Ibrahim stood like a silent statue, his back casually resting against the cool brick wall. The olive green scrunchie, the very same one he'd swiped from the candle, was held between his thumb and forefinger, inches from his nose. He inhaled deeply with closed eyes. Oh, the scent of Ava's hair – a familiar mix of jasmine and sandalwood – washing over him. 

A sensuous smile spread across his face. The dim overhead light cast dramatic shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his jawline and the hint of stubble that dusted his cheeks. A low murmur escaped his lips, "So they even talk with each other, interesting..."