As soon as she heard her father's final words, she burst into loud sobs. She looked at her mother, who was wiping away her tears, showing no sign of speaking. She glanced at her father, whose face was stern like a storm, but she couldn't muster the courage to say anything to him either. Her two brothers in the parlor remained silent. She continued to sob and looked at her grandmother, who was shaking her leg. With a trembling voice, she held her grandmother's hand and said, "For God's sake, please ask them to forgive me. It was the devil's doing. I don't know who did this to me..." Her grandmother pulled her hand away and said, "Get away. You know the devil's doing, yet you are the devil's accomplice, Nihad. Before you bring us shame, it's better we shame you first. Do you insist on becoming a disgrace, something no one in the family has ever been? What attracts you to the life of wayward girls that this happened to you?" Her grandmother started crying and said, "God, we thank you. You give birth to a child but not their character. What is this you've done to us, Nihad?" Nihad stood up, crying heavily, and left the parlor. She went straight to her room, knowing that no one would listen to her there. Even her mother, who remained silent, wouldn't say anything. She locked herself in her room and threw herself on the bed, crying as if her life depended on it. Is this really happening to her? Day turned to night, and she couldn't even pray a single unit of prayer. She was completely out of her mind. She wished all this was just a dream, that she would wake up and realize it was a nightmare. At dawn, someone tried to open her door, but she, with swollen eyes, just stared at it without any intention of opening it. Eventually, they gave up knocking. Around eight in the morning, she sat on her prayer mat and reluctantly picked up her phone, which she hadn't touched since the day before yesterday. She didn't want anything to do with the phone, fearing it would only worsen her heartache. Now, she wanted to remove and break her SIM card. She saw nearly fifty missed calls and even more messages, all with the same content: "Is that you on social media, Nihad?" "Nihad, what came over you?" "Nihad, what is happening?" "Nihad, your video is all over the internet." She exited the inbox, tears streaming down her face, and opened WhatsApp, which was also filled with messages and videos. She turned off the phone, removed the SIM card, broke it as she intended, and threw the phone on the bed, wiping away the relentless tears. She wished she could wake up and find out it was all a dream. Since the day before yesterday, she had been wishing for this, but she hadn't woken up, confirming that everything happening was real, not a dream. There was a knock on the door. She looked at it and slowly got up to open it. She saw her mother standing there, and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Her mother entered the room and locked the door. Nihad watched her sit on the edge of the bed. Nihad knelt down beside her and, in a soft voice, said, "Mother, for God's sake, please cover for me. I swear I could die. Talk to Father, please." Her mother sighed and said, "It's too late, Nihad. Since Alhaji Abubakar has made this decision, you know no one can challenge it. Just pray, and we will pray for you too. It's okay to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. So calm down; everything will be alright. Whoever did this to you, may God guide them." Nihad broke down in tears and said, "I'm doomed, Mother. Can't you say anything to Father? They are forcing me into marriage. What will I do with my life if that happens? I'm doomed..." Her mother stood up, walked to the door, and left, locking it behind her. Her mother went outside and found her father sitting alone, deep in thought. She approached him, pulled up a chair, and sat down, her face clearly showing concern. He looked very disturbed as well. She softly said, "Worrying is not the solution, my dear. Be patient and find peace in your heart. This is God's plan, so we should thank Him and keep thanking Him." Her father sighed and said, "I think marrying Nihad off now is not the solution, Sumayyah. But Engineer and Hajiya won't understand that. She is just 19, and with this incident, how can she start married life when she hasn't even gained control of herself? If they had consulted me, I would have suggested she go abroad to continue her studies, even if it's in the UK..." Her mother, still looking at him, said, "That's true. Marrying Nihad off is not the solution. But my advice is not to voice your opinion on this matter, my dear. Whatever Yaya decides for Nihad is right because she is his daughter. Hajiya will be upset if you bring up the idea of her going abroad for studies. They will think you are supporting her. Just watch and wish her well in whatever they decide. They won't do anything to harm her. Since they have decided on marriage, let's watch and see. My second advice is never to agree if Yaya suggests marrying Nihad to one of his sons. I don't think that will happen, but if it does, firmly say no. If that happens, the family bond will break. You know how his children and their parents are. They are self-centered and don't live in this country. So don't agree to that. They will treat our daughter poorly. Given how her video has gone viral, it's better to find someone unknown, a humble person who doesn't have much. Only such a person can marry her and cover her shame, living peacefully without ever reminding her of it or mistreating her. It would be best if he lives in a rural area." Her father looked at her intently without blinking. She said, "Or find a senator or a wealthy person to marry her. That would also be fine." With that, she stood up and said, "May God cover our shame and protect the future generations." Then she left. Her father held his head in his hands. Her mother left him deep in thought. On one hand, she is right. What she said is true. No one would happily accept Nihad's proposal. Nihad is nothing but a disappointment to him. He never expected this from her and regrets favoring her over his other children. But thank God it ended here. He will follow his wife's advice. The gatekeeper opened the gate upon hearing a horn. Her father watched the car enter the compound and park. The driver approached him respectfully and handed him a package, saying, "This is from Alhaji." Her father stood up and said, "Let's go to the parlor. After that, take my shoes for polishing." Her father led the way to the main parlor. He sat down and said, "Wait a moment; I need to make a call. I will send you on another errand." The gatekeeper sat in his position with the driver. The gatekeeper lowered his voice and said, "Do you know what's happening?" The driver asked, "What's happening?" The gatekeeper looked around the compound and whispered, "Saminu showed me on his phone earlier. I saw it myself." The driver asked, "What did you see?" The gatekeeper whispered in his ear, "It's a video of that wayward girl's nudity. It's all over the internet. I saw it on Saminu's phone. Can't you see the house feels like a funeral? Everyone is in mourning. Since you don't have a smartphone, you haven't seen it." The driver looked at him closely and asked, "Nudity?" The gatekeeper laughed and said, "Yes, nudity. She was only wearing a small top and shorts, and it was a moving picture. All her body parts were visible. It's indescribable. I feel sorry for Alhaji; he is deeply troubled." The driver asked, "Where did you see it?" The gatekeeper said, "Wait, you'll see for yourself." He quickly went to the boys' quarters and returned with Saminu's phone. He handed it to the driver, who played the video. After watching for less than ten seconds, the driver put the phone down and looked at the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper laughed and said, "That's what we all saw. Only God knows how far this has spread. Saminu saw it in a group, even on Facebook. From now on, she will only be a source of shame." The gatekeeper laughed loudly. The driver stood up and said, "Alhaji said to give these shoes to the shoe shiner." Then he went to the boys' quarters. Nihad lay on the edge of her bed, staring at the clock on her wall. By now, she had given up crying, but she was very weak. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. No one in the house paid attention to her except her mother, who checked on her occasionally. She still didn't have the courage to face her mother. The door opened, and she looked up quickly. Husnah entered with a concerned look on her face. She sat beside Nihad but couldn't say anything. Nihad also remained silent. Husnah sighed and said, "Don't make yourself sick, my friend. Whatever happens to a person is God's plan. Be patient and accept your fate with good faith." Tears welled up in Nihad's eyes. Husnah, also teary-eyed, said, "Please have faith, Nihad. Whoever did this to you, God will not leave them unpunished. He will avenge you in this world." Nihad sat up and burst into tears, saying, "I feel like killing myself, Husnah." Husnah quickly covered her mouth and said, "Seek forgiveness. Who are you not to be tested by God? Don't ever say that again. Everyone has their own trials."