Malik opened it slowly.
Inside were property documents, land certificates, and bank papers.
“I thought everything was lost…” Malik whispered.
Baba Suleiman lowered his eyes.
“Not everything,” he replied softly.
Years earlier, before the accident, he had secretly purchased a small piece of land in another town. He kept it hidden, intending to leave it as an emergency inheritance for his children.
But after seeing how greed destroyed the family, he lost trust in everyone.
Except Malik.
“I watched all of you carefully,” the old man admitted. “When I became weak, everyone disappeared. Only you stayed.”
Amina felt her chest tighten with shame.
The old man she secretly judged… the man she thought was becoming useless… had protected them all along.
Tears filled her eyes as memories replayed in her mind:
the cold looks,
the whispered complaints,
the embarrassment she felt toward him.
And suddenly, every moment felt cruel.
That night, for the first time in months, Baba Suleiman sat at the table with them instead of alone near the window.
Amina served his food herself.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
The old man looked at her for a long moment before smiling gently.
“Life humbles all of us eventually,” he said. “The important thing is learning kindness before it’s too late.”
Outside, the rain finally stopped.
And inside that small apartment, something broken slowly began to heal.”
