The Untainted
Chapter 17
At the Party — Rihannat & Olalekan
The music in the hall had softened into a gentle background hum. Laughter and clinking glasses floated through the air, but in the corner where they stood, it felt strangely quiet.
Olalekan—Qazeem to family—had been staring at Rihannat longer than he realized.
Not staring at her beauty.
But at her mind.
Finally, he smiled. Slow. Thoughtful.
"I love your courage," he said quietly.
Rihannat blinked.
"I love your belief. Your strong will. Even when you know the road ahead isn't smooth, you still choose to walk it alone. You choose independence over cowardice."
Her breath caught slightly.
"You did well."
She lowered her gaze shyly.
"Some girls," he continued, "would have jumped at the opportunity. Wealth. Comfort. Status. Easy life."
He paused.
"But let me speak to you today as a man… and as your—"
The word brother nearly escaped his lips again.
He swallowed it.
"…as someone who genuinely wants your good."
For a brief second, something unreadable passed through his eyes.
"Rihannat, men love beauty. Especially rare beauty like yours."
She flushed instantly.
"But beauty is just beauty," he said calmly. "It fades. It cannot hold a man. There are countless beautiful women in this world. If a man loves only your face, he will leave when another face shines brighter."
His voice grew firmer.
"A woman who has beauty and nothing else is like a beautiful vase… empty inside. Attractive, but hollow."
Rihannat listened without interrupting.
"Some women marry wealthy, older men for comfort and security," he continued. "But later, when desire is unsatisfied, they fall into adultery. They live surrounded by jewels, yet feel empty. Everything becomes dull. They are lonely inside mansions."
He gave a small, cold smile.
"You see the glitter. But inside, they are decaying."
His tone darkened.
"They know their bodies. They know their desires. But greed pushes them into compromise. Zina becomes the escape. And yet, they remain—because of the wealth. Or fear. Or shame. Divorce becomes a taboo that haunts their name forever."
Rihannat's expression grew serious.
"Some stay because without the man, they have nothing," he added. "No career. No achievements. No identity. The man built the life. They only live inside it."
He tapped his temple lightly.
"When storms come—and they always do—they lose themselves. They don't know how to cope."
Silence stretched between them.
"If more women thought deeply before entering marriage," he said softly, "like you do… maybe we wouldn't have so many broken homes."
His eyes hardened briefly.
"Disrespected wives. Harassed daughters-in-law. Men who beat, insult, and emotionally destroy the women they married. And the wife condones it because she has nowhere to go."
The words hung heavy.
"Marriage is not a game, Rihannat. It is a lifelong covenant. You must think carefully before stepping into it."
She nodded faintly.
"A woman without ambition before marriage," he continued, "becomes nothing more than a pawn. A child-bearing machine. A tool for pleasure for men with twisted logic."
He exhaled.
"During the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), women were honored—even if they stayed home. They were queens because the men feared Allah. They provided. They protected. They valued."
His voice softened again.
"Today, men who truly fear Allah in their marriages are fewer."
He looked at her meaningfully.
"Islamically, being a stay-at-home mother is noble. You raise the next generation. You shape their deen and character. But education, knowledge, skill—it empowers you. Not necessarily to work, but to understand life. To raise strong children. To manage wisely."
She could see he was not dismissing tradition—he was balancing it.
"You need knowledge. You need identity. You need something that makes you stand tall. So you don't shrink when standing beside competent women. So you don't feel inferior."
His voice lowered almost to a whisper.
"You must enter marriage as a woman. Not a girl."
Her heart thudded in her chest.
"And if a man is ready to nurture you… grow with you… stand beside you while you grow—even if you choose to stay home—then he is worth considering."
He paused.
Then finally asked what had been burning in him.
"Now tell me, Rihannat… why are you still rejecting marriage?"
His brows furrowed.
"I heard some of them are not even old. They are willing to sponsor your education. You can continue school after marriage. Your parents won't push you into a pit."
He studied her face carefully.
"Or… is there something you're hiding?"
The question lingered.
Rihannat's fingers intertwined slowly in front of her.
For a moment, she didn't speak.
Then she lifted her gaze to meet his.
"You're right about many things," she began softly. "Marriage is not a game. Beauty fades. Knowledge matters."
Her voice steadied.
"But you know what you didn't mention?"
He waited.
"Compatibility."
He frowned slightly.
"I don't reject marriage because I hate it. I reject it because I haven't seen one that makes my heart calm."
She took a small breath.
"I don't want a man who sponsors me. I want a man who respects me."
Her eyes were clear now.
"I don't want to be maintained. I want to be understood."
The noise of the party seemed distant again.
"I don't fear poverty. I fear emotional starvation."
Olalekan felt something shift inside him.
"I've seen women whose husbands provide everything," she continued. "But they cannot speak freely. They walk on eggshells. They shrink themselves to keep peace."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I want a home where I don't have to compete with other women's beauty. Where my worth isn't compared daily."
She looked away briefly.
"And yes… maybe I am afraid."
He didn't interrupt.
"I am afraid of entering something irreversible with someone who only admires what he sees—but doesn't know what I carry inside."
Her hand rested lightly over her chest.
"I want a partner who chooses me when I am old. When I am tired. When I am no longer glowing."
Her eyes returned to his.
"Is that too much?"
For the first time since their conversation began, Olalekan had no immediate answer.
He wasn't confused anymore.
He was… impressed.
She wasn't rejecting marriage.
She was rejecting mediocrity.
And suddenly, her resistance didn't look like fear.
It looked like discernment.
He studied her quietly.
And somewhere deep inside, something unfamiliar stirred.
Not protective.
Not brotherly.
Something else.
Something dangerous.
He cleared his throat lightly.
"You're not hiding anything," he murmured.
She gave a small smile.
"No. I'm just waiting."
"For what?" he asked.
She held his gaze for a second longer than necessary.
"For certainty."
And in that moment, Olalekan realized something unsettling.
He didn't want to be the man advising her anymore.
He wanted to be the man she would consider.
**************
Now tell me…
What do you think is Rihannat's real reason for pushing marriage aside?
Is it fear? Standards? A hidden love? Or simply wisdom? Or something else she refuse to say?