Saba's POV

In a dark room having only a night bulb on, I stare brokenly at the photograph of my father in my hands.  Fair complexion, brown eyes and hair, thin lips and chubby cheeks, he looks amazingly handsome, cute and happy. The painful tragedy that happened with me a few days ago has taught me the importance of a father in one's life. Having a dad by your side does not only mean to have a person who pays for your expenses. It seriously means having a lifeguard by your side. It means having a roof over the head. It means having a shoulder to cry on. It means having a strong backbone. When you have a father who loves you as much as he should, you always feel that no matter what happens to you, he has got your back.
If dad was alive, I am sure he'd do anything he could to protect me from that bastard.

But he's not here. He left me a long time ago. Tears leave my eyes and fall on his face and I just close my eyes, trying to think about anything that diverts my mind but nothing comes up other than the thought of being left alone for the rest of my life. Will I ever find someone who'd hold my hand despite of knowing who I am and what I've been through? Never.

My mother knocks at the door, looking at me as if she wants a permission to come in. "Mom, you don't have to ask before coming into my room. " I tell her slowly and she smiles.

" I thought now that you have started to build a wall among us by not talking to me for days, may be I should ask before entering your room. " she replies sadly, "and why are these lights off? It's only 6:00 p.m." she asks and before I can say something, she turns on all the lights and sits on my bed.

I just watch my mother quietly, wondering how my father's death would have changed her. " Did you ever feel like you just don't want to exist after dad died? " I ask her.

"No. But I'm sure I would have thought that way if you weren't there for me. " she tells with a smile. Her eyes are watered when she moves her hand over my hair.

"But I was just two years old. How could I be of any help? " I ask her. She takes the photograph from my hand and stares at it for a while. She then takes a  deep breath and looks at me. "you helped me more than anyone else, Saba. Everytime I looked at you, I found the reason to carry on and keep fighting. Your laughter healed my heart and your cries told me why it was important for me to stay alive. "

I don't know what it is, but my mother's words make me feel much better. "Life is not always what we want it to be, dear. But that doesn't mean we lock ourselves in a room and wish to die. It means that we wash our face in a way that all our fears get washed out along with the dripping water. And we hold our head high and tell ourself and the world that we can do better. We can still live despite of being a widow or a rape victim and we can live better."

All I can do is hug her tightly. She rubs my back kindly and says, "I love you, Saba. I love you more than I love myself. "

"I love you too, mom. " I tell her. My heart heals a bit and I feel a little fresh.

"It's been a week since you have talked to any of your friends. Zain has called me five times to make sure if you're okay or not, he's such a cute guy, and your friend Haya also called this morning. I'm wondering how can someone think of their friends when they are on honeymoon with their beloved life partner? "

"That's because she's my best friend. " I tell her with a smirk and she laughs.

"Imagine, you are having an extremely romantic evening with your partner and your best friend just calls up because she wants to have a nice chit-chat." she jokes.

"That sounds embarrassing, I think. " I tell her and she cries, "It is! "

"uh-huh "

"Well, I think you should call Zain. He really sounded worried. " my mother suggests.

"Mom, I... I don't feel like talking to anybody who reminds me of that night. " I simply tell her because I  know that if Zain's worried then he's probably worried about how I'm feeling and how much it hurts and I really don't want to go back and think of those heartbreaking things at all.

"At least thank him for saving your life out! " my mother snaps.

Shit! How can I forget that?

Zain's POV

Its 6:00p.m and I'm still working on a project in my office. Almost everyone has gone, just a few employees and staff workers are left. This is my fourth day of work in my elder brothers company and I already know almost all the details and task-to-do of all the different projects. It sounds like a good thing but it's been a real hectic.

My cellphone rings for the third time and I roll my eyes because I hate answering calls when I'm busy. My mom called first, asking me to come home early because she wants to have an important conversation with me. My sister called second, telling me how amazing her honeymoon is going on DisneyLand and that they are about to leave for Turkey tomorrow. And now the third caller is Saba.

Saba!!!!!

"Hello? " I quickly say as I swipe the green symbol to answer the call. Her soft and delicate voice comes from the other side, "Um, hi. Zain? "

"Yeah, that's me. How are you, Saba?" I ask her, hoping that she's fine and happy.

"I'm okay. How are you? " her answer seems to match with her tone and I'm glad to hear that.

"I'm good. Just working. " I tell her.

"Oh, should I..  Should I call back later? " she hesitates a little before asking, bringing a smile on my face.

"No, it's totally fine. We can talk. " I tell her.

"I just wanted to thank you. " she says slowly. Her words are shaking along with her voice and I feel my skin tremble.

"That's okay. I'm glad you are fine and safe, Saba. "

No answer.

"Hello? You there? " I ask and just then I hear a sound of a tiny sob that is controlled immediately. As if she's trying to hide her tears from me but that's of no use because I already know she's crying.

"Saba, please. You can't just cry and feel sad for the rest of your life. I can't see you like this. Please don't cry... " I try to calm her down but I don't think if that even helped a bit.

"Okay, hey! Would you like to go for a dinner with me? " I ask her, expecting a direct rejection.

"What? " she doesn't believe it, I know. I don't believe it either.

"Would you like to go for a dinner with me? " I repeat.

"But why? "

Because I wanna see you one more time.

"Because, I feel like doing so. " I tell her.

"That's a terrible feeling anyway. " she suggests and I understand exactly what she means.

"I won't hurt you. If I do, you can call my sister." I assure her with a smile and she chuckles.

"That's not funny. " she says and I smile, "Still, you chuckled. " I reply her.

"Hmm. "

"So I assume it's a yes then? "

"Yes. "

Hooray!

"Great. See you around 8:00 Saba. "

"Okay. " she says and hangs up.

I can't believe myself for a moment. She agreed to go on a dinner with me. I'm glad! Glad is a small word. I'm more than just glad!!!!

*********