The night was long for him, the morning for even better with a view of her brown locks spread on her pillow and her back facing his awoken eyes.

On the other side of the bed she laid wrapped in quilt within his reach but yet so far. He sat with his back against the headboard staring at the wall ahead of him feeling things he couldn't point out. He didn't have any business being nice to her, he didn't marry her to take care of her but here he was doing exactly what he didn't plan on doing.

Was it human instinct?

Or was it something else he couldn't describe?

Her scent lingered in his senses like the residue of last night's storm. The small gift he gave her sat on her side table after being touched just once. She had detached herself from him just when she had fallen into unconsciousness, she never returned back to his side of the bed. Maybe she just felt secure knowing he was there only or maybe the rational side of her forced her away from him.

He heard shuffling beside him and looked to the side to see her stretching in the covers much like a cat.

"Morning" he said making her snap her gaze in his direction. Her arms froze mid stretch and her face flushed.

"Good morning" she muttered sitting up haphazardly.

"How did you sleep last night?" He asked making her avoid his gaze.

"I hope I didn't bother you much last night" she whispered turning her back to him and placing her feet down on the cold floor.

"You didn't" he said watching her get up and straightened her wrinkled cloths.

"Good. I guess" she said making her way to her bathroom.

"I'll ask Sabra to prepare our breakfast" he said getting up to leave.

"Uh.. don't bother please. Aapi and Faris bhai are taking me out for the day. Thank you but I'll have breakfast with them." She said blankly not glancing at his frozen figure.

"Ohh I didn't know you had plans" he said staring at her intently.

"I thought aapi already told you. After all you both are quite close" she said glancing at him before shutting the bathroom door behind her.

She pressed her back against the door feeling her heart take up a faster pace beating than normal. She shook the feelings away from her self and did her morning routine. She washed her hands and gave herself a long look. Plain and average. Skinny and tall unlike Safa who was plum and average heightened.

She clutched the counter feeling her heart crack once again. She closed her eyes tightly feeling herself being pushed at the back of the crowd who's  center of attention had always been Safa.

"No on wants Wafa"

"Leave this all behind Wafa. Listen to me and leave this world Wafa. Come with me dear I'll show you everything you can't see here"

"You'll have your baba once again Wafa"

Her eyes snapped open, cold shivers ran down her sweaty form as she looked around for the source of tht voice. She didn't find anyone but herself in her bathroom. Alone.

She looked at her reflection that smiled back at her. She wasn't smiling.

It's head tilted to the side making her jump back. It's mouth split into a lopsided grin, a shrill laugh left it's lips as it lifted a finger pointing at her.

"No one wants you here. Come. Come Wafa. Come with. It's right there. The razors right there. Wafa"

She stared into the eyes of her reflection, her eyes followed the finger the reflection pointed at the razor. Her mind stopped working the more she stared at the blue razor.

"Just a little more courage. You're doing tht right thing come on. Come with me Wafa"

She picked it up and studied it closely before letting it hover over her wrist. Her eyes glazed with a sheen of unconsciousness. She pressed it over her skin feeling the sharp edge of the blade.

"Good. Wafa good. No one will even remember you. They don't care about you. It's Safa that will always be cared for and loved. No one but me can love you"

"No one will even mourn me" her eyes glistened with unshed tears that made her heart bleed.

Just when it was about to press harder against her skin the door was knocked loudly. She jumped at her place at the loud voices calling her name. The razor dropped from her hand as she looked at the door the was struggling against it's hinges.

"Wafa? Open the door. Are you okay?" She could hear Buraak yelling from the other side of the door.

"No wafa. Don't listen to them. Pick it up and finish the job. Come on you can do it" her reflection was contouring into something she feared the most.

"Wafa. Can you hear me? Open the door, Wafa" she heard Buraak's voice from the other side as well.

It's face carved into a snarl. It banged on the mirror just like Buraak banged on the door.

"Wafa. Don't you dare move a single step away from me" She moved to open the door when the mirror shattered and the door broke open.

She jumped back from the flying shards feeling arms catch her from falling. She hid her face with her hands even when someone shook her out of her state.

"Wafa" Buraak held her at an arms length removing her hands from her face. With her breath stuck in her throat she looked up to see the mirror intact.

"It. The mirror... It..." She stared at the mirror which looked good as knew.

"What were doing here for so long? I've been calling you since an hour. Are you insane?" he yelled holding her hand which had blood a streak of blood run down her hand.

"It.. he... Broke it.. he said—" she broke free from his embrace and touched the mirror.

"Wafa. What goes through your head at times? Why would you do such a thing?" He exasperated putting her hand under water.

"Why do you care? Last time I checked you didn't care" she said snatching her hand from his hold. He stared at her with a stoic expression and forced her hand in his. Pulling out a first aid kit he started working on bandaging her hand.

"Let me be" she tried to take her hand back but he fixed her in her place with a glare.

"Out of all the things I wouldn't mind happening you dying is one that I don't want. Who do you think you are trying to end your life?" He seethed making her flinch and look away from his burning gaze.

"Safa and Faris are here. What would like to tell them about this?" He asked caging her against the counter.

She didn't say anything but tried escaping tht situation which didn't happen, if only she found herself more trapped than she should've.

"Why did you do this Wafa?" He asked much softer this time. He cupped her jaw making her look at him with teary eyes.

"I didn't. I didn't even know I was doing this. He.. he took over me. He told me to. He even shattered the mirror" she cried feeling embarrassed. She could see it in his gaze that even he thought she was crazy.

"Wafa. The mirror is untouched look" he said making her look at it.

"I swear I'm not lying. I'm not crazy it was broken a minute ago." she cried trying to make him believe. 

"Go change Wafa. Safa is waiting for you downstairs." He sighed and pushed her out of the bathroom.

He stared at the counter processing her words. He found the razor in the ground and picked it up. He was busy staring at it when the sound of someone shattering filled his ears and made him jump away from the mirror.  

His eyes widened at the cracked mirror. A circled formed in tht middle as if someone had punched it that way.

"I'll have her sooner than you think"

His breath hitched at the words written in crimson faced him. He stood frozen on his spot till he finally snapped out of his haze. He walked to the doorway of the bathroom and looked at the hustle of in the room to see Wafa standing infront of the vanity.

He looked at her who stood infront of him in the threshold . His eyes raked over her form adorned in a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater with a pair of ankle high boots.

His eye followed her every movement, the way she blended her lipstick using her ring finger or her fingers brushing back the strands of her hair covering her face. A hair tie him from her between her lips while  her hands were busy gathering her hair up in a ponytail.

Her eyes met his when she felt herself being stared at. Her face flushed at how mindlessly his eyes stayed on her. Feeling flustered she shrugged on her overcoat.

"Is something wrong with my outfit?" She asked feeling anxious. She gave herself another look in the mirror running a hand over her cloths. She looked up to see him standing behind her. His arms wrapped around her waist and he placed his head on her shoulder.

"You look beautiful" he whispered lowly making a faint blush to spread on her cheeks.

"Uh.. thanks I guess. I'll leave" she said walking towards the door when a hold on her wrist made her stop and look back.

"Can you not cancel your plan with them? I'll take you out instead" he said walking close to her. Her heart world twice as hard as it should beating ferociously in her chest.

"Uh.. that would be rude. Sorry." She said avoiding eye contact.

"Well then I'll come along" he said making her meet his gaze. He pulled her close and nuzzled his face in her neck making her freeze on spot.

"Buraak—" she stopped feeling tht heat of his breath against her neck. The hair on her nape stood at guard and a flush spread on her face. 

"S..suit yourself" she said freeing herself and walking out of the room. He walked downstairs with a warm smile and hugged Faris as a greeting.

"How are you Buraak?" Faris asked pulling back from the hug.

"I'm fine how are you and aunty?" He asked sitting down with him.

"I'm fine and Ammi alhumdulillah is perfectly fine also" he said passing a small smile to him.

"Wafa told me you guys were going out for breakfast. Would you guys mind if I come along? I'm being self invited but I don't want to leave my wife alone, not even for a second" he said taking Wafa's hand in his smiling at her. She refrained herself from returning the gesture but looked away to Faris slipping her hand out of his hold. His smile fell but he didn't let it show for more than a second.

"Sure. Why would I mind you accompanying your wife?" He said rounding an arm around Safa. She froze but then leaned in his embrace making Buraak look away.

He wanted to have his wife smile at him the way she smiled at Faris but he knew he had done it all wrong from the beginning for the one who now seemed much happier than he would've ever been.

"Let's go then. Shall we?" Faris stood up with his hand on his wife's waist.

"Yeah" Buraak breathed looking away from the sight infront of him. Faris and Safa walked out leaving the two behind.

"Dukh horaha hai aapi ko kisi aur ke saath dekh kar? Maaf karden me tu aap dono ke beech aise hi aagaye. Galti hogaye na mujhse?" Wafa said from beside him. He looked at her face which adorned a hurtful expression.  She walked out with her head hung low.

(Is it hurting you to see her with someone else? Sorry I just came in between you two for no reason. I made a mistake)

"Galti tu mujhse hogaye hai Wafa" he said behind her. His heart clenched in his chest as he forced himself to follow her.
(No wafa I'm the one who made a mistake)

He had a long way to walk before reaching her barrier. He played her for no reason. The one he wanted to suffer was happy with her life while he turned another's upside down when he could've made it better.

The whole ride to the cafe was silent. She didn't say anything neither did he have the courage to say anything to say something to her.

She felt herself shaking at the anxiety she was feeling. Her heart was beating ferociously at the sight of her brother in law being as gentle as ever with her sister while she couldn't expect anything in return. She kept her eyes rooted on her food, the spoon in her hand shook with the adrenaline taking over her blood.

They both sat across from each other but she didn't look up from her food. He could see the spoon shaking in her hand, which she suddenly slammed the spoon on the table making a few heads turn towards them.

"Are you okay?" Safa questioned looking at her pale face.

She could bare seeing all those smiling faces and happy couples in one place while she couldn't even look at her husband without feeling the guilt of looking at someone who wasn't hers.

"Yeah I'm... Done. I'm just going out to walk around the park across the road." She said leaving the table quickly. She almost ran across the road and entered the park with a heavy heart. Safa looked so happy while she felt herself drowning in the aftermath of her affair.

Couldn't she for once have something that wasn't thrown away by Safa. Something she hadn't rejected and was given to her as a sign of mercy on her life.

Even if all this wasn't done by Safa but her own mother who just couldn't help but discriminate them both. Safa was normal to her eyes and hence deserved the best, wafa on the other hand should only be grateful for even receiving the bare minimum.

Her baba never did that. He always said

"Everyone deserves the best no matter who they are. High or low should not exist, what should exist is humanity in a beating heart"

"Wafa" someone called her from behind but she didn't turn recognizing it to be his voice.

"Woah. Lady I've been calling you" he said catching up to her. She heaved him with a glance while continuing her round around the park.

"Are you alright? Safa and Faris left aging we should spend sometime together" he said walking backwards while gazing at her.

She nodded pacing her way away from him. He jogged up to meet up with her steps and pulled her back holding her wrist.

"Hey. What's wrong?" He asked holding her close. She didn't look up to meet his gaze but looked away instead.

"Nothing."she said pulling away. She walked back to where they parked the car and waited for him to come along.

"Wafa. Please. I'm trying. Please just at least give me a chance, a small beacon I'm asking for" he said cupping her face.

"I want to go home" she said sitting in the car. He sighed getting in as well.

"Wafa." He tried again.

"What? What exactly do you want? Before you didn't want to even hear my voice or do anything that I would've appreciated but now why all of sudden are you acting as if you care when like everyone else you also only care about Safa. If you're doing this because she told you to then don't try. I'm used to live alone with my sickness and desperation. Don't try getting into my head. Just don't" she wanted to voice feeling out but she didn't. Her eyes watered and throat clogged but she didn't say anything.

He dropped her home and made his way to the local mosque. He walked inside and searched for the head imam.

"Maulvi sahab aap se kuch baat karni thi agar aap masroof na hon tu?" He asked sitting beside the man with a radiant face and beard.
(Sir I want to talk to you about something if you're not busy at the moment?)

"Jee bete bolen?" The bearded man replied.
(Yes son go ahead?)

"Meri biwi. Mualvi mujhe shak hai uspe kisi jin ka saya hai. Mujhe pehle yakeen nahi tha magar ab mujhe khud ko kisi makhlooq ke hone ka ehsaas horaha hai. Humara jeena Mahal kardia hai uske khauf ne" he said looking down in uncertainty.
(My wife. I think she's haunted by a jinn. Before I didn't believe in all this but now I'm also starting to feel the presence of a being around us. It has made our living difficult)

"Bete sach kahoon tu mujhe ruqyah ke mutaliq zayada ilm nahi magar humare ek bhai hain Jinhe Allah ne is ilm se nawaza hai. Me aapko unka number dedeta ho tu aap unse raabta Karlen" the man frowned but gave him the number of tht man that would help him for better.
(Son to be honest I don't have much experience of exorcism but I do have a friend whom Allah has give this knowledge. I'll give you his number you can contact him for this purpose)

"Aapki buhat meherbani hogi maulvi sahab. Dua kijiye ga humare liye. Buhat shukriya aapka." Buraak replied noting tht number down in his phone.
(That would be very generous of you. Please pray for us. Thank you very much)

"Allah sab theek karde ga." The man said patting his head. He nodded and got up to leave.
(Allah will make everything better)

"Ameen" Buraak replied and left shaking hands with him.

Little did he know that what he was going to do next would be harder than his thoughts......

Assalamualaikum guys how are you?

So. I don't know what happened I'm this chapter because my head feels blocked. Like writers block Wala nahi bus aise hi headache hai.

Khair.

Enjoy.

Allah Hafiz.

Love
Hafsa_tahir