Third POV

Mr. Khan was passing by the kitchen when he saw Haya eating peaceful, here his breathing had become difficult and how this girl was eating. He took long steps towards the kitchen.

"Get out .... Now ...." Mr. Khan fumed throwing a glass from the kitchen counter.

Startled Haya quickly got up from stool gathering Noor in her arms and taking two steps back.

"Baba...." She shuttered with fear.

"I said ...... Get out now" He grinded his teeth throwing her plate with remaining sandwich.

"Call that bastard this instance ... NOW" Mr. Khan yelled making her tremble like a leaf on her place and her heart started beating fast. 

"Baba .... " Haya sobbed "I don't know what are you saying ..... I just adopted her" Haya pleaded controlling her heart beat.

"STOP lying .... CALL him now" Mr. Khan slammed his first on the counter making Noor squirm in Haya's arms and wail loudly.

"Who ....." Haya said rocking Noor who was glued to her neck crying loudly.

"I said call him ...." Mr. Khan walked to other side of kitchen counter and grabbed her by her arm.

"Baba ....." She stirred in pain due to with which he grabbed her arm.

"Call HIM" Mr Khan said eyes full with anger looking into Haya's eyes full with tears

"Baba ..... I don't know .... What are you saying" Haya took her lips inward, biting them to control her groan due to pain in her arm.

"GET OUT THEN ...." Mr. Khan said making eyes go wide and dashed her towards the main door of house. Mrs. Khan also rushed from her towards her where she saw Mr. Khan dashing her out of the house.

Haya hardly saved herself from falling along with Noor. After stabilizing herself she looked back at her father with salty tears stinging her bruised lip.

"Baba .... Please......" She pleaded through her eyes. Hearing all these voices Sarah also rushed from servant quarter. Mr. Khan grabbed her arm and again dashed her towards main gate "Get OUT .... I don't want to see your face"

Sarah quickly got hold of her by her shoulder to stop her from falling. " Sir, she is innocent".

"Then pack your stuff and get out along with her." Mr Khan said while pointing at Sarah indicating her to get out too. Sarah was taken by Mr. Khan's words. She was working here since many years.

"Baba ...." Haya sobbed more loudly along with Noor.

"Don't call me that ... Get OUT" Mr. Khan again grabbed her by arm and dashed out of the main gate. She was standing out of main gate now.

"Salman where will she go ... Let the boy come and we will decide" Mrs. Khan tired to control his anger.

"Baba ... I will leave by morning..." Haya sobbed giving a remedy so that somehow he could have mercy on her without fanning his anger more.

"It's all your fault she came out like that ... If you have given attention to her instead running in parties she would have never done it." Mr. Khan blamed Mrs. Khan for the deed Haya never did. Of course he was a man and they are not responsible for the bring up of the children, it's only a wife's duty and they are not responsible for that. A man's duty is only to bring food.

"And you ..... I cannot tolerate a person like you in my house for a second" he said pointing at Haya and closed the door on her face.

"If anyone dared to let her in then you will be out too." Mr. Khan said to all of the servants. Who came out seeing him shouting on Haya. Everyone was hardly making the ends meet and he knew no one will dare to open the door. He stormed back into house.

Standing looking at the closed door Haya sobbed clutching Noor.

"Ya Allah .... Ya Allah ......." she looked at the sky which was pitch black. If it wouldn't been the street lamps she didn't knew how would she have survived in the dark.

Taking a sharp breath in the cold winter she looked at the closed door and then at opposite side. Where there was a road. A road that she had to travel with beer feet and that too alone.

Mrs. Khan was rooted on her place after listening to his husband insulting words while Sarah was sobbing for Haya.

Haya was standing at her place. She knew she could not go back in that house. She was homeless.

"Sarah ...... please pack me my bag and my Abaya (a grown worn by Muslim women)" Haya said controlling her sobs from other side.

Sarah nodded like she is seeing and moved in.

After 15 minutes Sarah came out holding a suitcase, Abaya and a blanket for Noor.

Haya wrapped Noor in the blanket and and gave it to Sarah to holds her till she she wears her Abaya. She made a hijab of her dupatta and wore it on her head.

Holding crying Noor back. She took hold of the suitcase and hugged Sarah for the last time with teary eyes.

Sarah's eyes were also teary. She was a only child and Haya was her first friend in this big house.

"Take care and call me" Sarah said giving her phone with teary eyes.

Nodding Haya took the phone. "I will"

"Baji (sister) where will you go?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know" Haya shrugged controlling her sobs. She didn't knew where she will go and where she will end up.

"Sarah Mr. Khan will throw you out too, please come inside" Sarah mother called her inside.

"I am sorry" Sarah mumbled a sorry and close the door. She was also bounded. She was a medical student she needed to remain one and for that she needed money.

Haya was still looking at the door. The door she thought would be the last one to be close down on her.

"Ya Allah ...... Where I will go now?" Haya mumbled under her breath with hicks.

In this winter of December no one was out. Except her.

She was disowned by her own parents. She was better when she was lost but now, when she was not lost her condition was worse than ever. She sobbed because she was innocent and the accusations her own parents threw at her.

Seeing here and there ... There were many houses but not a one was hers. She grabbed the suitcase she moved to don't know where.

She was feeling like she was again on that beach from where she left her home for Skardu. She was again there but this time the feeling of having no home was much more stronger.

Noor slept in her warm embrace after crying for sometime. She didn't have any energy to soothe her she herself needed someone to soothe her.

Walking for many minutes she took her phone out, it was her old phone.

The first name she came across was Zoya's (Haya's friend) telling her that she is leaving for America and then there were no calls except few forwarded WhatsApp messages.

A few more tears ran down her cheek, was she so worthless that her friend didn't even kept a check on her.

Walking, she didn't realized she crossed a block and now was in the next street.

There were only few cars in this cold night. Which even stopped after sometime.

Trembling like a leaf in this winter night she sat on the side of the foot path under a lamp. She was only in her Abaya and she was wearing nothing warm too. Wrapping Noor in her blanket she sobbed biting her inner check so that her sobs don't wake Noor up. She sobbed for being so weak. She felt like she was not capable of taking care of Noor.

Kissing Noor's forehead with her frozen lips she glanced at the sky with teary eyes that was filled with fog. She was unable to make it was fog or her tears making the surrounding blurry.

"Ya Allah .... You know everything please help me out .... Ya Allah please ..... " she pleaded with trembling lips.

Then a car pass by her catching her attention. She looked at the car which entered that house next by her. It was Shayan's house that she could never forget. She had dropped him drunk many times. Sometimes she even took him to his room with help of watchman when no was awake. She never forget that house.

The house she dreamed to be in as his wife. Many times passing through the hall of his home. She would be gushing over the things art pieces, furniture or different vases.

Standing up she started walking automatically towards his house. The one she wanted to be in greatly cherishing good memories, which was not possible anymore.

The idea of love totally changed for Haya the day she fell in love with Noor. She always thought LOVE was loving him but love was a gender-less and ageless emotion. It could make you fall in love with anyone. It could be an old lady, it could be a dog next door, it could be a baby, it could be your partner, it could be your children, it could be your parents, it could be your friends, it could be anyone and it was most dangerous thing that love ever possessed. The possibility of making you fall madly, deeply and passionately in love with anyone and anywhere whether at first sight or many years later. 

Love made her fall in love in a hopeless place. She fell in love with Noor that too at first sight. Now she was her everything and most important than anything.

_______________________________________

He was again working late. He was smoking more than working. He was never a chain smoker but he was now from last two years. Cherishing every puff of that cigarette.

He picked up his coat and car keys and moved out to the parking of his company. Which was one of the best companies of country for now.

After driving for few minutes he stopped by a gate, it was a graveyards gate. His feet started walking automatically in and stopped before a big grave and a small grave. His life was laying here. A little family that he created and now was here deep into many layers of soil.

It was his wife's and his daughter's grave.

Maryam Hassan (1993 - 2016)

Noorain Hassan (2016)

Standing there for a moment he moved back to his car.

He again lighted up a cigarette again, inhaling the black smoke. He sat in his car. He used to come here every Sunday after office. You must be thinking who goes to office on Sundays but he too never did but he was like this now. An emotionless working machine.

He entered the same street, whom back filled his heart with warmth that someone is waiting for him at home but not anymore.

Entering into the thick black gate. He stood leaning back to the his black colored car. So that he could finish the cigarette before he enters inside. The more closer the cigarette burned to butt the more tasteful it tasted to him because a cigarette is most toxic when it is about to end. After finishing the cigarette he threw it on the ground and crushed it under his shoe and walked in along with his bag to his room. A room he shared with his love.

He threw his bag on the sofa and after changing into his sweats. He went inside the kitchen to placed the food in the microwave.

After doing that He started eating the food his mother placed for him. He was only eating to stay alive.

As he finished the food a bell chimed, startled he glanced back at the clock it was almost 1 am at night.

He stood up from his chair towards the door. who could it be and that too this late. 

He opened the door to a girl standing in Abaya with a baby in her arms. For sometime he was not able to recognize but when he did. His eyes widen seeing her. She was standing in front of him with a bruised face. He didn't wanted to see her face for that long but the bruises on her face made him. Last time he saw her was at her house. Almost one and a half year back for few minutes.

"Haya ....??" He hardly uttered not believing what his eyes were seeing. It was like he was making sure it was Haya.

Haya didn't remember when she started walking toward his house dragging her suitcase.

Standing by the gate she felt Noor stirring in her sleep. She could never survive on the road not a single night with Noor. If she was alone that scenario would have been different but now she was with Noor. She needed help, with an unknown faith she knocked on the door. It was a chance that she was willing to take.

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