"Musa shush! Stop crying", Saad scolded the kid, Ayesha who had entered the room couldn't help but ask him, "Why don't you hold him?"

Saad glanced at her, "He cries a lot, I think he has some problem."

Ayesha pursed her lips, "Baccha hai royega hi na (He is a kid, he can only communicate by crying)".

Saad laughed, "Bolona baccha nahi sambhalra tumse, (You can't handle a kid)" Ayesha sighed looking at him, she was tired of this attitude of his.

She walked towards him to get his attention, "Batao mujhe kuch galti hui hai kya mujhse? Why are you being so indifferent to me and Musa? (Did I do something wrong? ...)"

He gave her a bored look, "Mai apna kaam karu ya tumhe aur tumhare bete ko sambhalu? (Should I had take care of you and your son or focus on my work?)"

Ayesha's voice cracked as she finished her sentence, "Tumhara bhi beta hai ye, Saad (It's your kid too)."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but Saad didn’t even flinch. He stood there with an air of detachment that sent a shiver through her. How could he be so cold towards his own child?

Saad let out an exasperated sigh, "Ayesha, I have a job that takes up my entire day. I don’t have time to sit around and play house. You wanted this life. Now, you deal with it."

Ayesha felt a sharp pang in her chest at his words. She swallowed hard and looked down at the baby in her arms, who had calmed down now, his tiny fists gripping the fabric of her shirt.

"I never asked for this distance, Saad," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I wanted us to be a family. But you’re pushing me away… pushing us away."

He met her gaze, but his eyes were empty of the warmth they once held. The love she remembered.

"Ayesha, stop making everything about you. You’re always looking for problems where there are none. Just focus on Musa. He’s your priority now."

She blinked, feeling the weight of his words crush her heart. She had tried so hard to keep their little family together, to be the perfect wife, the loving mother. But Saad had drifted so far from her, she no longer recognized him.

"Maybe if you held him once in a while, you'd understand that he's your priority, too," she said softly, her voice barely audible as she turned and walked away, her heart heavy, feeling more alone than ever.

As she reached the her terrace she saw a different view, a stranger on Seher's side.

She hated the relief that soothed her heart, this was it, if Saad saw the man he would know Seher didn't care about him. She was cheating on him. Thus he would leave her, and Saad would be hers alone.

The relief she felt was tainted by shame. Ayesha hated the part of herself that even considered exploiting this moment. She had never wanted to win Saad back through someone else’s misery. But she was desperate- desperate to feel loved, to feel like their family wasn’t broken beyond repair.

As she stared, the stranger smiled at Seher, and Ayesha saw Seher smile back -an intimate, knowing smile. It stung her like a thousand needles. She took a step back, her mind racing. Should she confront Seher? Should she tell Saad? Or should she stay silent, let things unfold, and see where it led?

Ayesha turned back towards the house, her thoughts in turmoil. She could feel the anger boiling within her, but there was something else, too—fear. Fear that even if Seher was gone, it might not be enough. Would Saad ever come back to her, truly? Or was this just another hollow hope she was clinging to? The thought of Saad’s indifferent face flashed before her eyes. Would he even care? Or would he just brush it off like he had brushed off everything else lately?

She made her decision.

___

It was afternoon, the sun was setting when she heard her name being called, "Seher!"

It was Saad's voice, she would have ignored it but she couldn't so she peeked from the terrace to find him face to face with Saahil. He smiled when he saw her, and then looked around announcing on the street, "This man has been following my wife everywhere, he has been harassing her since a year. What should I do now?"

Public humiliation.

This was the first step, Saahil seemed disgusted by his words, but he was even more disturbed by the bruises on Seher's face.

"Did you hurt her?"

Saahil asked almost recoiling as Saad smirked, "No, my hand landed on her face just like my fist-", Saahil ducked, his quick reflexes saving him, as he questioned him again, "How could you hurt her?"

Saad was agitated. Angry. Frustrated.

Yet Saahil had a vulnerable look in his eyes, "You shouldn’t have done that."

And Saad tried to shut him up, by throwing a kick but Sahil again ducked, thanks to his military training.

Saad’s eyes blazed with fury as he stepped closer to intimidate Saahil, to get back the aura he lost while missing the punches and kicks,  "You don’t get to tell me how to handle my wife," he hissed, his voice low but seething with barely controlled rage. "Stay out of it."

But Saahil didn’t back down. His gaze remained steady, though his hands trembled slightly at his sides. "She's your wife, but she's not happy. You're taking out your insecurities on her, and that's not what a man does—especially not a husband. Men protect the women they love; they don't abuse them."

Seher, who had been standing frozen, her breath caught in her throat, flinched at Saahil’s words. For a moment, she felt seen- felt like someone was standing up for her, for the bruises she had tried to hide, the pain she had swallowed down so many times. Her own father had never protected her. But fear twisted in her gut, knowing Saad wouldn’t take this lightly.

And he didn't gesturing to his men in the street, as they surrounded him, "You brought seven men to beat me up?" Saahil scoffed, glancing at the men who had now circled him. "That's how you fight, Saad? You can't face me alone, so you hide behind them?"

Seher’s heart raced as she watched the tension escalate. She knew Saad’s temper, how quickly it could flare, and how far he would go when he felt cornered. Fear for Saahil, mixed with a sudden surge of guilt, gripped her.

Two men held his arms and the other two held his legs, as Saad brought out a whip, he was seething snarling mad.

Seher gasped realising what was happening she ran downstairs and to street.

"This man needs to be taught a lesson, how dare you stare at my wife right infront of me?"

He screamed, Seher had rushed out, "Saad don’t do this!" Seher said pulling at his arms with her one hand.

"Don’t tell me what to do woman!" He breathed through his nose, his fury rising, "He needs to be punished".

"Kneel if you want me to go easy on him", tears fell down on her face as she fell on her knees, infront of the crowd, "I know it's your fault, you lured him like the whore-"

"She didn't do anything!" Sahil screamed enraged, "I followed her here".

Seher stayed there, as the fear gripped her, then Saad turned to Sahil, "Should I make it ten lashes each".

He tried to break Sahil, and scare him away, "No! I will take all the lashes. Don't hurt her."

"Alright", Saad says unimpressed, as he looks at Seher then Saahil, before the crack of whip was heard. Seher flinched as she glanced at Sahil, who had his fists clenched.

His eyes are closed as he shook with the force of the blow, but he didn't say a word. Not even a cry.

The next time he struck it hit his abdomen, slicing into his shirt as blood stained his shirt.

By the next three strikes there was pool of blood underneath him.

It's the face of devil, that strikes again, and again.

Sahil felt like he would pass out by the tenth strike, he braces himself shifting his weight, looking at the people gathered, and then glances at Seher.

As Saad lifted the whip for the eleventh strike, something flickered in Seher's tear-streaked eyes that made him freeze. It was the same look—one he had long ago, when he had witnessed the scene.

That moment, that terrible moment, when his father’s hand brought down the whip again and again on her frail body until she no longer moved. His grip faltered.

The memory rushed through him, a flood of rage, helplessness, and pain that he had buried deep inside for years. He had been too young, too weak to stop it then. But now, standing before this man, he felt that same twisted urge for control, the same desperate need to assert power—to rewrite history in his favor.

Seher's eyes, wide with terror, mirrored his own. Sahil's heavy breathing and groaning reminded him of his own mother. Yet he couldn't stop. Saad’s mind spun, convincing itself that he was not the one hurting others, but rather reclaiming his strength, punishing the world that had once broken him.

His body shook as he lowered the whip slowly. The crowd, the men holding Saahil, and even Seher stood silent, watching as Saad’s chest heaved with heavy breaths. His eyes, once cold and detached, now swirled with something darker

"I am sorry..." Seher whispered to Saahil, he smiles painfully making it look like a grimace, Saad struck harder. As Sahil closed his eyes and hugged his knees, sitting in pool of blood.

Was this how he would die?

Seher's breath hitched as she watched Saad’s cruelty unfold before her. Each crack of the whip made her flinch, her chest tightening with guilt and fear. She couldn’t bear to see Saahil take the blows for her, and yet she felt powerless to stop it.

Her knees hit the ground before she realized what she was doing. Tears streamed down her face as she clasped her hands together, her voice breaking, “Saad, please, I beg you, stop this! He didn’t do anything wrong. This is my fault.”

Saad glanced at her, his eyes narrowing as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Oh, so now you admit it, huh? This is your doing?”

Seher shook her head frantically, “No, no, I didn’t—Saad, please! Don’t hurt him anymore. I’ll do anything you want, just stop.”

Saad’s gaze flicked back to Saahil, who was hunched over, blood dripping from his wounds, his breath labored but still defiant. Saad clicked his tongue, “Pathetic.”

"You think you're some kind of hero?" Saad sneered, stepping closer to Saahil, his voice dripping with mockery. "I didn’t need men to handle you, but I’d hate for you to get any more ideas about Seher. This ends here."

Seher crawled towards Saahil, her fingers trembling as she reached out, but Saad grabbed her arm, yanking her back. “Don’t touch him,” he hissed, venom lacing his words.

“Please, Saad,” Seher sobbed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll do anything… just don’t hurt him anymore.”

Saad’s grip tightened on her arm, his expression hardening. “You think begging will fix this? You’ve made your bed, Seher. Now lie in it.”

But Seher couldn’t stop. She was desperate, her voice cracking with every word, “I’ll kneel. I’ll stay away from Saahil. I’ll never defy you again. Just… please…”

Saad’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he looked down at her, relishing the sight of her on her knees. “Maybe now you’ll learn your lesson.”

He raised the whip one last time, but Seher lunged forward, throwing herself in front of Saahil, shielding him with her body. “No more, Saad. Please… no more.”

For a moment, everything stood still. Saad’s hand wavered in the air, his eyes flickering with a dangerous mix of anger and confusion. The crowd that had gathered watched in silence, unsure of what would happen next.

Then, slowly, Saad lowered the whip. His expression hardened, and without another word, he turned on his heel, gesturing for his men to follow.

Seher stayed there, her body trembling as she held Saahil close, her tears mixing with the blood on the ground.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Saahil whispered weakly, his voice barely audible through the pain.

“I couldn’t let him hurt you anymore,” Seher replied, her voice raw with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”

Saahil tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. “Don’t be sorry… just don’t stay with him.”

“Go far away from here please,” she interrupted, her voice firm yet laced with vulnerability.

"I can't-"

“Just go. Forget about me. I will handle him, this is my life. ”

The words tasted bitter on her tongue, each syllable a reminder of the life she had lost and the woman she used to be. How had she become so trapped in this life that she had to push away the only person willing to stand up for her?

Saahil’s gaze softened as he took in her bruised face and the way she stood, shoulders tense yet resolute.

“Seher, you deserve better than this,” he urged gently, scooting closer despite the injuries.

“You don’t have to do this alone.”

She looked at his injuries and she felt as if she caused it.

“Leave now, Saahil,” Seher insisted, her heart racing as she caught the darkening expression on Saad’s face. She didn’t want anyone else to suffer for her choices, especially not someone like Saahil who genuinely cared for her".

“But-”

“Enough! Stop playing Romeo and Juliet infront of me.” Saad barked from the entrance, his voice cutting through the air like a knife.

As the tension in the air thickened, Saad crossed his arms, his expression a mixture of triumph and irritation. “See? That’s how you deal with unwanted pests,” he stated, his voice dripping with disdain. “You let them know their place.”

When Seher went to the terrace she saw Ayesha peeking from the nearby balcony and waved at her, "How are you?"

It was a weird sight, her lips bleeding as she waved at her with a broken finger, "Ye kaise hua? (How did you get hurt?)"

Ayesha asked almost feeling guilty.

Did Saad beat her up?

She had no idea what to say. A part of her brain thought she deserved it, she was bearing the consequences of her own actions, the other felt hazy as if she was witnessing something cruel.

She almost reached out to her, to apologize when Ayesha had a realization.

Seher was a reflection of her own future.

"I slapped myself", Seher replied with a grin, "And I broke my fingers".

She looked like a lunatic as she drew closer, "Ek aur cheez batau? (Should I tell you a secret?)"

"Kya? (What?)" Ayesha realised Seher was speaking to her in her language, when she had previously dismissed her scars. Ayesha didn't wanted to accept it, it was painful, a man she knew for twenty years and a his first wife, whom she knew for just a year. She didn't know whom to trust. 

"I killed my child, and in the future you might kill yours too", Ayesha froze, her heart pounding in her chest. Seher's words echoed in her mind, a horrifying mixture of madness. Her gaze fell to Musa, still cradled in her arms, his tiny body warm and innocent.

The thought of harming him made her sick to her core. Seher's face twisted into a mocking smile as she continued, "This is the life we chose, Ayesha. A life where men like Saad will break us until we break ourselves. They make us believe we deserve this. And one day, you’ll look at your son and wonder if it’s all worth it… if you should even keep trying."

Ayesha felt a wave of nausea rise in her throat. She wanted to scream, to deny everything Seher was saying, but a part of her—the part that was exhausted, broken, and desperate for Saad’s love—feared that Seher might be right.

"I won’t become like you," Ayesha whispered, her voice shaking.

Seher laughed, a hollow, bitter sound that sent chills down Ayesha's spine. "We all say that, Ayesha. But look at me now. Look at the scars and the broken fingers. I thought I could escape it too. But in the end, I became exactly what he made me. And soon, you will too."

Ayesha shook her head, backing away slowly. "No. I won’t let it happen. I’ll protect my son. I’ll protect myself."

"From the man who is supposed to protect you?"

"He hates you, that's why he hurts you. He wouldn't hurt me..."

But Ayesha didn't have faith in her own words.

"Oh he won't... do you want to see how much he loves you?"

Ayesha was hesitant but nodded, "I trust him."

So she led Ayesha to the garden, making her stand at the bush as she approached Saad, "I have made my promise, but I want you to keep your promise as well."

"What promise?" Saad asked, then he remembered, "Ohh... I will leave her."

His eyes beaming as he held her shoulders, "Seher you have made me the happiest man in the world, I love you so much."

He hugged her, "I can leave my wealth, my house, anything for you. Ayesha amounts to nothing..."

Ayesha, still hidden behind the bush, felt her legs weaken beneath her as Saad's words echoed in her mind.

Ayesha amounts to nothing.

The weight of those words crushed her. Everything she'd endured, everything she'd fought for, felt meaningless. The man she had loved, the father of her child, had betrayed her in the cruelest way imaginable.

Why did he marry her... if he never loved her?

Why insist on having a heir with her?

He loved her, didn’t he? She hoped so. Desperately. She hoped so that these were lies that he uttered to have Seher on his side. Seher was an asset to him, a puppet that he could use to control Jahangir Shaikh.

Yes, this was it.

Saad would never do so... he loved her.

There had to be some explanation, some reason that didn’t involve the betrayal she was witnessing. He couldn’t truly mean those words.

Seher turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting Ayesha’s through the bushes. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a knowing gleam in her eyes, as if to say, I told you so.

Ayesha felt her chest tighten, and for a moment, she struggled to breathe. The tears that had threatened to fall finally spilled over, and she swallowed back a sob.

Ayesha wanted to scream, to storm out of the bushes and confront Saad, but her legs refused to move. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions—rage, disbelief, heartache—but above all, a deep, gnawing fear.

What if Seher was right? What if she had been living a lie this whole time?

Her heart pounded in her chest as she fought back tears, her hand tightening around herself. She couldn’t fall apart. Not now. Not in front of Seher, and certainly not in front of Saad.

So she stayed there, not ready to confront.

She was afraid of her future...

Seher winced as he held her hand, "Let's treat this," he turned towards the guard, "Call Abdullah Sahib!"

__

Abdullah reached the mansion, and met with Saad on the porch, there were still people walking around. When Abdullah asked him, "Is there an emergency?"

"Yes... Seher fell down and broke her fingers".

Abdullah eyed him, "Only the finger? Her wrist might be fractured too".

"No, just the finger."

"Something fell on her fingers... someone broke it?"

Saad gave him a glare, Abdullah sighed,  "Were you angry?"

"How can I not be? I don't know for how long the two of them interacted, she was a free bird at her father's house. Who knows how many times they sinned? And in my house, he dared to enter my house and touch what belongs to me." Saad's voice was cold, his eyes darkened with possessiveness as he spoke.

Abdullah shifted uncomfortably, casting a glance towards Seher, who stood silently a few feet away, her hand cradled against her chest.

The bruising on her face and the pain in her eyes told him more than her silence ever could. He knew better than to challenge Saad's fury directly, so he simply nodded. "I see. I'll take care of her injuries."

He went inside Saad's room, Seher followed, as he checked her mobility.

"It's swollen. Please be careful, from now onwards..."

"Aren't you upset?"

Abdullah looked up then shook his head realizing what she meant, "I wanted to thank you actually for being a friend to Maheen that I failed to be. I owe you..."

She controlled her cries as he rearranged the broken bones back to their original position, it was a painful process, and Seher winced at every slight movement. She bit her lip to suppress the sounds of discomfort, but tears still escaped her eyes, streaking down her bruised cheeks.

Abdullah worked with precision,"Just take it easy," he murmured as he applied a makeshift splint to her finger. "This will help, but you need to rest it as much as possible."

He gave her some painkillers, before he could leave Seher called him, "I needed a favour".

"Yes..."

"This might put you in a difficult position."

Abdullah smiled, "My life can't get any more difficult, just tell me".

"Can you please check on Saahil... I don't know where he is, I just hope he is alive."

Abdullah hesitated but then he remembered Maheen, if Seher lost Saahil it would be like Maheen losing Afshan once again. And be would be one of the perpetrators once again. He owed Sahil too for protecting his wife.

"I will help both of you."