Present

Asad clenched his jaw, "Aap jante the nahi...Haider ke bare mein tab, still you forced your daughter to marry him"

Gaffur turned back as he was unaware that Asad was aware of the brutal reality, "Matlab. Main samjha nahi", he tried to being innocent but Asad laughed, "HAHA! Adv. Farrooqui, aap jante the ke Haider was addicted to alcohol!"

Gaffur was stunned as he didn't know that Asad was aware about it!

4 months back

"Ye sab kaise huwa doctor", Gaffur in tears asked to the senior resident.

The doctor licked his lips, "Accident to tha hi. But police has investigated and forensic ke hisab se Mr. Ali ne kafi – kafi alcohol intake ki hui thi....it was his daily routine"

Gaffur was aware with the fact that Haider is an alcoholic but he forced her daughter to marry him just because it can give her so-called status, name and fame.

He was ashamed of himself, thinking that he himself has pushed his daughter in the ditch of death and life, where she was now neither close to death nor life.

Present

"Just because of you, she is in this state aur phir bhi aapka ghamand nahi utra....disgusting", the third voice came from the door in tears reached theirs.

They turned back and witness Humeira, the second reason of Gaffur's life, as he used to say. She was numb, rooted and aghast. She couldn't believe to her ears, that her own father was the reason to destroy her sister's life.

Gaffur took steps towards her but she stopped him, showing her finger, "Stop! Aj ke baad mere ya mere karib mat aana", she wiped her tears and started cursing him; "You are our abbu....shi! I am ashamed of you" , he was about to intervene but she kept saying, "You are not our abbu, you can't be"

"I pray to god that we might be orphan, instead of having you as so called father", saying this she ran from there wiping her tears,leaving her father in even more guilt and tears.

Asad was quite and lifted up the father who has knelt down in tears, was broken and was asking for his daughter's forgiveness.

"I have always thought, that – that your father commit suicide with his consent....No maut to aa jati hai jab likhi ho Allah ne", Gaffur was in tears when Asad intervene, "What do you want to say?"

Gaffur wiped his tears, "I hated small jobs, but now I am feeling small in front of you, in front of my daughter. I am too small."


Asad frowned when Gaffur continued, "You won! I am regretting. Cancer hai mujhe, last stage, no one is aware and I request to not share with my daughters"

Asad nodded his head when Gaffur continued, "You were right.You are back. And I am, I am begging you to marry my daughter", he was in tears which were rolling down to her cheeks.

"Will you?", Gaffur asked and Asad was stunned at his question.

He clashed his jaw, "Kya bakwas kar rahe hain aap", and left nodding her head at her shamelessness but Gaffur cried at his sins.

-----

Few Minutes later, Humeira was in her room's terrace, when Asad enter. He has no need to find the place, where she might be for her lonely time of turmoil. He knew very well that she might be on her bamboo swing, hung by her mother, Raziya.

He reached there and yes... he was right, she was on the bamboo swing, sitting holding her legs and her head was resting on the knees,crying her heart loud.

He caressed his brotherly hug on her head and she immediately jumped from the swing and enveloped herself in his arms, "I am sorry, main aapi ko jiju se nikaah karne se nahi rok payi....I am really verysorry", and she sobbed on his chest.

He cupped her chin and forced her to look at her and nodded his head negatively as if saying, "Do not cry, you have done nothing. It was all our fate"

He wiped her tears when the same time something fell on the floor, the noise was coming from Zoya's room and both of them ran towards it.

Asad signaled Humeira to open the door, meanwhile he himself reached to a nook, "Aapi", Humeira ran towards her sister and hold her as she was about to fall, "You were about to fell down, sambhalke". It was the noise of the fallen glass on the floor, when she was struggling to grab the glass and jug to quench her thirst.

"Pa-Pani", Zoya with thirsty throat asked for the water and Humeira offered a glass full of water. Zoya gulped down the full glass in a single gulp and she asked for another to quench her thirst.

Witnessing her helplessness, a tear drop fell from Asad's eyes, which he wiped when she quench her thirst.

"Tell him, to leave", Zoya passed the judgment.

Humeira tried to wander her concentration from Asad, "Who?"

"Don't try to be so innocent. You know who is he?", she turned her back towards his face and declared, "I will never ever face him, chahe duniya khatam kyu nahi ho jaye", and wiped her tears.

"Aapi! He is your best friend", she exclaimed.

Zoya hid her tears from everyone, "Best friends are friend indeed,right?

Humeira didn't reply but Zoya kept on saying, "But whenever I needed him, where was he?"

Asad was speechless and Zoya ended, "Was he there when Haider left me? Was he with me, when I was getting marry to—", but she stopped here and forced her sister to get out and locked the door.

Asad wiped his tears but didn't ask to open the door as his own guilt was eating him up. She too cried rested her back to the door and cried as much she could.

He let her blurt out all her pain and angst on her, which she had on the fate, because he was the only one to whom she could complaint and share her loneliness but all her complaints and punishments were meaningless and for namesake.

----

Few days later, Zoya was performing the morning namaz when,Rubina Khala, the senior maid of the house uttered, "Ameen!"

She started wrapping the rug and touched it with eyes and realized that someone was on the door, "Rubina Khala!", she smiled a bit as she was closed to her and allowed her to take the entry in the room, "Aap yahan"

"Haan main, allah aapki har dua qubool kare", and she blow the air on Zoya's face.

Zoya lamely smiled again at Khala's motherhood, and asked,"Aapko kuch chahiye tha"

"Nahin, bas aapke liye ye layi thi", Khala who was holding the huge platter,Zoya took from her in the respectful gesture and asked, "Yeh! Mere liye par kya hai?"

Khala smiled and kissed her forehead, "Apke nikaah ka joda",listening this left Zoya numb and she remained rooted.


The platter destined to the floor from her hands and she ran towards her father's room who was fully prepared to answer her before she could question.

She enter to her study in tears, dupatta was untidy and breathing was eating her words up, but before she could ask anything, "Ye nikaah! Aapki khushi ke liye hai aur aapko karna hoga"

She gulped the fresh the lump down, "Main Haider se -", but before she could continue her father left saying, "Haider se shadi karte waqt main sahi tha na", be imitate to be a ruthless father and left.

While she knelt down on the floor crying out loud as she has never cried, as there was no one who belonged to her.


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A/N: Please do read the story and comment if you are liking it, and if not then please let me know I wouldn't continue it.

Thanks