Zara's POV

The next day, I go out for lunch with the girls. Hafsa can't make it, though, because she's been called to babysit one of her baby nephews. How Hafsa's cousin Sabah chose her to babysit, I have no idea. Because Hafsa's a baby herself. However, Ayesha and Layla are waiting for me at one of our favourite local diners when I reach.

We're having lunch at an Italian place. Yum. I hug the girls when I see them waiting for me at a table in the far corner of the diner.

'Hey, Zara! You look beautiful, you're glowing!' Ayesha says, grinning at me.

I smile. I'm glowing? I actually thought I didn't look too good this morning, because of how sick I felt last night. I don't mention this to the girls, though, because I don't want them to worry needlessly. And thankfully, I'm feeling much better now.

"Ayesha's right, sweetie. You look amazing! More amazing than ever. Marriage sure is treating you very well," Layla winks at me.

I chuckle. 'Yeah. I've missed you girls, honestly,' I tell them truthfully.

'We've missed you too, babe. Tons. But now we can catch up with everything! What do you want to eat?' Ayesha asks me, handing me a menu.

I glance through it, and decide upon a simple, margherita pizza. My favourite.

"Good choice! I'll have the same," Layla says.

Ayesha calls over a waiter, and places our orders. She orders some veggie lasagne for herself. We all choose Diet Coke as our drink.

After we've ordered, we talk and talk and talk. About anything and everything. I tell the girls about how Hafsa couldn't come this afternoon, because she's busy with babysitting her cousin's son. Ayesha and Layla both laugh with me, saying that Hafsa babysitting would be a fun scene to watch. Then, I tell them about how amazing Aunty and Uncle are with me. They're so amazing.

"You're damn lucky, babe. Perfect in-laws and the most perfect husband. He loves you so much, it's adorable," Ayesha says, smiling. Layla nods, agreeing with her.

'I'm definitely lucky. And yeah, he does,' I whisper, blushing slightly at the mention of Zaid. I don't think I'll ever stop blushing around him, and at the mention of him. Not even when we have grandchildren!

"He's back at the office, but I can tell you, Zara, he wants to get home right away. He misses you the whole time when he's at work," Layla says, chuckling.

My blush deepens. 'Yeah, I know. He doesn't even want to go to work in the morning. He keeps trying to make excuses, but they don't work with me!'

The girls laugh and tease me about my blush. I enjoy catching up with them, it's lots of fun.

A few minutes later, however, I start to feel really weird. The smell of the pizzas and other Italian foods is making me feel so...

My head starts to ache, suddenly. I usually love the scent of freshly baked pizza, but today it's not sitting well with me at all.

I start to feel nauseous, and the girls quickly notice that something's wrong.

'Ayesh! Zara, sweetie, are you okay? What's wrong?' Layla asks, worriedly. She grabs my hand, and my palms are sweating.

I nod, trying to blink back the tears which have formed in my eyes.

"I.. I don't know," I whisper, trying to control my dizziness.

Just then, our waiter brings over our food. I had really been craving pizza, but now I don't even want to look at it. As soon as he places our plates on the table, I shoot up from my seat and run.

I run in the direction of the bathroom sign, and I just about make it, locking myself in my cubicle and vomiting out what feels like everything inside of me.

I can hear Ayesha and Layla knocking loudly on my cubicle, but I feel too weak to respond. When I'm done, I open the door with shaking hands and ignore their shocked expressions. I rinse out my mouth and brush my teeth with a miniature toothbrush and toothpaste which I keep in my purse at all times. Then, I use mouthwash (which I also have the tiniest bottle of at all times).

After violently being so sick, I feel much better. I finally have my senses back, and my energy too.

'Zara, what just happened?' Ayesha asks me, in shock.

"I was sick. I haven't been feeling too good, since last night," I mumble quietly.

'Are you feeling better now?' Layla asks me gently.

I nod. "Yeah, much better. I'm so sorry for ruining your lunch. God, I'm such a mess today. I think I have food poisoning. From something I ate yesterday."

Ayesha hugs me. 'Don't apologise, Zara. Never apologise. You're our best friend. Do you want to go home? We told the waiter to get all our food packed to go.'

I nod. I silently follow the girls out of the restaurant, and we make our way to the car park. We will be driving in Ayesha's car, as her and Layla came together, and Hafsa dropped me off before heading to her cousin's house.

We sit on a bench near the car park for a few minutes, because Ayesha and Layla both think that I need fresh air to help me feel better.

'Zara? Can I ask you something?' Layla asks, slowly.

"Of course you can," I say with a smile.

She looks at Ayesha, unsure. They both look super confused, but at the same time, they look... sure. I'm probably making no sense right now.

"Spit it out, what's the matter?" I ask them.

'Erm.. how long have you been feeling this way, Zara? Did you say you started to feel unwell last night?' Ayesha asks me, placing a hand on my arm. I'm seated in between them on the wooden bench. The fresh air feels amazing on my skin.

"Yes, I started feeling sick last night. In the middle of the night. I just woke up, feeling dizzy and sick. It must have been something that I ate yesterday," I say, nodding.

'I think we should take you to the doctor. Do you want me to call Zaid?' Layla asks me.

I shake my head furiously. "No, he's.. I don't want to worry him. He's with his friends right now. I'm honestly feeling much better now."

'I don't think it's food poisioning, lovely,' Ayesha speaks slowly.

I frown. "Of course it is. It must be," I mutter.

Layla sighs. 'When was your last period, Zara? Was it the one I remember so well? When you told us early morning, the day of your mehndi function, that you'd started? Was that the first day of your last period?' She asks me.

I laugh loudly, recalling the memories of that day. It'd been so hilarious, seeing how shocked the girls all were when I told them, the day before my wedding, that I'd started my period. "Yeah."

Layla and Ayesha's faces fall in shock.

'Your wedding day was August 6th, Zara,' Ayesha tells me as if I don't know.

I laugh. "I know, Ayesha. It was my wedding day, I don't think I can ever forget that date!"

'Your last period came on August 5th, babe. It's the 10th of September today. Your period is 8 days late, as I know exactly how long your cycles always are,' she says.

That's when it hits me.

No.

It can't be.

It's not possible, right?

I shake my head, my hair hitting my face. "8 days? It's never been a day late before. What's.. wrong with me? No. Oh, I know. It must be because I recently got married. And, you know.. doesn't becoming sexually active affect your periods?" I whisper the last part.

Layla shakes her head. 'I know what you're trying to say, babe, and it doesn't work that way. Becoming sexually active doesn't make your periods come later than usual. It only affects your periods if you're... pregnant.'

I start shaking uncontrollably, shaking my head. "No. I know exactly when I ovulate. This can't be possible. Is it possible to get pregnant the first time? Because that's the only way... no."

'It's very possible, sweetie,' she replies, clutching my hand and rubbing soothing circles. They don't sooth me in any way, though.

I can't be... pregnant.

I start to laugh loudly. "It's not possible! The only way I could be pregnant is if... it happened the first time. In... Paris. No."

Just then, my phone starts to ring, making me jump. I take it out of my purse with shaking fingers.

It's Zaid.

'I can't talk right now,' I whisper to the girls.

Ayesha nods. "Let's get you home, shall we? What do you want to do? You need to go to the doctor, get it checked."

'I'll tell you what. We'll drop you off at home, but me and Ayesha are coming to see you this evening. We need to make sure you're feeling okay. And.. I'll bring you some pregnancy tests,' Layla says slowly.

Pregnancy tests?!

I shake my head. "I'm not pregnant!"

'We'll know when we find out. How did you not realise your period is so late?' Ayesha says to me.

I shrug. "Zaid kept me too busy."

She smirks. 'And that's exactly why... okay, okay. We won't say another word. But oh, my gosh! I'm about to become an aunt! We're coming over with... this evening. Only then will we know for sure.'

I ignore them, jumping up and walking into the car park.

"Don't jump up like that! And no more heels for you. It's dangerous," Layla says, making Ayesha chuckle.

I turn around and glare at them. 'I'm not pregnant.'

"Okay, okay. You're not. Until this evening," Layla whispers the last part.

I shake my head and continue to walk to the car.

It's not possible, is it? I got married just over a month ago! I can't be pregnant.

I discreetly touch my stomach gently, rubbing it.

This can't be true.

********

'You don't like it, do you?' Zaid asks, his face falling.

I glance at him, shaking myself out of my thoughts. He's placed the most delicious looking chocolate fudge cake in front of me, and it automatically makes me smile. It looks amazing, and smells amazing too. Thankfully, the scent of the chocolate doesn't make me gag, like the pizza had earlier. Instead, it makes my mouth water.

"Wait. You made it? For me?" I ask, my heart soaring.

He nods, his expression brightening. 'Yes. And of course it's for you, who else would it be for?'

Zaid cuts me a huge slice of the cake, and places it onto a silver plate for me. He breaks some off with a fork, and takes the fork to my mouth. "Open up."

I open my mouth to take the bite of the cake. As soon as it hits my tastebuds, I moan appreciatively and quickly eat it up. I quickly devour the entire slice of cake on my plate, and another one.

Zaid, opposite me, smirks and then grins. 'Looks like you like it!'

"I love it," I say, grinning, after eating up the last bite. "It's delicious."

His eyes darken as he leans in, kissing me quickly and gently. 'You had some cake on the corner of your lip.'

I swallow, staring into his eyes. He looks so good today, wearing a dark navy button-up shirt with black jeans.

He comes in for another kiss, but I place a hand on his lips, chuckling. "Aunty and Uncle will come!"

'Let's go upstairs then,' he whispers, his voice thick with desire.

I shake my head, laughing. I lean up and place a gentle kiss on his cheek, loving the feel of his stubble tickling my lips.

However, after we've cleared up the dishes, I do head upstairs with him. But we just lay in bed, talking.

We reminisce all our beautiful memories, and they bring tears to my eyes.

'I'm sorry for spilling the coffee all over you,' I whisper, staring into Zaid's eyes.

He sighs, pulling me closer. "That was one of my favourite memories, love. It all started from there. That was the start."

'We've come so far, haven't we?' I whisper, remembering every tiny memory with Zaid.

He nods. "Do you remember when we went on a business trip to London? And you got a proposal that same day? I was so mad."

I laugh, blinking back my tears. 'I remember that so well. When we pretended to be married, in front of those two girls.'

"Because you got jealous," he says, winking at me.

'I did not!' My cheeks redden.

"You did! But you had no idea, did you, that I was already in love with you at that point?" He whispers, truthfully.

I glance into his eyes, which are filled with nothing but the truth and immense love for me. 'Really?'

He nods. "I've always loved you, Zara. Maybe it was love at first sight, maybe I started loving you the day you came into my office for an interview. But when you told me everything about your past, I knew that I couldn't stay away from you any longer. I knew that you were the only girl I could feel this way for. My feelings for you were too strong to ignore. And I did try to ignore the feelings, so many times. But it didn't work. Whenever I was working at the office, whenever I was stuck in a meeting, you would be in my mind. No matter how far away you were, you were always with me."

A tear spills, and I quickly wipe it away. 'Zaid, why does this feel like the end of something? I know that our beautiful relationship has just begun, but why does this feel like.. the end of something so amazing? Why do I feel as though my heart is slowly breaking, shattering into a million tiny pieces?'

He kisses the top of my head, holding me close. I can feel his heart hammering in his chest. I can also feel and hear my own heart, beating in sync with his. "I feel the same way, darling. But let me tell you, this is just the start. Of our life together, of everything. I can't wait to spend everyday of the rest of my life with you. This is just the beginning, beautiful."

I nod. 'But I'll never forget anything. I'll never forget all our beautiful memories from before our wedding, from our wedding day. We will continue to make beautiful memories, but these will always be my favourites.'

"Won't the memories of the birth of our children be your favourites, too?" Zaid whispers, a small smile on his full, pink lips.

Oh, damn. I had completely forgotten. Zaid had made me forget everything. Layla and Ayesha will soon be reaching, with... the pregnancy test. My heart starts beating faster, at a thousand beats per second. 'When that happens, Zaid, that will be my most favourite memory.'

"Mine too." He hugs me close, and I close my eyes, loving the feel of his embrace. This is my favourite place in the entire world. His arms.

"Your birthday is in eight days, beautiful. Tell me, what do you want for your birthday?" He asks me gently.

I look into his eyes, smiling. 'I already have everything I've ever wanted.'

He kisses me softly. "But I want to give you everything. Tell me."

'I just want your love, Zaid. Nothing else,' I snuggle closer to him.

"My love is all and only yours, Zara. I promise you this. My heart has always belonged to you."

I sigh, kissing his soft but stubbly cheek. 'I don't know how I managed to live without you for twenty years, Zaid. Well.. I'll be twenty in eight days. I don't know how I managed to live without you for my entire life, because now, I can't stay without you for even an hour!'

"Darling, I can't live without you for a single second, and you're saying a whole hour? We're together now, and we always will be. We don't need to think about living without each other."

I smile. 'I hope I die before you, whenever I do. Even if it's a day before you. Because you're my everything now.'

Zaid's eyes water up as he holds me close and gently in his arms. "Never say that, Zara. Don't ever talk about dying. I would die without you. You're my life. You're my Hayati."

'I love you, Zaid. I love you so much,' I whisper, my tears falling.

He gently wipes them away, his own eyes filled with tears to the brim. "I love you more, my darling. Forever."

********

'Zara, we'll be waiting for you upstairs, okay? In your room,' Ayesha says to me gently, hugging me.

"Yes, just.. come when you're ready," Layla says, and they head upstairs.

Hafsa hasn't reached home yet, and she has no idea about what's going on. Layla has bought three pregnancy tests for me to take, even though I'm still telling them that I'm not pregnant. It's not possible, I got married only a month ago.

'Is everything okay, love?' Zaid asks, smiling at me.

I nod. "Yeah, of course! The girls came to see me because I had.. a bit of a headache this morning. They were worrying needlessly, so they came to see me."

'What? You weren't feeling well, and you didn't tell me? Are you feeling okay now?' Zaid asks, super worried. He feels my forehead for a fever.

I smile. "I didn't want to worry you, too! And I'm feeling much better now, honestly. My head isn't hurting at all now. I'm perfectly fine. Layla and Ayesha are just.. being crazy."

'You didn't want to worry me? I'm your husband, of course I will worry if my beautiful wife isn't feeling well! I'll let you off this time, though. But if you don't tell me next time, then I'll be mad. Okay?' He looks into my eyes, searching.

I nod. "I'll tell you, don't worry. Weren't you going to help Aunty with the cooking today?"

He nods, beaming. 'Yes. Tell me, what shall I cook for you?'

"Whatever you want! It's up to you," I say, chuckling.

'Shh. Tell me. We'll make whatever you want!'

"Okay, you know the super yummy Chinese rice you make? The one with the stir fry chicken and veggies? I want that!" I grin, telling him what I've been craving for days now.

'It'll be ready in an hour and a half! Go and spend some time with Ayesha and Layla. Hafsa will be getting back soon, too. I'll go and start cooking.' Zaid turns to go to the kitchen, but I grab his arm, my eyes tearing up.

"You forgot something," I whisper, blinking back my crazy tears.

He pulls me close, my body colliding with his. We're standing in the hall, and anyone can walk in at any second, but I don't care. All I care about right now, is Zaid.

He kisses me gently and slowly, pouring all his love and emotions into the kiss. I kiss him back with everything I have, as if this is our last kiss. When we break the kiss for air, I rest my forehead against his, still standing on my tiptoes.

"I love you," he whispers, staring into my eyes.

'I love you, Mr. Malik. I'll see you in an hour and a half!' I kiss his cheek gently, before running upstairs.

I didn't know it was possible to love someone so much.

********

'You've spent an hour trying to make excuses, sweetie. I know you're scared, and we're nervous too! But.. we need to know. You need to know! Take the test, it'll only take five minutes,' Ayesha says to me, kissing my forehead gently.

The amount of kisses I've received today is crazy. Ninety percent of them came from Zaid, and the other ten percent came from Aunty, Layla and Ayesha. I can't believe how close I've become with Layla. She's a lovely girl, and a dear friend now.

"But I can't be pregnant," I whisper, my eyes filling up with tears for the thousandth time today. I've been an emotional wreck today.

'I know you're shocked, Zara, but I also know that you do want to become a mother. It's every girl's dream. Think of yourself with the most beautiful, tiny baby in your arms. Think of Zaid with a son or daughter. He'll be the best father, and you'll be the best mother. You shouldn't doubt yourself, lovely.'

How does Ayesha know me so well?

I honestly want nothing more than to have a baby with Zaid. Some might think it's too early, but I'm ready. I'm not fully twenty yet, but I do want to start a family with Zaid. That's the reason why we haven't been using protection.

But I'm scared. I'm scared as hell. I want to be pregnant, but I don't know what I'll be like as a mother. I know for a fact that Zaid will be the best father in the world, but would I be a good mother to my children, if I'm pregnant?

I'm so nervous, so afraid.

I want to take the test, but since yesterday, I've been trying to not get my hopes up. I've been trying to convince myself that I've gotten food poisoning, and that it's nothing else. What if I take the test, and it's negative?

But what if it's positive? What if I'm pregnant?

Will I tell Zaid straight away? Will I tell everyone?

My heart hammers loudly in my chest, threatening to escape. Is it possible, that there's a tiny baby growing inside of me at this very second?

I touch my stomach gently, and my eyes water up. Layla and Ayesha hold my hand for comfort. I'll only know if I take the test.

With my legs shaking like crazy, I stand up. I nod to Layla, who hands me the carrier bag from the local pharmacy. I take out the Clearblue test. She's bought three of them, but I only take one out of the bag.

I walk into my en-suite bathroom in silence.

'We're right here, Zara. Take all the time you need. We'll be here when you come out,' Ayesha promises. They don't say another word after that, giving me my personal space and all the time I need.

I close the bathroom door and lock it, opening the box with trembling fingers. I read the instructions on the back of the box, and do as they say.

Five minutes.

I have to wait five minutes, until I have my answer. I don't want to look at the test until the time is up, so I cover it with a small face towel. And then I turn on the timer on my phone.

One minute, two minutes gone.

Three minutes.

Time is going by so slowly. Minutes feel like hours as I sit on the small chair near the bath, staring into space. I'm shaking like crazy, my nerves won't go away before I have my answer.

To calm myself, I close my eyes shut tight and recall some more beautiful memories with Zaid. I recall our fun and craziness in Pakistan, and when he kept telling me to tell our parents to have our wedding sooner. I recall the moment I saw Zaid looking as handsome as ever in his sherwani, while I walked down the aisle with Dad. I recall the moment I was finally alone with Zaid, on our wedding night.

When my timer goes off loudly, I jump. I felt slightly calm in my thoughts for a minute or so, but now the nerves are back, more than ever.

Breathe in, breathe out.

It's okay, Zara. Whatever happens, happens for the best.

Zaid is with you, forever.

I stand up, walking over to the bathroom counter, where the pregnancy test sits, covered with the towel. My fingers shaking, I uncover the test. I close my eyes and pick it up, my hands sweating.

"Zara, are you okay? Will anyone tell me what's going on?!" Hafsa's arrived.

I open my eyes, and look down at the small pregnancy test in my hands.

When I see what's written on it, I fall to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. Oh, my god.

How is this happening? I can't believe my eyes.

Pregnant.

********

I'm crying my eyes out. My heart hurts so much, everything hurts right now.

I can't believe it. 'Tangled Hearts' is finally finished, this was the last chapter guys! I'm crying so hard. My eyes are bloodshot red.

The book has ended, with Zara's pregnancy. I know many of you saw this coming, and you wished this would happen! Can you believe it?! I can't.

I don't know what to say! My babies. I miss Zara and Zaid already. This book is my heart. This book is a huge part of me, it has so many snippets from my real life. It includes some of the things which are closest to my heart, which no one knows.

Guys, please vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter and if you like this book. I don't know when I'll stop crying, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave lots of lovely comments.

You guys have no idea how much I love you. How much Zara and Zaid love you.

What was your favourite scene in the final chapter?

Omg. I always ask you all, what do you think will happen next? And now.. tell me. Even though this is the final chapter.

There is NO epilogue. Sorry, guys.

I love you all soooo much. I'm still crying.

Thank you for all your immense love and support. I couldn't have done this without you. 70 chapters! I love you all!!

Do you want an Instagram Q&A session about this book? I've seen some of my favourite authors do this, and it's great. I'll answer some questions which you have about this book. Let me know. You can ask any of the characters questions, and I'll answer them.

Again, thank you for all your support. This wouldn't have been possible without you! Until next time, bye guys! x