Chapter 3

"You didn't have your breakfast… should I make something else?" Her fingers automatically went to her thigh and she started tapping on it, her habit when she is nervous.

"I still have that disgusting taste in my mouth, what else can you serve? I don't want anything." He continued reading some files and dotting down something on paper.

Her heart shattered at his words. Not because he was so cruel. But because she knew her food tasted good and they were deliberately hurting her.

Her parents pushed her out from one hell and threw her in another one.

It would have been better if she would just have run away from her house. Its struggle would be better than to see money rich people so poor at heart.

And she had only seen bad hearts so far.

Not wanting to sit in his presence, she decided to sit with his mother instead.

Sanober already had company with her other two daughter in laws and Saman, they were laughing at something while eating some snacks. They looked like a perfect family. Not wanting to disturb their privacy, she was about to turn back but it was too late as Sanober called her in. Awkwardly smiling, she stepped inside now in a silent living room.

As soon as she sat beside her, all the three ladies got up and made some or the other excuse and left the living room. The lump in her throat felt too big to even gulp down.

Was it too much to ask for an ideal family? For someone who would just show her that they love her even if they don't? Just wanting to feel wanted just for a moment?

Sanober was about to say something when two ladies came inside greeting them in a formal way. Later she came to know, they were neighbours and had come to see her. The new and elder bride of the Yazdani house.

From their eyes she could tell that rather than greeting her, they had come to judge her, the skill she learnt at a very early age.

"You have chosen quite a beautiful daughter in law for your son Sanober." One of them said with a fake smile.

"Indeed. And she makes delicious food and is an expert fashion designer too." Sanober praised her with pride shining in her eyes.

"Huh! You said that last time too." And then the real reason for their visit started.

"Ha ha...yes you said that last time too...my daughter in law is one in the millions...and then she ran away with your millions." Laughing out loud they high-fived each other.

"Think before you speak, Sanober… what if Haroon's second wife comes out like the last one?…" They didn't even care that she was sitting right in front of them before saying such absurd things.

Her heart beat fastened listening to their talks as they went on and on about what she had done and what she could do. Keeping Haroon Yazdani's ex-wife and current wife simultaneously in their talks. But she lost her cool, when they taunted Sanober. She was the only person good to her since she stepped in the threshold of this house last night.

"Aunty! You are here to insult me...then so be it. But if you will say something to aunty...then the door is open for you. Go and break someone else's house." Saying she stood up and suddenly felt bile raising in her throat. Ignoring their angry glare she rushed towards her husband's room.

Yes! She was his second wife. Or to be precise, forced second wife.

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"I have to buy some clothes. Thanks to you I have nothing of my own here." I said monotonously on the breakfast table which surprisingly we were having together.

"I am going for some work, I will drop you at the shop and pick you up on my way back. You won't be stepping out of it until I come there." Saying he picked up the glass of water with his left hand and attached the back of his right hand at the bottom of the glass while drinking from it.

"You can drink from one hand, you know?" Before I could stop myself, my tongue slipped. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

He took his time while sipping water in three intervals and then turned towards me.

"It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you eats, let him eat with his right hand, and when he drinks, let him drink with his right hand, for the shaytaan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.” And I had my right hand unwashed so I supported the glass with it so it would be easy for drinking. And I don't have to drink with my left hand alone. I am waiting in the car. Come quickly."

Saying he was out of the dining room. But his brief explanation threw me in a pit of oblivion. Am I even capable to be called a muslim?

I shook my head, wiped my mouth, and followed him.

He dropped me in the boutique, probably his friend's. Because he instructed the male manager, there was one female manager too, to not let me step out of it until he arrives to pick me up! Huh! I just rolled my eyes and followed the lady inside towards the casual clothes section.

"Ufff! I don't like anything here!" The sell girl was just showing similar pieces all along, whose prices not to mention, reached the sky. And I was not capable enough. SH should have known it. I huffed. "I don't want to see anything." I buried my face in my hands when a soft voice reached my ears.

"Let it be Anisa, I am free now, I will guide her." I looked up to see a lady in black niqab taking Anisa's place who smiled gratefully in return.

"So what is the problem?" That lady asked tol sweetly that it became hard for me to even snap at her.

"I don't have enough money." I folded my hands on my chest and looked away. I was not embarrassed at my condition. "Hell! I didn't even plan to shop. I would have at least saved some money." I don't myself understand why I was even telling her everything.

"Everything will be fine." Saying she opened her niqab. I looked around to see we were alone in this corner. "You know Allah is with those who are patient. Do sabr. The amount of reward in return of sabr is uncountable. And you will wish on the day of judgement, that may Allah have tested you more and you would have been patient about it after seeing the ajr of sabr." Her voice was so soothing and comforting that I felt myself tearing up.

"What is your name?" I needed to know, don't know why.

"Azferene Wajahat." She gave me a full blown smile. Her face radiating with noor. Her words were as soothing as water in the cold dessert.

"Ilhaam." I whispered. "Unfortunately I don't have parents to use their name as a suffix." I smiled at her and was about to welcome sympathy which I usually get but instead she looked at me like she could read my soul.

"I will tell you my story...it seems like your husband forgot that he has a  beautiful wife waiting for him." She teased me in the end, making my eyes pop out of my skull and I groaned. Why does everybody think we are husband and wife?

"He is not my husband." I looked away and she understood I didn't want to talk about it so she started telling me how she got married.

To say it was shocking to know that she went through too much was an understatement. But when she said she was his second wife, I lost my cool.
"WHAT?" My voice raised a number of octaves. But she shushed me down.

"Wait a minute! You are saying, you are his second wife and you are cool about it all?" I whispered yelled.

"Calm down. There's more to it...I…" she was about to continue but the sales girl came informing me that SH was here. Uhh! He literally has the wrong timings! I will feed him to penguins one day!

"I guess...we will have to stop here." Azferene stood up and shook my hand smiling lightly.

"But I want to know the whole story." I whined like a child.

"Zindagi rahi to dubara mulakat hogi. In sha allah." She smiled at me.
(If there is life we will meet again.)

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Haroon was still busy sorting out his files, when the room's door opened with a thud, and in came his wife. She ran inside the bathroom and puked out her guts. She didn't have dinner last night, nor could she have breakfast this morning. And the talks of the ladies didn't help either.

Brushing her mouth and washing her face, she came out wiping her face with a small towel. Her slumped silhouette came out and just fell on the bed when she got up as if, current passed through her body. Glancing at her husband, who was already looking at her with an emotionless face, she mumbled a short apology and sat on the floor.

Haroon's eyes widened a little bit by her actions. Why did she sit down when the whole bed was empty?

His eyes trailed down on where she sat with her head on her knees and her hands around her knees. She looked tired. Emotionally. Like she was already fed up with what life was throwing her way.

It wasn't even a minute, when her body shook violently indicating that she was crying. But he could see, she was trying hard not to be noticed.

Drama Queen.
He mumbled under his breath, loud enough for her to listen and went back to his work.

She sat back straight at his taunt. Controlling her cries was becoming difficult for her, but that was the art which life had taught her. The art of controlling her cries!

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"You didn't get anything?" He asked me with an emotionless face.

"No!" I mirrored his expressions.

"Why?" He was already getting angry.

"Because I don't have any money!" Shouting on his face, I was out of the boutique and in the car.

"Come out. I will pay for you." He stood near my window and said looking ahead.

"I don't want to get anything from your money. Who knows if your money is black?" I gritted out each word slowly but he stood unfazed. "Just take me to my place, I will quickly take my things. It won't even take half an hour. Please." Keeping my both hands on the window sill I pouted at him.

He turned to look at me for a second and looked away. After standing there for a minute he finally sighed and got into the car.

Finally!

"Your bodyguards don't follow you around?" The nerve of this man! He didn't even bother to answer me, so I, being myself, started bothering him. "You know, they stand in front of your mansion all day and you don't even stay there most of the time? So why bother them? It is you who needs the safety right? To carry your black money?" I giggled like a child keeping my hand on my mouth.

"Your address?" I was grinning. He was finally annoyed. I can sense it in his voice.

"You won't utter a word to your family." His warning held a threat which didn't have any ounce of bit affect on me.

"As if I have one. Huh! You have a girl living in your house for nearly two weeks, and you didn't even run a background check on her? Too bad SH...Too bad. You should improve your working style." I laughed at him. But his expressions were worth watching! From confusion to shock to anger and finally the one I wanted to see on his face, frustration!

He didn't utter a word, but I detected his anger by his white turning knuckles on the steering wheel.

"No funny business." I just rolled my eyes at his warning and got down when he stopped the car.

He too followed me like my personal bodyguard. I giggled at my thoughts while opening the lock.

"Make yourself home." Saying I took off my shoes while he followed my suit while examining my house. It was a one bedroom kitchen hall, and I myself was surprised at how tidy I kept it, situated in a rather poor area of the city because I couldn't afford it.

I was slightly embarrassed even though I shouldn't be, the person next to me lived in a trucking Mansion!

Shaking away my thoughts, I went to grab a glass of water. When I came back, he actually took my statement seriously and was sitting comfortably.

"Here." He looked at me as if he wasn't expecting me to do this.

"Unlike you, I know how to do hospitality." I bit my lips to stop my laughter when he scrunched his face in annoyance.

"Whatever. Do your work quickly." He dismissed me through his hands making my blood boil.

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