Chapter 8

"Haniya?" It was after some days of her joining the boutique when Haniya came there. Probably she didn't know Azferene worked there or she must not have even visited.

"Bhabi?" She was shocked. "You work here?" Haniya asked with wide eyes.

"Umm...yeah." Azferene shrugged her shoulders.

It was the biggest and most famous boutique of the city. And Azferene working there was a big shock for her.

"I didn't know you worked here."

"I just joined a week ago."

"Ohh…"

"So what would you like to see?" Azferene asked with a formal smile but it vanished when Zaid joined Haniya. As soon as his eyes landed on her burqa clad form, his eyes widened in realisation and his face hardened.

"Come on. Let us get out of here." He grumbled to Haniya. Azferene looked away from the couple, embarrassed.

"But you told me, at my sister's wedding you will buy me a dress from here. This is not fair." She whined like a child making Zaid melt.

"Okay! But we will get another designer." Saying they made their way to the manager ignoring her and asked for the best designer in their boutique.

"Azferene Wajahat!" Manager called out to her.

"Yes Mam?"

"They want to see the latest wedding collection. Guide them through. You know what to do." Nodding her head she gestured to them to follow her but they stayed rooted.

"Isn't there any other designer?" Zaid asked in a cold voice.

"I am sorry Sir. But due to the wedding season at its peak no one is available. It is your luck that Azferene just got free from her other client, otherwise we don't  entertain anyone without an appointment." She smiled apologetically and before Zaid could argue anymore, Haniya dragged him behind Azferene.

For the next hour they got busy looking at dresses. Azferene was glad that someone from her family visited and was happily assisting them.

"Zaid this one or this one?" Haniya bounced two dresses in her either hands in front of him.

"I think you should try both of them and then we can decide." He looked confused at the two masterpieces which looked almost alike.

"Okay." Saying she disappeared in the cubicle leaving them alone.

Azferene busied herself in arranging the dispersed clothes, ignoring Zaid. She took the pile of clothes and looked up to arrange them on a slight higher rack. As soon as she looked up, darkness flashed in front of her eyes and her upper body swayed in slow circles unknown to her. The world started circling around her when she barely caught Zaid's worried face coming towards her as she whispered her last words,

"Don't touch!"

"HANIYAAAA! HANIYAAA!" He shouted madly for his wife and looked at his sister-in-law worriedly. No matter how much he wanted to help but he couldn't, she told him not to touch even in this condition.

Not knowing what to do he shouted for help and dialled his brother's number.

"BHAAAIII...BHAAAIII…" He shouted as soon as he picked up.

"What happened Zaid? Why are you shouting?" Haroon asked annoyed.

"Bhai...Bhabiiii…" He whispered looking at her niqab claded face which the Manager was now removing and sprinkling water on her face.

"What happened to your Bhabi?" Haroon asked, startled.

"She fainted." He said still in trance.

"WHAT? WHERE? HOW?" It was Haroon's turn to shout.

"We are in her boutique. Please come fast." He said but Haroon already disconnected the call and was on his way.

Just then Haniya came back frantically looking here and there. "What happened Zaid? Why were you shou...Oh my Allah...Bhabiii…" She immediately was by her side trying to wake her up but to no avail, she didn't open her eyes.

He sped in full speed on the road barely dodging some vehicles and reached just in time when Haniya and other female employees dragged her outside with Zaid hot on tail.

"Haniya here…" he opened the back door and laid her inside, keeping her head on Haniya's lap.

"Bhai jaldi kare." Haniya whispered, wiping the sweat off Azferene's forehead while Zaid would sometimes look back and sometimes in front sitting in front seat.

As soon as they reached the hospital, they rushed her inside.

"There is nothing to worry about Mr. Yazdani. It was just weakness and overload due to which she collapsed. She doesn't seem to have enough sleep for many days. Is she going through some stress? Just try to improve her diet and give her food from time to time. Nothing to worry about. And yeah...let her have enough sleep. And...it is not my place to say that you both look happy but...try to keep her happy." The doctor instructed him while dotting down the prescription.

"Thank you Doctor." Smiling at her he left the cabin.

He sighed, rubbing his hands on his face.

It was just weakness and overload due to which she collapsed.

She doesn't seem to have enough sleep for many days. Is she going through some stress?

It is not my place to say that you both look happy but...try to keep her happy.

The Doctor's words kept circling in his mind again and again making his head ache.

"What happened? What did the Doctor say?" Haniya asked as soon as she saw him.

"Nothing much...it was due to weakness. Umm...I will just buy the medicines." He avoided looking at them and excused himself.

"Zaid? What were we doing? She is living with us and we didn't even know what she was going through." Tears rolled down Haniya's cheeks making Zaid more guilty.

"I know. It was all my fault. I told you not to be close with her. I shouldn't have done that. She is not Aliah. She is different. She is good." Zaid himself felt tearing up but controlled himself. "You know when she fell down, what did she say?" He sat on the bench followed by Haniya. "She said, 'Don't touch'. How can I even think that she could be even close to what Aliah was? How can I be so cruel to her Haniya?" Zaid whispered in a trance.

"Zaid...it is still not too late...she is fine. Ask for her forgiveness. As far as I came to know her, she is a pure soul. She will definitely forgive us. Let us just hope for the best." She rubbed his hands providing him needed comfort.

××××××××××

It had been week, week since I was tied up to the chair. I assumed no one knew about my kidnapping cause there was no one who would worry about a common girl Ilhaam with no surname had disappeared. And the one who would have cared, I brutally hurt them before leaving that house without telling anything.

The door opened, and I didn't even want to look at his annoying face, which would hold his usual sarcastic tone, asking me to marry him. I don't even want to repeat the reason because of which he wanted to marry her.

"Ilhaam?" A whisper. And my head jerked towards the door. It was the same voice. Same tone. Same emotions. Only one person. Safdar Hamdani!

I couldn't see his face because of the only light coming through the door, my eyes flinched due to direct light. He closed the door behind him, and fiddled with the switch board and it wasn't even a second before my eyes flinched again as the room lightened to adjust the instant light.

My heart was beating frantically. How can this be possible? How can he be here? I think my mind isn't working because of my empty stomach. I am illusioning things. I will faint yet again if someone won't help me soon. Closing my eyes when I felt him coming towards me I took deep breaths while reciting every verse of Quran I remembered. This can't happen. He is dead. How can he be here? How?

"Ilhaam?" I could feel him near me. I could feel his scent, which I haven't felt for many days. I could feel his presence. His breathing. Everything. "Open your eyes Ilhaam." But I shook my head in NO. I didn't want to open my eyes and not find him there if it was my illusion, whatever it was, it was beautiful beyond words.

I could feel the intensity of him staring at me for the longest time before he untied my legs and hands, making me open my eyes in relief.

He was here! He was really here! He was not dead!

I looked at him through my blurred vision. This was not possible! How can it be? What actually happened? And even if he was alive, why did he come back now? Why does he have to come back to leave me again?

And the next word that came out of my mouth wasn't something I myself expected. "Go away." He didn't budged, like he expected the same thing from me.

I was still in burqa, my niqab thrown away in the corner. Even in this state, I didn't want him to look at me while my hair was not covered.

"GO AWAY!" I shouted on top of my lungs but he still didn't flinch.

"Come with me." Saying casually as if it wasn't him who just came back after months of his death...ugghhh! Whatever, he picked up my niqab and carefully tied it around me, not touching me while doing so. It felt like he knew everything. Everything happened to me till now.

"I won't come with you." I gritted out.

"Ilhaam. Now is not the time to argue. Let's go home. We will talk there." He was right. But why did he say home? I didn't have one. Where will I go?

He gestured to me to walk first. And what I saw outside nearly made me puke. Many guards were lying lifelessly while blood oozed out from different parts of their body.

"Don't worry. Zafar Abdullah has been taken care of. He won't disturb you ever again." I totally understood the meaning behind his words. He meant, Zafar Abdullah was dead!

××××××××××

Ever since Azferene woke up, she hadn't met Haroon. Haniya was with her and had informed her about his presence in the hospital. She just laid there with the drip connected to her arm staring into space.

"I am sorry Bhabi." Haniya uttered guiltily and unconsciously Azferene's eyes moistened. Either it was a burden that she felt or because her heart really ached today because Haroon really didn't bothered himself even if she was sick.

Her voice stuck in her throat as she looked away without saying anything. She just couldn't, her emotions which she started controlling long back, was turning into a burden for her. She knew she needed to let it out but at the same time, she don't have anyone on whom she could rely on. Her parents were back to normal but she can't stress them, they were already stressed this past week for the reason unknown to her.

"Bhabhi please forgive us. Zaid is also guilty because of his actions. We are really sorry. We are sorry for judging you." Haniya tried again.

"What was my fault Haniya? What was my fault? That I was married before? Or because Alia was his first wife? Or just because I was born?" She hiccuped trying to control her cries. "You know...Aman, my ex husband...he used to hurt me." Haniya's eyes widened at the information. "Physically." Haniya closed her eyes as tears licked out of her eyes. "And you know what is the funnier part. Aman and you all are same. He used to torture me physically. And you all are doing mentally. I...I am exhausted Haniya. Their was a time, when I prayed for death even after knowing it was haram. Even after knowing it was haram. But you know what? Nauzubillah, I can't say this but Suicide should have been halal, because when Life becomes haram… you can't breath. You can't live Haniya. You can't live. Cause even after bearing all this, even after going through all this, Aman left me just because he couldn't be a father, he was infertile. And Haroon will leave me too. Cause that's what life is." Her breaths were coming in short gasps as she said everything.

"I am sorry. I shouldn't have told you this. I guess...it became overbearing for me. And please don't look at me with pity. My Allah is with me and that's all I want."

Haniya was too shocked to say anything. How can they be cruel to this pure soul? How can they treat her like this? How can they be such a big sinner? How can they judge someone? Wasn't it only Allah's work to judge someone? Than how can be they so much ignoring? Why was life so much cruel?

She didn't realise she was crying, and Azferene already turned her back towards her and was trying to sleep, unaware of her husband who was standing by the door contemplating whether to enter or not heard everything.

××××××××××

I again found myself at his mansion in the same room where he kept me for the first time. I couldn't sleep thinking about him. How can I? How could he just disappear some day and come back some day? Was it some kind of joke for him? Who was he? And where was he all this time?

I stepped downstairs, praying not to cross him just yet. I don't want to face him now. I can't gather myself to do so. I entered the kitchen to see Khalid and Gulabo indulging in a conversation. A happy one to be precise by seeing their beaming faces. Seeing me they quietened down.

"The new look suits you." Gulabo tried to have a conversation.

"Thanks." She was probably talking about the loose pants and long shirt I was wearing along with the scarf wrapped around my head. My clothes were fetched by Khalid and Gulabo. "So? When did he rebirthed?"

"Umm...two weeks ago. Probably one week before you were kidnapped, he returned." Khalid said casually as if it wasn't a big deal. That can be only possible in one condition...my mind went crazy at the thought.

"You knew? Right? You knew from the beginning?" I asked in a whisper not at all prepared for the answer. And my fears came alive when he looked down guiltily averting his eyes from me. I gasped in shock and turned towards Gulabo, who already looked away before I could ask her. "You too?" My lips wobbled as I held my cries.

"BOTH OF YOU KNEW EVERYTHING!" I threw the glass of water I was holding on the floor in rage, making them startle.

"Ilhaam. Calm down! Okay. Calm down. Protocol is also a thing. I wasn't allowed to reveal it to you…" Khalid tried to hold me from walking through the shattered glass.

"SHUT UP! DON'T TOUCH ME!" I pulled myself away from his hold and was about to fall when Safdar Hamdani himself came out of the blue, his favourite thing to do and held me up from falling.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!" He left me immediately as I held myself by the counter. "I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACES AGAIN! I THOUGHT I FOUND FRIENDS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I GOT TWO FRIENDS. AND YOU TWO CAME OUT TO BE TRAITORS!"

"Ilhaam. Please. Don't say it like this." Gulabo cried seeing my condition.

"WHY? THIS WAS WHAT ACTUALLY YOU DID? THAN WHY NOT PUT IT INTO WORDS? HUH? AND HE?" I looked at Safdar. "HE IS HEARTLESS AND I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TELL HIM ANYTHING CAUSE I THOUGHT HE DIED BECAUSE OF ME! BUT YOU BOTH KNEW. I WASN'T CLOSE TO HIM BUT TO YOU BOTH." My throat parched due to all of the shouting and my legs gave away. "I hate you all. I hate you all. I hate you all." I slid down the counter clutching my head in my hands. I thanked my Allah numerous times for not giving me a friend from the beginning. Because if this is what friends are called, then I don't want one. I am better alone. I was living at least away from all these emotions, away from all this chaos, away from all these relations, at least I was alive.

"I am done! I won't stay here any longer." I stood up saying, making Gulabo's hand freeze, who was bringing water for me. "Thank you for saving my life once again. But I would have been glad if I had died in that room than seeing the real faces of this world." I said looking squarely at Safdar Hamdani and rushed towards my room...no...no...guest room. It wasn't even mine to begin with.

Looking at the still packed bag, I wished, I wished so much that three months ago if I wouldn't have followed Safdar Hamdani, I wouldn't have been this much broken. I met everyone through him- Azferene, Gulabo, Khalid and even my parents. If I wouldn't have followed him that day, I would have at least felt alive. At least I would have been me, away from the real faces of the world.

And now I won't look back ever. I will just disappear from their lives, assuming it as a bad memory or chapter of my life.

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29.12.2021

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Love,
Nabiha~