Chapter 24

"I promise you that Mr khan." She promised and turned back to him, only to never see him again.

But fate played its twisted game on him and despite of his decision and everything in favour of evil, he could not marry tanveer.

"asad! Na maine rashid abu ko bhadkaya hota , na he wo tumhe majboor karte, na ye sab hota" nshe says hiding the fact that rashid was in deep slumber and it was a stage that she had set to make her marry him, but in the last minutes of time everything changed.

"I said I have forgiven you tanveer. Tum meri responsibility ho; or main chahta hu is waqt tum dua or khudke bare mein fikar kro. Mere liye , main he kafi hu." The memories of past left bitter taste on his tongue.

Tanveer nods quietly knowing that if she is safe and have a roof above her head; it's just because of him. she still hates herself for doing those selfish things to him;

"kiska naam likhu hatheli per?" a beautiful girl holding tanveers hands in her and pointing mehendi cone with other asks tanveer with a tease.

"unka naam..." tanveer blushes little as asad's soft moments with her lately where he showed some care to her and her baby.

"asa-" she stops on hearing someone calling her, she takes her hand off the aim of cone and looks up at door.

"tanveer! Apke liye phone hai." Tanveer's dai maa (Nany) shout from the door, showing her cell phone in air.

"ji maa, coming!" she nods with a shy and with help of her friends circling her, she manages to get up with her both hands full of mehendi.

Tanveer asks a friend who bond to walk past her, to hold the cell phone for her while she talks; "hello?"

On hearing the voice from other side her face turns black blue, "can we meet now?" the voice on other side asks and tanveer fumbles with words.

"please, I can't see you now" she request softly worried that her friend would hear her.

She begged and begged but the person on other side did not budge and finally she gave in to meet him.

Late night, in the park...

"kyu bulaya tumne yaha?" she asked walking to and fro letting the man follow her through his eyes.

"mujhe paise chahiye!" he says with a evil smirk.

"kisliye du tumhe paise?" she asks frowning at him looking in to his eyes.

"kyunki tum ye nikah karna chahti ho." He laughs out evily again.

"kya mil raha hai tumhe asad ke sath ye sab krwakr, kyu bana rahe ho mujhe ek mohra tumhare khel mein" she pleads , her eyes spilled tears.

"kyun tum khush nahi ho apne honewale bache ke abu ki madad kar ke?" he mocks her with child tone.

Tanveer looks away in disgust but then she tries to hear and negotiate the deal she had made with him, "kitne chahiye?" she asks referring money.

"2 crore" he smirks.

"2 crore!!! Kaha se lau main 2 crore?" her eyes went in shock and her hand raised to pat her forehead.

"you are the daughter of Mr Abdul Baig and would be wife of Mr Asad ahmed khan, tumhare liye ye 2 crore to mamuli baat honi chahiye." His smirks widens showing his teeth.

"farhaan, kyu kar rahe ho ye?" she asks this time she really wanted to know. He stayed silent , valuating to tell or not. But then with a breath he starts; "you know why? Because I hate them, I hate them tannu. Hamesha se un bhaiyo ne meri har khushi pe nazar laga ke rakhi. Mujhe jo chahiye tha, wo sab unke paas hota. Or mujhe , mujhe wo apni cheese bhik ki taur per dete." He laughs hard like some satan possessed soul.

"unke paas naam tha, paisa tha' to bas sari cheese unki favour me ho gai. Star ban gaye sab ke ankho ke. Main chahe jeetni mehnat kru , sabko sirf wo he nazar ate hai humesha. To bas agar mera credit khane ka shauk hai un khans ko to yahi sahi, ab kaam hoga mera - like always, or naam hoga unka... badnami unki, dard unhe, ansu unke or ye takleef bhi unhe ke liye..." he completes with a sad and upset face but soon cover it with a big broad grin.

"itni jalan, itni nafrat!" tanveer stares at him in disbelief; " sirf isliye ke wo tumse better hai." She completes still in disbeilief.

"wo better nahi hai, they deserve what are they getting, or ye to allah ka justice hai tannu, ke ab asad ke bistar me meri jhutan soyegi, har raat!...jab ki meri baho mein nazuk se virgin urf nikhat hogi, to have fun" he looks at tanveer like some sheet trash thrown on road.

Tanveer look away in disgust as he uses this kind of phrase for her, but she had made him a deal and its her fault that she is dealing with him, yet he had crossed his limits; " tumse zyada gira hua insaan maine nahi dekha, na tum ek ache dost ban paye , na shohar, na he baap...tumhe dekh ke to allah bhi ofsos kr rahe honge, tumse-" a loud sound echoed in the room and tanveer found herself on the floor , on her stomach. She cried in pain as blood starts to pour from her lips; she could not believe farhaan had hit her when she is carrying his baby in her. He is a demon what more can she expect from him.

"chup Sali, mujhe gali de rahi hai? Tu bhi to nek kaha hai! Rashid uncle ka vasta dekar asad se apni baat manwali, doctor ke muh pe chand rupya maar kr tumne bhi to asad ko dhoka diya." He completes and was about to finish when a twig of branch noise washed over the air, he turned to see who was there and finding a shadow in between branch he starts running in his direction, by the mean time tanveer too drags herself out of the park. A flash light beamed harsh on farhaans face and who ever was there had escaped.

Tanveer went back home and consulting to the doctor she picked up medicine for her health in between her way, "ahfaq bhai?" she called from her phone and a man in late 30s came running to her in her room.

"abu kaha hai? Aye nai ab tak?" she asked glancing at the watch on the wall.

"ji wo apko he lene gaye the, pata nahi uske baad aaye he nahi" he said intertwining hands in his front loosely.

"theek hai jaiye" he says with a smile.

"abu kaha gaye?" she stared at the wall thoughtfully and then the whole episode from night came rewinding to her, when it got ended her eyes had left wide and open,"wo abu the!" she keeps a hand on her mouth and without giving rest to herself which was needed she ran to the hospital to check on abdul as she knew he might be there.

The lights were dim and the room was dark when tanveer entered the rashid's room; "abu?" she calls but no reply comes back.

"abu?" she again calls and takes few steps towards the switch, with a shaky hand she switches on the light and as soon as she turns , her blood turns cold onseeing what she saw. Rashid eyes were open and he had a hand on his chest while abdul had a very bad ataack and he was lying there with twisted hand and mouth and tongue out, dripping saliva, while his body jerked madly.

"tanveer" abdul called tanveer with his tongue out and eyes pouring water and then he showed his eyes on rashid, tannu nods and checks rashid but he has no breathing, nor any heart beat. She runs and called doctor for help and its then she finds out after examination by doctors that rashid had got severe heart attack which took his life, and abdul had fallen in shock and he is 80 % paralyzed.

More tears spill out of her eye when she feels a jerk in her body, she turns to see a worried asad and few other man and she felt the cold touch of floor to her sides, she had fainted crying and she didn't even realised it. whispering a soft sorry she gets up with the help of asad's support and people circled her, goes back to their work.

"what happened?" he asked concerned.

"nothing!" she says letting the tear spill. Asad watched her for few seconds before offering her to take some rest here; there is a waiting room in university and also aid centre. He conviced her and started walking towards the room when the winds starts to blow against him, and his heart starts to accelerates for unknown reason . he rubs his heart over his skin to soothe but its like the drum could be heard even from miles; just when he thought what is it? he hears a voice that never fails to heal him.

"excuse me, the aid centre have shifted to floor 3^rd" he heard her say and he knew who was she , but his feets digged themselves on the thick concrete of floor , refusing to see her; partially from guilt, partially from getting hurt

Still he shut his eyes with a smile "zoya!" he took her name as if he had read a kalma...

"zoya!"