Yeah, I know I'm late! 😕
This update turned out to be a little too long so I broke it up into two parts.
The next part will be up as soon as possible :)
Hope you like it!
PM's will be sent later, it's like 4 in the morning here. 🥱
Revelations (Part 1)
It happened so suddenly.
The truck came out of nowhere.
One second she was crossing the street in a huff after another fight with me, and the next I know, she was barreled down by that monster of a vehicle.
Panic-stricken, I raced towards her fallen figure, my ire forgotten. I dropped to my knees in front of her, my terror increasing by the minute as I saw blood steadily dripping from her forehead.
There was so much blood...I swallowed hard.
Gently, I picked her up a little bit and said her name in a trembling voice. My heart raced as her eyes fluttered open feebly, just to close them again. With fumbling fingers, I checked her pulse which was weakening by the minute. I began to gasp for air erratically as my fear threatened to suffocate me. Yes, fear. I was scared for her. There were so many emotions I was going through now; fear, anguish, despair, guilt, regret...and most of all, love. That realization left me reeling in shock. The intensity of my feelings seemed to open up something which I had kept locked up inside me.
I still loved her.
Maybe I never stopped loving her.
"Open your eyes." I croaked, cupping her cheek softly. I couldn't go through another loss. If she...died...I'd be right behind her.
But there was no movement from her. Her breathing was slowing down, and her body was becoming limp in my grasp.
No, no, no...not again. This can't be happening again. I seized her hand in a bone breaking grip and willed her to wake up, shaking my head in denial. It was like I was reliving Dad's death all over again. Only it was a million times worse.
No, wake up...you have to open your eyes...
"No!" My eyes snapped open to the sound of my strangled shout echoing throughout the room. Panting heavily and drenched in sweat, my fingers clenching the bed sheet tightly. I relaxed against the pillow as my breathing gradually returned to normal. My eyes automatically darted towards the couch but...
She wasn't there. My heart rate shot up again. Okay, she usually wakes up early...she's probably just in the kitchen, I attempted to reassure myself.
Tossing the blanket off, I stumbled out of bed, the dream still vividly engraved in my mind's eye. I paused and stared at the couch. It was the only colorful thing in the entire room, I mused. Everything else was so drab and dull - which symbolized my life perfectly - while that multi-hued couch was an apt reflection of her. Sometimes, I wished I had the inner strength she did to find color even in the darkest of places.
I yawned widely. It was too early in the morning to get so philosophical.
Stepping closer to the couch, I kneeled down in front of it. There was something poking out of the corner of her pillow. Frowning slightly, I pulled it out and my breath got caught in my throat.
It was our Nikaah picture. Our Ishtemayi Nikaah picture.
I yanked the photo frames off the wall and flung them aside, the sound of shattering glass echoing throughout the room. Stepping on them, I crossed the room and went to the wardrobe. Gathering up all her clothes in one go, I dumped them on the floor and stared defiantly at her.
"You loved those ishtemayi samaan so much, right? Keep your belongings in them; I've got no place for Bhopali trash in my room."
Memories of our second nikaah flashed by at the speed of light, rushing to take their place in my head. Nostalgia nurtured the seed of longing I felt a few days ago, overwhelming me before I could stop it. In fact, I wasn't sure that I wanted to stop it.
Skimming my fingers over her face, I sighed heavily. So she must have been sleeping with it every night. I shook my head and chuckled softly; typical.
I wasn't angry anymore. I was drained out...and exhausted of pretending not to care. Who was I kidding?
Well myself, of course.
Placing the picture back, I rose to my feet, making a decision to set things right.
**********
Aaliya's POV:
I paced up and down the corridor anxiously, wringing my hands out.
For the first time in my life, I was uncertain about a decision. When I first thought of it yesterday, it seemed like the perfect thing to do.
But now...
Frustrated with my indecisiveness, I gripped the banister hard.
This decision was not just about me. It was about everyone in my life.
How will they react? Would they take it well? Could they respect my decision this time?
Questions were clamoring for attention, screaming in my mind for answers.
This is not the time to over think, I chided myself. You made a choice so you need to stick to it!
I loosened my grasp on the railing.
Taking a deep breath, I shut all rational thinking into a box and walked out of Barkat Villa.
***********
Zain's POV:
Rubbing my hair dry with a towel as I walked out of the bathroom, I felt truly refreshed after so long.
Maybe because I felt liberated in a way; living in denial for so long was tiring.
I threw the towel on the bed, and paused for a minute. A small, but genuine smile - which felt foreign on my face - tugged on the corners of my lips as I remembered her berating me about being messy countless number of times.
It was funny, really, how I was ready to extend an olive branch because of one nightmare.
But...where was she?
My smile faltered as worry rushed through me again. Even if she was in the kitchen, she would have come back by now...
Shaking off the nagging feeling that something was wrong, I set off. I was just going to have to look for her.
So I needed to look for her, find her, and say...what exactly?
I was plagued with thoughts about how to talk to her about it in the first place, feeling strangely nervous. It wasn't like I could just walk up to her and tell her anything anymore...
So lost was I in my pondering that it took me a while to realize that I had somehow ended up in front of Nafeesa Bhabhi's room. I was about to walk away when something she said caught my attention.
"...believe you, cheapster. Especially not Zain or Mom!"
Believe? I edged my way inside, trying to make myself inconspicuous. It looked like Nafeesa Bhabhi and Shazia Bhabhi were fighting about something again.
"Do you want to bet on that?"
"No thanks, you'll lose all your money, and we all know how much you love your money!"Nafeesa retorted.
"I may be money minded, but I'm not the one who payed off those officers to not reveal anything." Shazia said casually.
"H-how did you know that?" she stammered.
"It wasn't that hard to figure out." Shazia smirked smugly.
That smirk, however, vanished in an instant when she saw me.
**********
Aaliya's POV:
I took a seat in his chair, reveling in the sereneness that had evaded me for so long. Running my hand over the photo frame, I finally let my guard down. I relaxed as I let old memories wash over me, soothing my inner turmoil momentarily. Sometimes, a break from reality was what a person needed.
Sadly, that break couldn't last for too long otherwise I'd be tempted to stay oblivious forever.
**********
Zain's POV:
"Fahad Bhai, where is she?" I asked him frantically, my hands on his shoulders. Oh God, what have I done?
"I don't know Zain; she just walked out of the house without saying anything."
She left? My hands dropped to my side, refusing to believe it.
"I'm really worried about her, truthfully. I've never seen her look so...vulnerable before. Despite everyone going against her time after time, she stood strong. It's hard to believe that this is the same girl who gave me the strength to tread on the right path with Allah's guidance." He exhaled, a crease appearing in his forehead.
He clapped my back and left, leaving me in a trance-like state.
"Za-Zain?" she squeaked, looking unsettled. She recovered quickly, nervously laughing in that annoying manner of hers. "Zain, tum bhi na! You know you shouldn't eavesdrop, right? It's really..."
"What were you saying there, Shazia Bhabhi?" I interrupted.
"Kya?"
"Oh, you know," I shrugged, feigning innocence, "about me and Mom not believing something?"
"Oh, that!" Her high-pitched laughter filled the room again and she turned to Nafeesa. "Should I tell him or do you want to?"
"Tell me what?" I asked impatiently, crossing my arms.
She looked pointedly at Nafeesa, a self-satisfied expression on her face while Nafeesa seemed to be rendered speechless.
Just as she opened her mouth, Mom walked into the room. "Nafeesa, Shazia, how many times do I have to tell you to be mature and stop fighting?"
Shazia rushed to Mom's side. "Mummy, we weren't fighting, I was just convincing her to tell the truth without being afraid." She said, sugary sweetness dripping from her voice.
My eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. Something was definitely fishy.
Though she tried to cover it up, when Mom entered the room, Nafeesa Bhabhi looked downright frightened.
Strange.
"Tell the truth about what?" Mom asked in a bored voice. I had a hunch about where this was going, but stayed quiet.
"The truth about who filed those papers against you and Zain." Shazia announced triumphantly.
Mom sighed, exasperated. "Shazia, we've already gone through this, it was Aaliya's signature on the paper, what more proof do you need?"
Something clenched in my chest.
"I agree that the signature was Aaliya's, but she didn't file those papers." Saying this, she pulled her out phone. "Don't believe me? Listen to this." She pressed a button on her phone.
"So you're saying that Aaliya didn't do it?"
"No Madam. This is her signature, but she didn't file this complaint. Somebody else did...another woman."
"What woman?"
"She didn't tell us her name, but I remember that she had a scar below her eye...and that she was wearing her dupatta over her head too."
She switched the recording off and said in a mock thoughtful manner, "Now, who could that person be?"
The jigsaw clicked into place, piece by piece.
"Nafeesa, you...you did this?" Mom whispered, looking appalled. "Why?"
"For revenge against you!" She burst out, pointing an accusing finger at her. "You ruined my life, Suraiya Begum. For 6 years, I've been living with the humiliation and pain you caused me when you got Fahad and Shazia married!"
"And me?" I looked her straight in the eye before anyone could say anything. "What did I do to you?"
She floundered. "I...I didn't mean to..."
"You didn't mean to? Nafeesa Bhabhi, because of you, me and mom rotted in jail for 7 hours. Because of you, I couldn't reach my dad in time and I lost him forever. And you say you didn't mean to? It doesn't matter if you meant to or not; fact is my dad is gone and possibly my marriage too."I glared at her.
"So this is your Eidi for me. Thank you, Nafeesa Bhabhi." I spat the last word out and walked out before I said something really out of place.
However, the sound of voices made me halt in my tracks again.
"Shazia, couldn't this have waited until Zain was out of the room? Now he's going to go look for that Bhopali girl to clear the air up!" Mom hissed.
Wait...Mom?
"I was this close to getting her out of his life, but now there's no chance of that happening."
"But Mummy, Zain still thinks that she's responsible for his death, this doesn't change anything!"
"Shazia, for once in your life, use your brain. Zain is not going to stay quiet about this, he's going to go confront her about it and he'll start trusting her again because she's been proven innocent. Maybe she'll even tell him the truth about Usman's death."
Suddenly, I wasn't so sure I wanted to hear this.
"The...truth?" Nafeesa questioned hesitantly.
"The truth is that you were the cause of his death." A gasp echoed distantly; I didn't know if it was me or somebody else.
"Your foolish move of sending us to jail shocked him so much that his health deteriorated. It had nothing to do with the medicines that were used."
I staggered backwards, feeling completely numb. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to pay attention to the conversation.
"I overheard that Unani doctor telling Aaliya about it. But she must've known that nobody would believe her words so she kept quiet about it."
Numb. I felt completely frozen as the implications of what she was saying sunk in.
She told me that she was cheated by her parents...
I dropped to my knees, my mind blank but my insides burning up in agonizing flames. A sharp knife viciously twisted in my stomach, slicing me into small pieces bit by bit.
I wanted to curl up into a tight ball, so that this terrible feeling would somehow reduce. Bile crawled up my throat. It was unbearable, knowing that all this time, I treated the one person who was innocent like a criminal.
How can she even think about forgiving me this time? How can I face her? I wondered in despair, digging my nails into the floor.
All of my words came back to haunt me now.
I called her a low class Bhopali...
Incidents flooded through my head like a movie was playing in front of my eyes.
Goading her, snubbing her, blaming her, not trusting her...
"One day, you'll find out the truth. And you'll never be able to forgive yourself when you do."
I screwed my eyes shut and screamed, the immense guilt eating me up.
Revelations (Part 2)
What is a person's first reaction after witnessing something devastating?
Disbelief; which immediately leads to denial...and like a slow poison, fills you up with hurt. That poison destroys all rational thinking... every single familiar thought and memory shoved aside by the overwhelming fury.
But anger is merely a smokescreen; a flimsy way to protect yourself.
Because in reality, you've been shattered into a million tiny, irreparable pieces - just like glass.
Aaliya's POV:
I silently bid goodbye to Barkat Royale for the last time before turning around and walking out.
Now that I got what I came for, I could now go to my actual destination.
Because right now, I could use some guidance.
Zain's POV:
"So she hasn't been here, either?"
"No, Zain. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. Don't worry, you'll find her soon, Inshallah. Khuda Hafiz." Dr. Habib smiled encouragingly at me and closed the door.
"Khuda Hafiz." I replied distractedly, mentally far away.
"One day, you'll find out the truth. And you'll never be able to forgive yourself when you do. Allah always brings out the truth."
"The same Allah that took away my dad? So tell me, Allah ki ladli, was this meant to happen too? Was this a part of his plan?" He taunted.
Before she could reply, he continued, "And just so you know, I won't be regretting anything because I could care less about you. You are my wife by law, not in my heart anymore. The only thing I feel for you is hatred."
I pushed my face closer to hers and said softly in a menacing tone, "You think this is the worst of me? You haven't seen anything yet. I promise you, I will make your life a living hell, because that's what a girl like you deserves. If you don't run away yourself and free me from this torture then my name isn't Zain Abdullah." I then pushed her away forcefully and strode away without a backward glance.
I closed my eyes against the rush of flashbacks. God, how I wished that I could turn back time and do things differently!
I didn't even attempt to console myself. What I did was unforgivable.
Look, you got you want. She really did leave. I congratulated myself sardonically, leaning against the wall.
The reason my dad was no more, the reason I couldn't save him and the reason why my marriage was in shambles was because of that woman. And she let somebody else take the blame for all this without batting an eyelash.
All that hostility was wasted on the wrong person...
I prayed that I wasn't too late this time. I was helpless then, but I wasn't about to sit back and let her slip away from my life.
Threading my fingers through my hair, I thought hard about where she could be.
My head snapped up as it suddenly dawned on me.
Of course!
Excitement surged through me as I sprinted away again, sure of where she was.
**********
Third Person POV:
Graveyards.
Once upon a time, he ran from a graveyard to let his wife know that he loved her.
This time, he's running to a graveyard to let her know the same thing.
Except...it might not be that simple this time.
Olive branch, huh? Even an entire vineyard wouldn't be enough. He thought ruefully.
He slowed down to an unhurried walk as he reached, keeping an eye out for her. When he met her, the first thing he was going to do was beg for her forgiveness, hug her so tight she couldn't even move and probably beg some more...
Relief flooded through him as he spotted her at last.
She was sitting in front of his Dad's grave, looking forlorn and frail. His heart ached on seeing her in such a vulnerable state. As much as he longed to go up to her and confront her, he somehow knew that she needed a little alone time so he stayed back and observed her.
She placed an ornament on the grave, which he recognized from his Dad's office. She let her fingers linger on the showpiece, a sad smile on her face. After a minute of silence, she spoke up, "Do you remember the gift I sent you before I accepted Zeeshan's proposal with your consent? And the dua I asked you to recite every day for your health; I should have done that instead of feeding you those medicines. Even though Dr. Habib told me that the medicines weren't the cause of your...death, I still feel guilty, somehow."
He wanted to crumple to the ground again, but somehow held himself together. God, he had gotten it all wrong...
"Your son believes that this is my entire fault. Because of that, I couldn't get to see you for the last time." She pressed a hand on the grave, seemingly fighting her tears. "Now, he hates me for something I didn't do. How could he believe that I would do something like that? Everyone believes that I caused this, but you know I'd never do that, right Mamu?"
It took everything he had to hold himself back from running up to her and consoling her; but he wasn't sure he had that right anymore.
She lowered her head, debating with herself, before confessing softly, "Mamu, I...was going to leave him today."
His world screeched to a halt for the second time today. With bated breath, he strained to listen to her.
"I didn't leave anything for him this time, but I don't think it'll make a difference. He'll be happy because he's finally getting what he wants. I've tried to save the marriage for you, Mamu. Even now, it's only your memories and promises that have kept me in Barkat Villa. I stayed for you even though I knew he has no place in his heart for me anymore. After all, it was only because of you that Za..." she paused, and then said, "He became a part of my life. I thought that our relationship could handle anything but it...died after you left. Was our relationship really that weak?" Her voice broke.
"Mamu, it was you who told me that I should tell him about my feelings; otherwise I probably would still be struggling to say it. It was you, who looked out for me, protected me, and supported me when nobody else did. Even my own father didn't do as much as you did." Her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. "Why, why did you leave me alone? Now I have...nobody by my side. Not my parents, not you and not even the person who said he'd always be there for me."
Her last sentence was like a sucker punch in his gut. The ache that it caused left him breathless; he wanted to groan due to the intolerable sorrow. He couldn't handle this; he really couldn't handle seeing her in such a broken state. He couldn't handle knowing that he had let her down in every way possible. This was a mere shadow of who she really was. He opened his mouth to say something, but she was still talking.
"Remember what you said to me, on the night after we got out of that cold storage?" She sat up a little straighter, her face drenched with tears by now. "Usman Abdullah rahe ya na rahe, Zain Abdullah apni baat se peechey nahi hatega. But look; that's exactly what he did. All those promises, all those talks just turned out to be empty words."
He had failed his father. The implications of that thought made him nauseous. His head started spinning as he pieced incidents together for the second time today.
Everything fit into place; his unbreakable faith in his bhanji, his unwavering belief that she was the one for him and most of all, his Dad's last word. Back then, he couldn't understand why he wasted his last breath on her name but it all made sense now. Dad must've known that she was innocent...and he was looking out for her like always. He felt sickened that he doubted his dad too, out of everyone. Hadn't he always done what was best for him? Now because of his own stupidity, he was about to lose the best thing in his life.
Her next few words, though, snapped him right out of his self-berating.
"I'm...tired, Mamu. I'm tired of constantly being blamed. I'm tired of pretending to be strong in front of him. It literally kills me inside when he looks at me with so much hatred. All I've done is bring him more pain and he...he deserves happiness. I'm just keeping him away from that, so I'm leaving for good this time." She wiped her tears away, exhaling loudly. "I just wanted to visit you one last time before I left."
He spoke up before he could stop himself, "You're not going anywhere."
She shot up in an instant, her features twisted in alarm. So many misunderstandings, so many unanswered questions hung in the air, all because of one woman's selfish deeds. Well, this ended NOW. With his heart threatening to beat out of his chest, he moved to stand right in front of her, his eyes locked on hers. "You were planning to leave without telling anybody?"
Surprise crossed her face for a split second, before she blinked at him. "Why would I tell anybody when it doesn't make a difference if I'm there or not?" she questioned plainly, raw pain shining visibly through her tears. The same pain she had kept bottled up for so long ever since Dad's death, he reflected sadly.
He remembered how he had never seen her shed a single tear since that day. Mentally, he cursed himself for letting things get this far. If only I believed her that day...but what's the use of berating myself now? He thought despondently. He was so lost in his own world of misery that he failed to do anything about the amount of pain he inflicted on his wife. His...Aaliya.
Something automatically loosened in him as he said her name.
She lost her beloved Mamu too, and instead of being there for her, he abandoned her. Taunted her. Insulted her. He treated her like her feelings had no substance. Now she was nothing more than a shell of what she used to be. The strong, fiery Aaliya Zain Abdullah had faded away, and it was because of him.
He was frustrated with her and himself. "But why didn't you ever say anything? Why did you stop telling me...?"
"Would it have made a difference if I did? You weren't ready to listen to anything. I knew that I was innocent so I had nothing to clarify." She stated frankly.
"But I believe you now!" He exclaimed desperately. "I know that you're innocent...in fact, I just found out..."
"Found out that I wasn't behind any of this? Well, it's great to know that you needed somebody to tell you." With that, turned on her heel and started walking away.
"What did you expect me to do?? Those were clearly your signatures!" He blurted out in a panic and immediately winced. Way to put your foot in your mouth!
She stopped and whipped around. "You could have listened to me! Or you could have trusted me when I told you! Didn't you even think for one second about why I kept telling you that I didn't do it? Mein pagal nahin hoon, to scream about my innocence all the time for no reason! It was so easy for you to stop trusting me...and..." She took a deep breath. "Everything you've said or done to me has left deep wounds that can't be healed easily. When you were in jail, you yelled at me saying that you'd never be able to get rid of the scars I put there. Now, I'm saying the same thing to you." she finished quietly.
He looked at her, gaping wordlessly. "You don't mean that." Please, no...
She turned her head away. "You...you've given me a lot of pain. For something I wasn't even responsible for. But that's not what hurt me." Her eyes met his again, and his heart wrenched on seeing the deep rooted agony present in them. "What hurt me was how you declared that nothing could ever break your trust in me, yet when it really came down to it, you stopped believing in me, in us, in less than a heartbeat. And now you tell me you believe me, because of someone else? Aise kya hogaya, that you changed your mind?"
"I found out who was really behind all this - it was Nafeesa Bhabhi."
"What?" she whispered, her eyes widening. "Nafeesa Bhabhi did this?"
He nodded, his tone laced with anger and his features etched in regret. "I overheard her talking to Shazia Bhabhi about it."
She stumbled back, unable to believe her ears. Her relationship was tarnished - maybe beyond repair - because of her Bhabhi? She shook her head slightly. Stay strong, Aaliya. You can't give in. "But what difference does it make now? What if something bad happens in the family again, and all fingers are pointed at me, will you still believe them?"
"No!"
She chuckled bitterly. "Kehna bohuth asaan hai. How do you expect me to believe you now? I can't take the risk of this happening again. That's why I'm leaving now. I'm not staying in a place where I'm neither a wife nor a bahu; I'm just considered a burden. So there you go, you're free. You got your wish." She smiled sadly and turned away again.
No, he couldn't let this happen.
If he let her walk away again, then he would quite literally be nothing in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Aaliya!"
She stopped, thunder struck, hardly daring to believe her ears. He said her name.
He went up to her and turned her around by her shoulders, letting her see his remorse.
"I'm sorry for not trusting you. I'm sorry for not being there for you. I'm sorry for breaking all of my promises. And most of all," he moved closer to her, "I'm sorry for all the pain I put you through. I know all the apologies in the world couldn't fix this, but I promise that I'll spend forever making this up to you. I can't live without you, Aaliya. Please, give me a chance to make this right."
She didn't say anything, not trusting herself to speak.
He cupped her cheek. "I need you with me, Aaliya...please, don't do this." Panic started bubbling up inside, but he forcefully squashed it down. "We can start all over again; I promise that I will never leave your side again."
"Don't make promises you're going to break, Zain." She whispered, tears staining her cheeks. "You've already broken too many."
He nearly broke out into a giddy grin after hearing her address him by his name, even though her words pierced him. "I don't break the promises I make; especially not to the person I'm in love with."
His declaration left her shocked and disbelieving, along with budding hope. However, she just kept looking at him blankly, leaving him restless with the anticipation.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Aaliya, are..."
"What do you think of yourself, Zain Abdullah?"
He was thrown off balance and took a nervous step back. Out of all the possible outcomes, this was NOT what he had in mind. "Uh..." Why was she glaring at him?!
"When you feel like it, you get angry at me. When you feel like it, you say sorry for whatever you're doing. When you feel like it, you confess your love for me. Where did that love go when you were busy accusing me for something I didn't do?"
Guilt stabbed his insides again. He tried to placate her, but to no avail. "Aaliya, listen I...!"
"It doesn't work like that, you understand? One confession of love can't magically erase everything. A sorry' isn't good enough! What you've done can't be forgiven that easily! I just... "She was crying by now, unable to form coherent words anymore.
He just pulled her into his arms; tears coursing down his face too while murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
She kept struggling to wriggle out of his grip but he refused to let her go this time. He left her alone for too long already. Slowly, she realized that her resistance was futile, and she gave up, her tears soaking his shirt.
They stood there, wrapped in an embrace that seemed to last for an eternity. Their arms simultaneously tightened around each other, refusing to let go. He buried his face in the crook of her neck then kissed her hair softly, just like he did after the riots.
Finally, finally, they were at peace.
After a while, she mumbled, "Zain Abdullah, I might be hugging you, but I'm not letting you off the hook that easily."
"Oh yeah? Sure seems like you have to me." He said, outwardly amused but nearly weak with happiness inside.
She smacked his shoulder half-heartedly and snuggled deeper into him.
Misunderstandings no longer polluted the air between them, but numerous questions still hung over their heads like a dark cloud. Then again, what was a measly dark cloud compared to the storm they had faced?
It was another hurdle they had crossed together, another arduous battle - they had fought and emerged victorious. Things were far from being alright, but it was a start.
*Phew* I'm done with this! A big thank you to everyone who read and left their encouraging comments for this two-shot. 🤗
Reviews and likes would be greatly appreciated. 😳
I'll try to be back with another piece of writing if I can. 😉 Bye till then!
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