Chapter 28

Zoya mentally smacked herself when she felt a rush of desire at seeing him look positively sinful and infuriated. This is not the time! Zoya scolded herself. But her train of thought was broken when she felt the blade slice her skin just a bit more. No later than a yelp had escaped her lips, Zoya found herself being tugged and pushed into Ayaan's arms.

"BHAIJAAN!" Ayaan, Najma, and Humaira yelled simultaneously while Dilshad's face drained of all colour. Zoya whipped around and she felt her heart stop beating.

Zoya's breath was shaky as she exhaled slowly and stared at him. Asad had Tanveer locked in his firm grip with the knife discarded on the floor next to them. Upon seeing him unscathed, her erratic heartbeats steadied.

"Ayaan, call the police," Asad ordered. Ayaan heeded and it took only ten minutes before the sounds of the sirens reached their ears.

"Take her away, Inspector. Lock her on charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to destroy Dilshad Constructions," Asad told the Inspector when the police arrived. He looked like he was about to protest but a dark glare from the CEO of Dilshad Constructions silenced him.

"This isn't over yet, Asad Ahmed Khan! I will come back! As long as I'm alive, you two will never be together!" Tanveer yelled as the police dragged her out of the house. An eerie silence fell over them after the door shut. Each of the members was lost in their own thoughts. Ayaan and Humaira were contemplating whether this was the cue to take their leave, Najma was wondering how would things be now, Dilshad was wondering how someone she had always considered a daughter conspire against them like this, while Zoya was only staring at his back in silence.

Asad felt like slapping himself senseless. They were the simplest observations and yet he had overlooked them with such ease. Why?

Your anger. His mind told him. Asad looked at Zoya who was watching him with a blank face.

How many times have you hurt her with you anger, Asad? You never look at things rationally.

To say Asad felt horrible would've been an understatement. He felt disgusted with himself. What he had done was something that no one in their right mind wouldn't have done. All those days he had ignored her; all those times he had said hurtful things to her. Asad shut his eyes tightly and stumbled backwards. Away from her, away from everyone, before he turned and fled to his room. That was the sign that everyone had been waiting for and slowly everyone dispersed. Ayaan and Humaira left after bidding goodbye, Ayaan was positively elated when Dilshad had thanked him and opened her arms to welcome him. After which Najma, Zoya, and Dilshad retired to their rooms.

Zoya made her way to her room and sat down on the edge of her bed. So much had happened in the last few weeks with her and her Mr. Khan. They had suffered so much in such a short span of time. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly into her hands. These weren't tears of pain, no; these were tears of pure joy. Finally, it had all ended. They could all be happy again, he could be happy again. Zoya sobbed and emptied out whatever tears she had kept in store, promising herself that she wouldn't let anything come in between her and her Jahanpanah. Not knowing, that the man in question was also promising himself the same thing.

Asad was in no less of a state of turmoil. He hated himself, Gods but he hated himself. The one woman who taught him how to feel, who made him believe that he could give her the happiness that his own father could never give his mother, was shattered because of him. How could he fix things now? His lack of faith in her had ruined everything. Yet how could he deny his feeling for her? They were too strong. Even during the time he had spent away from her, his heart had pined for her. At that moment Asad vowed to himself. He vowed that from now onwards, nothing would come between him and Ms. Farooqui. Nothing at all.

* * * * *

As dusk settled, Zoya was lost deep in her thoughts. She was hardly paying attention to her surroundings, all she could see was the self-condemnation that she had seen in his eyes and without further ado, she stood up and made her way to his room. She tried the door but he had locked it. An idea struck her and she sprinted out to the balcony. A gasp fell from her lips when she stared at the condition of the room. Tables had been upturned, shards of glass littered the floor and there he sat on the ground with his head held in his hands. Pushing the window open, Zoya climbed in and dropped down next to him.

Asad jerked when he felt someone sit next to him. He looked up and groaned before turning his back to her.

"Why are you here?" He asked her in a small voice. Zoya held onto his arm gently.

"Because I want to tell you that I don't hate you," she told him softly.

"You should, Zoya! You should! I hate myself for what I did to you," he told her, "I'm not worthy of it."

Zoya's heart broke at seeing him like this and she couldn't help but touch his cheek softly. He looked at her and Zoya let out a gasp at seeing tears in his eyes.

"No! Don't do this! I don't blame you Mr. Khan. Hell, if someone did that to me I wouldn't have thought straight either!" Zoya said, begging him to realise that she had forgiven him.

When had you ever been mad at him? Her mind asked. Zoya swallowed tightly and looked at him. That was the question that boggled her. After everything he had done to her, she was hurt but not mad.

When he fell to his knees in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist like a little kid, Zoya froze.

"If you want to leave me, I won't stop you. But know this that my heart always belongs to you, Zoya. Always," he whispered as he held onto her. Zoya gently detached him from herself and pulled him onto her feet.

"As does mine to you," she replied to him, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here. With Phuppi, Najma, and you."

Asad looked at her silently and Zoya's heart reached out to him when she saw the tears in his eyes.

"Zoya," he whispered.

"But," Zoya continued halting him, "I won't deny that what you've done has really hurt me. I need time, Mr. Khan. Time is the best medicine. But that doesn't mean that I don't feel for you either."

Asad nodded in understanding. His one mistake had left them with no other option but to start over again. If she wanted time, then who was he to deny her? Asad knew he would do anything for her. If she wanted his life then he would give it to her on a silver platter. As long as she was safe and happy, he would live and breathe. His heart would continue to beat, pacified with the knowledge that she was smiling her dimpled smile.

"I've made a big mistake, haven't I?" He asked after a few minutes of silence. She nodded grimly. Asad swallowed and rubbed the tears away from his eyes before going to the window. He stared up at the orange sky in deep musing. Zoya looked around the, normally spot free, destroyed room. Her eyes fell on some dark spots on the ground. With closer inspection of the red liquid, Zoya let out a surprised gasp.

"What have you done to yourself?" Zoya demanded suddenly upon noting the drops of blood that had fallen onto the floor. She stalked up to him and whipped him around to hold his battered hands in her own. They were heavily bruised and the flesh had been cut in several places. Tears burned Zoya's eyes as she stared at his injuries.

"Leave them, they are only the bittersweet reminders of the pain I have made you suffer," he told her sharply.

"Don't do this to yourself," Zoya said to him. Asad turned to face her, his face a mask of indifference, but she saw right through it.

"I have to Zoya. Every tear that has left those eyes of yours because of me has to be avenged," he told her in a hollow tone. Zoya let out a sob and pulled him to herself, cradling him against her body.

"Don't you see what you do to me? Every time you hurt yourself, I suffer from the pain. Every time you neglect your health, I am the one that becomes weak. Every time you go away from me, I feel like my soul is being ripped away from me. For my sake, don't do this to yourself because in the end, you're hurting me. I've forgiven you a long time back, so stop doing this to yourself," she sobbed into his shoulder. He inhaled her vanilla scent and allowed her to pull him close.

"Zoya, jaan, stop crying," he consoled her. She pulled back and looked at him.

"You call me jaan', yet you hurt me so much," she whispered. Asad shut his eyes tightly and opened them to look at her.

"Don't you know what happens to a man when he's stripped of his life?" He asked her. Zoya choked on her sob as the meaning of his words sunk in. The man was still a puzzle. He had hurt her in so many ways yet she couldn't find it in her heart to hate him.

His pain was her pain. His tears were her tears. His heartbeats were hers. His heart was hers. They were bound by the fates and no matter how much they tried, they wouldn't, couldn't, stay away from each other.

"Swear to me that you will never ever hurt yourself ever again," she said to him. Zoya felt him cup her face gently; ignoring the blood on his hands as it stained her cheeks.

"I swear I will never hurt you again," he whispered to her, his face close to hers.

"That's not what I said," Zoya replied softly, tilting her head upwards.

"Did you not say that you are my jaan'?" He asked, his breath fanning her face.

"Yes," Zoya whispered, her eyes fluttering shut as his lips descended on hers in a kiss that promised a whole new beginning.

As their lips moulded together, the last rays of the sun slipped through the windows to caress their forms. The room suddenly lit up as the rays hit the shards on the floor, casting elegant patterns around them, encasing the two lovers in its beauty.

Their journey had begun with fights and quarrels, tears had been shed and innocent blood had been spilt, but together their hearts had loved one another, and in the end, a force had tried to rip them away from each other. But that force wasn't strong enough, for the lovers were bound together by destiny. It was not but a cruel game played by the fates, but with determination and belief, they overcame it. The two had to suffer but their suffering was rewarded, and now it is time.

It is now time for them to reconcile and start afresh. For it was not but a small droplet of the strangest of desires that ensnared their senses. The desire not only made their hearts ache for one another, but also caused them to feel that god awful feeling in their hearts that makes one think that it is better to die rather than to live. However, it is not to remain that way for long, for they have just started to discover the magnificence of something so pure and phenomenal. An emotion that binds several hearts together and keeps them prisoner.

Love.