Sahir Arzoo FF | Love, law, inter alia | Chapter 20: Pg 91 [COMPLETE] - Page 50

Thanks a million for your brilliant writing!!!🤗

Glad to see that Sahir gave Arzoo the freedom to make her own choice.

I love the sahir in your ff even more than the one in the show <3
He is also similar to me in some ways, because I'm always so awkward around people. :P

P.s- I'm sorry for commenting so much. Can't help it hehe...
And I'm waiting already :)

A/N: First things first, sameera_12 made us a breathtakingly beautiful banner, which captures the essence of the FF perfectly! I just can't take my eyes off it. Be sure to check it out on the first page of this thread... and remember to come back to catch up on this chapter 😛

Chapter 17

Humraaz, humdard

Arzoo's eyes had been drained of all their tears, of all hope and life. And the hollowness of those dark orbs of hers continued to deepen with every painful, bitter memory that poured out of her words.

She had grown up in a conservative family, where she had had to fight to even be allowed to go to college. When her parents finally agreed, it was because they figured that a degree might increase her prospects of getting a good husband. They had been infuriated when she dropped out of her degree in English after two years, choosing to embark upon law instead. The unnecessary expense was unforgivable, as was the fact that she was now pushing forward her marriage by another three years. She was accused of spoiling her younger sisters' chances of being settled in good families, by remaining unmarried for so long.

She had agreed, then, that upon completion of her law degree, she would get married. She understood that her parents found it difficult to relate to her dreams and could show their concern for her in the only way they knew, and she wanted to respect their wishes because they had already done more for her than they were comfortable with. Meanwhile, the three years that she spent studying law opened her mind to the innumerable possibilities before her and she began to yearn for freedom and independence. But as much as she wanted her parents to snap out of their archaic misogynist notions and see the world from her eyes, she knew that she had made a promise to her parents and would have to stick to her word. She sought some consolation from the fact that perhaps her sisters would be able to go further in the path she had blazed for them. Through them, perhaps, her dreams would be fulfilled.

As soon as she had graduated from law school, the suitors began to arrive at their doorstep. By that time, she had resigned herself to her fate. She struggled to wipe away her dreams from her mind, so that she could properly perform the role that would be assigned to her by several centuries' worth of traditions and customs. But a part of her could not help but hope that her would-be husband would understand her dreams, that he would support and encourage her. And when she found that person in Shiraz, her joy knew no bounds.

He expressed pride at the fact that she had a law degree, that she was intelligent and ambitious, that she was modern in her outlook. He seemed to cherish the smallest of things about her. And so, on their second meeting, she mustered the courage to tell him that she wanted to become a lawyer. He did not get angry, and instead, calmly explained to her that his parents would not agree to her working. She was disappointed, but also happy at the fact that he did not completely discard the possibility, that he did try to see things from her perspective. And she began to respect, and love him, for the efforts he made to show that he cared for her.

It was only once they had gotten married that the rose-tinted lenses in front of her eyes began to fade away. Her educational accomplishments were reduced to assets that merely increased her value as a trophy wife, while any attempts by her to voice her opinions were systematically stifled. She was slowly losing her sense of individuality and it broke her, bit by bit. But she remembered that she had herself agreed to get married, and that she had known all along that she could only be the suppressed woman that her mother had been before her. And so she smiled through it all, for she felt in her heart, that Shiraz was not a bad person. He was bound by the shackles of his limited thinking, but he loved her as much as she loved him. She continued to strive to be an ideal wife to him, and an ideal daughter-in-law to his family.

But after some time, his love began to take on a hideous, perverse face. His pride morphed into insecurity. His protectiveness became jealousy and possessiveness. When it came to Zaki, especially, he was unable to control his rabid rage. He was convinced that she was having an affair, and this, even after Zaki had left for the US for further studies. She broke off all ties with Zaki, in a desperate attempt to save the marriage she knew she had to abide by. But the damage had been done. Shiraz's perspective of her had changed. She was no longer the sweet and innocent Arzoo. Her so-called modernity that he had once bragged about became the source of all the ugliness he saw in her - her lack of respect, her selfishness, her deceitfulness, her promiscuity. He felt a need to punish at every turn, to show her her place, and to assert his. On the one hand, he became physically violent, but on the other hand, he also expressed remorse, claiming that his anger was only a reflection of his love for her.

At first, she was confused at the changes that she saw in him, and struggled to remain optimistic in spite of it all. But she soon realised that she could not take it anymore. She decided to file for divorce. Her family refused to support her, choosing to believe Shiraz's lies, and worried that nobody would want to marry her sisters if she got divorced. Shiraz attempted to whip her into submission, threatening her that she would never be able to free herself from his clutches, because he would do everything he could to stop her from getting the divorce. In a final act of desperation, she offered to give him the sizable plot of land that her grandmother had left behind for her a few years ago. His greed finally overpowered his burning obsession for her and he allowed her to go. They obtained a divorce on mutual consent, and she left Lucknow soon thereafter.

After she had left, it seemed, he began to regret his decision to let her go. His ego had suffered a serious blow from the fact that his wife had dared to leave him. And when he unexpectedly found her in Mumbai, he pounced upon the opportunity to possess her once again.

The hazy, distant look in Arzoo's eyes subsided as her tale came to an end. Her gaze turned to Sahir, whose bloodshot eyes were stinging with tears of helplessness and blazing with a raw, murderous rage at the person who had reduced her to the wreck that he saw before him, who had betrayed her trust and love in such a revolting manner.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

Arzoo looked away. Her lips trembled but no sound escaped.

"Arzoo," he insisted, "Please tell me. Like I said, I will support you in whatever you decide. But you must tell me, why are you doing this? And why are you trying to protect him? The law is on your side. I am with you. You have nothing to fear. Your family may be conservative, but that does not mean you will destroy yourself for them. Look, if they are pressurising you, we can convince them. Don't give up like this, please."

"You don't understand," she muttered, tears flooding her eyes in desperation.

"Then help me understand."

"It's not him I am trying to protect," she blurted out, "He... he thinks that - that you and I are having an affair."

"You are doing this to protect me?" Sahir breathed, shell-shocked. He got up from the chair slowly, as though in a daze. His thoughts were spinning, his emotions blurring into one another, until he felt physically sick. He was the reason why Arzoo had submitted herself to that monster. The bruises on her wrists, the imprints on her neck... It was his fault, in some horrible, twisted way.

He turned to look at her, and found that she was standing behind him, smiling slightly, her beautiful eyes gushing with an emotion that could only be love. A love so pure that he felt unworthy before it.

"Are you insane?" he said, in a strangled voice, pulling her into a hug. She collapsed against his chest, her entire body racking with raw, feral sobs that seemed to claw at his heart ruthlessly. He wound his arms around her frame more tightly, until he lost track of where his body ended and hers began, until the heartbeats he felt were neither his nor hers.

"You cannot stay with him," he said, after some time, slowly letting go of her, and cupping her tear-stricken face in his hands.

"I will not," she replied, in a voice burdened with sadness, "I have decided to leave the city, away from... all this. Somewhere, where he cannot find me."

"Away from me?" Sahir said, reading between the lines, the words etched in her silence.

"It is best this way," she replied firmly, averting her eyes away from his, and stepping back slightly.

"What about your dream of becoming a lawyer? And how can you let Shiraz get away so easily?"

"Not all dreams need to come true. As for Shiraz... I remember, you said once, that idealism does not work in real life. Truth does not triumph. All those flowery notions of justice sound good in movies, but they die an ugly death when faced with the realities of this world. All my life, I did everything right. I was a good student, a good daughter, a good wife. I always believed that good things happen to good people. But in reality, people like Shiraz win. And we have to accept that. Or we stand the risk of... losing everything."

"I was wrong, Arzoo. The Sahir who said those things to you, was a cynic, a jaded person. I was blinded by ambition, by anger towards people like my father. All I wanted was to prove a point, and in my race to succeed, I chose practicality over idealism because it was easier, quicker. But you were right all along."

"There's no point in discussing all this now. I have made up my mind."

"I know, but please, just hear me out once," he implored, "You cannot give up on your dream. You know you'll make a brilliant lawyer, because you have your heart in the right place. But you must understand that before fighting for people like Mrs Mehta, you must fight for yourself. I understand now why you were so insistent on her case being argued in a certain way. You felt guilty that in your own divorce case, you settled on divorce by mutual consent, and even had to bribe him to get him to agree. You felt guilty for not dragging him to court to face the consequences of his actions. And you thought that by helping others, by fighting their battles, you would be able to come to terms with your own compromise, with the fact that you chose the safe option. But that's not how it works. You will always be angry at yourself, because that's the kind of person you are - a fighter. Deep in your heart, you want to fight him, and you know that if you don't, you will always regret it. You will go to a new place, smile and laugh and once again, pretend that you are a happy-go-lucky person, without a care in the world. You will spread joy and love around you, in the selfless way that only you can. But behind that facade, you will continue to pine for true happiness, for a release from the horrors of your past."

Arzoo gaped at him speechlessly for a few minutes, as though in awe. Somehow, he could tell that at some point during his little speech, she had changed her mind, that she was finally ready to be true to what she really wanted. And then a shadow crossed her face, as she admitted, "I'm scared, Sahir."

Sahir smiled slightly, as he held her feverish, trembling hand in his, "You are not alone this time, Arzoo. It's going to be a tough battle, a long battle. Shiraz will try all sorts of tricks. But even if we have to lose, we will fight ourselves to defeat, but we won't hand him his victory on a platter."

"And - and if he... hurts you?"

"You don't know me, Arzoo Nawsheen Khan. If anyone has to be scared, it's him."

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Chapter 18: Page 76

Fabulous update.

ho ho Hema pleasant surprise and just before my iftar, now i can break my fast in peace 😆

detailed review later 😉

Bisous bisous 🤗

Hema, this is one of the finest chapters ever written. I could imagine harshad and shivya performing the scene. Will give detailed review later.

Oh my god what a dramatic tale and awesome chapter...truly beautiful banner and before I forget fabulous writing as always hema...

Awesome chapter Hema!!