Your point about Faiz being hurt is valid. My only issue is that something like that in itself doesn't lead to someone abandoning his spouse. Okay, we can say that he believed that final message he got from her number. He truly believed about her affair and also after Nasir's promise that she found a new bakra. He concluded himself to be a victim in this.
Youth, yes. And also he’s shown to have a very idealistic and naive mindset. There’s an innocence with which he views the world. And in his “Khumar” he had put Hareem on an unrealistically high pedestal and literally worshipped her. So her coming up short of his “expectations” was a blow and his mom had manipulated him nicely for him to feel horror at her being proven right about Hareem. He was in complete shock.
I also thought the writer added a nice touch in the hospital scene with him when he’s like even IF hareeem is innocent, it still doesn’t absolve her because the hurt she had caused by not trusting him is still the same. So it’s not just the betrayal he was recovering from but also the hurt at her not trusting him with something this huge. If you love someone like he loved Hareem, constantly supporting her and reassuring her, standing up for her… when that same person can’t even do something basic like sharing that she’s getting blackmailed and tortured - it’s a huge blow. He probably thinks he was never good enough for her or didn’t do enough to win her trust. So his hurt is a bit complex than just the affair thing.
I’m hopeful for a happy ending simply because Kehkeshaan has to do right by Faiz eventually and she’ll redeem herself by helping them reconcile. She caused this mess so she’ll eventually fix it too. From that angle I can see a happy ending.
But I also wouldn’t mind (personally) if Hareem ditches Faiz and marries Mudassar. It would be a different and more realistic end I think. But I might not like it if it does end up happening lol. Maybe the point of this Mudassar is so Faiz can finally let go of his trust issues and be okay with him. Maybe then Hareem will realize he has outgrown his immaturity and mistrust and she can finally get back with him.
Let’s see what happens ! Fingers crossed for a happy ending for you 👍🏼
Otherwise, both your scenarios are logical and would be nice if they actually show that. I find Mudassar stuff happening more as he getting all those scenes in a lead up.

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