Part 2
Humeira watched her sister getting ready for her nikah with a heavy heart. Somewhere deep inside, she felt that it was unfair that in a way she seemed to be losing everything. Her parents and the love of her life Ayaan; were both gone in one way or another. She could never look at either of her parents in the eyes, because of what they had done. When all their crimes had come out in court, and both her parents had finally been sentenced Humeira wondered if it was a bad dream. It was the look in her ammi's eyes, however, as well as that one moment when she had visited her in the Bhopal prison, and her ammi had clearly stated that Humeira was being disloyal and doing something wrong by turning her own mother in. Those two things had made Humeira realize that if she walked down the wrong path, she would become another Razia Siddiqui. Maybe that's where it had started for her mother too, when at a young age, she had crossed the fine line between right and wrong, for someone she loved.
---Flashback---
Razia had grown up in a middle class home, with 2 sisters and 2 brothers. She had often been ignored as a child and with prettier and smarter sisters, life had been difficult for she was often overlooked. Her parents had lived next to the Siddiquis for years, and so when their only son, Ghaffur was coming home from America, the two families decided on the marriage. Ghaffur was well educated in the states and wanted to start his own construction firm in India. Razia was at first against it, but went along with the whole thing for her parents. In those days, your parents picked your partner, the girl had very little say. Soon though, Razia saw this as her chance to get out from the shadows of her siblings, and get away from her family.
Razia and Ghaffur had never even met, but everything was finalized. When Ghaffur arrived however, he refused. Razia's dreams of escape were shattered. However, in a few days' time, Ghaffur's parents had apparently convinced him and the wedding was back on. What they didn't know back then was that Ghaffur was already married and Razia was going to be his second wife. He had fallen in love with someone else in the US and married her there. He had come back to India to tell his parents about Zainab.
Initially his parents had cut-off the whole rishta with Razia's family, but her parents had been adamant that after everything was decided how could the Siddiqui family do this? Both families were well-reputed and under pressure, the Siddiquis decided that it was much easier to quietly force Ghaffur to break of his relations with Zainab and marry Razia. This would be the only way to save the reputation of both families. Under pressure, Ghaffur agreed to the second nikah and everything was fine until the day Razia found out about Zainab.
Razia had become suspicious of Ghaffur, one day, about 3 years after they had been married. After their wedding, Ghaffur had appeared to be very busy with work. He had soon started to build up contacts and was on the path to becoming successful. He hadn't paid a lot of attention to Razia, but she had been happy with how everyone else in Bhopal was starting to treat her. Ghaffur had used his demanding job as an excuse not to have children and the two of them never had marital relations. Razia had been busy with other things and was not interesting in having children so soon either. One day however, Ghaffur had come home very late and look very happy. When Razia asked him the reason, he had blown her off. This happened a few times, and she became suspicious.
She wondered if he was having an affair and felt angry. Honestly, she didn't love Ghaffur, but she was his wife, and she would never allow any other woman to take what was hers. She hired someone to help her investigate into the matter. The man reported the ugly truth to her, her husband was seeing another woman. After telling her all this information, the man threatened to leak out the information unless Razia paid him. Although they had money, Razia didn't want to waste so much of it on a blackmailer. When she saw a car coming down the usually quiet road here she had met the investigator, she took her chance and quickly pushed the man onto the oncoming road, where the car hit him full on. No one could see her because they had been standing behind some large trees, and she quickly hid behind the bushes. The driver of the car that had hit him must also have been scared, because he didn't stop to help the man. After the car drove away, it didn't take Razia long to realize the man was dead. That was the first murder Razia Siddiqui committed.
At that moment, Razia also realized one more thing, that whoever she was, the second woman in her husband's life she would get rid of her in the same manner. That night, on her way home, she bought sleeping pills and mixed them in Ghaffur's drink. She put enough for him to be drowsy, but not enough that he would be completely asleep. Somehow, Ghaffur mistook her for Zainab that night and would later go on to realize that was the night, Humeira was conceived.
For the next few weeks, Razia gathered some information on Zainab discreetly. Her plan was very simple; she would wait to see if she was pregnant, and if not, she would repeat her earlier steps until she was pregnant. In the meantime, she would also create scenarios which would cause Ghaffur to doubt Zainab. Together, these two things would help her gain the upper hand, and she would somehow make Zainab disappear from this world.
What Razia didn't know was that Ghaffur had already planned to leave her for his beloved Zainab.
---
Rashid stood alone in the corner, thinking about how everything had changed in the last eight months. When Razia had finally been punished for all her crimes, and even Ghaffur had lost all the so-called reputation he spent years falsely building up, Rashid had realized one thing. Everyone got punished in one way or another for their deeds. None of the inhabitants of the Siddiqui mansion felt right living there and so the unanimous decision was made to sell it off. Half of the proceeds of the sale was put in a bank account in Humeira's name and the other half, Rashid decided to hand over to Shireen. He was now also running the company on his own, making him the majority shareholder. He had changed its name from Siddiqui Constructions to R.A.K. constructions. He also made it a partner company of Dilshad constructions.
Shireen finally realized that Rashid's one true love was not her. At first, everything Rashid had done had been out of a sense of duty, but after all the time they spent together; he had slowly come to love her in a way. She also realized that she didn't want to be the second woman' in his life anymore; she just wanted to live her life in peace and see her children happy. She had officially asked Rashid for a divorce and used the money to buy a small house in a good part of the town, then moved there with Nuzhat. She wanted to spend the remaining years of her life with her children, and without any drama.
Rashid had also realized that after everything that happened, Dilshad, no matter how much she loved him, would need time. After Rashid had finished recovering, she decided to move back in with Asad and Zoya in their house, which was full of laughter and happiness. She hadn't made a decision regarding Rashid yet. Honestly, she knew that she loved him, and she would always do so. She also realized that after everything he had done, especially when it came to their children, he had been wrong in many ways. Maybe one day she would forgive him and they could move on. Until that day came, she would happily stay in the beautiful house her son, her pillar of strength had built in her name. Rashid, meanwhile, moved into a house of his own along with his mother.
Najma sat down on one of the couches and Imran brought her a glass of water. She was now three months pregnant and had moved out of the Qureshi house with Imran. After Nikhat had finally found out the entire Sameera truth, and what Haseena Bi had done to her, even the Qureshi family saw some trying times. Sameera had been a dancer who Farhan had fallen in love with and married. Once Haseena Bi found out, she had, with help from her relative Feroze, had her taken away and locked up. She had then made arrangements for Farhan to go abroad to the US and made excuses everytime he wanted to come back until Imran's wedding was fixed. Her plan had been to get rid of Sameera later somehow and get Farhan married to a girl of her choice.
One night, Nikhat had finally found out the entire truth and Sameera had tried to hurt Nikhat. After years of torture from Haseena, she was no longr in the right state of mind. When Farhan had taken her to the doctors, they had simply said one thing, a special home where she and all her needs would be taken care of was the best choice. After so much trauma, she would never be normal again. Farhan, with a heavy heart had arrange one of the best homes for such patients arranged for her, and hired a special nurse to care for her. They had also learned that Sameera had a difficult past behind her, which contributed to her situation. Finally, Farhan decided that the best he could do for her was make sure she had everything she needed and move on with his life with Nikhat.
After everything, Farhan had moved out of Haseena's house and rented an apartment with Nikhat while they tried to save up for a house. Nikhat also realized how important it was for a woman to make her own path in life decided to give dance lessons to willing students. One day she would open her own dance school, because even thoughshe had never fulfilled her dancing dreams, she could help others fulfill theirs. Imran and Najma also decided it was time to move out. Haseena had tried to stop him, but finally, he too decided that moving closer to his office would be more helpful. Asad had helped them to buy a house, but Imran would only take the money as a loan and would pay Asad back from his salary every month.
Asad sat at the designated place for the groom, as extended family members came to greet him. From where he was sitting, he could see various family members running around and getting things done. It was his wedding day, and for him, one of the happiest days of his life. Finally, Zoya would become Mrs. Asad Ahmed Khan. All the hardships, all the trials, everything had led them to this beautiful moment. His ammi, and Najma were beyond happy. In fact, Najma, Nikhat and Nuzhat had all been very helpful in wedding planning. Although Nuzhat usually stayed with Shireen, she had decided to spend the last few nights with in the Khan Villa helping with wedding preparations.
Anwar and Zeenat had also surprised Zoya by flying in from New York. They were only in India for the wedding which they could not miss. One of Zeenat's dreams had been to see her little sister Zoya get married and finally move on with her life. She wanted to be there to witness the moment. When Zeenat's mother, Zarmeen, or as Zoya called her Zarmeena Khala had brought Zoya home, Zeenat had felt a special connection with her. She had been 15 and Zoya, only 3 but Zeenat had always been both a mother and a sister to Zoya. After her marriage to Anwar, she had been unwilling to leave her Zoya behind, and Anwar too decided that the bubbly and lively girl would come to live with them. Zoya had been 11 at that time, and would probably have been very upset to be separated from her beloved Api.
A knock broke Zoya out of her thoughts, and she opened the door to see her Jeeju. "You're grown up now it seems, from the little mischief maker to a married woman soon." Zoya smiled one of her dimpled smiles, "This would be the perfect time for one of Zoya Farooqi's famous Shayaris...but unfortunately, I can't think of one beautiful enough to fit this moment." Anwar laughed, "Well that certainly is a shocking truth." Zeenat walked into the room at that moment, and Zoya grinned. "I can't wait for the baby to be born Appi...I will be the awesome Maasi who spoils her!" Zeenat gasped, and turned to Anwar, "Did you tell Zoya?" Anwar shook his head, also looking surprised. "Api, I'm Zoya Farooqi," she winked, "I have my ways!" Anwar chuckled at that, "You won't be Zoya Farooqi for long." Zoya glared, "Jeeju, I thought you'd always be on my side!" she pouted, "By the way I'm rooting for a girl!" All three of them laughed, enjoying this happy moment together as a family. After so many years, god had finally granted Zeenat and Anwar with the two things they wanted most, a baby and a good man who would keep Zoya happy and help her move on from the past.
If there was one thing missing tonight, in Asad's opinion, it was his beloved chota bhai, Ayaan. In this otherwise perfect moment, Asad couldn't help but wish his little brother who had been such a huge part of his life, was there to join in the festivities. Najma, Nikhat and Nuzhat were all there, excited for their Bhaijaan. Only Ayaan was missing, and he wished for a moment that he knew where his brother was. Ayaan usually sent his mother a letter every few months, and dropped Asad an email to let him know how things were going. He was working now, finally, at some small firm. His degree had been in business, so getting a job hadn't been too difficult. He rented a flat with a few other roommates. Even after everything, he felt like he couldn't come home without becoming somebody. What he had found out was that it wasn't easy.
"Zoya Baaji?" Humeira said, knocking on her door. "I'm almost ready!" Zoya shouted, as she put her bangles on. "Let me help," Humeira said coming in and smiling. Zoya watched her ister in silence, knowing that there was a pain in Humeira that she was hiding. "You know Humeira, I'm so lucky to have a sister like you." She whispered softly, as she gently patted her on the side of her face. Humeira looked up at Zoya, tears in her eyes, "Same here Baaji, same here. I know what you did for me, and for that, I will always..." Zoya held out her hand to stop her, "We're sisters Humeira, your happiness is very important to me." Humeira nodded silently. She had lost many things in life, but in Zoya, she had gained a sister who would always look out for her. As the two sisters hugged, Zoya vowed to bring a certain someone back for Humeira. What wrongs Ghaffur and Razia had committed, Zoya couldn't fix, but she could try to bring Ayaan back. Neither Humeira, nor Mr. Khan would be happy today without Ayaan.
Haider opened the door to let the Maulvi inside. The wedding would be happening soon. He looked towards the stage set up for Asad and Zoya to sit on, where now only Asad sat. His revenge hadn't worked out the way he had imagined it would, but maybe it had worked out better. He had found Zoya in the end, and for that, he would always be grateful. In a lot of ways, Zoya reminded him of Zainab Phoopi.
--- Flashback ---
Zainab picked up the note from Ghaffur which stated that he was going to leave Razia and take her, Zoya and Haider back to the US. He told her to pack her things and meet him at the Bhopal airport because the tickets were booked. What she didn't know was that a storm was brewing and none of them would be on the flight leaving in a few hours.
Zainab had spent a long time searching for the man who had left her 3 months after their wedding, on the night she was going to tell him she was pregnant. As both her parents had passed away, and her brother Hassan didn't like Ghaffur very much, they had quietly gone away and gotten married. When Hassan Bhai found out, he was furious with her and so she went to live with Ghaffur. For three months, they were very happy, but one night, Ghaffur said he needed to go somewhere, and left quickly, saying he'd be back soon. He had disappeared after that and never come back. Zainab fell ill, after a while, worrying about him. They didn't have much money, so she had to be very careful with her spending, and tried to find a job, so she could at least feed her baby. While shopping for food one day, she fainted and was taken to the hospital. Through her records, they informed Hassan Bhai, and he came immediately. He was very angry after finding out the truth and took her back home.
They tried to find Ghaffur, and finally traced him to a plane ticket, to Delhi, the morning after he had left Zainab. By the time they found out, it had already been a year and Zoya was a few months old. Hassan told Zainab to move on, and told everyone else that the investigator said Ghaffur was assumed to be dead. For the next two years, Zainab lived with Hassan and took care of his son Haider along with Zoya. What she didn't know was that her brother wanted to find Ghaffur in India and have him sign divorce papers so that she could officially get re-married to someone else. In that process, Hassan made a few friends in India and soon decided to become a partner in one of his friend's businesses. Soon, he, Zainab, Zoya and Haider flew to Bhopal where he and a friend were going to start a doll factory.
In Bhopal, Hassan's friend ran into business difficulties and sold off his shares to another man, Rafiq Siddiqui. Rafiq became a good friend of Hassan's very fast, as well as a business partner. Hassan, who had been conducting his investigations on Ghaffur in Delhi, because that was where the plane ticket had been to, decided to go there and speak with the people he hired. He also had plans to see Zainab married to Rafiq.
One day after Hassan Bhai left for Delhi, while because there were some problems with the taps in the house so Zainab asked Rafiq for help in finding someone who could fix it. Rafiq asked his cousin, Ghaffur to suggest someone, and since he couldn't go himself, asked Ghaffur to keep an eye on things. That was when Zainab and Ghaffur met again after over 3 years. Ghaffur told Zainab about the parental pressure, and how they were making him stay in India, but not about his second wife, Razia. For the next few months, he promised Zainab he was trying to convince his parents about them and told her to hide the truth.
After a week Hassan Bhai returned home, and Zainab and Ghaffur had a harder time meeting up. Since Hassan Bhai was very busy with the factory being set up and everything, they managed to find time during the day. Ghaffur also realized that the only way he could live peacefully with Zoya and Zainab was if they went back to the US. He made arrangements for tickets and quietly deviced a plan. Unknown to him, Razia had somehow found the tickets, and deviced a second plan. During the day, she had informed him that she was pregnant. She didn't have enough time to make Zainab look unfaithful but decided to kill her anyway. She hired a man who would exchange places with Zainab's driver and take them to the Gudiya factor, where he would pretend the car broke down and lead them into the factory. After that, Razia would kill Zainab and have Rashid, that man Shireen supposedly loved, come and set fire to the factory. Two birds, one stone...so easy.
---
Zoya waited for the person she was calling to pick up. She needed to know if he was near Bhopal yet. "Hello, Monaaa darling, soon to be Mona Bhabi!" Ayaan shouted into the phone. "Raaabart, stop messing around and tell if you're near yet." Ayaan laughed, "Don't worry; I'm almost in Bhopal, after driving for so long, all the way from Mumbai. Seriously, did everyone think I would miss my Bhaijaan's wedding?" Zoya sighed, "Rabart, my friend just get here fast!" With that she cut off the phone and did her happy dance, in full bridal get-up. A week ago, she had finally managed to contact Ayaan and convinced him to come to Bhopal at least for the wedding. Being Zoya Farooqi, she had actually done it and now, soon Ayaan would be here to share in their happiness.
"Zoya? What on earth are you doing?" Haider stood in the door way with an amused look on his face, "You'll never get rid of your cartoonish tendencies I supposed." Zoya stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his head, "It's almost time for you to come down, and I guess I should let you know, I had bought that house we originally stayed in, back then," he paused before continuing, "The memories of Zainab phoopi are linked to that house and I want you to have it." He handed her the file he was holding. "Bhaijaan, I..." Haider stopped her, "Shh Zoya, I'm your big brother, I will always be there for you. I want to give you back these memories." Zoya nodded, then said, "Will you help with a special project? I want to start an orphanage in ammi's name." Suddenly an idea popped into her head, "I remember our house being very big actually...why don't we start our orphanage there?" Haider smiled, "You always want to help people...just like her."
Losing his Zainab phoopi had been terrible for Haider. His mother had died, giving birth to him, so he had never known her. From the moment he was born, it was Zainab who had cared for him. She had been a mother figure to him as long as he could remember. She had fed him, reprimanded him and given him a mother's love. She had never treated Zoya any different from Haider, and always treated them like real siblings. In return, Haider had loved them both. His father wasn't around much as far as he could remember. The death of his wife had affected him, but the death of his sister had pretty much killed him. When Haider was ten, two years after the incident, his father got very sick, and was diagnosed with a fatal disease. He passed away a few months later, and Haider went to live with his mother's relatives. Although they treated him well, no one could replace the family he had lost.
He grew up in the US with every material thing anyone could want. He got the best education possible and graduated with a business degree from a prestigious university. He had only one aim though, revenge on the people responsible for breaking his family apart. Haider had only been eight, but he could still remember that horrible day when his whole world came crashing down as if it were yesterday.
---Flashback---
They had been on their way somewhere, Zainab phoopi, Zoya and Haider. Phoopi had left a note for his abbu and they got in the car and left. One small bag, packed with the necessities were all they had with them. It was 8 pm, an unusual time for them to be going somewhere. Usually this was when they had dinner. Phoopi seemed to be on edge that night. She kept telling the driver to go faster, when the man finally decided to take a shortcut. Somehow they ended up in front of the doll factory his father had showed them last week.
The car stopped suddenly. The driver got down to check, and informed them that something was wrong. They got down, and Zainab took them to the factory, hoping to find a phone inside. They heard a sound, and Zainab told Haider to look after Zoya while she went to check if anyone was there. Zoya however began to cry and tried to follow after her ammi. Haider quickly followed her to make sure she didn't get lost. He couldn't see in the dark, and after a while, he realize he couldn't hear Zoya's cries anymore. He felt scared, and quickly tried to find phoopi and Zoya. That was when he heard a strange woman say something and turn around. He saw her scary face and decided to hide.
He waited quietly or awhile, and then saw a strange light. He walked towards it cautiously before he realized that the strange light was a fire. Phoopi was lying in the middle of the fire and Zoya was crying there. He tried to get Zoya to come but couldn't, finally he decided to call the driver for help. As he was leaving, he saw a man putting everything on fire. The face of this man, he would never forget.
Scared out of his wits, he ran outside, only to hear the scary lady thank the driver for bringing them here. The driver called the scary woman Razia bi. He learned a name he would never forget. He wished at that moment that it was her burning in the fire. Feeling helpless and small he tried to find a way out and get someone who could help. Soon out of exhaustion, he fainted on the side of the road, where he was found the next morning. When he woke up, he learned that phoopi and Zoya had died in the fire.
---
As Haider walked out of Zoya's room, he was deep in his thoughts. He now knew the whole truth. Somehow Zoya had survived the fire and been taken to an orphanage by someone Razia hired. After Razia had found out about Ghaffur leaving, she had confronted him and told him she was pregnant. She had asked him to choose between his daughter and the so-called second woman in his life. That was when the truth had come out of Ghaffur's mouth. Zainab was his first wife, not his lover. Razia then told him that she would make sure Zainab left on her own. She then hit him on the head and left him in his room.
When he had woken up, he had rushed to the gudiya factory but been too late. Everything was on fire and Zainab was dead. Razia had been responsible for everything. She looked crazed that night, as she walked out. She then asked Ghaffur if he wanted the mother of his child to be known as a murderer. Did he want his child to grow up motherless, or would he forget tonight and move on and give his child a good home. She claimed to have done it for the child growing inside her, and then Ghaffur knew, he had no choice; especially because Razia would probably make it look like he was the murderer even if he did try to do anything. Somehow, he managed to convince her to spare the girl, and have her taken to an orphanage.
Ghaffur had spent the last 20 years helping his wife hide the crime she had committed. He may have loved Zainab, but once he found out Razia was pregnant, he knew he had a choice. He had chosen to give this child everything he couldn't give his first child.
Haider slowly built up his own business, which was basically a consulting firm. Other businesses would hire them to help out if they were facing hard times. He changed his name from Haider Farooqi to Haider Sheikh, taking his mother's maiden name. He built up important contacts and had the matter quietly investigated. It took him a while, but he managed to get all the details in the end. Matching them up with his memories, he made a game plan. Investing in Rashid's company had been the beginning. Slowly he planned the destruction of the three people he held responsible for the incident, Ghaffur, Razia and Rashid. He had wanted to avenge the deaths of his loved ones, even if it took everything from him.
Funny how life brought you back full circle, wasn't it? It wasn't his revenge, but meeting Zoya, that had finally brought peace into his life.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coming up : Ayaan's entrance, the reveal of what happened to Ghaffur, confrontation of Asad, Ayaan and Rashid; and the Nikah.
85