AsYa SS ~ Vaada ~ Updated on PG 116 ~ 04/08 - Page 14

"Salaam Walikum, mohterma," greeted the Qazi sahib.

"Wa-walikum salaam," replied, a numb Zoya. "Jee, aap, yahan?" she asked, confused. Why was he here? There was no more paperwork as far as she knew. The only paperwork she knew that was pending was that of the talaknama, and that wouldn't be signed for at least another month.

She led him inside, and invited him to sit in the living room. When she came back from the kitchen, with a glass of water for him, he motioned her to sit down next to him.

"Beti, aapka naam, nikaah se pehle kya tha?" he asked her.

Zoya blinked, thoroughly confused. Why was this important now? Hadn't she signed her name on the nikaahnama? "Jee, Zoya Farooqui. Kyun? Kuch hua hai?" she half replied and asked.

She noticed his face go pale. What is he thinking? Why is this suddenly important?

"Beta, humein, mauf kardo. Humse bohot, bohot badi galati hogai hai. Darasal, tumhare nikaah ke roz, ek garbar ho gayi thi. Woh nikaah, jaiz nahin hai..." he finished, hesitantly.

"Woh nikaah jaiz nahin hai... Woh nikaah jaiz nahin hai... Woh nikaah jaiz nahin hai...

Zoya froze. The words echoed like gongs in her ears. Jaiz nahin hai? Meaning it... never meant anything? I've been here... I was brought here... for nothing!? Her head was spinning. All the sacrifices she made, all the pain she went through, the pain Humeira went through, the decision Ayaan and Mr. Khan had to make, was all... For nothing.

"Ya Allah..." Zoya finally let out, in a small voice. She looked down, her eyes wide, as flashes of that horrid night came to her. How Ayaan and her didn't even realize how it happened. How they didn't even know that they were being married. How they didn't even know what they were agreeing to when the Qazi asked.

"Yeh, yeh, aapko, kaise, kaise pata chala," she managed, her mind still running circles around the news. Her heart beat faster, as she tried to digest this new piece of the puzzle.

"Darasal, hum nikaahnamein dobara check kar rahe the. Apne records ke liye. Aur hum uss din que dhula aur dhulan ki list bhi dekh rahe the. Tab humein pata chala, ki ek jodi thi, jinka nikaah ussi din hone wala tha. Magar hua nahin. Issi liye, kyunki un dono ki jaga par, aap dono behte the." He sighed, regretting thoroughly having not caught this mistake sooner. Now he realized why they didn't seem at all happy when asked to sign the nikaahnama. He had thought he was entering a qabbarstan, not the home of a newly wedded couple when he came into the Siddiqui mansion for the first time. How could they have made such a big mistake?

Zoya's eyes filled with tears. One mistake. One mistake had led them all to live in misery. All to live in denial. One mistake had caused them all to deny their feelings for each other, to surrender their love. For what? To find out it was all a lie? Now Nikhat was also married. What was the point of going on with this, this... sham?

Flashback Ends

So you see Ayaan. We did make a mistake. But it was that we didn't investigate the legitimacy of this nikaah. You might be wondering why I didn't mention this sooner. Why I waited until today.

The reason, is that there was no point. Everyone already had decided that this was a temporary wedding. Just until Nikhat got married. Now she is. She's happily married. But you still wanted me to wait. Until the three months were over. So I did.

Now you are free. There is no need to sign the talaknama, but still, I have already signed a copy, and sent it to the same Qazi sahib. You can go to him, sign it, and be rid of this sham nikaah as well.

I meant what I said. A nikaah is a paak relationship for me. I don't consider it a game. And for that reason, I can't pretend I have not committed a sin, and disrespected my own values and beliefs by going along with this, this whole time.

So I'm leaving. I am not going back to Mr. Khan. I can't. You two brothers, decided my fate without my say. Without even asking me how I felt about it. And for what? It was all in vain. There was no need for it. I cannot go back and pretend that the last three months did not happen.

Please give the enclosed envelopes to Phupi, Najma, and Humeira. You owe me, that much.

I hope you and Humeira are able to move past this. She deserves all the happiness in the world. She was truly like sister to me, and I will miss her dearly.

Goodbye.

Zoya

The tri-folded sheet of paper slipped from Ayaan's hands, and slowly flitted side to side, until it reached the ground. Ayaan's heart started pounding, his eyes darting in every direction, trying to make sense of what he had just read.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, as he relived that fateful night. The night, when their lives altered. He wiped the sweat on his upper lip, and ran a hand through his hair. He paced back and forth in the room, formerly known as Zoya's. He thought back to his plea to his bhaijaan. To Haseena's demand. To Nikhat's condition. To his Bhaijaan's kurbani. To Zoya.

Ya Allah... What had they done...

A/N:

There we go! So what will Ayaan do now? Where do you think Zoya went 😉

All this more to come! 😆

Like and comment, please! Pretty please with a cherry on top! 😳

Varna next update ke liye last time jaise, shart lagana parega 🤣