Hi All,
I have promised some of you that i will give an update soon this time and as per my promise here's a new update..
And my heart felt thanks to everyone who commented and 'liked' the last update... your appreciation really means a lot.
Thanks and love you all.
kaussar.
CHAPTER 12 :
On the second morning after Dilshad came back, Asad could not wait any longer and decided to go to his parents' house that afternoon and talk to them once again. And he told Zoya about it and asked her to come with him. Zoya felt nervous thinking of how she would face them but she knew that she should and she also knew that if they did not forgive them even after Asad talked to them, she herself should also try to talk to them and make them understand. She knew that Asad would not relax till they forgave them and accepted their marriage, so for his sake she was ready to do anything.
And in the afternoon they were getting ready to go, when Maria came upstairs and told them that Asad's parents were waiting down. Asad sighed in relief hearing that because he knew his parents well enough to know that their coming back to visit him meant that they had forgiven him and Zoya as well. He immediately hugged Zoya with tears in his eyes.
"Zoe, let's go and meet them... they have forgiven us."
"Asad, I think it's still best for you to go and meet them alone first... talk to them openly and even if they had forgiven us, still say sorry to them once again... after the three of you have a good heart to heart talk, I will meet them." Zoya caressed his cheek and then squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"Go" she whispered and Asad nodded and left the room.
And the moment Asad entered the drawing room, Dilshad and Rashid came to him and hugged him from both sides and Asad hugged them back tearfully.
"Ammi, Abbu you both came back... and it means that you have forgiven me right?"
"Asad, how can we remain angry with you?... especially when you have not really done anything wrong" Rashid answered him with a smile.
"Abbu I know that you are just trying to make me happy... Ammi was so upset and I'm sure even you must have been."
"Yea Asad... I'm not saying that we were not upset... your Ammi was really upset when she came home day before yesterday... and when she told me about everything even I was upset... but then I tried to see things from your point of view and tried to understand why you did it the way you did... you are a grown up man and no longer our small child...and you are an independent, wise and a mature person who would know right and wrong very well and when you met a woman with whom you fell in love with and felt that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her, you had every right to make the decision to marry her... and when to marry her and how to marry her was also a decision that you had a right to take and we cannot blame you for taking that decision on your own...of course we were upset that you had not told us anything all these days and kept us in the dark... but then we can understand the situation and why you had to keep all this a secret... we can understand you Asad... and if we can understand you then we have no right to remain upset with you as well... your Ammi also understands this now and so we came to meet you."
"Your Abbu is right Asad... I was really very upset... I guess any parent would be if they learnt such a thing this way... but then your Dad made me see things from your point of view and even I had to agree that you have not done anything wrong by getting married the way you did... and our only unhappiness is because you did not share with us anything even later on... but then I understand why you had to keep it a secret later also...you explained to me your reasons and now we can accept everything that had happened."
"I know I should have told you both about it as soon I recovered from coma and was able to think properly... but then I didn't know where Zoya was and what happened to her and why she had not come to me... everything was so complicated... and even my feelings towards Zoya was complicated... at times I yearned for her so much but at other times I felt I did not deserve her and that its best if she never came back to my life... so under those circumstances I could not confide anything to you both... But now I realize that I should have... I'm really sorry for that." Asad told them sadly.
"It's OK Beta... now we know how much you have suffered all these days because of how things turned out in your life... and that is another reason why we feel you do not deserve our anger and unhappiness at this stage... You deserve only love and understanding right now... and we are happy that your wife is back with you and you both are together right now." Dilshad held his hands and caressed his knuckles soothingly.
"Thanks Ammi and Abbu... you both are really the best."
"So when are you going to introduce us to your wife?... we want to meet our Daughter in law now... no more emotional talks and let's put everything that has happened behind us and concentrate on getting to know our Daughter in Law." Rashid patted Asad's back.
"Alright... I will call Zoya...actually Ammi, why don't you come upstairs with me and meet her there first... she was very nervous about meeting you both and she would feel more at ease if you would come and meet her." Asad said thoughtfully and Dilshad agreed.
When Asad and Dilshad entered the bedroom Zoya was standing near the large French windows that opened to the balcony, facing outside and lost in some thoughts.
"Zoe" she heard Asad's voice and he sounded happy and she turned around with a smile on her face , but seeing Dilshad standing with Asad her smile disappeared, her face became serious and she became a bundle of nerves once again.
"Zoe, are you there?" Asad asked when he did not get any answer from her.
"I'm here..." Zoya said softly.
"Come here and meet Ammi... she wants to meet you."
"Hi" Zoya walked forward nervously and held out her hand to Dilshad but Dilshad ignored it and moved closer and hugged Zoya.
"We don't shake hands when we meet special people like our Daughter in Law... we hug." Dilshad removed her arms from around Zoya, looked at her face intently and smiled and Zoya smiled back at her still feeling a bit nervous.
"Asad told me that you are very nervous about meeting us... you need not be... and I'm sorry I went away that day without even meeting you and getting introduced."
"Actually Aunty, I'm the one who should say sorry to you... because of me you got all upset and because of me you had to get upset with your son as well."
"Now let's not talk about all that... we have already discussed this downstairs and Asad has explained everything to me on that day also... and now we have no issues with either of you... and all we want to do now is welcome you to the family and get to know you... So please call me Ammi or Mom here after. Asad calls me Ammi but Najma calls me Mom and you can call me whichever of the two you are comfortable with."
Asad then took Zoya downstairs and introduced her to Rashid. The four of them then sat and talked and soon it was time for dinner and Asad requested them to stay for dinner.
"Ammi, Abbu actually I have an idea... why don't you both stay here for some days?" Asad asked
"Asad, that may not be a very good idea." Dilshad looked at Zoya hesitatingly. She knew that Zoya was still not feeling very comfortable around them and she also knew that Zoya and Asad needed to be alone with each other and spend as much time as possible with each other without others around them.
"Umm Ammi, actually even I would like it if you both stayed here." Zoya said softly. She knew how much Asad's parents did for Asad all these days and how concerned they were for Asad. And she did not want them to feel left out now that she was there in Asad's life. They deserved to still be a part of Asad's day to day life and she knew how much they, especially Dilshad would miss Asad at home, so Zoya wanted her to still be a part of Asad's life in every way.
"But..."
"Ammi... no buts now... even Zoe is asking you to stay here... so you are going to stay." Asad declared and both Rashid and Dilshad had to agree.
******************
And after dinner that night, they all were once again sitting in the drawing room talking when Asad remembered something. He had not yet told his parents regarding who Zoya really was and he felt a little apprehensive wondering how they would react to this piece of news. But he did not want to keep any more secrets between them and he knew that even Zoya would want them to know everything soon.
"Umm Ammi, Abbu there's something else I have to tell you...I... actually I have not told you who Zoe really is... you will be surprised to know."
"What do you mean?" Dilshad asked confused.
"Ammi, Zoe was Zoya Siddique before she became Zoya Asad Ahmed Khan... does it ring a bell?"
Asad had told her that day about Zoya's Abbu wanting her to get married to someone else but he had not told her who Zoya's Abbu was.
"Zoya Siddique?" Rashid questioned confusedly and then suddenly both Dilshad and Rashid realized it together and both of them turned towards Zoya with shock.
And seeing the expression on their faces, Zoya looked at them with apprehension. Both Zoya and Asad knew that there was some tension between their families and that they had a fall out when Asad and Zoya were small and that was the reason why Asad and Zoya became separated as children and never met again. And even though they did not know exactly what had happened in the past, from Zianab's talk Zoya felt that it was actually her Abbu who was really at fault and she had been wondering what really had happened between the two families.
"You mean Zainab's daughter?" it was Dilshad who finally recovered from her shock and she queried softly.
"Yes Ammi." Asad answered and Zoya also nodded her head in affirmation.
Dilshad and Rashid stared at Zoya and Zoya could see a lot of emotions changing across their faces. But then Dilshad got up from where she was sitting and went and sat near Zoya.
"You seemed familiar to me since I saw you... but I could not recognize you Beta... and now that I know who you are, I can see that you resemble your mother a lot." Dilshad reached out and cupped Zoya's cheek lovingly and Zoya suddenly hugged Dilshad and started crying. Dilshad patted her back and let her cry and Rashid looked on with worry. And hearing her sobbing Asad who was sitting on the other side of Zoya too moved closer and squeezed her shoulder gently. Zoya had been too tensed about too many things in the past few days and one of the things both she and Asad were apprehensive about was disclosing to his parents who she really was.
And now, feeling Dilshad's motherly touch and knowing that she and Rashid had accepted her despite the problems they had with her Abbu, she could not help in letting go and crying her heart out. And they were actually tears of relief because so much of her worries and tension went away with their acceptance and the love they had shown towards her. And Dilshad continued to rub and pat her back and she let Zoya cry. She kind of understood what Zoya was feeling and knew that she must have been quite tensed thinking they may not accept her for being who she was.
And finally when Zoya's sobs subsided, Dilshad removed her arms from around her and wiped her face.
"I'm sorry." Zoya whispered.
"It's OK beta... it's always good to cry and let your pent up emotions out... But you don't look nice when you cry, so from now on you should not as my son wouldn't like that as well." Dilshad smiled and held Zoya's hand and caressed her knuckles.
"Dilshad is right... you don't look nice at all when you cry... so you should never cry." Rashid agreed with a smile and Zoya smiled and lowered her head shyly. She was now feeling awkward about breaking down in front of them but at the same time she was feeling really relieved and happy knowing that Asad's parents had really accepted her.
"So Asad... you have ultimately found your Princess and have brought her back in to your life again... I did not know that you had been waiting for Zoya all these days... had I known I would have never even occasionally asked you to get married or find a girl for you." After few minutes of silence, Dilshad suddenly started teasing Asad. Her thoughts had gone to the past and she had then remembered how Asad and Zoya were together as children and how Asad used to call her Princess and how upset he had been for sometime after Zoya went away with her parents.
"Ammi... it's nothing like that... I mean... mean it's just fate...I wasn't waiting for her... we just met in France and we fell in love."
"But it looks like that to me...you were never interested in marriage and women and then you met Zoya and you got married so soon... anyway it really looks like as if both of you are connected from childhood and is meant to be together... isn't it Rashid?"
"Yea it looks like." Rashid agreed and smiled.
"Abbu, you would always agree with Ammi." Asad smiled at them indulgently and Zoya looked at them with a shy smile. She had just witnessed for the first time, the kind of banter, love and closeness that this family shared and this was the kind of family that she had always longed to have. Her own Abbu and Ammi never got along and her Abbu treated her Ammi as dirt and even she had never really got along with her Abbu and more than ever, now it struck her that she had never had a real family life and had missed so much when it came to family life.
Asad's family was the complete opposite of hers and she thanked Allah in her heart for getting Asad as her life partner and through him she had now become a part of this wonderful family and she did not want anything to ruin this. And her thoughts once again went to the court case and she wondered what she should do and how she should handle it. Now it was not only Asad to whom she should reveal the truth; even his parents should know about it and she knew that she should not keep them in the dark for longer.
********************
Next morning Zoya had woken up early and she was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when Dilshad walked in and greeted her warmly.
"Good morning Beta... you woke up so early?... you could have slept a bit longer."
"Good morning Ammi... even you are up early isn't it?"
"I'm used to it...in the initial days when Asad was too sick, I used to sleep late and wake up early to keep an eye on him and I got used to it... and even after he became much better, it had become a habit and I had continued to do it... but actually after Asad and Najma grew up, I never woke up so early. Rashid never disturbed me in the morning and would always let me sleep." Dilshad smiled.
"You are so lucky Ammi to have such a wonderful husband." Zoya smiled back at her. and then her thoughts went to her own Ammi and her face clouded and there was a faraway look on her face. Dilshad realized what must have happened and she cleared her throat to bring Zoya back into the present.
"Umm Zoya, what are you preparing?"
"Umm nothing much... I consulted a Dietician and she told me that Asad needs a lot of proteins in his diet to improve his muscle strength... so in the morning I make it a point to give him two egg whites... And one day when we were in Paris I baked this lemon muffins and he loved them so much... and I learnt that despite being so health conscious and eating healthy foods, he actually has a sweet tooth and loves to devour things like muffins, pies and tarts. So today, I'm making an apple tart."
"Yea he indeed has a sweet tooth... looks like you have really learnt his likes and dislikes even though you both have not lived together for long... I'm so happy to see you both together this way and to see Asad married."
"Umm Ammi... can I ask you something?" Zoya asked Dilshad hesitatingly after sometime. She was once again thinking about the court case and she felt that it was a good time to ask Dilshad regarding the marriage certificate.
"Actually I have been wondering where our marriage certificate is... Asad doesn't know about it... it was in our apartment in Paris and since you must have gone there and collected Asad's things I was wondering whether you had seen the certificate or not."
"No Zoya... we had not seen it... actually it was Rashid who went to the apartment to collect the things... but he had brought everything in a suitcase and I had unpacked it after we returned home only... I did not see it among his things... and I'm sure Rashid had not seen it in the apartment as well... he would have told me if he did." Dilshad said confused.
"Ammi, can I see those things again?... I... I am really worried not knowing where the certificate is."
"Yea alright... you can come with me sometime and see."
"Umm Ammi... actually can we go today itself?" Zoya asked nervously and Dilshad looked at her surprised.
"Actually I'm scared my Abbu might try to create some problem... and that is the reason why we not only had a religious ceremony but a civil wedding as well in Paris... and I want to have the certificate with me incase... you know incase he does something and we have to prove that we are married."
Dilshad understood that Zoya was really worried about the certificate and that afternoon she took Zoya and went to their home. She escorted Zoya to Asad's room and told her that she had kept all the things in his wardrobe but some things may be there inside the suitcase as well. And for almost an hour, Zoya searched his room and the suitcase as well but she could not find the certificate.
And when they returned back to Asad's apartment and told about it to Asad and Rashid, even they became tensed and confused. Everyone wondered how the certificate could have disappeared. It was too strange to happen.
"Zoya, what about your things that were in the apartment?... even your things like your clothes, jewelry etc would have been there isn't it?... but I didn't see any of your things when I went to collect Asad's things." Rashid who was used to think logically as a lawyer and whose mind was trained to obtain clues, asked Zoya suddenly.
"I don't know..." Zoya whispered and her brows knotted together in confusion.
"I have never thought about them till now...actually I had no memory of even the clothes I wore in France. And after I got my memory back, I never thought of all those things... but Abbu now that you mentioned it I wonder where my things are... actually I have not seen them since the accident." Zoya got even more confused and everyone realized that something weird had happened but no one could really figure out what must have happened.
PS. this Chapter became too long as i wanted to incorporate many things and reveal some things since i have kept you all waiting for some truths to come out..especially regarding the certificate... and as a result i have to divide the chapter into two... so will now update the next chapter too.. stay tuned.😃
CHAPTER 13 ... updated on next page.😃
Edited by kaussar - 10 years ago
Arjun
Jhanak
Tum Se Tum Tak
46