CHAPTER 4
Seene se tere sar ko lagake...sunti main rahu naam apna
Zoya shivered as she tried to secure the latch on the window. She could hear the wind howling and the storm raging, leaving all the white curtains of her room afloat.
But nothing compared to the hidden thunderstorm unleashed upon Khan Villa tonight. She shivered again, not because of wind this time.
The night had been adventurous to say the least. The whole Khan khandaan was scandalized…well much like traumatized.
Zoya had been the first one to recover. Somehow, she was always apprehensive of Tanveer, sceptical about her perfectly polite behavior –whether it was the way she was never angry or the way she climbed onto Asad’s arm on any given opportunity.
She kicked the stool near her violently in frustration. That double- faced, lying, cheating scumbag. Allah Miyan! Good riddance.
Apparently, Mr. Khan’s sister’s fiancé was the father of tanveer’s child. She was frickin pregnant!! Who would have thought?
And to top it off, she had planned to pass the child off as Mr. Khan’s. Her Mr. Khan...Her... Her Jahapanah's...
Zoya opened the window again letting the stormy rain pour in, soaking her face and the tiles, in hopes to tranquil her turbulent mind. She then took some deep breaths, swerving back to a couple hours ago.
Imran and his family, along with the Siddiqui’s had thundered in ready to take Tanveer to the police station. Although stunned, everyone had tried to protect her– even Zoya.
Gah!
But the loyalties on all lips were short lived, strangled by the sight of pregnancy reports and video proofs.
Imran had run a personally produced sting operation on her.
The moving image of her gloating about how everyone in khan family was wrapped around her finger, left everyone gagging. She had then proceeded to warn Imran not to mess with the future Mrs. khan. Zoya felt sick to her stomach thinking about her offer to him to still have a relationship between the sheets even after they were both married.
Disgust. Pure filth, that’s what that woman was.
Her heart plummeted thinking about the man just few steps away from her. They had all heard a crash as soon as his door had closed. The vase again, most probably…
Sure, he looked furious but Zoya knew. He was hurt. Asad Ahmed Khan valued relations, valued trust – for betrayals were a mere reminder of his past. Poor guy.
And Phuphi… Ya allah! What did she get in turn for treating her like a daughter…and then there was her innocent little tamatar, she was just a kid for crying out loud.
How could she?! That devious witch.
The wedding was off. The Siddiqui’s were furious, blackmail or no blackmail.
But even still Zoya couldn’t fathom the reaction of some women who belonged to that house.
It’s sad how we become each other’s worst enemies.
They were still pushing poor Nikhat to stay in the relationship. She looked so…heartbroken.
Rishta toota toh log kya kahenge?
The conversation had made her blood boil. How the very identity of a girl, her consent, the pain of her betrayal was being shunned all in the name of marriage made her head swirl with unconsumed rage.
Where the hell were these chaar log when her spineless fiancé was busy reproducing? Sure, he had exposed Tanveer but only because he was sick of blackmail not for the sake of a relationship.
Only Daadi, Ayaan and Mr. Khan’s Abbu had talked sense. They didn’t sign up for a free, money extorting, sautan for their daughter. End of story.
But nothing and no one was more infuriated than Imran’s Ammi... What was her name again... Haseena bi right…she had vowed to drag Tanveer to court to get every penny back– ‘Bahu banana toh dur ki baat hai’ she had yelled furious, ready to claw her face out.
Zoya idly wondered what the future of that poor child would be. Would that kid also thirst for a family, an Abbu just like she always had?
Something in her heart broke all over again.
So, she did the only thing that made sense to her this moment. She kneeled down on the floor, raised her hands up in dua and prayed for the soul that was yet to come into the world.
xx
She wiped her hands by the side of her jeans before she took out the remaining pieces of trash and moved towards the door. Her body ached and head pounded. The no sleep and high voltage drama had left her feeling like a worn-out shoe on its last days.
She was done with her room, only the bathroom remained. Her phuphi was adamant on getting a purification of the house done tomorrow so all of Tanveer’s left behind stuff was to be disposed off today.
And maybe rightfully so, even the room had negative energy.
It had taken her non-stop talking…she still didn’t know how she pulled that off, and a whole lot of shayari to lift up everybody’s moods. Her eyes never once left Asad’s. Strangely he had not bothered to look away either.
“Ms. Faaroqui?” Ah! Think of the devil…
“Jee”
“Ammi’s calling you for dinner. Are you almost done?”
“Yeah, just need to clear up the bathroom…give me one second” He nodded.
A minute passed… then several. What was taking her so long? She just had to take out the trash, right?
Asad decided to enquire only to see Zoya sitting on the floor clutching onto something, her face as white as paper.
He was by her side in a flash.
“Zoya, what happened?” he asked worriedly as he took her face between his palms.
She still wouldn’t say anything. He looked down to see what she was clutching. Toolbox?
As he tried to take it away from her, it fell open spilling all its contents to the floor.
What? Wires?...YA ALLAH!
He slowly turned his gaze back at her, his eyes wide with shock as the meaning of it all slowly dawned upon his senses.
He refused to blink.
He just couldn’t–for the fear of all the what if’s creeped up his heart and petrified him.
The wires forgotten on their side; he pushed the toolbox out of his way in a haste to take her in his arms. He could feel her soft sobs against his chest as he tried to push back his own. Mad rage licked his insides, but he couldn’t let it consume him. Not yet. He had to remain calm for her.
He didn’t realize that his hands had started shaking.
They sat on the floor in each other’s arms oblivious to the outside world, each trying to calm their own storm.
He wanted to comfort her…but didn’t know how –without scaring her. He desperately wanted to crush her lips with his, a reminder that she was real and not a figment of his imagination. His closed eyelids played flashbacks of Mangalpur...her limp body.
His hold unconsciously became even tighter. Eventually her sobs subsided, and she found herself struggling to form a coherent sentence.
“Asad…she” she shuddered.
“Shh…it’s okay. I’m here…I’m here.” And I won’t ever let anybody harm you.
Seconds ticked by as they sat in each other's embrace thanking their god for prevented catastrophe.
Zoya could now hear the light pitter patter of the never ending rain mixed with the rapid beating of his heart. She subconsciously relaxed.
As their breathing returned to normal, Asad slowly helped her up and out of the bathroom. His hand brushed hair off her forehead on his own accord and came to rest at her chin.
At least, she had stopped shivering.
But when she finally looked up in his eyes, the air around them suddenly changed. He saw color pool to her cheeks and her vulnerable gaze getting lost in his.
His desperation came back.
His breath became shallower as his eyes travelled to her lips.
“Asad?” They suddenly sprang apart as his Ammi called out to them. They both breathed a sigh of relief… and regret.
Ya Allah! Had she seen them like this. Arm in arm, body to body. Just about to…
Her face had the answer written all over it. Yes…Yes, she had!
xx
Welcome to the end of most randomest chapter of all. Tanveer for me was more of a shock therapy element to Asad's character in the show, which just eventually helped him grow. All the other stuff they showed her successfully pulling off was well....dumb😆
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