Author's POV

She sat there, God knows for how long. One by one, everyone said things like:

"You didn’t feel even a little bit of shame before doing this?" — Shamim.

"You made us disappointed, Aina. Because of you, I did injustice to my son." — Saim’s father.

"I feel ashamed to call you my sister." — Affan.

"Now I understand why people before us buried their daughters when they were born." — Her father.

"I wish I had also buried you when you were born."

And many more hurtful words before they all left, but Aina’s mind went blank. She stared at one spot, not hearing anything else. She was still sitting on the floor, Saim’s words echoing in her head.

"Don’t dare come near me. Your father only hit you, but I will kill you if you come near me!"

His hateful words felt like sharp knives stabbing her heart with every passing second.

And then his unfinished sentence wounded her soul even more.

"Main apne pure hosh o awaaz mein Aina Baig ko abhi isi waqt ta…"

(In my full senses, I, Aina Baig, right now ta…)

He hated her so much that he was going to divorce her. She had been ready for his and the family’s extreme anger, but she was not ready for her father’s intense outburst and for Saim treating divorce like a simple step.

She didn’t know when she came out of her trance. Looking around, she saw no one there — she was alone. She stood up, holding onto the sofa as her body had no strength left to support her. She had been crying for God knows how long, and like always, there was no one to wipe her tears.

Her feet led her to the man of her life — the man she loved with everything she had. She opened the door slowly. Saim was on the sofa, leaning back with his arms covering his eyes. The room was a mess. The bedsheet and pillows lay scattered on the floor. Files and books from the table where he sometimes worked had also fallen. It looked like he had taken out some of his anger on the things around him.

With slow steps, she walked closer to him and quietly sat on the floor without saying anything.

Her head rested on the edge of the sofa seat. She just stared at his hand — the hand she wanted to hold but was too afraid because of his anger. The hand that always craved her touch, that always longed to hold her, that always protected her… was now far away from her. She could not hold it anymore, because he had taken that right away from her. She swallowed her sorrow.

Saim, on the other hand, felt her presence but couldn’t find the energy to push her away. Beneath his arms, he caught sight of her swollen face, showing the endless crying she had done outside before coming in.

The moment he stepped into the room, her memories had surrounded him.

The way she had said on their first night together that she was his wife.

The way she had hugged him in the mall, sobbing in his arms.

The way she blushed whenever he teased her.

The way she laughed, making his heart flutter.

The way she confessed her love.

"I love you, Saim. I love you so much."

"You are worth everything, Saim." She had held his face and started showering kisses on his forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, and lips. "I am madly in love with you. If you ever leave me, I’ll go mad. I’ll die."

She had shown him so much love that it was impossible for Saim to escape her charm. She had given him so much that it was impossible for him to forget. She had made him complete with her immense love and care.

But he could never forget the humiliation she had caused him that day — and in the office in front of everyone. Because of her, he had to go behind bars.

He knew he could never forgive her for taking everything from him.

A tear rolled down his cheek and fell directly on her hand. Aina moved her face and looked at him, but he still sat with his arms over his eyes. Without thinking too much, she stood up and sat beside him, placing her head on his arm.

"Jab main 12 saal ki thi, tab pehli baar aapki dulhan banne ka khawab dekha. Jab Dadu ne kaha tha meri Aina mere Saim ki dulhan banegi aur aapne hansi mein us baat ko uda diya, par Saim, maine us baat ko kabhi nahi bhula."

(When I was 12 years old, I dreamt for the first time of becoming your bride. When Dadu said, ‘My Aina will be Saim’s bride,’ you laughed it off, but Saim, I never forgot it.)

Tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking his sleeves. "I never forgot that moment and started loving you in a new way. Dadu always said I would be your bride. I was a kid, but my love for you grew stronger. Your care, your attention made me believe you would always be mine. And when you brought her into our life, I lost my mind. I became crazy. I couldn’t see what was right or wrong. The only wrong in my mind was that you were marrying someone else, and I would do anything to make you marry me." She moved back, placing her hand on his arm.

"Anything in this world cannot justify your actions," his hoarse voice came. "So please leave me alone." He moved her hand away. She saw his tear-stained face. "I don’t have the energy to talk to you," he said, opening his red, burning eyes.

She stared at him, seeing the silent storm inside them. In that moment, she realized Saim would never forgive her for this mistake.

He looked at her innocent face and still couldn’t believe she had played with him. To keep Reema away, she had made him a rapist and harasser twice. To him, she wasn’t in love — she was obsessed.

He stood up and walked away, memories of humiliation flashing again in his mind. He took long breaths to calm himself, but his rage wanted to punish her. His eyes turned furious in seconds.

"He deserves every curse in this world."

"He’s a characterless man who ruins women’s lives when drunk. Who knows how many women he’s destroyed… how many rapes he’s committed."

He clenched his jaw as the thoughts haunted him.

"Leave from here, Aina! Or else I will say or do something I will regret later." He spoke through gritted teeth, breathing to calm his rage.

"Saim, please… listen to me! Please!" she sobbed, reaching for him.

He shoved her away harshly, his touch colder than ice.

"Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare come near me, you witch!" he roared, his voice slicing through the air like a blade.

"I did it because I love you!" she cried brokenly. "I can’t live without you!"

His chest heaved with anger and betrayal.

"Not once, Aina… not once but twice you shattered me!" he hissed, a lone tear escaping his furious eyes.

He leaned down, their faces inches apart — her tear-filled eyes locked with his bloodshot ones.

"I hate you!" he gritted out, gripping her arms with bruising force.

"I HATE YOU!" he screamed, his voice tearing her heart apart.

"But I love you!" she cried in agony. "I LOVE YOU, SAIM!"

The space between them was filled with pain — the pain of a love never meant to be, and the ruins of a bond they once called family.

Saim pushed her away and walked out of the room, then out of the house. Aina sat on the sofa, holding her head. She could not bear his hate. His anger was bearable — but his hate?

••••••••••••••

That night and for the next two days, he didn’t return to the house. Shamim cursed Aina repeatedly. Aina didn’t step out of her room; only Shamim would come in to torment her with her venomous words, saying things like,

"Where is my son? Because of you, he’s not here! Why don’t you just leave?"

"You are the biggest mistake of our lives. We should never have married you to my innocent son."

"You cunning witch! Shameless girl! I will not let you live in peace. You have stained my son’s reputation!"

Aina listened to it all with her head bowed. She didn’t have the courage to look anyone in the eye. Even her own mother didn’t speak to her—she would only come once a day to glance at her or send her meals to the room.

Saim’s father had spoken to him, which meant he was fine. He was staying at the office. Aina’s mother told her this today because Aina hadn’t eaten anything for two days out of worry for Saim, so her mother had to reassure her that he was okay and that he had said he would come home today because his mother was crying over the phone.

It was night when he entered the room. Aina, who was sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees and her head resting on them, looked up with hopeful eyes.

He didn’t look at her and went straight into the dressing room. Aina swallowed the lump in her throat and waited. After a few minutes, he walked out without glancing around and headed out of the room again.

"Saim," she called softly, but he didn’t respond.

****************

Meanwhile, Saim had gone to his parents’ room.

At the office, the video had been forwarded to everyone, which cleared his name and proved his innocence. People there now treated him with even more respect. But the burning sting of Aina’s betrayal refused to let him breathe in peace.

Reema had come to meet him and cried as she admitted she had doubted him because of Aina’s words. He remembered her confession:

"I am really sorry, Saim. I shouldn’t have believed Aina’s lies. I’ve known you for so many years, and you are the purest man I have ever met. And I still love you—it hurts to see you like this."

She wept, covering her face with her hands. Saim had remained silent the entire time she was there, and after a few minutes of quiet, Reema had walked out of the room.

What was he supposed to say? That he trusted his wife and she betrayed him? That he doubted Reema’s intentions toward his wife? Or should he feel guilty for moving on in life while Reema still stood there loving him?

He didn’t know what he wanted at that moment. He couldn’t forgive Aina, nor could he comfort Reema. Out of everyone, he only felt sorry for Reema—she had suffered so much because of them.

Today, he had returned home only for his parents, who had been constantly calling him. His father had even come to the office and pleaded with him to come home because Shamim was crying for him.

He went into his parents’ room. His mother immediately pulled him into her arms.

"Mera baccha. Mujhe maaf kar do, meri jaan." (My child. Please forgive me, my love.) She kissed his head while he stood silently.

"Saim, beta, please forgive us," his father said, placing a hand on his shoulder. They felt guilty for forcing him to marry that girl and leave behind his true love.

Saim hugged his father but said nothing; he had no words left. He was shattered when he saw the hatred and disdain in his parents’ eyes for his wife.

She deserves that, his inner voice told him.

Afterward, he went to the guest room. Aina's old room Zaid and Affan converted their new study room.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Her face appeared there in his imagination—their moments of laughter, love, and support—painted across the ceiling in his mind.

He missed her presence beside him. She had made him dependent on her. His eyes filled with tears. Turning to the side, he clutched the pillow as his tears soaked into it. After two days, he finally cried. He longed for his innocent Ain. He wished he could erase everything from their lives.

"Ain," he muffled into the pillow, his voice breaking. He wanted her in his arms. He wanted everything to be right again.

But if you cannot forgive, you cannot have peace. Forgiveness is the key to inner peace—and in Saim’s world, there was no forgiveness.

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