Author's POV

Aina entered her room and closed the door, leaning back against it. The moment when Reema was in his arms flashed in front of her eyes, and she instantly shut them tight. Covering her mouth, she banged the back of her head against the door as if trying to erase that memory. She so badly wanted to erase every pain and every memory of Saim becoming someone else’s. Her chest began to tighten, and she started feeling out of breath. Lifting her face upwards, she took sharp breaths to calm her nerves. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but she was suffocating.

"Aina!" she heard a knock at the door — it was Zaid. "Aina."

Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Bhai... please mujhe... akela chhod do. Jaise sabne chhod diya hai... mai aise hi theek hoon." (Brother, please… leave me alone. Just like everyone else has left me… I am fine like this.) She spoke in a low voice, but Zaid heard her clearly since he was right outside.

"Don’t hurt yourself, Aina. Bhai doesn’t deserve your tears. You have to be strong," Zaid said, making her sigh in defeat.

"I am not strong... I am broken," she whispered to herself as a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

Zaid waited for her reply, but when none came, he quietly walked away.

********""

"Ye kya keh rahi ho tum?" (What are you saying?) Shamim asked in bewilderment.

"Sach keh rahi hoon mai." (I am speaking the truth.)

"Mera Zaid aisa nahi hai." (My Zaid isn’t like that.)

"Janti hoon, par hum ye bhi jaante hain ke Aina kaisi hai," (I know, but we also know what Aina is like,) Reema put her point forward, making Shamim press her lips together. "Woh beintehaa khubsurat hai. Aur Zaid ko usse humdardi bhi bahot hai." (She is extremely beautiful. And Zaid also has a lot of sympathy for her.) Reema smirked, noticing the frown forming on Shamim’s forehead. "Saim even had a quarrel with Zaid. We all saw how Aina was crying in his arms. And Zaid thinks Saim is the one at fault. He cannot see Aina’s mistake." She placed her hand on Shamim’s shoulder, who was lost in deep thought. "Isse pehle Zaid ki humdardi mohabbat mein badle, hume kuch karna chahiye." (Before his pity turns into love, we have to do something.)

"What… what should we do?" Shamim asked hesitantly.

"We will make Saim divorce Aina and turn her into the culprit in Zaid’s eyes," Reema smirked.

"Kaise?" (How?)

"Aap bas woh karein jo mai kahungi. Ek teer se do shikaar." (You just do what I say. Two hunts with one arrow.) She winked. Shamim felt a strange heaviness in her heart telling her it was wrong, but remembering how her son had been devastated because of Aina, she agreed.

*********

Aina’s POV

I went to my parents’ room. I wanted to talk to Baba. I couldn’t live like this anymore. I had to make some decisions.

My mother opened the door. "Baba?" I asked. She nodded, and I walked inside.

"Baba," I called as I found him sitting on the sofa, papers in his hands. He looked at me with clear displeasure in his eyes.

"What are you doing here? Leave. I don’t want to see your face," he said coldly.

"Baba… please, just listen to me once," I implored. "Please forgive me, Baba. Please help me." I sank to the floor, drained of all energy, and clutched his knees. "Baba, please send me away from here. I can’t bear all this anymore. I will die if I stay here." My voice cracked, but he pulled his knees away from me.

"This is your punishment. You have to face it. If you cannot bear this, then you should have thought about it before doing all this. Now you have to repent for your sins," he said, his voice cold and harsh, disturbing me even more.

"Baba…" I called him with love, but he only looked away.

"Go from here, Aina. Whenever I see your face, I feel like beating you. You have shamed me in front of everyone. I can never walk with my head high again. Tumne meri naak kaat di." (You cut my nose [disgraced me].)

After that, I couldn’t hear anything more. I ran out of the room blindly, bumping into someone in the hallway. I looked up.

Saim.

He held me by my arms. My tear-filled eyes collided with his fake concern. I pushed him and tried to walk away, but he caught my wrist.

"Kya hua?" (What happened?) he asked. I turned to look at him. "Why are you crying?"

I let out a broken chuckle. "Ap se pyaar karne ki saza mil rahi hai." (I am being punished for loving you.) His face hardened.

"Pyar karne ki nahi… pyar mein har kisi ki izzat se khelne ki saza. Tumne na apne parents ke baare mein socha, na mere, aur na hi is pure khandan ke baare mein. You just thought about yourself," (Not for loving… but for playing with everyone’s honor in the name of love. You didn’t think about your parents, nor mine, nor even about this entire family. You only thought about yourself.) he said with venom in his voice.

"Nahi, Saim," I wiped my tears and tried to stand firm, though my legs felt weak beneath me. "Meri galti hai ke maine aapse itni mohabbat ki ke mujhe har woh rasta sahi laga jo aapko mera kar de. Par mai galat thi. Pyaar zabardasti nahi kiya ja sakta." (My mistake was that I loved you so much that I thought every path that could make you mine was right. But I was wrong. Love cannot be forced.) I looked into his eyes.

"Pyar mein agar dhoka ho to woh palat kar zaroor aata hai. Maine aapke pyaar mein apne parents ko dhoka diya, aur aapne Reema ke pyaar mein mujhe dhoka diya." (When there is betrayal in love, it surely comes back. I betrayed my parents for your love, and you betrayed me for Reema’s.) I pulled my wrist free from his grip. "Mai galat thi ke mujhe laga aap Reema se pyaar nahi karte. Par… us… us din aap dono ko dekh kar…" (I was wrong to think you didn’t love Reema. But… that day, when I saw you both…) Words became too heavy to speak.

"I understood that I was wrong to separate you both. I was never your love or choice. I was your responsibility… your duty… and someone to fulfill your needs." The words pierced my heart, but they were the truth.

"But I am happy that now you got your love. You will spend your life happily, without any compulsion." I said and turned around, but before I could take a step, Reema walked in.

"Saim, I was waiting for you. Come, we’ll get late for our dinner date," she said, wrapping her arms around his and dragging him away.

I didn’t stop to see or hear anything else. I walked away with my broken heart. That was why I deprived myself of meeting those two — because every time I saw them together, I felt like dying.

I thought about something sinful like......

Kaash khudkushi halal ho jaati agar zindagi haram ho jaati… (If only suicide were halal, when life itself has become haram...)

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Author’s POV

Just as Aina turned, Saim pulled his arm out of Reema’s grip. "Can you please stop interfering in my matters with Aina?" he said rudely, his face hard.

"Saim—"

"I’m telling you, stay away from her. She is already going through so much. Don’t try to hurt her more. And please, keep your distance from me." With that, he walked away, leaving Reema burning in anger.

She was beginning to hate Saim now. His rude behavior cut her deeply, but she wasn’t ready to back off — not until she taught both of them a harsh lesson for playing with someone’s life.

********

Zaid was in the office when his phone buzzed. He took out his phone and saw Aina's message. He opened it and was shocked, remaining silent for a few seconds, but then thinking she might be pranking him, he shrugged it off and placed his phone back.

•••••••••

Aina was in the kitchen making something crispy and spicy for herself. She wasn’t feeling well, her taste buds were giving her a hard time. She made pakora and coffee, and after preparing them, she went to the table in the kitchen.

She was about to take the first bite when Affan walked in.

“Wah… log kitne beghairat hote hain aajkal.” (Wow… people have become so shameless these days.) He said and banged his hand on the table, making her flinch back. “Hum sabki neend, khana peena sab haram karke tum yahan partya kar rahi ho.” (We’re all suffering without food or peace, and you’re partying here.)

Aina stared at her brother, the brother who once showered her with love and care. tears gathering in her eyes.

“Woh… meri tabiyat theek nahi hai… mujhe kuch accha nahi—” (I wasn’t feeling well… nothing tastes good—)

“Oh just shut up!” he roared, and the tears she had been holding back began falling down her cheeks. “Shameless woman…”

“Affan!” Affan was about to say something more when Saim’s loud voice stopped him. He turned and looked at Saim, who was glaring at him. Shaking his head, Affan walked out of the kitchen.

Aina looked down. Saim walked inside. He had just returned from the office and came here to have something, since he hadn’t eaten lunch today, when he heard Affan’s loud voice.

“Aina, tum—” (Aina, you—)

“I am okay.” Saying this, she started eating her pakora hurriedly. Her eyes shed tears but she didn’t stop, stuffing her mouth again and again. It became difficult to swallow, but she tried her best.

“Aina, what are you doing?” Saim came forward, but she held her hand up and continued eating. Taking a few sips of coffee, she went to the washbasin. Splashing water on her face, she turned to leave but stopped.

“Ab ap sabke saath jeena hai toh dheet banna padega. Adat dalni padegi, warna mai toh mar jaungi agar har baat pe rone aur khana chhodne lag jaun to.” (If I have to live with all of you, I must become thick-skinned. I’ll have to get used to it, otherwise I’ll die if I start crying and giving up food at every situation.) With that, she walked out of the kitchen.

Saim sat on her left chair. He held his head.

Why does it hurt to see her like this?

I thought I would feel relief, even satisfaction, watching her face the punishment she deserved. But instead, an ache spread through me, sharp and unbearable. Why do her eyes speak of honesty and innocence, when I had convinced myself they were filled with deceit? Why can’t I find the slyness, the cunningness I so desperately wanted to see? Why does her pain feel like my own?

He looked up towards the plate of leftover pakora and the abandoned coffee. Taking the coffee mug, he picked one pakora and ate it before sipping the coffee and closing his eyes.

He was hungry, and that’s why he ate it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have touched her leftover food.

Saim convinced himself.

••••••••••••••

Aina was in the garden using her phone. She was trying her best to keep herself busy so that living in this house would become easier. She went to college, then came back. After eating something, she started reading, but nowadays she had exam leave, and she was tired of studying. She thought to have something, but her pakora attempt had gone horribly wrong, and now she was scrolling on her phone to avoid the void spreading in her, thinking about Affan’s behavior.

“Hey Aina!” Zaid came directly to her. “How are you?” he asked. Aina gave him a small smile.

“I am good, Bhai.”

“You cried?” he asked, to which Aina chuckled brokenly.

“Rona toh ab yeh zindagi ka hissa hai meri.” (Crying has now become a part of my life.)

“Aina… why are you hurting yourself?” He said and then smiled. “Oh yeah… I remember the text.” He smiled and sat beside her. “So the old Aina is coming back?” he asked with mischief in his eyes.

“What?” Aina got confused.

“Arre, don’t behave like an innocent. You tex—”

“Zaid!” He got interrupted by his mother’s voice. “Zaid! Come here, I want to talk to you.” She called, making him stand up.

“I will come back,” he said before leaving with his mother.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Zaid was in his room when his phone buzzed. He checked, and it was again Aina’s message. As he read it, a frown appeared on his forehead, then his eyes widened. He was shocked to see the texts, but he tried to ignore them. Holding his head, he sat on the bed.

No! Aina couldn’t say this.

Maybe she was having those thoughts because of everything happening with her nowadays. Maybe she was too hurt to think straight. I should ignore this. She will get better with time.

He convinced himself and ignored the texts, which continued to come over the next few days. He reduced his meetings with her. Aina tried to talk to him, but he ignored her and walked away whenever she was present.

*******

“I don’t know what happened to Zaid Bhai, Mama.” Aina was in her mother’s room. Her mother had asked her to come, as she too was receiving cold shoulders from Shamim and Reema. They ignored the mother and daughter as if they didn’t exist in the house. Aina’s mother was in bad health nowadays, so Aina tried to be with her as much as she could before her brother and father returned from the office.

Aina tried to look normal in front of her mother, but she was her mother—she could read her daughter’s painful eyes. Still, she tried to behave normally too, but the truth was her daughter’s pain was eating her from inside.

“Maybe his mother asked him not to talk to you much.” Her mother caressed her hair. “Don’t take this to your heart. You don’t need anyone. Your mother is enough for you.” She kissed her forehead. Aina gulped back her tears, snuggling into her mother’s lap, hiding them. Only Zaid Bhai was the one with whom she could spend some time and try to forget everything. In front of him, she didn’t have to pretend, but now he had also changed. The thought hurt her too much.

After a few minutes of silent crying, both mother and daughter separated. Aina went out, saying she had to prepare for exams as it was her father’s time to come back. She was going downstairs when Saim climbed the stairs. They both stopped in their tracks. Aina saw him after four days. She had tried her best to avoid him, and had succeeded, but whenever he came in front of her, she couldn’t help the sting she felt every time in her heart.

Saim was three steps down, so he took a few steps toward her. Aina held the railing tightly.

He stopped just one step below her. Involuntarily, he placed his hand on her cheek. Aina tried to step up, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and stopped her from walking away. Now Aina was leaning down on him while he looked up at her. Their hearts started pounding in their chests, eyes already swollen from tears began to pool again.

“Kyun roti ho itna Aina?” (Why do you cry so much, Aina?) He caressed his thumb over her swollen eyes. She shut her eyes. A lone tear slipped from her left eye. “Mat karo yeh zulm mujh par. I can’t see you in tears.” (Don’t do this cruelty to me. I can’t bear to see you in tears.)

“Apne hi toh sari zindagi ke liye yeh aansu mere naam kiye hain, Saim. Mere ek tarfa pyar ka tohfa hai yeh apki taraf se.” (It was you who gifted me these tears for a lifetime, Saim. This is your gift for my one-sided love.) She whispered.

Saim cupped her face with both hands. He wiped her cheeks with his thumbs.

“Do you think mujhe takleef nahi hoti? Ye jo sab ho raha hai… meri kya galti thi, Aina? Maine toh ek simple married life ki khwahish ki thi. Toh yeh kya ho raha hai mere saath?” (Do you think I don’t feel pain? All this happening… what was my fault, Aina? All I wished for was a simple married life. So why is this happening with me?) His eyes filled with tears. “The one who couldn’t function without you is now living days without seeing you.”

Aina stared at him silently.

“Saim!!” They were both lost in each other’s eyes when they heard Shamim’s voice.

Their trance broke. They looked around and found themselves still standing—she three steps up, and he three steps down.

It was their dream. They were talking through their eyes.

Saim sighed, and Aina, wiping her tears, walked downstairs.

Saim looked towards his mother, who stood there with Reema behind her. They were glaring at Aina’s back. He shook his head before walking toward his room.

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