Rumaan’s POV

"How is my baba?" I asked the doctor who had just come out of baba’s room.

"He’s fine now, but you have to take care of him. His blood pressure is too high. You must keep him away from all kinds of tension," the doctor replied before leaving. I nodded silently.

I was supposed to go to Marziya aapi’s house to bring Hana back, but baba wasn’t feeling well today. He felt dizzy, and mama said he had a fever last night. So I called the doctor for a checkup and decided I would go to Hana after that.

I went inside the room and saw mama sitting beside baba with her eyes closed, reciting verses. I sat on the chair beside the bed, right in front of her.

"Mama," I called softly. She opened her eyes and looked at me, then blew on baba before coming closer and blowing on me too. I closed my eyes and smiled faintly. She always did this whenever I was near her while she recited. Sometimes she even came to my room just for this. At first, it irritated me, but eventually I got used to it. Now, it gave me peace, knowing my mother’s prayers were with me.

Mama got up from the bed and walked out without saying anything. I looked at baba once more, kissed his forehead, and then followed mama.

I love my family too much to see them in pain—including my Hana.

Mama sat on the couch in the living room, and I sat on the floor in front of her.

"I can’t believe you still care about me, mama… after all I did," I said, feeling ashamed.

"I gave birth to you. Even if I wanted not to care, I couldn’t help it," she said, looking away. I could see the pain in her eyes.

"Mama, I know I hurt you. I hurt everyone. But I promise, mama, I will fix everything," I said firmly. She looked at me and shook her head.

"Do you think you can make things right again?" she asked. I nodded.

"You can’t do anything now. Do you know, when Hana was leaving this house, I tried to stop her? But she asked me something that silenced me completely." Mama’s voice softened, almost as if she was talking to herself—but I heard it.

"What did she ask?" I asked quickly. Mama looked down.

"She asked me… if she were my biological daughter, would I still let her live with a husband who disgraced her, who accused her of sleeping with another man?" Mama’s tears slipped down her cheeks.

My stomach twisted painfully. My heart clenched hearing Hana’s question.

"Mama, I didn’t accuse her! I just… I wasn’t thinking straight. Mama, before Hana, I hurt her, yes—I admit it. But after I got her love, after I understood the beauty of marriage, I tried not to hurt her. I swear I tried! But still, I ended up hurting her." I paused and held Mama’s hand.

"Do you know how hard Hana became for me to handle? Her behavior… it frustrated me. But I swear on you, Mama, I never wanted to lose her. This marriage sometimes felt suffocating because of her insecurities—but I never thought of throwing her out of my life. She became my peace, Mama. When I heard she was pregnant, I panicked. I thought, if I couldn’t handle Hana, how could I handle this responsibility? And in my fear, I did the worst thing imaginable." My voice broke, a lone tear escaping.

"But now I regret every single action, Mama. Now I realize her behavior was because of her mood swings. She needed me, but I let her down," I whispered. Mama stayed silent, her eyes fixed on me.

"And another thing haunted me back then—my stupid dreams. I thought marriage would ruin them. But I was wrong. When I realized my love for Hana, I realized nothing was more important to me than her—not even my dreams. She became my dream…"

Mama finally interrupted me.

"Then why did you do this to her, Rumaan? If someone truly loves, they don’t hurt the one they love. And you… you crossed every limit in hurting her." She shook her head in disappointment.

A lump rose in my throat. I swallowed hard, guilt eating me alive. I remembered every time I broke my innocent Hanu. I had truly crossed every limit.

"I became a mess, Mama. I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sorry," I whispered, tears spilling again. I wanted to justify myself, to win my Hana back—but even I knew nothing could justify my actions. Not even me.

"I love her, Mama. I want her back. I can’t live without her," I whispered and hugged Mama, placing my head on her lap. After some time, she stroked my head gently.

"Then prove it to her. Prove you truly love her. Prove you’re sorry and that you want her forgiveness. Go and earn it…" she paused, cupping my face,

"Go and win her heart again."

Her words echoed Fathima’s. Mama wiped my tears and kissed my forehead.

"I’m your mother, Rumaan. I don’t want to see you in pain. And now I can see—if you don’t get your Hanu back, you’ll break just like her. Call me selfish, but I don’t want that pain for my son."

I sat beside her and hugged her tightly.

"I’m sorry, Mama! I’m really sorry for everything. Please forgive me," I sobbed in her arms.

"I will forgive you when you bring back my daughter-in-law and my grandchild," she said.

I smiled through tears, feeling shy. "I will bring them both," I promised with determination.

"Then go," she said. I kissed her forehead and left, ready for my mission—winning Hana’s heart back.

•••••••••••••

Hana’s POV

I never thought my entire existence would change one day. But it did.

A few days ago, I was someone’s wife—a man who never truly considered me his wife, who never truly loved me. Still, I never thought he would disrespect me either. I thought, no matter what, he would never intentionally hurt me. But I was wrong.

He didn’t just hurt me. He broke me. He shattered me into pieces.

Why did he do this to me? I loved him with all my heart. In return, I only wanted loyalty. I never even asked for his love. I was willing to wait all my life for him. But he was the one who came close. He was the one who made me believe I was his wife before the world. He was the one who made me believe he would give me respect.

But again, I was wrong. He was the one who snatched away my dignity. Who disgraced me. Who used me.

A lone tear slipped from my eye. I didn’t want to cry, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

I lay on the bed in my khala’s (maternal aunt’s) house, staring at the ceiling. The memories replayed—how he came to me, how he behaved as though he cared, how he made me his slave with sweet words, how I did everything he wanted me to do.

Why are we girls so stupid? We think our husband—or boyfriend—is always right. That whatever they say is the truth. Sometimes the truth is right in front of us, but we refuse to see it because of blind love. We think it’s our duty to fulfill their desires, and we do it willingly, happily, believing it’s love.

Not all men, maybe. But most who refuse to make their relationship official—halal—are like this.

Now I realized why Maan didn’t want ruksati (formal wedding send-off). Because he knew one day he would get bored of me. He wanted an easy way out. And he got it, after hearing about my…

"Hana."

A soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned my head slightly and saw Muneeb standing beside my bed, looking at me painfully.

He came closer and sat beside me. I sat up.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

Am I crying?

"Am I… crying?" I whispered, and he nodded, wiping away tears I hadn’t even realized had fallen.

"Don’t cry," he said, shaking his head, holding my hand gently.

Stay away from Muneeb.

Rumaan’s voice echoed in my mind. I instantly pulled my hand back. He never liked me being close to Muneeb.

"What happened?" Muneeb asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"No… he is not my Maan," I mumbled.

Muneeb placed his hand on my arm. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.

"He isn’t my Maan. My Maan loved me, cared for me. But he is not. Do you know what he is?" I asked in a low voice, moving closer so only he could hear.

"He’s a monster. He’s heartless. He doesn’t have a heart. He only knows how to use people for his pleasure," I whispered. Muneeb’s eyes widened.

"What…" he started, but I cut him off.

"Shh… don’t tell him! Or else he’ll hurt me more. He hurts me whenever he’s angry. Please, don’t tell him. I don’t want to be hurt more," I whispered, putting my finger against my lips.

"He’s not here, Hana. He can’t hear you," Muneeb said softly. I saw wetness in his eyes.

"Hana… did he ever hit you?" Muneeb asked carefully.

I chuckled bitterly and shook my head. "He hit me here," I pointed to my heart. "He never hit me physically, but he hit me emotionally and mentally."

"Forget him, Hana. Come," Muneeb said gently. He held my hand and helped me stand. "Go freshen up, and then we’ll go downstairs. Everyone wants to meet you. You’ve been locked in this room for almost two days—it’s not good for you."

He led me to the bathroom door, but panic gripped me.

"No! I’m not going anywhere. I told you—I don’t want to face him," I said, stepping back.

"Hana, Rumaan isn’t here. This is my house—your aapi’s house. He can’t come here without permission. And as long as you want to stay away from him…" He paused, holding my hand firmly. "I promise you, he won’t come close. I will never let him."

"You promise?" I asked softly.

"I promise," he said firmly, then walked to the wardrobe. He took out some clothes and handed them to me.

"Now go, take a quick shower. I’ll be waiting for you," he said kindly.

I took the clothes and walked into the washroom.

°°°°°°°°°°°°

“Where is Aapi?” I asked in a low tone. Muneeb and I were currently sitting in the garden.

“She went with Nawaz bhai to Ruban’s school for the parent–teacher meeting. She didn’t want to go, but it was important. She’ll be here soon,” he said, trying to comfort me. I just nodded.

“Want coffee?” he asked after a while, and I shook my head, still staring at the grass aimlessly.

“But I want some. And you have to keep me company,” he teased, but I didn’t reply.

“Okay, fine. I’ll make coffee for both of us. Hana, you’re so lucky—you get to taste my handmade coffee,” he said cheerfully and walked inside.

I stood up and began walking slowly across the grass. I was still staring down, lost in my own thoughts, so much so that I didn’t even realize someone had come and stood behind me.

My entire body stiffened when I felt that familiar presence.

“Hanu,” he whispered, hugging me from behind. My whole body started trembling, and flashes of memories attacked my mind.

“…you’re not worth my time.”

“…I will do whatever I want.”

“…You’ve become my headache.”

Ariba’s voice: “He thinks of you as his toy.”

“He only accepts you as his wife to warm his bed…”

“I need space.”

“Then stop me.” — and then he kissed Ariba.

“This is not my child.”

Riya Aapi’s voice: “She slept with someone else.”

“She slept with Mune…”

“…For this whore…”

“I’m not a whore,” I mumbled, tears streaming down my cheeks. My breath turned heavy; I was shaking.

“Hanu, are you okay?” he asked, his voice full of fake concern. He held my arms and turned me toward him.

********

Rumaan’s POV

I came to Hana’s Khala’s house because I knew she was here. I walked through the gate, ready to go inside, when I saw Hana walking in the garden. My heart sped up. A smile formed on my lips.

After realizing my true feelings for her, this was the first time I was going to face her.

“My love, my wife, my life,” I mumbled, gazing at her as she wandered in her own world.

I walked closer and stood behind her. Her body tensed immediately, and my smile widened. I remembered how Hana once told me she could always feel me around her—just like she was feeling me right now.

I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around her from behind. Hugging her, I whispered softly, “Hanu.”

But within seconds, she started trembling. She mumbled something I couldn’t quite catch. I turned her toward me and saw tears rolling down her cheeks. My heart clenched. I hated myself even more for causing this pain.

“Jaan, don’t cry,” I said, gently cupping her face. But she flinched at my touch.

“Don’t touch me,” she begged, moving back. Her eyes held pure fear. She was shaking uncontrollably.

“Hanu, what happened? You’re angry with me, na? Fine, you can be angry… you can do anything but—”

“I don’t want anything to do with you,” she cut me off, stepping back while I stepped forward.

“Please don’t come near me. You got everything you wanted. Now just leave me.”

The look in her eyes shattered me. She was afraid of me.

“I’m not leaving you. You’re coming with me—to our home,” I said softly, smiling as if that would calm her. But she only shook her head violently.

“No! I don’t want to go back to that hell again! That was never my home! You ruined me, destroyed me. You left nothing in me. You did everything to make me leave your life—now I’m out. Please, live your life happily and just leave me alone!” she cried, her voice breaking.

My heart cracked into pieces.

“My happiness is you, Hanu,” I whispered, stepping closer.

“And you are my destruction,” she whispered back.

Her words knocked the air out of me. My chest tightened, tears blurred my vision.

“Jaan, don’t say that,” I said weakly, hugging her tightly.

“Le… leave… me,” she struggled, pushing me away. She had been angry at me before, many times, but she had never pushed me away like this.

“Never,” I whispered.

“Help! Help! Muneeb! Aapi!” she suddenly screamed, freezing me in place. My grip loosened, and she instantly pulled away.

“Muneeb! Aapi! Aapi!” she kept screaming like I was about to kill her. The sound shook my soul. My wife—my Hana—was begging others to save her from me.

“Hanu… I’m your Maan,” I said painfully.

“My Maan is dead,” she replied coldly.

It felt like someone ripped my heart out of my chest. My whole body ached with grief. Tears streamed down my face.

“Hana!” Muneeb came running, and Hana instantly hid behind him.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Muneeb roared.

“Tell him to leave me! I know he came here to hurt me again! He wants to tell Khala and Aapi that I slept with someone else! But I didn’t, Muneeb! I didn’t!” Hana cried hysterically, shaking her head violently.

“Jaan, please! How can you even think I’d do that to you? You’re my wife—”

“She is not your wife!” Marzi Aapi’s voice thundered, cutting me off.

I turned—only to receive a hard slap across my face.

“How dare you come here?!” she yelled furiously.

“Aapi, I came here for my wif—” Another slap silenced me.

“Your relationship with her died the moment you disgraced her,” she spat, her eyes burning with hatred.

“I deserve it,” I whispered brokenly. “I deserve your hatred. I deserve all this pain. You can hit me as much as you want, but please, Aapi, let Hana come with me.”

“No! No, Aapi! Don’t let him take me! He’s a monster! He’ll kill me! Please, save me, Aapi!” Hana screamed, clinging to her Aapi. Tears streamed down her face as Marzi Aapi hugged her protectively.

“See… see what you’ve done?” Marzi Aapi glared at me with disgust.

And I realized—I had completely destroyed my Hana.

I staggered back, staring at her as she begged everyone to save her from me.

If before it had felt like someone ripped out my heart, now it felt like my soul itself had been torn away. I became numb. Tears poured down endlessly.

“Leave, Rumaan,” Muneeb ordered.

Nabeel bhai stepped forward, gripping my arm firmly.

“Go, Rumaan,” he said sternly.

And I had no choice but to walk away—from my Hana.

*********