Author's POV

"My Ammi, Abbu, can't leave me!" Momin screamed as he saw Rumaan and a few men taking his parents away.

"No! Ammi! Abbu! Please don't leave me!" Momin’s cries echoed endlessly, each plea heavier than the last. Hana tried to console him, but how could anyone truly comprehend the agony of a soul who lost both parents in the blink of an eye?

Momin wept until his strength gave out, and he collapsed unconscious. Hana, tears streaming down her face, felt his pain deep in her heart. She had lost her parents at a young age too, but she knew Momin’s grief was far deeper. At that moment, she silently vowed that she would become like a mother to him, caring for him as if he were her own son.

---

A week passed, and Momin grew silent. He spent his days mourning, praying, and calling out for his parents. He performed his five daily Namaz and made heartfelt duas to Allah, asking for his parents to return. Every prayer became a flood of tears, a devotion his Ammi had once told him would bring peace and answers from Allah.

One day, as his hands rose in prayer, he suddenly heard a gentle voice.

"Your dua has arrived."

Momin’s eyes snapped open to see Dua standing before him, her eyes glistening with tears. His hands fell into his lap as he stared at her, tears still streaking his cheeks. Dua raised her hand and gently wiped them away.

"Don't cry, Momin… I feel like crying when you cry," she whispered, her lips trembling and her eyes brimming with emotion.

For the whole week, Dua had been too afraid to speak to him. His grief had been so consuming that it drew her into sorrow as well. She had even sent Maham with a few of his favorite video games—ones he had once gifted Dua—but nothing could coax him into a smile.

"They left me… Dua… They left me alone… I don’t have anyone," he murmured, fresh tears falling. Dua’s lips trembled as she too shed quiet tears.

"You’re not alone, Momin. Your Dua will always be with you," she assured, gently wiping his tears.

"No! You will leave me too one day… like Ammi and Abbu! Everyone leaves! No one loves me!" he sobbed loudly.

Dua stepped closer, her heart aching.

"I love you, Momin. I love you… I promise I will never leave you. I will always be by your side."

Momin gazed at her innocent, tear-filled eyes, feeling his heart settle into a fragile peace.

"You’ll never leave me?" he asked, his voice trembling with hope.

She shook her head, softly brushing away his tears.

"Never. Ever," she declared firmly.

Momin wrapped his small arms around her fragile figure.

"Promise me… promise me you will never leave me. Promise me you will always be mine. Promise me you will always be Momin ki Dua?"

"I promise you, Momin. I will always be with you. I will always be Momin ki Dua," Dua whispered, her voice full of unwavering devotion.

After so many days of despair, Momin finally found peace in his Dua. A smile broke through his tears as he murmured,

"I love you, Momin ki Dua."

---

Nine years later

Time passed, and their bond grew stronger. Love matured as they grew older. Momin had accepted his place in this family, living happily with Dua and her loved ones. Though everyone treated him like the eldest son of the household, a part of him still felt that this family was not truly his. They were his shelter, his refuge, but he had no claim to it.

Yet life with Dua was blissful. They never hesitated to express their love, and both were fiercely possessive of each other. Dua became especially protective and jealous whenever other girls were near, including her own sister, Maham. She could sense something in Maham’s eyes and it ignited a quiet anger. While Dua loved Maham dearly, she never hesitated to put boundaries when it came to Momin.

Momin, on the other hand, never allowed anyone to trouble Dua. He shielded her from any harm, never tolerating disrespect, and ensured that no other boy came near her. He even accompanied both Dua and Maham to college, which meant the three spent plenty of time together. Yet, Momin and Dua always found ways to steal moments alone.

"Stop there, Dua!" Momin shouted, chasing her.

"No, no, no!" Dua twirled around, her hair flying, sticking out her tongue teasingly as she continued down the stairs.

"Dua, be careful!" he yelled, but she sprinted to the living room.

"Dadi! Dadi! Dadi! (Grandmother! Grandmother! Grandmother!) This cruel man wants to hurt your innocent Dua!" she shouted, hiding behind Shabana with a mischievous, innocent look.

"Innocent! I know how innocent you are! You little devil!" Momin bellowed, running after her. They darted around as Dua playfully made Shabana stumble.

"Arre, arre, kya hua? (Oh, oh, what happened?)" Shabana asked, trying to steady herself.

"Kuch bhi nahi! Maine kuch nahi kiya, kasam se! (Nothing at all! I didn’t do anything, I swear!)" Dua said, pouting and pinching her throat’s skin, pretending to look innocent.

Shabana smiled knowingly, giving her a mock glare. They all knew how mischievous Dua could be with Momin. Momin struggled to suppress a smile.

"Kuch nahi kiya? Jhuti! (You didn’t do anything? Liar!)" he accused as he tried to catch her, but she slipped away, running toward the kitchen, with Momin hot on her heels. Shabana laughed, shaking her head.

"Save me, Mama! Mama, save me!" she cried, hiding behind Hana, who was busy with chores.

"Hana aunty, today I won’t spare her! She ruined the papers I’ve been working on since last night! She intentionally spilled water on them!" Momin exclaimed angrily, showing Hana the mess.

Hana glared at Dua. "It’s okay, Momin. That wasn’t very important. I’ll handle her myself," he said, taking her wrist and pulling her into his room.

"Say sorry," Momin demanded as they entered his room.

"Sorry, my foot!" she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

Momin gently held her wrist and drew her close, loosely wrapping his arms around her.

"That’s not fair, Dua. You always make mistakes, and I forgive you without even asking for an apology," he scolded softly.

"But today I didn’t make any mistake," she protested.

"You ruined my papers," he reminded her.

"I did it intentionally! And I’ll do it again if you ignore me and don’t pay attention to me. I don’t care about your work or anything else. You should always put me first—me and only me, always," she demanded.

"You’re my first priority, baby. Always will be. Everything I do is for you. I want to prove myself to Rumaan uncle that I am the best for his beloved daughter. I want to make you mine, Dua. I want to marry you. But first, I want to stand on my own feet and work for our future," Momin confessed, staring into her eyes.

Dua smiled warmly. "You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone. Everyone already knows how capable you are. You’re the best, Momin. Papa is proud of you. He has already decided you will be the next CEO. So, don’t worry."

Momin smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"That won’t change anything, Dua. I’m still someone your parents merely gave shelter to. I have nothing of my own. Everything belongs to your family."

"I’m yours. And what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine," she said, her smile brightening his.

"Yes, you are mine," he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Momin," Dua murmured into his neck.

"I love you too, Momin ki Dua," he whispered back.

Soon, they began helping each other finish the file. Dua, impressed by Momin’s genius and sharp memory, worked alongside him, and they completed it swiftly. Afterwards, Dua insisted they go out to watch a movie together, to which Momin happily agreed.

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

"You're going somewhere?" Maham asked as she entered Dua's room and saw her standing in front of the mirror.

"Yup. Movie with Momin," Dua replied, grinning.

"Oh…" Maham bit her lips but mustered her courage and said, "I also want to come. I’ll be bored without you both." Dua looked at her thoughtfully. Honestly, she never liked tagging Maham along with them, but she also couldn’t bear to break her little sister’s heart.

"Okay," she said with a shrug, applying a light pink lipstick to her lips before walking out, not without yelling, "Get ready quickly! You only have fifteen minutes, or we’ll leave without you!"

Dua approached Momin's room and took a dramatic breath, leaning against the doorway.

"Haaye meri jaan, ek din tum meri jaan hi le loge! (Oh my love, one day you will take my life!)" Dua said dramatically. Momin looked more handsome than ever, and Dua couldn’t stop herself from staring at him. He looked up and a smirk appeared on his face. He walked toward her, placing his hand on the doorway, leaning slightly toward her. Dua stood there confidently, not shying away.

"Kyun lunga main tumhari jaan? Aur kya karunga main tumhari jaan ka? Mujhe tumhari jaan nahi zindagi chahiye, zindagi bhar ke liye. (Why would I take your life? What would I do with it? I don’t want to kill you—I want you to live with me forever)," he said, caressing her cheek. Dua stared deeply into his eyes.

"Tumhari zindagi ka kya? Kya woh meri hai? (What about your life? Is it mine?)" she asked, though she already knew the answer—she loved hearing it from him.

"Woh to kab ki tumhari hogayi. (That became yours a long time ago.)" Dua’s heartbeat raced as butterflies danced in her stomach, mesmerized by his love-filled gaze. She placed her palm on his cheek, about to lean closer when Momin gently pulled back.

Dua smiled sheepishly, trying to hide her blush, but couldn’t resist. Before Momin could notice, she slightly pushed him and ran her fingers through her loose hair, standing confidently in front of him.

Momin crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the door frame as he stared at her. He knew her well enough to see the effect he had on her, but as always, she tried to hide it. The spark between them was undeniable—a fire ignited by years of love and growing up together. Though their feelings urged them toward each other, Momin was a moral man. He never took advantage of Dua or her love. Even when Dua lost control of her emotions and tried to get physically closer, he gently guided her to understand the difference between right and wrong. The struggle was difficult for him, and her advances only made it harder.

"One kiss won’t hurt," she mumbled, pouting. He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Look, I kissed you," he whispered, smiling. Kissing each other’s cheeks or forehead had become their normal, innocent way of showing affection.

Dua rolled her eyes and held his hand. "Let’s go, we’re getting late," she said, dragging him downstairs. They were so lost in each other that neither noticed a figure standing at the other end of the hallway.

Maham, having overheard them, wiped a tear that escaped her eye and followed them downstairs.

"Wait… I’ll take permission from Aunty and Uncle. You wait here," Momin said.

"I already told Mama," Dua replied.

"But still, before we go, we should inform them," Momin insisted, walking toward their room.

After taking permission, Momin returned and saw Maham standing there, dressed up nicely beside Dua.

"You’re coming?" Momin asked.

Maham nodded. "If you don’t mind?" she asked softly.

Momin smiled and shook his head. "Why would I mind? You can come with us, like always. The trio," he said, beaming. Maham returned his smile, her eyes filled with affection, which always made Dua a little uncomfortable.

"Let’s go," Dua said, intertwining her fingers with his. Momin smiled, holding her hand tightly as they headed toward the door.

Just as they were about to step out, a loud voice called out.

"Have you guys planned to go out without me?"

Dua groaned and muttered under her breath, turning to see her 14-year-old brother glaring at them.

"Oh, God! Who told him? He’s such a pain!" Dua muttered. Momin shook his head, smiling.

"Come on, little fellow, if you want," Momin said.

"Of course I want to come! Did I ever refuse to go out with you guys?" he exclaimed, running excitedly toward them.

"Oh, I wish you would!" Dua muttered.

"Your wish will always be a wish, Aapi," Rafey said, smirking. Dua smacked his arm playfully.

"Stop it, you two! We’re getting late," Maham said.

"Yeah, let’s go, guys," Momin said, glancing at his wristwatch.

Maham and Rafey walked ahead of Dua and Momin. Dua pulled Momin aside and whispered in his ear:

"I want an ice cream date with you… alone. Do whatever you need to, but find a way to get away from them," she commanded. She knew Momin would do exactly as she asked.

**********