Author’s POV

It had been a long day. Momin sat by the window, the twilight casting dusky shadows across his face. He had just returned from a meeting and was enjoying his coffee when his phone buzzed beside him.

1 New Message – Unknown Number.

He frowned. Picking up the phone, he opened the message.

It was just an image.

Curiosity turned into confusion. And then—shock.

It was Dua.

Wearing a sleeveless, knee-length dress, hair open, skin glowing under party lights. Her arm loosely draped over a man's. The man was Ruhan he knew. She was smiling—but not the shy, soft smile he knew.

His chest tightened.

He gripped the phone harder. The air around him seemed to thin. For a few moments, he couldn’t breathe. His Dua—the girl who wouldn’t step outside without her dupatta (scarf)—was now caught in a moment like this?

His world spun.

In the past one and a half years, he hadn’t questioned her even once.

Not when she missed his calls.

Not when her replies grew shorter.

Not when she began saying, “I’m busy,” more often than, “I miss you.”

He had given her space—because she asked for it.

Because she had told him, "I need to live these four years. After that, I’ll come back to you as yours, Momin."

And he had listened. Silently. Lovingly.

He had never asked: Where are you? Who are you with? What are you wearing?

And now this?

He clicked on the photo again, zoomed in—wishing, hoping, begging for it to be false. That the girl in the picture wasn’t his Dua. That it was a mistake. A setup. Anything.

But his gut twisted.

Still, he didn’t shout. Didn’t scream.

He simply dialed her number.

She picked up after three rings. “Momin?” Her voice was soft, uncertain.

“I got a message,” he said, his tone cold but trembling underneath. “From an anonymous number. There’s a photo. A party. A man. And you… in a sleeveless knee length dress.”

Silence.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t gone to any party,” she denied directly.

“But the photo is here, Dua. Right in front of me. What do you want me to think?” His voice remained calm.

“Momin, that’s not me,” Dua’s voice cracked. “Someone edited it. It’s not real. I swear, I would never—never do something like that. You know me, don’t you?”

She sounded panicked. Desperate.

And in that moment, he should have asked a thousand questions. But all he could hear was her voice—the voice he had loved, protected, waited for.

And so, he answered softly:

“I trust you.”

He didn’t ask again.

Didn’t argue.

Didn’t accuse.

Because he was Momin.

And Momin was blind in love.

---

In her room, Dua held her head in her hands. Last night’s party played in her mind like a haunting reel, making her anxious. How would she face everyone at the university now? And Momin’s questions only added to her panic.

“Why are you panicking, Dua? It’s not a big deal. Maybe someone uploaded a picture from the party, and someone who knows Momin sent it to him. But you handled it smartly. He trusts you, and that’s enough to stay calm. And think about Ruhan—what you did to him wasn’t right. He was drunk too, and you made him look like the villain in front of everyone.”

“He tried to kiss me,” she reasoned.

“A kiss is not a big deal for Americans, Dua. Being a modern American girl, it doesn’t affect feelings or anything. A kiss isn’t wrong or out of line for people like us—but a slap can destroy someone’s image,” Laiba replied.

“She’s right. You should apologize to him. You were the one who overreacted,” Rabiya said, sitting beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“But Momin…” she mumbled as Rabiya knew Dua feared Momin would tell her doings to her family.

“Arre yaar, don’t think about him. He’s a fool. He won’t find out about anything you do here. You’re free now—don’t behave like a scared mouse. Be brave, like a lioness. Forget him. And if he asks again, just snap at him. He trusts you, and that’s good. He won’t doubt you again,” Rabiya advised with casual kindness.

She nodded. She didn’t want Momin to ever find out what happened last night. She had to hide the truth—and she would, at any cost. She had to be strong. She couldn’t spend her remaining one year in fear. This was her time to be free. She could do anything. Momin shouldn’t interfere in her life now. Once she returned, she would be all his and would do whatever he asked. But until then, she would live without fear.

Forgetting that sometimes, living in fear is what protects us from destruction.

---

The next day, she went to university and apologized to Ruhan. He didn’t speak to her at first, but when he saw tears welling up in her eyes, he forgave her.

“Okay fine, don’t cry now,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her into a hug. She was shocked and instinctively wanted to pull away—but forcing herself to stay calm, she closed her eyes tightly. She didn’t want to offend him again.

And just like that, the days passed. Dua didn’t refuse Ruhan’s advances. She was convinced that small hugs, cheek kisses, and holding hands were not a big deal.

..............................

Four years had finally passed.

He came back from the office and found Hana, Shabana, and Maham in the living room. Maham was studying while the two ladies sipped tea.

“Assalamualaikum!” he announced cheerfully as he entered.

“Walaikum assalam,” they responded in unison.

“You’re home, beta. Let me get you some tea,” Hana said, standing up with a warm smile, just like a mother when her son comes home after a tiring day.

He smiled and side-hugged her.

“You’re a lifesaver—but please bring me some cold juice. It’s scorching outside,” he said with an innocent face, making Hana laugh lightly.

“I will, mera baccha (my child),” she said, patting his cheek before heading to the kitchen.

“Momin… can you help me with this?” Maham asked as he was about to go to his room to freshen up.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, walking over and sitting beside her.

“Arre beta, let him freshen up first,” Shabana Dado remarked.

“It’s okay, Dado. I’m fine,” he said with a smile.

He started helping her with the assignment while she stared at him, lost in his presence. Maham was good at studying, but she often asked Momin for help just to spend time with him.

Hana returned with the juice and handed it to him before taking her seat.

“Dua called. Her graduation is coming up and she wants us to attend, but Maan and I can’t go—you know Rafay’s finals are near and we have to stay with him. So we’ve decided that you both should go,” Hana said in one breath, as Maham and Momin were already aware of the conversation.

Momin looked up at her and gave a faint smile. He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to face the version of Dua that now existed in America. He wanted his Dua—the one from before—to return.

In the past year, Dua had changed completely. Whenever they talked and he asked about her life, she would snap at him, shutting him down. He knew Dua had changed. He knew she wore jeans and tight tops now. He knew her friendship with Ruhan was very close. He had seen photos—Ruhan hugging her, holding her hand, Dua smiling back. But if he ever asked, she would scream and accuse him of not trusting her—so he stopped asking and simply trusted her.

“Yes, Mama. We’re going,” Maham said brightly. This had been her idea, and after speaking to Rumaan, Hana had finally given her permission.

Momin just nodded. Maybe Dua would be happy to see him—even though she hadn’t asked him to come, not even once.

---

He called her a few times but still received no response. Sighing, he sat on the bed. He wanted to inform her about the visit, but she was too busy to take his calls.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He held onto the hope that once Dua came back, she would be his again, just as she had promised. It was only a matter of a month or so—after that, everything would be fine, InshaAllah.

“Momin?” Maham knocked on the door. Momin sat up and quickly wiped the corner of his eye.

“Yes, come in,” he said.

She entered with a smile.

“Did you inform Dua about our plans?” she asked, approaching him.

“No. She didn’t answer. Maybe she’s busy,” he replied.

“Oh, thank God!” Maham exclaimed.

“What?” Momin asked, confused by her reaction.

“I want to surprise Dua. Please Momin, don’t spoil it. Let it be a surprise!” she said excitedly.

Momin thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

.........................

They stepped out of the cab and looked toward the hostel where Dua was staying. Momin felt his heartbeat quicken at the thought of seeing Dua in front of his eyes. He was happy and excited to finally meet her.

“Let’s go,” Maham said in a cheerful tone. They both walked into the hostel eagerly.

“Hi, we’re Dua Rumaan Mirza’s family. Could you please call her?” Maham said to the warden as she spotted one near the lobby.

“Dua Rumaan Mirza is no longer here. She left the hostel a few months ago,” the warden informed them, recalling Dua—an innocent, beautiful Indian girl who had gradually transformed into a bold and modern version of herself, just like many other girls in the USA.

“What!?” Momin and Maham were both stunned to hear that.

“But she never mentioned that to me,” he mumbled, feeling disheartened. Dua had kept it from him that she had left the hostel. But if she wasn’t living there anymore, then where had she been staying for the past few months? A flood of questions began to torment his mind, when he suddenly felt a hand on his elbow.

“Momin, let’s go. We’ll talk to her. I’ll call Rabiya—she must know about Dua, okay?” Maham said, and they both stepped outside.

Momin rented an apartment near Dua’s university, as he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of staying in a hotel with Maham, and they were planning to take Dua with them as long as they were here.

“Okay, we’ll see. Just send me the address,” Maham said and hung up the call after speaking to Rabiya.

“What? Where is Dua?” Momin asked. Maham lowered her head. “Speak up!” he almost yelled, making her flinch. Momin had never raised his voice at anyone before.

“She... she’s staying at a friend’s apartment. A few of their friends rented a place together and have been living there.”

“Is Rabiya staying with her?” he asked, clenching his fists tightly. “And are her friends all girls?”

“No, Rabiya is still in the hostel. And... there are a couple of boys staying with them too.” Just that one sentence, and Momin felt his heart drop into his stomach.

“Address?” he asked, halting the cab. Maham handed her phone to Momin.

He gave the address to the driver and sat silently, waiting for them to arrive.

No! He would make her understand what it meant to lie and hide the truth. She was his wife—and he would make her remember that.

---

“Yesterday, I went to the doctor,” Ruhan said casually.

“Why? What happened?” Dua asked with concern in her voice.

“My doctor says I’m lacking Vitamin U,” he said, biting his lip while Dua stared at him before bursting into laughter. He laughed along with her.

“One more! What did one traffic light say to the other?”

“I don’t know,” she giggled, already sensing it would be another silly joke.

“Look away—I’m changing!” They both burst out laughing again.

Dua couldn’t stop laughing at Ruhan’s jokes.

“Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile.”

They both got out of the car laughing as they arrived at their apartment. A few of their friends shared the apartment. Dua stayed on the upper floor with two other girls, while the two boys lived on the lower floor.

Ruhan walked up to Dua and suddenly picked her up in his arms. Dua let out a surprised shriek.

“I can walk!” she snapped, glaring at him. “Put me down!” she squirmed.

“I know exactly how much you can walk,” he replied smugly, turning toward the door—only to come to a sudden stop.

Dua followed his gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw who was standing in front of them.

“Momin...” she whispered in shock.

On the other hand, Momin and Maham stood frozen—just as stunned to see Dua in someone else’s arms.

★★★★