BOUND

PART 10

Afira felt that betrayal was an understatement that described what Faris had done to her. Not only did he deliberately kept her in darkness from the very beginning, but also manipulated her into thinking that Akbar was some immoral scum when in fact it was Faris who was the real culprit behind her misfortune all along.

Her foundations had been erased and the element of trust upon which she had been precariously building her relationship with Faris was undone. What Akbar and Babar did to her might be considered unethical, but what Faris did to her was pure evil.

She was beginning to understand why he was willing to win her trust from day one. Why he readily gave her all his possessions, why he patiently stayed quiet when she outburst in front of him, why he helped her father wipe away his debt, why he handed over his power of attorney so easily to her, and why he fulfilled her every single wish. From all these good deeds, he carved a mask of noble hood and loyalty in front of Afira in order to hide his true hideous identity from her.

Afira was so revolted by him that even if he might have had done any of these deeds out of goodwill, she couldn't help but think that there was some cunning trick behind it. Faris had shattered her trust in a manner which was so brutal and merciless that it would take million lifetimes for Afira to have faith on a man again.

That night after what took place in the drawing room, Afira left the house with Faris' driver and instructed him to take her back to her parents' home. She expected that at some point Faris would stop her compelling to change her mind, that he would call or text her to clarify what she had heard was incorrect, but he didn't even for once tried to communicate, which strengthen her new antagonistic perception of Faris even further. All this time he was playing the act of a caring husband and now when his cover had been blown away, he no longer needed to pretend that he had any concerns for her.

Two days had gone by since Afira returned to Mr. Wani's home and in these two days she hadn't disclosed the reason for her stay. Her parents were under the impression that Faris was probably the best son-in-law in the world, she couldn't find the nerve to reveal his true identity to them, it would be devastating for them. But she couldn't hide the truth for long. They would probably observe that since her arrival Faris and Afira didn't talk, which would make them suspicious and eventually they'd disgorge everything from her stomach.

And that's exactly what happened on that night, when Afira was sitting alone in her room and Mr. Wani knocked at her door. She turned the door open, Mr. Wani walked inside and sat on the writing chair while Afira chose to sit at her bedside.

"Beti you have been looking upset for the past two days," he remarked. "Is there something you want to share with me? Is everything alright between you and Faris?"

Afira knew there was no point in hiding it from her father anymore. "I came to know something about Faris," she revealed. "Dad, he isn't a good person. I caught him talking about Akbar with his colleagues. He is the reason why Akbar had to leave the country on the night of my wedding, he hatched a plot against him, and he is the reason we have been disgraced in front of the world."

Afira paused to look into her father's eyes. His expression signified that he wasn't surprised to hear this reality about Faris.

"I already know this," Mr. Wani replied unceremoniously. Afira was shocked to hear this. "Faris told everything to his father on the night of your wedding when Mr. Chauhan called him into his study to talk. And being a good friend. Mr. Chauhan disclosed it to me the next morning when I visited your house while you were busy playing with Faris's pets in the backyard."

Mr. Wani stood up from the writing chair and sat on the bed beside Afira and put his hand on her lap.

"Mr. Chauhan suggested that when the time is right, we must disclose everything to you, but I disapproved," he told her daughter rubbing her lap. "Yes Afira, it was my decision to conceal these facts from you. I never wanted you to know this."