FROM NEVER TO HAPPILY EVER!

16.

Mahira Khan.

"Stop being foolish Mohsin. I never took you for my husband. You were a kid when we got married and I was a fool to think you might have grown up. You are still a kid."

I officially hate myself, I have broken two hearts simultaneously.

Fuck me.

That's when he leaves it. My hand. Why does it feel like he is leaving me forever? Please don't. Please don't, don't step away from me.

He steps back.

If it was possible, more tears rush out of my eyes. Don't leave me alone. I can't live without you.

He takes few more steps back, and I begin feeling claustrophobic in this huge ass room.

I flinch when I hear something smash across the wall. A series of breaking sounds are heard, the only sounds coming after that are his harsh breathing and my whimpers. I raise my head to see every item crashed across the wall and in pieces.

When all the items are over, he throws his fist on the wall and I shriek instinctively. He does not stop at that. He swings the same hand with bruised knuckles and would have punched the wall again, had I not rushed to him and grabbed his hand before it touched the hard surface. My trembling hands hold his bruised one delicately, the incessant tears falling on his skin.

He is unaffected though, and I am not least bit surprised when he pushes me away, I stumble back falling on my back. I resist the shriek threatening to tumble out of me as an intense pain fills my spinal cord. I wouldn't even hold it against him if he slapped me now.

"Kid? I will always be just a kid for you, ain't I? No matter how many efforts I put in, and became the youngest officer just so I could be man enough for you. Still, where did that get me? Being called a kid by you again."

He walks closer to me crouching down to my level and grips my chin harshly, his dilated pupils and red eyes not scaring me one bit, but his next words suck the soul out of my body.

"I can fuck you hard on all fours right now to prove how much of a kid I actually am. But I won't. Because I am a man. Real men don't need to prove themselves. And if accepting you as my wife is foolishness, I refuse to be a fool anymore. I, Mohsin Baig in my full senses swear to God, hereby I have no wi.... Oomph" I push him with all the strength left in me, he didn't expect the force coming his way and was taken off guard landing on the floor. I don't care if he gets hurt, how could he just spew whatever comes to his mind?

I am breathing too heavily and my mind is completely blank but I don't care. I just know I need to stop him from whatever he was about to do. I climb on his body, straddling him. I slap him hard on his cheek. "How fuckin' dare you?*sniffling* I will kill you, Mohsin Baig! *sobbing* Then I will kill myself. How could you swear like that? *sobbing*

I keep hitting him on his chest but he doesn't respond. His body is completely limp, even his eyes are closed. I am petrified in this moment, I do not know what he is going to do next. I, I just hope he won't divorce me. His chest is heaving up and down, his fists are still clenched. I give up slumping on his body, his raging heartbeat soothes the schedule in my body.

"Get off of me. Now" The coldness in his voice brings back all the fear. I get up from even though everything in me wants to stay connected to him. I don't deserve him, or his warmth after how I hurt him.

He gets up from the floor and rushes out of the room. I must be the first woman to destroy her own family. Whatever little chance I had at happiness, I brutally murdered it.

The rest of the night was spent in crying before Allah. When sunlight peaked through the windows, I was way too worried about his whereabouts to focus on leaving this place like phupi had asked me to.

I called at his workplace but they said he didn't show up. I called a friend of his and he didn't know where he was as well. I was picking the car keys to go in search of him when he stumbles through the door. I know instantly that he is wasted. Oh my God!

I run to him, trying to hold his shoulder to help him balance. I cringe when a strong waft of cheap female perfume hits my nostrils. Someone must have dropped him off since he couldn't drive himself. I shrug any negative thoughts, choosing to focus on his mumbling.

"S...she does.. doesn't like meeeee." His head is dropped down and his first three buttons are open. His hair is completely disheveled, and is that a broken nail on his shirt pocket?

He manages to sit on the edge of the bed mumbling incoherently under his breath. He is a man that loves control. Losing his senses would be the last thing he would prefer, what have I done to you Mohsin?

No time for moping Mahira. First, get that female perfume off him. I sit beside him, holding his shirt to open the remaining buttons but he pushes me away. I try again, he pushes me again, this time his words come more firmly.

"No.. Nooo lweave me. On...only my wifey cann touch me..... No... Nobody else."

"Mohsin. Where were you? And who tried touching you? Please tell me." I plead trying to keep my panic in check but my senses are on overdrive. What if, Astagfirullah! What if something happened?

God, I need to sober him up. I run into the bathroom bringing a jug filled with water and splash it in his face. He jolts up due to water, cussing loudly. He looks around trying to make sense of his surroundings, then grabs his head. Of course he would develop a nasty hangover, this is his first time drinking. He stands up and walks past me to the washroom without looking at me.

I run to the kitchen, thanking the Lord it's still early in the morning and nobody is awake yet. By the time he is in the washroom freshening up, I prepare lemonade for him and bring it to the room with a tablet of Advil. He is already rubbing his hair with the towel and when his eyes land on the tablet, he comes forward to take it and the glass of juice.

He gulps down the tablet followed by the lemonade making sure to ignore my existence and prevent any contact with me.

I step forward, gathering strength for my next question," Where were you the entire night?"

He ignores it, and I am not even surprised. He walks around me into the closet. I follow him there, then step before him.

"Where were you and why did you smell like female perfume? And this, why is a chipped nail on your shirt pocket?" I question, trying to keep my emotions in check as I show him the piece of nail.

This time he answers, making sure to look at the wall behind me," I spent the night in a brothel fucking a prostitute." He speaks monotonously, as if talking about the weather.

I grab his collars, trying to look into his eyes for the truth but he dodges me skilfully. "Why?"

My broken whisper seems to get to him, "You do not get to act like the victim. I was only trying to grow up from a kid to a man by gaining experience. I thought maybe if I lost my virginity, you would then consider me grownup." I close my eyes, as a fresh set of tears spill out, and my hands fall down in defeat. I step back, knowing I have lost the battle. This is it. The end of the world.

I don't stop my leaking eyes as I walk out of the damned closet and rush out of the room. I need to leave, I drop the initial plan of packing my clothes. I need nothing from here as a reminder of today.

As I step down, I come face to face with the founder of the institution working on my destruction. The lady boss herself. I give her a full blown smile, inspite of my tears.

"Congratulations phupi. You have successfully destroyed my marriage life. Oh sorry, I can't give you full credits. I was a fifty percent partner in the scheme. So, congratulations to me too. I will make sure to never come across you ever again. Allah Hafiz!"