HER

15

Laila didn't had much resentment towards her family. The lives they lived were busy one. Circumstances for her family were little different from other ones. But she also never expected too much from them too. They never gave her chance to. That only proved right when-

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM BOYS." She should have flinched at such raging voice of her father yet here she sat frozen on her spot.

"Uncle-" Faris tries to speak however stopped when Jabbar raised his hand. His insides burned yet he stopped himself for sake of girl who sat frozen on his bed staring ahead.

"It's her mistake that she went out such late at night,Faris." Jabbar's harsh tone made Faria flinch and cower behind Moiz who stood in corner of the room. "She always had been so reckless. Look what it brought upon her, upon our honor."

Faris' jaw clenched in fury hearing Jabbar's words but how could he speak when that would bring nothing but more questions upon Laila, the girl who he knew was dying slowly hearing her own father's words.

"For Allah's sake Jabbar, Your daughter is lying in such condition and you still care about your honor?" Ansar looked at him incredulously, his eyes screaming disappointment at his friend. "you are a literate person, yet you say such words?"

"She should have been more careful. She is a girl and society will never leave her alone if people come to know about what transpired."

Jabbar did grieved for his child yet ego and his reputation overpowered his love for the daughter who craved it too much. Her mother cried by Laila's side while Aswad stood silently by side, needless to say glaring at his own father.

"It's my fault to have given her such freedom."

A chuckle resonated in room attracting everyone's attention on room. The source of it sat silent on bed, a mocking smile gracing her features and eyes empty. "It always had been my fault baba, isn't it?"

Laila looked at man called her father. "It was my fault for being born a girl."

Faris shut his eyes close at such heart wrenching words.

"It was my fault for never being enough for you guys."

Tears pooled in Anser's eyes.

"It was my fault for still loving you even if I never got same love from you."

Moiz wanted to hug his friend at the moment and take all her sadness away.

"I always had been at fault for doing such pathetic acts to get your attention."

Faria found herself crying along her friend who seemes to shoulder the burden of her own expectations.

"I was a child baba." Laila sobbed. "Yet it felt like you didn't even look at me. I had such a naive heart, a small expectation from you to just wish me a birthday, a stranger did that but your work was more important then your child."

Silence prevailed whole room as the companions look at sobbing girl with troubled faces.

"How can you talk about freedom when you didn't even look where your own child was going or-" Words seemed to get stuck in her throat. "-or w-what she was going th-through."

"How can you be so heartless still blaming your own child for the mistake she didn't even commit." Black dots started covering her vision.

"You don't even deserve to be my father." Her vision turned blurry before darkness enveloped in its welcoming arms offering her endless peace.

So far away from this ruthless world.

But how last the peace could hold Laila in its soothing embrace. Cruel realities waited for her to open her eyes and face them with her shattered heart.

So when her eyes opened this this she found herself back in her room, in her home which suffocated her to the point of killing. Her head hurted and pain crawled through whole body. It was difficult to open her eyes but loud voices from downstairs made her sit up abruptly.

It was her brother yelling loudly against someone and her father's authoritive voice shouting against him. She wouldn't have bothered getting up from bed hadn't it be for the knowledge that it could be because of her.

So when another series of yelling started, she found herself running downstairs barefoot with not dupatta around her bare neck.

"I said stop it Aswad. " Shouted her father at her younger brother loudly. "I said it's enough."

Her mother sobs along with Dur-e-Fishan soothing words found their way to Laila's ears making het take steps foreward until these people came in her view.

"HOW CAN YOU ALLOW THIS BASTARD BE UNHARMED IN OUR HOUSE FATHER?"

Her breath hitched seeing the person sitting on couch with her brother ready to pounce at him.

"My son admits what he did wrong but he also is ready to make amends."