Given as gift. [Trilogy #1] (The war of politics and love BOOK 1)

3. Bereham

MUQDA

Aahil came down at my level, as he caught my arms, and pulled me up, “Straighten up. You are stronger than this. Muqda!” He called my name, so sweetly yet so undoubtedly trusted, I wonder where he gets all this confidence to have in me.

He started to pull me behind as he dragged me away from the blood, the floor the lights, and Baba with his men. He took me in the hallway, and all this brief while when I was trying to hold my body together when it was numb, I relayed down on the wall, my breath heavy, and I can hear my heartbeats. He gave me the distance I wanted, yet his eyes carefully evaluated me, probably calculating my emotions.

I was sad, and upset, not with what I saw. Not with the fact that a man died today, but I was sad because I can't feel anything. I don't have empathy for his loss, or his family.

I looked up at the great chandelier dangling in the air by my head, moving so slightly with the passing breeze from the window afar from here, I can't even feel the air yet the chandelier was moving. Was it me being unscattered?

I reminisced about all that happened today. And especially, how it all ended. Those two men asked for me and Aamira to be given to them. As if we were not living people but an object.

We were not whore, we were not a prostitute. We were not to be sold and bought. We are the chandravanipur. Everything that is here, belongs to us.

But, the question remained, what Baba would do?

I was aware that whatever this man was. Meant so much to Baba, and he is not going to budge unless Baba gives him what he wants.

This can't happen, Aamira can't go to him. Neither can I. How can all my attempt to save Aamira just go down in vain because I was foolish?

   “Do you think, baba will give us to them?” Did I ask Aahil? I shrunk my head down and stared into his eyes, his deep eyes that always convey these feelings to me that I know I don't deserve.

    “This is not the first time someone asked him for you. He is not going to accept this.” He said the same words that I had been reciting in my head, and it didn't feel like I  was looking to accept it.

For once, I can believe that baba would never agree to give me, but Aamira? She is the asset he knows he can never get his hand on as far as I live, but he can force this situation on her.

I was worried, sure that whatever began today won't end easily.

~

It was still midnight, and Aamira wasn't anywhere in sight, I had run across the Haveli but she was nowhere, I was tired from all the running and I just sat on the threshold of the Aangan, the open sky filled with stars, holding on to my breath. When I heard a voice.

“She is in Baba's room.”

This is what I was scared of the most, Baba is going to blackmail her, and she like a goat will nod along. I jumped back on my feet and turned around starting to run again, extremely uncomfortable in this black Anarkali.