Sadqay Tumharey (18+) | Completed ✔️

Chapter 22

The confrontation unfolded, with the three men from the Mir family standing before Miraal. Their faces twisted with anger and malice, they spoke threateningly.

"We've had enough of Abraar. It's time for attack," Shahveer snarled, his voice dripping with venom.

Miraal's eyes flared with anger, in that moment. "I think you forgot my plan", she said her words laced with disdain.

Shahveer's face contorted with rage. "We would've killed him already if it weren't for the villagers protecting him."

Miraal let out a mocking laugh, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, how brave of to admit you're nothing without a henchmen."

Infuriated, Shahveer grabbed Miraal's arm with a bruising grip. She winced but didn't show any fear. In that moment, she noticed that they hadn't been drinking much. Her gaze flickered to the alcohol bottles on a nearby table.

Locking the door behind her as she entered her room, Miraal grabbed a bottle and began to pour it into a glass. Taking a separate one, she took one pill and gulped it down with water, she felt much lighter with that, as it went down her throat dulling her senses. Her hands trembled as she added a few sleeping pills into the wine tumbler.

She used the alcohol on her wounds, sterlising it, it was the adrenaline but she didn't realise there was broken glass pieces on the ground that has pierced her foot. She removed the small ones and saw her blood falling on the ground, it made her feel fuzzy, with the sleeping pills and dull senses she sensed a euphoria.

Abraar, on the other hand, was engaged in a village meeting with the villagers, discussing the Mirs and the MIE. He had an inside source within the Mir family who was visiting the Saira Mahal daily, using a hidden door to enter and leave. He had previously cut off the electricity to create opportunities for his secret visits.

In the meeting, the villagers argued with Abraar, questioning his loyalty and intentions. One of the villagers spoke up, "She is not your wife, Abraar. You cannot risk our lives for her."

Abraar stood firm, his voice resolute. "Woh mere nikkah mai hai. She is my responsibility. I will protect her."

When Abraar sneaked into her room, he was taken aback by the sight before him. Miraal seemed inebriated, her laughter ringing out as she noticed him.

"Abraar... Tum yaha?" she laughed, her words slurring.

"Miraal, are you drunk?" he asked, concern etching his features. She smelled of alcohol, and looked pretty intoxicated.

"Tumhe kitne baar bataya hai mera naam Saira hai, Miraal nahi," she taunted, taking the bottle in her hand and taking another sip.

"You can't drink," he pleaded.

"Why? Does it disgust you?" she taunted. "Ghin aati hai mujhse? Mir Mehmoud ki beti se?"

Abraar sighed, his worry deepening. "Nahi."

She wanted to mock him, so she sat down on his lap. "Why do you flinch when I touch you? Why do you close your eyes when I gaze into them?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mixture of sadness and longing.

"Miraal, you are drunk," he said softly, trying to maintain his composure. Failing to realize she wasn't.

"Ayee," she slurred, leaning closer to him.

"I am not Miraal. Why did you come here? Meri zaroorat thi kya? Jismaani zaroorat thi ya ruhani?" she asked, her teary eyes searching his.

"I never used you, Miraal," he protested.

"Miraal! Miraal! The fuck stop calling me by that name," she snapped.

"Kya hogya hai tumhe?" he asked, his heart aching for her.

"Kya hogya hai mujhe? Mai bhi sochti hu, mere shohar ne mera istemaal kiya badla lene ke liye. Mere Baba ne mujhse jhoot bola, tumhare Abbu ne mujhe tumhare naam ki anguthi pehnai taakey tum mera istemal karsako! Mere baarey m toh kisine kabhi socha hi nahi. You pushed me into this hell, and I will live in it," she declared, her voice filled with bitterness.

"Your betrayal turned me into this person... Into Saira," she continued, her words dripping with sorrow.

"Meri..."

"No, Abraar, I won't let you speak," she interrupted, her frustration evident. "You said you had no choice. But what about me... Did you leave me with any? I have no control over the decisions in my life, pehle tumhari biwi ab kursi ki malkin."

Abraar bowed his head, unable to meet her gaze. "I am sorry I couldn't protect you..."

"You must hate me, don't you? Isliye uss raat tum bhaag gaye they... You proposed to me when you hated me. You never loved me," she accused, her voice trembling.

"I did... You were my home, my safe haven," he confessed.

"But you failed to be mine. You failed to cherish me, to protect me... To love me," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

"Look how pathetic I am. Crying to the person who betrayed me, who used and left me. Why is it that I still can't hate you?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"You aren't pathetic, you are strong-willed and lovable, you are Miraal, my Miraal," he said softly, his own tears glistening in his eyes.

"Yours?"

"Yes, mine," he replied, his voice filled with sincerity.

"Then why aren't you mine? Why can't you be mine? Not the villagers' messiah, not a feudal lord, just My Abraar, my husband, and my love."

"I am yours, Miraal," he whispered, his voice filled with longing.

"Should we run away somewhere far from here... Where we will build a small home just for the two of us and our kids?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

"Soon, Miraal, soon," he began to say, but she interrupted him.

"Don't say it. I want to stay in your arms for a little longer. I feel safe in it," she admitted, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

He held her tightly, cocooning her in his embrace, and as his tears fell, he whispered soothing words to her. She tried to kiss him, to escape the pain that enveloped her, but he gently backed away, causing her to cry even more.

"Please don't leave," she pleaded, her voice filled with vulnerability.

Abraar hesitated for a moment, "I have to -".

But his words were cut short as Miraal stepped closer to him, her eyes locked onto his. The room seemed to shrink, the tension between them palpable. Their lips met in a searing kiss, a fusion of anger, desire, and pain.

Their mouths moved hungrily against each other's, tongues clashing as they tasted both bitterness and longing. Their hands explored each other's bodies desperately, as if trying to erase the past with their passion.

But as the kiss deepened, Miraal's desperation turned into aggression. She bit Abraar's lower lip too harshly, drawing blood. He winced and pulled away, breathing heavily.

Miraal's eyes were wild as she looked at him, her own lips swollen and her fingers trembling. "I'm tired, Abraar," she whispered, her voice breaking. She began to bite her own fingers, her actions mirroring her inner turmoil. "Tired of this pain, of this torment. I don't know who I am anymore."

Abraar's heart ached as he saw the torment in her eyes. He reached out to hold her, but she pushed him away, sinking to the floor in a desperate attempt to escape the overwhelming emotions that threatened to consume her. The room felt suffocating, and as Miraal cried, her tears were a painful reminder of the scars that ran deep within her.