Hope Of Love

Chapter 6

'Zafiq Alam'

She couldn't believe he was infront of her. After long fifteen years! Her waiting for him, praying for his help, had died that day. He broke his promise and her trust. He didn't come back to her. Didn't come to see if she was alive or not. Didn't even come when she lost her only shelter, her grandfather.

Neither he came to visit her once and to see how she was living all these years.

Then why now? Didn't he know that this was her husband's house? Jahan Shahnawaz was her husband?

No matter how hard she tried, she could not stop herself from looking at him secretly for the whole day...he changed a lot. Of course because it had been a long time she last saw him.

But the surprising thing was that even today she saw the same protectiveness and worry for her in his eyes. She noticed how he was clenching his fists in anger, how his eyes darkened with aggression as he scowled at Izhar.

But it doesn't matter now. It's too late.

He didn't protect her when she needed his protection the most.

Sitting in a deckchair on the lawn, she replayed the events over and over in her mind. 

It was her fault that she did the chores in an absent minded way and bumped into Zara, causing the glass of juice from the platter spill on him. Her heart clenched in guilt and empathy remembering Zara. She will have to apologize to that poor innocent girl......

"I'm sorry for whatever happened because of me."

She rose with a jerk from her place. Eyes widened in shock after seeing him there.

Zafiq Alam.

"I hope you still remember me" Zafiq smiled at her shocked expression.

"Takdir khele bhale hi mere sath kitne dardnak khel, log bhale hi mujhe pal mein bhula de, par apno ko bhul jana meri fitrat mein nahi" She confidently looked at him in the eyes, which she avoided since morning.

"How are you Jannat?" Zafiq took steps towards her causing Jannat to stumble back and reply rather bluntly.

"Alive"

In response to her sarcasm, Zafiq nodded his head giving a bitter laughter,

"Ofcourse, you are alive. I wish I was lucky enough to know about you being alive and happy somewhere in the world without me. But it seems not only the cruel world, even you played a vicious game "

"Excuse me?!" Jannat's eyebrows narrowed, voice became a bit louder "I did what? And what even you are talking about me being alive?"

Looking deeply into her eyes Zafiq spoke out "Because for the last fifteen years I have known that you are dead. You committed suicide after your mother's death."

"What nonsense! Who feed you this bullshit?" Jannat exclaimed. Her jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Everyone. My parents...But only today I realised that I have been played, and I suspect you're involved in this game too"

"And why is that?" Jannat was getting agitated now. 

"Then Why did you never contact me again? Why did you never let me know where you were and whether you got married? Why didn't you contact me when your mother died?" He posed counter- questions challengingly.

"I wish I could put you in my shoes and let you know all the answers to your questions. But.....leave it. Now all this is of no use. Just know there was someone waiting for you, praying for your help, craving for your support and mere presence day and night but all she had received in response was dreadful silence from the other side...." She paused and looked up, blinking, and it wrung him to see that her lashes were wet with unshed tears.