Damsel In Distress (COMPLETED✓)

CHAPTER: 79 | THE ECLIPSE (PART-4)

Veronica noticed the disturbed look on his face and dug her head, "You okay?" she queried out of concern.

He threw his head back, stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, turned around and went back to his room.

Leaving Veronica perplexed.

She looked at Zainab Othman questioningly and in response, she just pressed her lips together and gave her a sad look.

Back in the room, Aariz searched for his cellphone which he had carelessly thrown somewhere. He pulled the sheets from the bed and hurled the pillows on the floor. He opened the drawers, unzipped all his bags and made a mess of his clothes on the floor. He had no idea how it got there but he found his cellphone under his bed. Seated at the centre of the mess that was his room, he powered his cellphone on.

He didn't allow himself to think at all as he opened his inbox, scrolled to Laiba's chat and deleted the entire conversation. Next, he opened his gallery, gave 'select all' and wiped it out clean. At last, he opened his Instagram, blocked Laiba and deleted the latest post he had posted and tagged her in it.

Everything was gone in a matter of seconds.

No trace of her in his digital life.

He fell back and spread his arms on the floor, wishing he could delete her from his mind and wipe her out of his memory as well.

He waited and waited to feel better.

But it never came.

Instead, he felt the loss all over again.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the world, Laiba was mentally exhausted.

She was fed up of herself. She wanted her to stop grieving. She wanted to turn off her emotions. She wanted to be normal. She wanted to live. She wanted to smile again. She wanted to eat, drink and talk like anybody else.

Her stepmother had returned and as Handal said, she didn't bother her much but she assigned her some tasks.

"This is not your in-laws. We don't live in a mansion, nor do we have maids to wipe our a**. You are not your husband's wife in this house. You are your father's daughter here. So act like one." Saying, she handed her the broom.

Having tasks to focus on proved helpful for Laiba. Household chores served as a welcomed distraction, keeping her from dwelling on her thoughts. She eagerly tackled laundry and dishes, finding solace in the routine.

One afternoon, while hanging clothes on the rooftop, she realized it had been two weeks since she had been outside. Sitting on the wall, she gazed at the sky, moved by the call to prayer from the mosque's minaret. Tears formed at the beauty of Allah's creation. Watching birds glide, she felt a sense of wonder as if witnessing them anew. The gentle touch of the breeze against her skin was refreshing, momentarily easing her pain.

For a brief moment, Laiba believed she had made progress, only to have the night cruelly remind her that nothing had changed.

Nights had become her worst enemy. Sleep was a foreign phenomenon for her at this point and staying up was torturous. The loneliness suffocated her and memories haunted her.

No matter, how much she tried, at the end of the day, she was the same miserable girl who was in love with her husband.

Laiba and Aariz were miles away, on a different continent, living in different time-zones, yet, they were the closest they had ever been.