His Revenge

➺Chapter Twenty-One

➺Chapter Twenty-One

The next day, Zaeem was free from work to spend some time at home with his family. Aaida had disappeared somewhere after breakfast and Zaeem was conflicted on whether he should find her or let her be. He didn't want to suffocate her because he knew she needed time to sort out her own feelings yet he also didn't want to leave her all alone. Especially not after the previous episode where she'd locked herself in the washroom. During that time, Zaeem had honestly felt as if he would die.

"Zaeem, darling," Mahra waved a hand in front of him to catch his attention. She was sitting on her favorite plush chair in the sitting room, a half-finished scarf in her lap and her crochet needle in mid-air. There was a colorful assortment of yarn in the basket beside her. She had an entire closet full of yarn but whenever she started a project, she would select the yarn beforehand and put it in her basket so she could easily carry it around instead of having to travel back and forth to fetch colors. She especially hated having to move around if she was engrossed in her crocheting.

"Where's Aaida?"

Zaeem shrugged. "I don't know."

Mahra was not pleased. "After what happened last time, you still let her go off on her own?"

"Mamma, I can't stifle her," he released a small sigh. "I want her to collect her thoughts, make her own decisions. I can't force anything on her. I can't force her to move past everything that occurred these past months. She needs to take those steps herself."

"That doesn't mean you leave her alone," Mahra shot him a disapproving glance. "At least find out where she is."

"She's probably in the library."

"Go check," she urged.

"Fine," he grumbled. He knew she wouldn't leave him alone until she got what she wanted and at that moment, Mahra wanted him to be with Aaida. He was turning to leave when his mother remembered something.

"Oh, Zaeem," she said suddenly, dropping her needle. "Have you thought about what I told you last night?"

"I have," he replied testily. "But I'm going to wait. I don't think what you said is true and I know I have to confront Mustafa either way for peace of mind. Right now though, I want to focus on Aaida. If she was given even an inkling that-"

Mahra's lips drooped. "I understand. You're right. It is rather far-fetched."

Zaeem nodded in agreement and walked out of the sitting room, leaving his mother to her crochet. He wandered up the stairs to the library. Like he'd suspected, the door was ajar and he could see Aaida sitting inside. His gaze landed on her bandaged wrist and he paused for a second.

What had possessed him to get revenge on her? How could he have been so stupid, so blind? What had happened to his mother seared his heart whenever he thought about it, especially ever since he had gotten older and actually learned what it meant to be raped and destitute. It had been her pain that blindfolded him. Knowing his mother had gone through all that had pushed rational thinking to the edge of his mind and he had done things he would forever regret.

During the months Aaida had been gone, he had a lot of time to reflect on everything that had happened. He had thought about how he had treated Aaida, what he had said to her. He had thought about his harshness, his cruelty, his lack of respect. He had thought about how Aaida had acted towards him- always smiling, always thinking the best, and always forgiving him in the blink of an eye. Did he really deserve to have her back?

Of course the alternative was unthinkable.

If Aaida had been forced to stay with Mustafa any longer, she would've lost her mind. She was stronger than any woman he knew but even she couldn't handle that much mental and emotional stress. Even now, surrounded by people who cared for her, Aaida was just barely making it. Each day passed with such uncertainty. Sometimes Zaeem expected to wake up and find her hanging by the ceiling fan.