Bewitched

•thirty one•

Mahira looked at the empty patio through the window. She was glad her mother had gone upstairs to give them some privacy. Her probing questions would have to wait till she herself had made sense of the situation.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and allowed the conversation to seep back into her mind.

"I don't think anything you would say could change things." Mahira said, sitting down with a huff.

"Like I said, that's for you to decide. And it'd be unfair if you were kept in the dark."

Finally sensing that Mahira was ready to hear her out, Sonam heaved a huge breath.
Here goes nothing, she thought.

"My Grandfather, may God bless his soul, was a very wealthy landlord. He and your grandfather were the best of friends, so much so that when he saw him struggling, he agreed to help him out by helping him settle in one of the neighbouring lands, the lands where the Manzil now stands," She picked at her nails, "With some of my grandfather's financial aid and your grandfather's hard work, the lands became prosperous to the point where your grandfather received a title of his own."

Sonam glanced at Mahira and saw that she was listening intently. Sighing, she continued,

"Having been lifted from the ground to the sky, your grandfather always felt indebted to mine, who would often try to avoid the topic," A reminiscent smile crossed her features, "My grandfather was very fond of me and loved me dearly, to the point where grasping the opportunity, he finally struck a deal."

She turned towards Mahira, "What was that deal, you might wonder."

Mahira stayed quiet, not really sure whether she wanted to hear what she had to say. Nonetheless, she nodded encouragingly.

"Me and Fawad. A perfect match, or so believed by our grandfathers," Sonam smiled solemnly as she registered the surprise on Mahira's face, "And so, we were engaged, without us ever being present for the occasion. It was only much later that we were told of the agreement. We were 19 at the time, and so involved in our own lives that the mere thought was unfathomable. I tried to talk my parents out of it but they wouldn't listen. It was a sacred binding, they said. A trust that I could never break. Fawad was told the same thing. When our grandfathers passed away, I...I thought the the agreement would too, but it was too much embedded in our lives, never to be broken free of."

"My grandfather always wanted me to be happy. He thought he would secure that by sending me to the Manzil. It's not his fault," Sonam shook her head, "I hold nothing against him, but I just wish he would've asked me how I felt."

"I've never loved Fawad and he's never loved me. It's torture, honestly. Pretending to be what we aren't and never will be." She looked at Mahira, who was at a severe loss of words, "But then you came along and with it came my freedom."

"Your freedom?" Mahira choked out, confused.

"Yes, my freedom," Sonam held Mahira's hands in her own, "I was a wreck when my parents imposed the engagement on me, not only because it was so sudden but because...but because I loved someone else."

She exhaled a shaky breath, "And I still do."

"I don't understand..."

"When I told Hamza of my engagement all those years ago, he said he'd wait for me. He never broke his promise." A hopeful gleam clouded her eyes, "And then you came along and...and the way Fawad looked at you....I just thought. I thought as if God was sending me a sign."

"So you broke off the engagement?"

"Yes, I told my parents last night and then left to see you." Sonam sighed, "I know I've disobeyed my grandfather's wishes but it just...it just feels so right. I've never been this happy in a long time, and if dada abbu really did cherish my happiness, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Her smile at that moment could've lit up the whole world.

"Our relationship was never real, Mahira. What you saw and heard at the Manzil that day was a show. Please don't doubt Fawad's intentions, it was never-."

"I really appreciate you taking out the time to clear out things, Sonam, but.." Mahira sighed, her heart aching, "I don't know what to say..it's been 5 months. A lot of things change in 5 months-."

"Things like what?" Sonam interrupted, irritated by Mahira's continuous dismissals, even after that all she had told her.

"Things like me getting engaged!" Mahira shouted, unable to bear it any longer.

Sonam's eyes widened and then drifted to the ring that Mahira wore on her finger.

"I didn't..." Sonam tried to find the right words.

"See, I told you there was no point." Mahira's eyes glazed.

"Who's the lucky man?" Sonam finally asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Zaroon."

"If I had come sooner, would that have changed things?"

Yes, Mahira's subconscious threw the word at her. Her shoulders slumped at the insurmountable guilt she felt for betraying Zaroon's trust and love.

"I...I don't know," Mahira sniffed, "What I do know is that you've made things so much more difficult for me by telling me all of this."

Sonam grabbed her bag and made to leave. There was sadness and regret etched in her features. If only she had come sooner.

Just as she crossed the entrance's threshold, she turned around and said something that would haunt Mahira for the rest of her days, "Things wouldn't have been as difficult if you truly loved the man that you're engaged to."

And with that, she was gone.

•
A/N
What did you think, guyss?
Oh and be sure to recap chapter 16.
You'll understand Fawad's attitude and the subtle glances of Naureen and Zoe a lot better now.