Her Vocation

18. Moment of Truth

"You are her fiancé. Naveed Suleiman." Hadi's clipped voice came in and I felt my knees getting weak.

"You seem to know everything already. So I'll skip the formalities and get right to the point. You need to stay away from her or I can't guarantee your or your family's safety."

" I think you don't know me, well enough though. I can very well manage myself and my family on my own. You only need to worry about yourself—"

"Maybe you haven't done enough research on me, Captain Hadi. I didn't come here all this way to hear no for an answer. Anyways, let's strike a deal. I'll leave you and your family alone in exchange for you to leave her alone. If not, I'll make her suffer by killing you and your family in front of her very eyes—You don't know how crazy she would go if she sees that. Enough to make her take her own life. But I won't let her—I'll make the rest of the days of her life a living torture—and you'll be the cause behind it—"

"Like you killed Muiz? Or the 3 guys last month, who assaulted her—" Hadi's words knocked the breath out of me and I slumped to the floor.

"Like you said, they assaulted her—"

"But they didn't—that's what YOU made appear on paper—all for what—? To punish them?"

"They touched what was mine. Nobody gets away with that—and neither will you—"

"You are mentally sick—And you say you love her? Maybe, this is why she hates you enough to run away. I can understand her better now thanks to you."

"Oh, I love her alright. So much that I can take away every single thing that gives her peace so that I am the only one she can turn to for help—But you see I am also a fair person. So I am giving you a fair chance. You need not meddle in my business—and I'll let you go your own way—If things can get sorted out peacefully with both parties satisfied then you should do that—this is my rule for doing business-"

"This—Aasiya is business for you—??"

"Aasiya is my property. She belongs to me—and the only person who can touch my belonging is me—Whatever I want to do with her is up to me—she exists for me, alone; my most prized possession—Even if that means I use her or dispose her—Uh—Ah! I wouldn't do that if I were you—What—do you love her or something?"

"And, what if I do?"

"So does this mean that you're willing to convert to her faith? What? Did you think you're the only one who could do a background check? Well? You must've taken all this into consideration, right? Even if only in name, we ARE Muslim while you're— an Ismaili—" My hand clamping my mouth shut trembled at Navi's words.

"You—You're a piece of shit—I don't think I need to hear about religion and it's aspects from dirt shits like you—"

"Right. What do I know? So? You think Aasiya will share your sentiments? Does she even know that you're a Non-Muslim—-"

"You—!"

"Easy now tiger. I don't want to get on the bad side of ISI, if I can help it. Now I'll tell you a simple solution. As you already know about my sinful past, so it shouldn't be hard for you to believe that I will actually kill Aasiya before you can have her. Since I love her so much, I'll kill myself too afterwards. There isn't much that I give a shit about anyways. So now it's up to you to decide. Are you willing to shoulder the burden of her death because you were too self absorbed in your love—or—"

"You monster—"

"Can't say I haven't heard that one before. Now, if you have even the slightest bit of love for her like you said, you'll do what's best for her which is letting her go—Now her fate rests on your able shoulders, Captain Hadi—"