A/N: The scenes and characters in the story might be disturbing to few readers on the mention of violence. Read at your own will. You have been warned.
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3rd Person's pov
Two years is very long period of time and if it had to be lived with agony it sure will look like twenty or maybe more.
But people and places which hold an important place in life cannot be forgotten so easily and when Shavez looked into the familiar pair of eyes his conscious mind recalled everything like it all happened yesterday, he was dumbstruck, he cannot be dreaming right now.
Though it was windy, he felt his lungs crying out for oxygen. His heart palpitated beneath and no coherent words could he gather, What if it's not her? What if I'm Mistaken?
There were so many, so many tangled thoughts and no time to put it in order when he saw her bowing to him as a gesture of thanks and leaving, it struck him then like a thunderbolt straight into his head, it had been two complete years since he had seen her.
He wanted to call onto her, he knows she's married and has a happy life right now and he made his heart believe that he was contended with it. He was not though, he could never find peace in it but he was managing somehow.
Even after all those years he couldn't let himself to believe that she's away from him because she was always close to him, having a reserved spot in his heart.
"Miss wait--" she was already gone. With a defeated look on his face he approached the pharmacist asking for a particular medicine.
"Do you perhaps know her, Sir?" After doing the payment he was about to leave when the man spoke.
He gave him a questioned look.
"The woman from just now" He confirmed.
"Maybe-yes, I know her. She was a friend of mine" Shavez said giving a tight lipped smile.
"You do?" The man was acting surprised and Shavez was not sure why.
"Yeah, anything?" He asked him.
"The thing is, that woman always comes here for painkillers, bandages and stuff and it looks like she's always ill, I tried to ask her about it but she panicked and left right after, I never spoke to her after that".
Now this was certainly not expectantly the first thing to know her whereabouts "She does?"
"Yes sir, she's been coming to me since the past year I think? she lives nearby though, this much I know.. I didn't pry more"
"Okay" He simply said and thanked the man before heading towards his car.
What would she need painkillers for? Shavez hoped she was well.
He was shocked when he saw her in front of him when he thought they left the city, both her and Adnan. He resigned soon after their marriage without a proper reason or explanation and Shavez was in no place to question him. So he let that happen.
He didn't know they were in the city, not until today. Not to mention what the pharmacist had said, he knew Haya was unwell because he was the one who took her to the hospital first, but the thought that she would get better with time made him at ease.
He drove with a lot of thoughts accordant to his overthinking tendencies, questions occupying his mind as to why would she have bandages on her feet, painkillers are always a risk to body why would she take that often. Between everything that happened within a few minutes he couldn't figure out which was real and which was his imagination.
He was worrying too much. Haya was not his love anymore, she was her constant. Of course he would.
He pulled himself together because of a painful reminder that she was married. He had no right to interfere in her life anymore. He had no right to even spare her a second glance anymore as much as it was agonising, it was true.
He was bombarded with concerned questions from Zaki immediately after entering into the hall where there were many people in fancies casually immersed in one to the other chatter "Where's my angel?" He asked. The only thing he would look forward to, is meeting his doll.
Zaki gestured towards Faiza holding her daughter up, who was sulking because her mother was preventing her from running around.
"May I have her now?" Shavez called her from behind.
"You're here finally" She sighed and the little one's eyes lit up on seeing him she started squirming to get off her mother's hold and extended her hands for Shavez to hold. So she handed her daughter to Shavez who instantly calmed down. Both smiled at that.
"There wasn't a minute she was not getting on my nerves, how is she more calm with you" Faiza grumbled taking seat as she was super tired, attending all the guests.
"Guess we have a special bond then, isn't it Yusra? " He playfully raised his eyebrows at the girl who giggled delightedly, her giggles filled his heart.
"Maria's here" She said to which Shavez just nodded "Maybe you should talk to her"
"What will I talk to her about" He replied finding no reason to approach Maria whom he already saw when he came inside.
"You were good friends before-" she paused "-before everything happened"
"I saw her today" he said to get a questioned look from Faiza.
"Haya" The name sounded so beautiful when pronounced loud and clear.
"What? where? she's in the city?"
"I didn't know too, she's been here all this time it seems" He said appearing to be focused on the little girl in his arms, one arm holding her and the other hand playing with her tiny fingers.
"Are you still not past her" Faiza's tone was saddened.
"I can never"
"She's married"
"I know"
"It's wrong"
"I know, okay?" He snapped lifting his gaze to look at Faiza,"what can I do? that's something not in my control, I just- can't think of somebody else other than her I know its very wrong and I don't know what to do about it" his voice turned low at the end, every word he was saying was true, he tried to forget her, erase her from his mind but what can he do if his heart wouldn't cooperate.
Faiza went silent for a minute on hearing him, and Yusra started booping his nose and whispering "No angwy, no angwy " figuring out that he was mad for some reason making his attention go back to the girl, smiling.
"How's she? Did you talk to her"
"I didn't get a chance to, I don't know if I'll be able to even if I had the chance, just bumped into her" He said to which Faiza nodded, "I hope she's happy with Adnan. At the end of the day, he's the one who has her" He said after a pause.
Though at the back of his mind there was a lingering thought disturbing him but he didn't let it make way to his lips. He wanted to confirm the reason of Haya's condition only then will he be able to do something about it, if he couldn't reach out he'll make sure somebody else does, only to make sure she was okay.
So he instructed Faiza not to reach out to Haya at any cost, they cut ties with them with a reason probably so he didn't want to intrude into their lives to make them feel uneasy about it.
Haya probably might think he didn't recognise her, and he want it to remain that way. It was just a glance after all who would recognise her but for his unrequited feelings still buried in his heart.
Handing over Yusra, he excused with a particular person in his mind who could do the job, so he fished out his phone from the inside pocket of his coat and dialled "Hey, Rabi?"
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Thankfully Adnan was asleep when she came back. Being excited for going out was a very bad idea indeed. She cursed herself feeling her head spinning, catching breath while she entered into the kitchen and placed the goodies. She stood there empty handed and dumfounded, her heart beating rapidly due to the short run she did. Of all people why would she come across him?
Shavez was the only person whom she had to avoid at all costs and he was the one she bumped into, seriously? She felt like hitting herself. Letting out a low frustrated groan she sat down on the floor with her knees up, arms wrapping around them because her legs didn't have enough strength to support her stand, plus the wound.
Adnan should not know about this, or else...or else, she didn't know what he'll do. A petrified sentence she kept repeating, Adnan should never know about this.
It struck to her then, she hoped that he didn't recognise her maybe, because its been two years, who was she kidding of course he wouldn't recognise her moreover from under that niqab, he could never.
A relieved sigh escaped her lips as she concluded that he didn't recognise her and that made her breath normal and she could gather enough strength to get up and start preparing dinner.
°°°°
"Do not speak until spoken to" A harsh slap landed across her cheek leaving a tinge of burning sensation on the side of her face.
Her footsteps stumbled back almost lost the balance due to the force of mere hand, but a piece of furniture came to rescue to hold on to. Tears of pain immediately crawled upto the brim of her eyes but don't they dare shed.
Adnan retrieved his hand back immediately and caressed her cheek. The touch was so soft almost as if these were not the same hands which hurt her.
"You know I love you and don't like hitting you sweetheart, you just get on my nerves I couldn't help it" He said to which Haya flapped her eyelashes nodding dumbly.
"I'm sorry" she murmured trying very hard to swallow the lump in her throat.
How did this all start? Well, It's a long story.
Apparently according to Adnan, she wasn't supposed to tell any of the visitors that she was the one who made dinner because, wives of modern people don't waste their time in the kitchen.
When wives of his friends were complementing the food that it was absolutely delicious she surely admitted that she's the one who made it for the entire attention to be focussed on her.
Those people started complementing her skills and taking recipes from her. Adnan didn't like it one bit.
"You like to be the centre of attention don't you? That's why you did that" His bitter words pierced through her heart.
"No" that's all she could master up and say.
"There no use in denying I know you very well, back in the office too, you made sure everyone's focus was on you. How many affairs did you have then? Tell me" He held her face by the chin, it was bruising.
"N-none" She croaked out and Adnan harshly let go of her face" Please don't question m-my character for such thing" She wanted to break down then and there, her heart ached on hearing those words.
Adnan tsked , "Get out of my sight before I loose my mind" He said harshly pushing her away with frustration.
She quietly left the room with her head bowed down torturously, biting down her lower lip so hard to prevent any voice from coming out.
Why was she bearing all this?
Well because when love was not served to her on a silver spoon she learned to lick it off the knife.
It was bruising, hurtful and afflictive, yet, it was still love.
Or that was what Adnan tells her.
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A/N: Thoughts?