Nisha looked at her mother in anxiety as the silence between them turned creepy. They just reached home after visiting the gynecologist and her mother couldn't even make it inside the house. She just fell on her usual sewing place in the corridor.
"This can't happen!" Tabinda suddenly yelled.
Nisha sighed and ran her palms through her face. It was a period of running away from truth for her mother and she knew if she would say anything, it could aggravate her anger more.
"The doctor could be wrong. That...that report might be false," she nodded her head towards the report showing a positive pregnancy test in Nisha's hand.
"We...we will see another doctor. That one didn't even know anything," Tabinda mumbled, her eyes getting wet due to dense emotions.
Nisha took a deep breath to steady herself down. She needed to act calm in the situation where her mother was dealing with so many sentiments. She sat beside her and held her hand.
"Ammi, the doctor wasn't mistaken or lying. I know it's true."
Tabinda glared at her and jerked away her hand. "Nisha...why...why did you do that? You didn't even think about me and your father."
Her eyes widened in shock. Why was she making it feel like she did a sin? Even though betraying her mother was perhaps a sin but this could never be. Ruhaan was her husband and they got married in front of the whole world.
"Okay then, even if it's true, nothing is gone yet.." Tabinda wiped her cheeks and grasped her shoulders. "Get rid of it."
Nisha's jaw dropped upon hearing this. She stared at her with a horror-stricken expression. Her mother should never mean what she was thinking it to be.
"Get rid of what?" Her voice was like a whisper.
"This baby. Abort it. It's best for you," Tabinda replied as she just told her to get rid of a pimple.
"Ammi!" She cried out and stood up. "How can you say this?"
"Because that's what you should do. This child will become a chain of your feet and you won't be able to have a divorce from him till its birth. Ruhaan can blackmail you with his child. He can make you do anything he wants. After that, he will keep you on rolls on the custody crap. And why would you give birth to the kid of your parents and your enemy?"
Tears fell from Nisha's eyes. Today after such a long time she cried in front of a person. "It's my child too. And I can't do what you are saying."
"Nisha, he will trick you again with now coming more stronger as the father of your child. It's better to undergo abortion before Ruhaan or your grandmother get the news," Tabinda reasoned.
Nisha brutally wiped the tears from her cheeks. "First of all, Ruhaan will be least bothered by this news. When I meant nothing to him then my baby will also mean nothing to him. Whatever he is doing right now is just to show me he is stronger than me and nothing else. He has no regard for me. Secondly, if he will show his possession over my baby, then still won't do what you ask for. I am not cruel."
"But you can give birth to a cruel person's child?" Tabinda smirked.
"Ammi, why do you keep forgetting this is my child too? If he is Ruhaan's then equally mine as well. And I won't do that to my baby. What's his fault? I won't follow the useless tradition of punishing children for their parent's sins. I will raise my baby and this discussion should be over now." She gave her mother a last tentative look before walking inside.
"And what will you do about divorce?" Tabinda inquired causing her to stop in her track.
"If Ruhaan had signed them then automatically the divorce will occur after this child's birth but if he hasn't then I will issue him papers again after the baby will be born," she explained. Even though, she knew Ruhaan had torn the papers. But it was not something that her mother should be knowing.
Tabinda exhaled deeply. "Nisha, you aren't doing good. You have given him such a strong lead to destroy you once again."
She approached her and held her hands. "He can do nothing. Allah is with us. "
"There's still time, Nisha. He will not even get to know---"
"Ammi please!" Nisha snarled. "Don't say this again. My baby doesn't deserve this."
She stood up again. "You should have some rest. I have to study."
"In such a state?" Tabinda's eyes darted to her flat stomach.
"So what? This is not a sickness. I will be fine. Just pray for me," she mumbled.
Tabinda nodded. "May Allah bless you."
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Sitting on the study table, she recalled that this was where her doom begin. How she couldn't focus on anything else except Ruhaan. Her heart always wanted to see his face, hear his voice, and be with him. Her mother was right. Ruhaan could do anything to her now. How ironic was this that nature had again made him lucky? He would use this baby in his favor.
She knew how wrong she was when she said Ruhaan would not be bothered by this news. When it came to his ego and power, he wasn't letting her go. Just a few hours and it changed his mindset. The thing which he was planning to do when she did it herself, he took it on his prestige. This would be his baby then. How could he leave his blood? But she had to say this to divert her mother's mind.
What would she do now? Studying while carrying a baby? Raising a child in such a situation when she and her mother were barely surviving. A single mother if Ruhaan would disown this child and if he started with all these custody issues, she would be at a loss. He would snatch her baby from her since he had money and power.
Sometimes she wondered why children had to suffer for what their parents did. First of all, it wasn't even her father's fault but it would have, she did not deserve this. She didn't even remember her father's face lest of what he did.
But she wouldn't let her child fall prey to it. What his father or even she did, he shouldn't suffer for the doings of his parents.
She leaned back on her chair and darted her eyes to her stomach which was still flat. She was twelve weeks pregnant and she didn't even know it. Even her body also never let her suspect anything.
Nisha brushed her hand over her stomach.
Ruhaan Sufiyan Ahmad, you left no way to break me. I was wrong to think I could win against you. You made me weak when I felt you were the one making me strong.
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The sun was on full display these days. Nisha was standing in the kitchen this afternoon, making dinner. She was fully drenched in sweat as she was chopping the onion in julienne cut to make Chicken Jalfrezi.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead as she picked up the basket of chopped onion and reached the stove. She spooned the onion into the frying pan having half-fried chicken. After stirring it a bit, she left it on medium heat and approached the fridge to take out the flour.
The pain in her back was increasing as now the baby had decided to show up. She held her lower back and closed her eyes to endure the killing sensation. When she felt better, she started making roti. She wasn't even past one flatbread when Tabinda entered the kitchen. She gasped noticing her and rushed over to her.
Taking the roller from her hand, Tabinda glanced over at her. "Why are you doing this, Nisha? You should be resting, not working like this."
Nisha shook her head. "Ammi, I am fine. It's just about to be done anyway."
"You go and sit. I'll do the rest," Tabinda ordered her.
"It's okay, Ammi. You--"
"No, Nisha!" She raised her hand. "I'll ask Aqia to come here till your delivery. She will help with some chores. Unaiza has also a few months free from studies, I'll ask her to bring her as well but you won't do work."
"Ammi, why would you disturb them? I can do it. It's not that much," Nisha tried to object.
"Go, sit outside Nisha," she called her again.
Nisha pouted but listened to her nevertheless. She went back to her room with a thought in mind to lie down a bit to straighten her back. She closed her eyes and didn't know when she dozed off.
Her sleep got disturbed by some unrecognizable noise. She looked around blankly before sitting up. Now as her senses came back, she comprehended it was her mother and grandmother's voices. Why did she come here? To advocate in favor of her grandson?
Nisha finger-combed her hair and folded them into a loose bun. Ruhaan must have been sent to make her feel more helpless and vulnerable.
Now when her mother would tell her grandmother that the divorce couldn't happen, she would appear as weak. She knew Tabinda was too ashamed of the fact that her baby's father was Ruhaan that she wouldn't disclose this., Also, she was aware that she was scared of Ruhaan blackmailing her due to this.
Nisha herself had to do something. She didn't want to give the idea to Ruhaan that she had wavered away from her decision. He wanted to see her weak and that would exactly do the same effect. She got out of bed and rushed out. In the lounge, she could find the two women sitting.
"Tabinda, Ruhaan had no idea of this. Sufiyan had always fed into his children's minds that Sikandar was the culprit. As soon as Ruhaan got to know about this, he felt ashamed and want to recon--"
"Please, Amma Jaan. I won't buy that lie. Neither me nor my Nisha. Tell this to your grandson," Tabinda retorted.
"AssalamoAlaikum!" Nisha greeted quietly.
The women turned their heads toward her. Rutba Begum's lips turned into a smile. Nisha bent her head towards her and she patted her hair, replying to her greeting.
"How are you?" She asked.
Nisha sat beside her mother. "I am fine."
"Tabinda said you were sleeping. Are you okay? Sleeping at this unusual time," Rutba Begum asked worriedly.
Nisha glanced at her mother. She was right after all that her mother would not tell this.
"It's nothing," she mumbled. "The divorce papers? Did they get signed?"
She wanted to know whether whatever Ruhaan said was even right or not.
Rutba Begum pursed her lips in a thin line. She regarded Nisha's expressions and grim face for a while before shaking her head. "Ruhaan doesn't want to divorce you. He...he wants to patch up. He wants to bring you--"
"I don't care, Dadi, what he wants and what he doesn't want. I care about what I want and that is divorce," she said sternly.
Rutba Begum sighed. "Nisha, he didn't know anything. He acted on impulse. He truly loves you now."
"Dadi please, at least you shouldn't do it. I have also the same relationship with you as his then why are you getting biased?" She stopped when she realized her tone had gotten high. "I heard this crap from his mouth many times and tell him, I don't believe it. I won't fall prey to his tricks now. What does he want from me? Divorce was his plan already and now when we both will be getting what we want, he is making this all messed up."
"I told you, Nisha, he wants to patch up. He has fallen for you and wants to bring you back into his life," Rutba Begun shrugged her shoulders. "And I think at least you should hear him. Everyone deserves one chance to explain himself. Nisha, don't think that a person can't change. Your mother also did this in Sufiyan's case and you are again doing the same mistake."
"Fine then," Nisha spoke. "Tell him I have agreed to have a word with him. Ask him to meet me at the nearest cafe on Saturday evening ." She stood up and went back to her room, giving an indication she was done with the discussion now.
Rutba Begum's jaw dropped in surprise. Was it the beginning of something better? She hoped it would be.
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AssalamoAlaikum/ Hello guys!
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