Hey guys, here's another chapter. Really hope you like it...
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Shah Zain's POV (Edited)
I could feel faint whispering and murmuring noises. It's like a group of bee was buzzing around my ears. I could feel my hand in someone's grip and I tried to tighten my grip on it too. I needed to feel. All I saw was darkness and I was trying my best to open my eyes. I was pinching them and soon after I felt like I succeed.
I blinked my eyes several times before I was able to see. I was welcomed with the white ceiling of my room. I took a deep breath and then I heard a loud gasp. I turned my head slowly towards the source of the gasp and saw mama. She was there sitting on the bed beside me. I trained my eyes down and saw that she was the one who was holding my hand.
Her eyes filled up and she immediately blinked them back. She stated though her words were not properly forming maybe due to happiness or relief
"You... You're awa..wake."
I nodded my head and tried to sit up. She instantly shoot up from her place and helped me. I settled against the head rest before placing my head on the headrest and closing my eyes. Headache was forming over my head and I could feel it. Mama gently kissed my forehead before speaking worriedly
"I was so scared, beta."
I opened my eyes and saw her concerned face. Her eyebrows were knitted together and it seemed like she was trying her hard not to cry. I smiled lightly at her before assuring her
"I'm all good, mama. Don't be scared."
She clicked her tongue and stated
"How can I not, beta? Don't you know how bad your allergy can get?"
Well, she's right. I have an allergy to herbs and oregano. I can't stand them. My body reacted very badly to them. The first time it happened with me when I was only seven years old and it reacted so bad that I ended up in hospital for a week. The doctors strictly told me not to eat any herbs or oregano related food ever again. He said that allergies can get pretty bad. Since then I have been taking extra caution in chosing my food.
But I don't know how I ended up eating the food with oregano. Maybe, I was sure that food was oregano or herbs free. But then it clicked me. Shiza made the food today. Perhaps, she didn't know that I'm allergic to herbs and oregano. But it can't be possible. I mean dado must have told her. I was still in my thoughts when mama's concerned voice again reached me
"Do you need anything?"
I looked at her before shaking my head. But then I asked
"What time is it?"
She sighed before answering
"It's close to 2 in the morning beta."
My eyebrows furrowed before I asked her
"Why were you awake till late?"
She shook her head before saying
"Everyone was really worried for you, beta. They all were here a few hour back. But I told them to rest especially your dado. She was persistent not to leave but I made her leave. I chose to stay here with you."
I almost felt guilty. I made everyone worried for no reason. A sudden sense of guilt washed over me. If I had been a little more careful than this wouldn't have happened. It's my fault. I have an allergy and it was my responsibility to take care of myself.
But my worries reached to top when I realized that what Shiza had to face. Mama would have been very angry at her. She must have scolded her. But where is she? She should be here. I roamed my eyes around the room and saw the bathroom light was off that means she can't be in there. The room was empty. Where is she?
I turned towards mama and asked her
"Where is Shiza, mama?"
At my question, her face contorted into bitterness before she spoke
"How will I know?"
Lie. I can see it in her eyes. She knew exactly where she is. I know she won't tell me. So, I pushed the duvet away before trying to stand up. But she was quick and immediately made me sit back. She asked in a frustrated tone
"What are you doing, Shah Zain?"
I sighed before answering
"I'm going to find Shiza."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance before saying
"Beta, you should rest. She must be here in the house. Why are you worrying about her? Leave her."
I can't fight with mama. She will never let me. So, at last I nodded and laid back down. I heard her taking a big sigh of relief before she took a seat beside me again. I looked at her before saying
"Mama, go and get some sleep."
She looked unsure maybe because she think I will go and search for Shiza. But I can't let her awake just because of that. I will talk to Shiza in the morning. I sighed before assuring her
"I promise I will just sleep. So, please go and get some sleep too."
She finally nodded beside standing up. She kissed my forehead before turning off the lamp and leaving the room. I sighed turning to my left. I closed my eyes and soon the clouds of slumber enveloped me and I dozed off..
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I woke up directly the next morning. The sun was shining on its high and I blinked my eyes before settling into its rays. I sat up on the bed and stretched myself up. The headache was gone but the redness was still pretty much visible on my hands and arms. Also, my sore throat was another reminder of my post allergic symptoms. I stood up and went to take the overdue shower.
After I changed into some fresh clothes, I descended downstairs. As I reached the dining area, my eyes searched for Shiza. Where the hell is she? She's usually in the kitchen or at the dining setting the table. I entered the dining area and found dado already seated. When she heard the footsteps, she turned around and heaved a big sigh of relief when she saw me. She immediately stood up and hugged me. I hugged her back. She pulled away and asked
"How are you feeling now, beta?"
I smiled before answering
"I'm alright dado. Don't stress yourself out."
She shook her head before saying
"How can I not? You were in pain last night. I can't seem to take that scene away from my eyes."
I sighed before making her sit on the chair and assured her
"Dado, I'm fine. Look, even the headache is gone too. Please don't worry."
She smiled before caressing my hairs and saying
"May Allah bless you. May He always keep you in his protection."
I muttered ameen under my breath. But my thoughts still roamed back to Shiza. I can't even see her in the kitchen. Where is she? My curiosity level was increasing and I really want to know where the hell is she. Maybe, dado knows. Shiza and dado are closed. She must have informed her. Dado must have known where she is. I turned to dado before asking
"Dado, have you seen Sh..."
But I was cut off in between
"Shah Zain, beta. How are you feeling?"
It was Naeem Chachu and Yusra Chachi. I smiled at them before telling them that I was fine. Soon, everyone started to fill the dining table. Everyone asked about my health and I kept telling them not to worry but Aaban's agitated voice reached me
"How can we not worry about you, bhai? Your allergy can get really bad."
I sighed knowing it's futile to argue with them. I sighed before nodding my head. From my peripheral vision, I could see Zarnish passing a small smile in my direction. I smiled back and she looked away after that. The maids brought the breakfast and everyone started eating.
I remained rooted on my spot. Are they not going to wait for Shiza? Why is she not present at the breakfast? I'm starting to get worried now. Where is she? I was still in my thoughts when mama's voice reached me
"Beta, why aren't you eating anything?"
I looked up at her and saw her puzzled expression. I looked down at my plate and saw that I barely touched my food. I just shook my head before picking up the spoon and digging in. I glanced up to look at dado and she was already looking at me. She had that knowing expression on her face and at that moment, I knew that dado knew exactly where Shiza is. I can't wait this breakfast to end so that I could go and find her..
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After the breakfast, I was sitting in the lounge. I was scrolling down the phone on the sofa. Dado was currently outside watering the plants. I decided to talk to her about Shiza but before I could go to her, mama indulged me in her conversation. Right now, I'm waiting for dado to come so that I could ask her about Shiza.
I felt the sofa beside me sunken as someone took a seat. I glanced at the right and saw that it was Zarnish. She passed me a small smile before asking
"Are you ok, Zain?"
I nodded my head before saying
"I'm fine. Stop worrying please."
She sighed before saying, this time dead seriousness evident in her voice
"I worry for you so much. It was an awful night last night. I can't you see ever like this."
She tried to touch my hand but I don't know why but I didn't let her. I crossed my arms around my chest. I don't know but I'm not feeling comfortable. There's only one thing going in my mind and that is Shiza. I need to see her. I need to ask her where did she go? I'm getting really worried. But I know that people here knew where she is. They all are acting normal and that just proved me right that they knew where she is.
Zarnish didn't say anything for a few while before again continuing
"Your wife should've taken extra care. How irresponsible she is! She didn't even care if you were ok or not. She just left the house."
At her sudden announcement, my head whipped in her direction. What the hell is she saying? Did Shiza leave? I asked her totally shocked
"Where did she go?"
Zarnish rolled her eyes and stated
"I don't know. She just left. Look Shah Zain, she didn't care for you. She doesn't even look at your condition. She just left like it doesn't matter to her. I felt really bad for you. You've got a really ungrateful wife."
I don't know why but I snapped
"She's not ungrateful."
At my sudden use of harsh tone, she flinched back and looked at me with wide eyes. I closed my eyes before taking a deep breath. I ran my hands through my hairs before apologizing to her
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
She meekly nodded her head and remained quiet. Oh god! I felt so guilty. But before I could say another thing, I saw dado coming inside. I immediately stood up and told Zarnish
"We'll talk in the evening, ok."
She nodded her head before passing me a smile. I returned the smile before making my way to dado's room.
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I knocked at the door before entering inside. Dado was sitting on the bed reciting Holy Quran. When she saw me, she passed me a small smile before gesturing me to take a seat beside her. I walked to the bed and took a seat infront of her. I remained quiet and waited for her to complete her recitation. She closed the Holy Quran before standing up and placing it on its safe place. She undid the scarf on her head but let it stay on her head. She again sat down on the bed facing me. She heaved a deep sigh before saying
"Tell me."
I sighed before coming straight to the point
"Dado, did Shiza leave?"
At my question, her eyebrows furrowed. A look of confusion was etched onto her face. It made me wonder if I asked something weird. She asked me totally puzzled
"Why did you ask that?"
I sighed before saying
"Zarnish told me that she left last night. She didn't care if I was ok or not. She just left."
I was getting frustrated. I really don't understand that girl. Sometimes I felt like she is not what she shows us. Whenever I try to understand, she would do something that would make it impossible to understand her dynamics. What is she really?
I saw dado closing her eyes before muttering something under her breath. She finally looked at me and said
"I don't know why she said that to you but Shiza certainly did not leave the house."
At her remark, I was even more confused. If she didn't leave the house than where is she. Also, why did Zarnish lie? Dado saw the puzzlement on my face and told me
"Beta, she is in the maid's quarter."
My eyes widened. Maid's quarter. What the hell is she doing there? I shook my head before asking dado
"But what is she doing there?"
Dado's face contorted into sadness and that made me think. Something must have happened after I lost consciousness. I stood up from my place and asked dado agitated
"Dado, tell me what happened last night?"
She reminded quiet and shook her head. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. What the hell is wrong with this family? Why can't we all live in peace for once? Dado then said
"Beta, go and see her. She was very worried for you last night."
I nodded my head before exiting the room. If my family is not telling me anything than Shiza will have to tell me everything. With that thought in my mind, I left for the maid's quarter..
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As I reached the maid's quarter. Few maids were baffled to saw me. Of course, I never once came here. I asked one of the maid standing in the corner
"Have you seen Shiza?"
She nodded her head before answering
"She is at the far end of the corner in the room."
I nodded my head before making my way there. I stood infront of the room where the maid told me Shiza was. I knocked at the door and waited for her to open the door. I waited for few moments before I heard the sound of door opening.
There she stood. A complete mess. Her eyes were puffy, swollen and red. Her hairs messed up and face looked worn out. The duppata draped on her shoulder. She looked at me with wide eyes before I said
"Can I enter inside?"
She came out of her daze and meekly nodded her head. As I entered inside, I saw the condition of the room. It was not in the best piece. A broken old bed settled in the middle with a small bulb hanging above it on the ceiling. The walls looked so squishy and dirty. She stood in a corner and I directly asked her
"What are you doing here?"
I saw the way her body stiffened. Her shoulders went tense and her eyes practically froze. Something is wrong. She kept her eyes down. I repeated my question
"What are you doing here, Shiza?"
She hesitantly looked up before answering
"Just because."
Her unusual answer made me more angry. Why is she telling lie? I sighed controlling my frustration before saying
"Please Shiza, tell me the truth. I don't want to hear any lie."
She looked at me with her big doe eyes. I can tell she was hesitating. The way her fingers were fidgeting and the way she was biting her lips in nervousness. I knew her dynamics damn well. I took strides towards her and stood directly infront of her. She looked up at me and her eyes held fear and tension.
I finally muttered, this time little softness dripping from my voice
"Tell me. I won't be angry."
She took a deep breath before saying
"Zohra aunty locked me here."
At her comment, my head whipped to her. Shocked and confusion both were etched onto my face. Why did mom lock her here? I motioned her to continue and she narrated
"After you fainted, she burst out on me blaming me for your condition. She said I did it purposefully."
Her voice cracked at the end. Tears brimmed her eyes but she blinked them back. She again began
"She scolded me and insulted me. Everyone was angry at me and they all blamed me for your condition. Zohra aunty locked me here so that I couldn't see you or hurt you again."
Tears left her eyes. When she uplift her hand to wiped her tears, I noticed the redness on her wrists. I immediately took hold of them before assessing them. There were marks of fingerprints on her delicate wrists. The pale yellow skin was now covered in nail marks of red and blue. She hissed when I touched them. I looked up and passed her an apologizing smile.
How could mom do that? I looked closely and saw that her left cheek was swollen too. I brought my hand up and caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes before hissing again. This was my cue to question again
"What happened?"
She answered with tears falling her eyes
"She slapped me twice."
My blood boiled. How could mama be so heartless? They don't have any proof if she did it or not? Heck! They didn't even know if she knew about my allergy or not. She then said
"I didn't know you were allergic. I promised. I told them many times that I didn't know but they all didn't believe me. They blamed me and insulted me and humiliate me, Zain."
This was the first time she had taken my name. But her voice held desperation. It's like she was begging me to believe her. My heart was saying me to believe her. This time her eyes were practically begging me to believe her. There was this weird type of feeling inside my chest telling me to believe her. Maybe, this time it was figferen because now she is my wife.
She shook her head and said
"Shah Zain, I promise. I really didn't know about your allergy. Otherwise, I would have been careful. I didn't do it intentionally. I'm not that cruel to hurt anyone. I promise."
Her voice broke and she hardly controlled herself. She was looking at me with hope in her eyes. She was waiting for me to say something. This time her eyes didn't hide anything. There were pain, fear, hope and worry altogether. It's like she was scared that I will also not believe her. Did really no one believes her? What about dado? So, I asked her
"Dado also didn't believe you?"
She looked down and shook her head. She stated
"Maybe, she was worried for you."
Her tired and broken voice ached my heart. My heart begged me to believe her. She was not lying. This time she is speaking the truth. My heart was telling me all of this. Her red puffy eyes were waiting for me to say something. She was shaking and sobs were leaving her body. She was losing her hope slowly. She is thinking that I don't believe her. She is thinking that once again she was paying for something she didn't done.
But this time, it is different.
I believe her. My heart won and my mind lose. I decided to risk it and believe her. Also, I knew she never got to know about my allergy as she was never there for meals. Dado must've forgot to tell her. I felt so guilty. How could my family hurt her like that? They should have listened to her. Why did they hurt her? They physically hurt her and it pained me. She was my responsibility. How could I let that happen? It was so heartbreaking that in my absence, they treated her like that. But not anymore.
This time I will not let anyone hurt my wife. She is my wife and I'll be damned if anyone ever try to touch her again.
I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard her sobs. She was crying now and her eyes were down casted. She shook her head and said
"I didn't do it, Shah Zain. I promise. I didn't know. I swear I didn't know."
She was hiccuping and I did the very next right thing that my mind could register at that moment.
I hugged her...
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That was a pretty long chapter. Hopefully now you all will hate Shah Zain a little less. Do vote comment and share.
I'll see you soon. Take care
Allah Hafiz
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