Chapter 32
It is violent and calm.
“No,” She uttered decisively.
“Why?” His face fell.
“Why?” Sajal walked towards him and repeated his question mockingly.
“Because Mr Umar Jahan I don’t feel safe with you. My friend nearly lost her life and what did you do? Nothing! Do you think it’s only about me? No! It’s about everything that I care, everything about me. I don’t feel protective. I don’t trust you. I don’t feel loyalty...,” She stopped and stared at him silently. She saw him staring at her with unspeakable emotions. “I think that’s enough."
“Bye,” She waved her hand at the cat, and slung the bag over her shoulder. She could feel his eyes on her back.
“Meow,” a little creature had followed her nonetheless.
She looked back at the cat. Umar watched her as she instructed the cat to not follow her. There was no malicious intention behind her behaviour with the cat. He shook his head and stepped forward.
Sajal turned around and walked away. Deep down she felt a little disappointed by not being stopped.
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“How dare she?” He growled at her mother.
“W... What happened now?” her mother stuttered.
“Why did she go outside? I was silenced before at her going to university, but now she even went as far as going on picnics?”
Heela started shivering. She was terrified .
“Her brother was with her. “ her mother defended her.
He started cussing profanities at her brother and her. Tears rolled down her cheeks. This was supposed to be her fiancé, her future husband. She was not married yet and he was like this. Just the thought of her future with a person like him made her shuddered.
“I, her fiancé, do not like that. So, she needs to be a morale woman.” He hissed.
“What?” her mother gasped in horror .
“You heard me. I want a wife whose CHARACTER is good?” He emphasised the word “character ".
“NO, she has a strong character. My daughter has never been exposed to the world . She is in a prison.” Her mother cried hysterically.
Heela felt something twisted her heart. He was questioning her character just because she went on a picnic. He knew that she had never gone outside except going to her close relatives. She was home schooled. She started attending an educational institution in college. Yet... she felt numbed.
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She was crying.
She could not believe that. If someone had told her that one day she would cry over a man she was sure she would have laughed at that person. Yet now she was crying.
She was crying because of Umar Jahan.
Sajal Zareesh Hayat was crying because she had realised that she was attracted to a man for the first time in her life; however, that man was Umar Jahan. She could not trust him. He did not protect her.
She was walking faster in the jungle. She could feel the darkness spreading inside her. She tried her best to keep hold of herself.
“It’s not necessary that your first relationship will be a success.” She reprimanded herself . “But it has not even started yet.” A voice whispered in her. She shuddered and stopped. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she realised that the man she was crying over was probably busy accomplishing his goals . She took out her phone and dialed a number.
“Assalam o Alaikum,” a feminine voice received the call.
“Walaikumussalam,” Sajal replied in a low voice.
“Yes?” the woman asked on the other side of the phone.
“I want to rent a house; however I want to talk to Gulwareena “ Sajal said.
“Oh sorry, she is on leave.”
“Leave?” Sajal questioned then suddenly she remembered something. Gulwareena was pregnant. “Okay,” then she talked to the agent about renting a small house.
As soon as she began the transaction, she froze. All of a sudden, she was pushed into the world of harsh reality as she realised that extremely little amount has been left in her account.
She was broke.
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The figure in long black cloak walked slowly in the streets listening to the sounds that disturbed the silence of that black night. The sky was cloudy and beams of the moon shined the Earth through the scattered clouds.
The rushing of water, the melodic songs of birds, vehicles running faraway, noise of crickets.
Suddenly she stopped and smiled as she seemed to heard the familiar noise. Slowly she stepped towards the direction of that noise. She hid in the bushes and watched as the two parties were fighting for life and death. She recognised them. Both Party A and Party B. Four members each in a party. She focused on Party A- the one that seemed to holding back their strength.
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She took the next day off. She spent the whole day in her newly rented home. It needed repair just like the last one; however, she just needed the place to recharge. So, she ignored the bad conditions as otherwise she as an interior designer cannot. She spent her time lying on a broken charpoy staring at the sky. The weather was turning cold day by day. The sun felt good and warm instead of hot. Of course, she had protected herself from the damage of sun by applying cream and covering herself with a long shawl. Her mobile was just beside her.
She has received three calls from university, from Kashmaala Shehroz and Gulmeena asking her why was she on leave. If everything was okay? She told them she had something to do.
Sajal Zareesh Hayat knew. She knew she was waiting for someone’s call subconsciously. However, the call from a particular person did not come. She felt the disappointment seeping through her heart and frowned.
She cried because of a man for the first time.
She considered a relationship with a man for the first time.
She waited for the call of a man for the first time.
All for one man.
Umar Jahan.
An epitome of power and danger.
She tried to instruct herself to steer clear away from him.
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As soon Sajal entered Jahan University, she felt eyes piercing right into her soul. She composed herself. “He didn’t even call me yesterday when I was on leave. I could be ill. Yet he is wooing me with this behaviour. “ She remarked in her mind.
“Sajal,”
She turned towards the voices. There she saw Kashmaala, Lubna, Heela, Shehroz walking towards her worriedly.
“Assalam o Alaikum, “ She waved her hand.
“Walaikumussalam, “ They greeted her back. The girls hugged her one by one. She hugged back.
“Why were on leave yesterday?” Lubna asked.
“Something came up,” Sajal patted her shoulder and smiled brightly at them.
Sajal smiled, took classes, talked with her friends. However, she did not see The Bullies. She did not see him the whole day.
She felt unwilling, unwilling to feel the emptiness in her heart. She missed him. She rebuked herself internally for that.
This situation continued for days. She was frustrated. Did not he propose to her? Why had he disappeared if he had proposed to her? Is this normal? She felt like laughing at herself. She was never like that. She never felt to want to get a stranger’s attention. What’s happening to her?
That day Tahir Zaryab called her. Their meeting place was the library. She came to the assigned place and stopped. She saw Gulmeena Jahan smiling and waving her hand at her.
She calmed down and greeted them politely.
Gulmeena noticed Sajal looked indifferent and for some reason that bothered her. It was another thing that Sajal was acting. Of course, Gulmeena did not know this. Sajal wanted to ask Gulmeena a lot of questions.
They talked for almost one and a half hour. Sajal could see that Zaryab was looking happy at her knowledge about business.Of courcourse there was experience too. However, they did not know that.
“If I did not know I would have assumed you someone from business school. Or, is it we don’t know... “ Gulmeena smiled gently.
“Of course, you don’t know, “ Sajal mimicked her tone and smile without coming across as rude as Zaryab was there.
They paused and looked at her surprised.
“Well...you cannot know someone one hundred percent. “ She smiled.
Zaryab laughed and Sajal winced when she saw the calculation in their eyes.
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Dr Aimal got stunned when he saw Imran staring into the patient eyes. He stopped at the entrance of the room and observed the scene quietly. Imran was staring into the patient’ eyes. He would have ignored it as one his stunts; however, he saw the patient’s reaction. He was staring at Imran silently.
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“He is ignoring her,” he said evilly to his subordinate. His icy blue eyes were lost in thoughts. “Is the love story failed?” he sounded confused.
His subordinate trembled and uttered nothing.
“Is it another tactic?”
“Is she his pawn in this game?”
When he saw his subordinate silent, he laughed.
“What?” he smirked.
“ I think he is shocked, “ his subordinate said.
“Why? The girl is protective, and this is not new to him then why? What’s new there if she has protected her friend?”
“Exactly. She is protective and he did not protect her friend. Not protecting her friend when she wants her friend to be protected is the same in a way not protecting her.”
“ Is protectiveness necessary?” His icy blue eyes swirled with curiosity.
“Yes, boss. Not overprotectiveness but protectiveness is wanted by women in men.”
“So? He is shocked because he didn’t know this?”
“I think so,”
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“What’s wrong?” Aneela looked at her friends curiously. All five were present. They were in Gulmeena’s home. She has called them, and told them to come over that it was something urgent.
“You look suspicious,” Ashar looked doubtful.
“Hahaha, I am,” Gulmeena did not deny.
“What?!” Ashar and Aneela exclaimed while Samad smiled meaningfully. They turned to him and Umar. They found Umar was observing them curiously.
“What’s up?”Ashar calmed down.
“Sajal Hayat and Tahir Zaryab are cooperating to start a small business.” Gulmeena smiled .
“Do you want to make things difficult for her?” Aneela asked excitedly .
“No,” Gulmeena shook her head.
“Then?” Ashar glanced at her questioningly.
“I want to join them,” Gulmeena smiled gently.
“What?” Ashar and Aneela were shocked.
“Yes,...,” Gulmeena wanted to continue; however, she paused and observed them.
“Why?” Aneela felt wronged.
“What will you get out of this?” Ashar looked curious .
“A lot. Could you stop your war or something like that with her for my sake?” Gulmeena asked her friends carefully. She gave a glance to her cousin discreetly who looked at them intensely thinking something.
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“Are you sure everything is in front of you? What if you don’t know something?” A cold voice asked on the phone.
“I always followed her in university. I try my best to know everything about her despite the fact that she hides herself quite well. Some people may find her an open book; however, she is a quiet person and so does not reveal easily. Her answers are often general and vague and in a way that one would ignore the vagueness. If it wasn’t for the fact that I am supposed to study her, I would never have found this.” She said in a slow voice. Tears were flowing on her cheeks.
“Hmm,” the voice chuckled coldly.
“Please,...” She pleaded for mercy; however, the call was ended. Please don't hurt him. She wanted to say that.
She cried hysterically. A girl's image appeared in her mind that overlapped with a little boy’s image.
“I am sorry!” She did not know who was she saying sorry to, the girl or the little boy.
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