After the waiting room fiasco, Farukh's aunt thought it best to bid farewell to Meerab and depart from the hospital. She understood Murtasim's reaction towards Farukh but it had also scared her. She had always heard Meerab praise the man, talking about the love, care and respect he always treated her with whenever the topic arose and her nephew also said that he was a good man from the two encounters he had with him. But she didn't know him as personally and closely as Meerab and the image of feudal lords in her mind wasn't a pleasant one. So fearing for her innocent nephew's safety she slowly convinced him and herself to say their goodbyes to Meerab in her unconscious state before things got any worse.
Murtasim had been sitting in the room when Farukh sheepishly knocked and both him and his aunt entered when a stern yes was heard from inside.
He was shaking as he entered, his aunt following and began apologising for everything. But he was left surprised when Murtasim just shook his head in response, "nahi, maafi tou mujhe maangni chahiye. Aap ne itna arsa Meerab ka khayal rakha mai hamesha aap ka ehsaan mand rahunga. Bahir jou kuch bhi hua uske liye mai maafi chahta hou" he said, his eyes dropping to the floor and Farukh felt a gnawing feeling tug at his heart at the broken state of The Khan Murtasim Khan, so hopeless, so helpless.
"Nahi Khan sahab aap maafi mat maangou. Kaisa ehsaan aur kaisi maafi. Hamara kya majaal ke aap hum se maafi maangta hai. Hum ne tou jou kia insaaniyat ke naate, apna farz samajh ke kia. Meerab ko hum ne apna behen samjha, tou behen ko aise kaise akela chod deta" Farukh replied and Murtasim cracked a faint smile at the sincerity in his voice.
"Agar mai kabhi bhi aap ke kisi bhi kaam aa sakun tou mujhe boht khushi hou gi" Murtasim exclaimed, his tone and demeanour shifting from personal to professional and Farukh nodded with a smile.
His aunt smiled at Murtasim with a motherly affection, "meri dua hai ke tum teeno hamesha khush abad rahou Ameen" she said tenderly caressing his daughter's small head. Turning to Meerab, she her heart ached as she spoke "aur khuda koi mojza karei aur Meerab bilkul theek hou jaye" she whispered, blinking away the tears as she leaned in to place a tender kiss on her cheek.
As his aunt came to stand by his side and his eyes landed on Meerab's unconscious face, Farukh suddenly remembered something. Reaching out into his pocket, he pulled out a gold chain with a small diamond pendant.
Murtasim's eyes scrunched in confusion when he recognised the it, his mind flashing back to the day after their walima when he had clasped it around Meerab's neck.
Before he had a chance to ask any questions Farukh spoke up, "Ye chain Meerab ne hum ko dia tha, Karachi jaane ke liye. Paise nahi thei uss ke paas tou uss ne ye de dia" he sighed, laughing a little sadly, remembering the night a distressed Meerab stood in front of his bus and begged him to take her to Karachi, offering her chain in place of money when he quoted the price of the ticket and threatened to kick her off the bus if she didn't pay.
"Boht mauqe aaye iss ko bechne ke, lekin nahi bech saka, kyun ke ye kisi ki muhabbat ka nishani hai" he finished.
Murtasim felt a pant of guilt as he took in this new information. Was Meerab so desperate to get away from him that night? What had he done that was so bad to deserve such behaviour?
He was drowning in this pool of constant confusion and the guilt that maybe he had done something wrong for the past 7 months. And his questions still remained unanswered. But all he could mutter was boht shukriya and Farukh nodded politely in reply. He passed a teary smile in Meerab's direction and then another at the baby in Murtasim's arms, feeling a lump in his throat and his voice cracked as he bid adieu to Murtasim one last time before exiting with his aunt.
****
Bakhtu had been ordered to inform Anwar about Meerab after Murtasim had basically been kicked out of the room by the nurse when his wife's condition began to deteriorate.
Despite Anwar and Meerab's rocky relationship, Murtasim had noticed the effect of her sudden disappearance on his health. Worry lines and wrinkles had made a permanent home on his forehead and face and frustration seemed to be a new trait in his otherwise stoic personality. Loss of appetite was a whole other thing and it had caused him to not only lose weight but become so weak and sick that the doctor recommended constant bed rest and a proper diet until he got better. But it seemed that the only cure that would work and the only one that he was willing to accept, would be Meerab's return.
It wasn't until nearly two and a half hours later that the room to Meerab's private room suddenly opened and a panicky Anwar stumbled in, Meerab's name leaving his lips in a cry. Bakhtu had only managed to give him a mini summary of Meerab's deteriorating health upon his arrival when he rushed to her room not allowing Bakhtu to reveal the most vital piece of information about his newborn granddaughter.
Murtasim stood up at the sight of his father in-law walking in, looking distraught as his eyes landed on his daughter. He immediately sat by her side on the bed and let his tears fall uncontrollably at the state of his daughter, his hand coming up to caress her face with a fatherly affection.
His regret for giving up his daughter all those years ago was evident on his face. He had blamed her for the death of his wife; her own mother when she was just a baby. She had passed away during child birth and he had blamed Meerab for it ever since, refusing to accept her so Salma Begum had given her to Waqas and Anila to raise as their own and keep her real identity hidden from her until the time was right and with the promise that they would return her to the family when told.
As she grew up, became smarter, stronger, kinder and confident and Anwar Khan realised she was more like her mother than he had thought. She not only looked like her but she embodied her personality as well. Her feisty nature, impulsiveness, confidence, bold personality, sharp tongue, quick wit, her inability to follow orders until she was given a valid reason to do so along with her ability to care for everyone and the uncontrollable urge to help anyone in need; they were all traits Nadia Anwar Khan possessed, traits that he loved in his wife and his daughter had inherited. So with time Anwar had grown to be more accepting of her, welcoming her with open arms anytime she visited the Hyderabad mansion.
But sometime during all that, he had also learned to take her presence fore-granted. Even if they didn't live in the same house, he always knew she was safe under the care of Waqas and Anila. They kept him involved in all important decisions about her life and provided constant updates about her whereabouts.
So when she had left home 7 months ago in the middle of the night without a driver or maid and without informing anyone, everyone including him had immediately assumed she went back to Karachi, to the people she called her parents.
But when it was discovered that she never got there, that is when reality began to settle in for Anwar. Even though he had claimed to be her biological father when the time for her marriage to Murtasim came, he realised he had never really fulfilled any of his parental obligations to her.
He had only selfishly claimed her as his when it suited him, not when she needed him. And when she was nowhere to be found, he found himself being pulled into a never ending abyss of guilt and regret.
Had he attempted to fix things with her when they still had time, he probably wouldn't be sitting there crying by his nearly lifeless daughter's side on a hospital bed praying for her life.
Had he accepted her when she was born, things could've been much different between them. They could've had a beautiful father-daughter relationship; quite possibly a very strong one. He could've raised her, cherished her, appreciated her. They could've created memories together that they could cherish for as long as they lived. But he had chosen to give up on all of that when he allowed his sister in-law to give her up for adoption to their family friends.
Now, as he sat by her side on the hospital bed, he regretted it. He regretted it all and he wished that life would give them a second chance; that he could somehow go back in time and fix things. He prayed to God with everything in him to protect his daughter.
A few seconds later the door opened again and Maa Begum hurried in followed by Haya. Maa Begum's expression was one of shock, confusion and bewilderment as she laid eyes on her daughter in-law laying in a hospital bed looking so frail and fragile like a pale porcelain doll, a dying flower who's petals fell one by one, with an oxygen mask covering her face and a cannula attached to her hand, her father sitting beside her, with her seemingly lifeless hand in his, sobbing uncontrollably.
Haya on the other hand stood in complete shock and struggled to maintain a neutral expression as she witnessed the scene in front of her. A vile part of her felt satisfaction at seeing her cousin, whom she had unnecessarily made an enemy of, in this state. Another more human part of her felt sadness, remorse and shame. But she chose to ignore that part as it threatened to consume all of her, listening to the devil on her shoulder instead, concealing a smirk her lips ached for.
Neither of them had registered the little girl sleeping in Murtasim's arms, their eyes fixated on Meerab as they wondered where she had been and what had happened. Murtasim's eyes met his mother's, flickering over to his cousin and back to Meerab
Seeing Meerab and Haya in the same room together triggered something in him, giving rise to a sudden wave of emotions as he remembered the events of that brutal night 7 months ago and he was about to burst until a small cry echoed through the room. Then another. And another before they transformed into full cries, her little tongue peeking out as her mouth opened and Murtasim's daughter let out loud, ear piercing cries.
Everyone's heads whipped in the direction of the sound and a whole new wave of shock passed through each of their systems at the sight of the baby in his arms.
A natural fatherly instinct blazed inside Murtasim and he hugged her to himself, cradling her tiny head covered in her pink baby cap, lightly patting her back with the gentlest touch in an attempt to soothe her as she cried against his shoulder. He hurriedly pressed a button by the side of the bed and a few seconds later a nurse walked in.
She was a small, chubby, middle aged woman and she seemed to have a constant warm smile on her face. Her caramel complexion and soft features, blended well with her wrinkles making her seem very friendly and approachable.
"Yeh kyun rou rahi hai?" He asked worriedly and the nurse laughed lightly at his concern. Clearly it wasn't her first encounter with a new father.
"Pareshaan na houn, bhook lagi hou gi" she laughed, her tone warm, laced with a maternal affection and she brought her arms out motioning for him to hand her over.
He hesitated for a few seconds, not wanting to let his daughter part from him before he forced himself to understand that he was very new to this situation and didn't know anything about babies or feeding them. But he was willing to learn. For his daughter and for his Meerab. He owed her that much. He had vowed to take care of their daughter, always and forever and to never make her feel abandoned in any way or form, like his wife had been by her family.
The nurse cradled her softly and held a finger to the baby's lips. She immediately opened her mouth, attempting to catch it between her tiny lips, making adorable sounds in the process and the nurse laughed warmly.
Murtasim's eyes were glued on his daughter, like a hawk watching its prey, as the nurse walked to the baby cot by the bed and placed his daughter in it gently before walking to the small station in the corner of the room that held a couple of feeders, a can of baby formula, a kettle and some other baby related equipment that he didn't recognise.
His heart ached when his daughter continued to cry in the cot, his fingers itching to pick her up but he knew he had to be patient. Every step from here on out would be a learning curve. So instead he tried to focus on what the nurse was doing and watched as she turned on the kettle to heat up some water then added some formula to a clean feeder before pouring in the water.
He observed each and every step as she twisted the lid on the feeder and placed her index finger on the top before she shook the bottle to mix the formula. She then squirt some of the milk on the back of her hand to check if it was too hot but her satisfied expression told him it wasn't.
Smiling she turned to the cot and with a single motion expertly lifted the baby up and began to feed her, silencing her instantly. His feet moved on their own accord as he stepped towards them, his eyes not once leaving his daughter. The nurse looked up with a soft smile as he approached them. His gaze flickered from his daughter to the sweet nurse and he asked, "can I?" motioning to the feeder and the woman gave him yet another smile before she carefully placed his daughter in his arms once again before handing him the feeder.
Gently lifting the bottle up to her lips Murtasim stood mesmerised as she instantly wrapped her tiny lips around the top and drank the milk. She made cute sounds as he fed her while punching and kicking with her tiny limbs, wrapped in her swaddle blanket.
The three other people in the room stood in shock as they stared at the scene in front of them, Murtasim momentarily forgetting about their presence as he fed his little bundle of joy until he turned around and met their astonished faces.
It was Maa Begum who spoke up first, "yeh sab kya hai Murtasim?"
"Kya hai?" His response was blunt.
"Bakhtu bata raha tha ke Meerab... Meerab ko kya hua hai? Aur yeh bachi...ye bachi kis ki hai?" She questioned with a distasteful expression as if she doubted her daughter in law's character. The tone angered Murtasim. 7 months of his mother's constant taunts about his wife being characterless and running away with another man were pure agony. But he had had enough. No one was going to assassinate his wife's character anymore. And deep down even she, along with everyone else, knew that she didn't believe herself. Meerab could be hot-headed, rude, blunt, impulsive and carefree but she was not characterless. The baseless accusations were just a way to avoid her own shortcomings, an easy path out of the emotional turmoil she would be drowning herself in if she began to realise and accept her part in making Meerab's life hell.
"Yeh meri aur Meerab ki beti hai!" He proclaimed. Maa Begum stared with a startled expression but her happiness seemed to crack through as she tried to suppress a smile, not being able to understand whether she should be happy at the news of her granddaughter or be worried for the health of her daughter in law.
On the contrary, his words knocked the life out of Haya who froze in her spot. For her, this was the most horrifying news ever. She felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water on her. Like someone has mercilessly ripped her heart out of her chest.
She was flabbergasted at first when she heard that Meerab had been found and was in a hospital and that they were all going to Karachi to see her and find out where she had been for over half a year.
She had assumed Bakhtu meant she met a fatal accident when he said her condition was serious. But this was something she had never, ever in her wildest dreams expected.
"Nahi..." she said. The words broke out of her mouth before she could control them, "Nahi aisa kese hosakta hai Murtasim yeh tumhari beti nahi hosakti, Meerab jhoot bol rahi hai" she sounded like she didn't even believe herself as she spoke in one breath, inhaling sharply.
Murtasim looked at her with a sharp glare, the anger returning to his face as he snapped, "aur tum kon hoti hou yeh bolne wali?"
"Yeh kya keh rahi hou tum Haya? Kesi fazool baat kar rahi hou, sharam nahi aati?" Maa Begum snapped and a stupefied Haya flickered her gaze nervously between Murtasim and Maa Begum.
"Nahi Maa Begum aisa nahi hosakta! Ye Murtasim ka bacha nahi hai aap khud sochein Meerab ko ghar se gaye hue waqt hi kitna hua hai-" She fumbled with her words as she said anything and everything that came to her mind.
"Saat mahine" Murtasim interjected, unable to withstand further false accusations on his wife's character.
"Haan tou-" Haya began to reason but was cut off again, "Haan tou kya? Tum itne yaqeen se kese keh sakti hou ke ye meri beti nahi hai?" He growled lowly and his grip instinctively tightened around his daughter, holding her closer to his chest.
" kyun ki bhale hi tum ne woh papers hamare saamne phaare hou lekin mai jaanti houn ke Meerab ne phir bhi kabhi tumhe shohar honei ka haq nahi dia! Tou phir ye bacha kahan se aaya?" She taunted, adding fuel to the fire raging with Murtasim.
Maa Begum stood bewildered at the words that came out of her mouth, "HAYA!" She shouted, momentarily forgetting about her unconscious niece and her newborn granddaughter. The sound startled the baby who let out tiny coughs, the milk spilling out onto her blanket.
Seeing how the situation had taken a sour turn thanks to his unhinged cousin and sensing that it would quite possibly only get worse from here on out, he turned around to hand his daughter back to the nurse who stood awkwardly in silence, witnessing the situation, feeling like an intruding outsider. Placing her carefully in her arms, he gave her an apologetic smile and gestured for her to take her outside. The woman nodded and scurried out, silently grateful she didn't have to witness more of their family drama.
By this point, Haya had lost all sense of right and wrong. She did not care to wait for the appropriate moment, nor did she have the patience anymore as she lashed out, "Kya Haya? Sab pata hai mujhe ke in dono ke darmiyaan kabhi koi rishta nahi tha. Tou phir ye kese hou sakta hai?" She cried out, her mind beginning to spiral out of control as she began to lose the last bit of what-ever sanity she had left.
She was treading on dangerous territory here but she didn't care. The revelation about Murtasim's child had unleashed hell upon her, rendering her senseless.
"Tumhari himmat kese hui meri beti pe itna ghatiya ilzaam lagane ki?" This time it was Anwar who roared as he came to stand in front of Haya, tall and angry. He had sat there silently crying for his daughter's health but he could not bare the constant character assassination anymore.
"Anwar Mamu aap chup rahein!" She cried out loud, pushing him aside, shocking everyone in the room. Anwar stumbled backwards, his hands instinctively reaching out to grab the side bar on the bed for support. Murtasim jumped forward to hold his uncle, his hands reaching out to stabilise him, asking him if he was okay.
Salma Begum watched in utter shock, the audacity of the niece she had raised making her question her own upbringing. She found herself wanting to react, to slap her, but instead she found herself stuck in one place while Murtasim made sure Anwar was alright.
To say she was shocked at Haya's audacity would be an understatement. She was aware of Haya's intentions for her son but she never expected her to be so cruel, so vile. She snapped out of her trance when Murtasim approached Haya with two long, purposeful strides and grabbing her wrist, pulled her out of the room, through the corridor and into the now surprisingly empty waiting room, the rest of the family members hurriedly following.
Haya crashed into a chair when Murtasim roughly tugged on her arm, causing her to fall forward without a care for where she landed. Whipping her head back to stare at him in disbelief, fear shone through her teary eyes and he growled, "apni aukat mei rahou" his tone possessed a threat and any smart person would know that it wasn't an empty threat this time. But Haya wasn't smart, "apni aukat mei hi houn! Aur phir bhi Meerab se boht behtar houn. Mai apne shauhar ko chor ke kisi aur ke sath nahi bhaagi. Na hi kisi aur ka bacha laa ke tum se kaha ke ye tumhara hai" she cried in another desperate attempt to poison his mind against his wife, "Ye sab jhoot hai! Sab uska drama hai. Mai nahi maanti iss bache ko"
Murtasim was shivering with rage, his hand shaking as he clenched it into a fist when the need to slap her turned into a thirst he longed to quench. Every passing moment was a test of his patience, his self control. He had made the mistake of slapping Meerab once, and he had regretted it ever since. He had never laid a finger on any woman the wrong way, so raising his hand on the woman he was set to marry went against everything he believed in.
Maa Begum desperately wished to get involved, to put an end to this madness. But something held her back. She didn't know what, but something kept her from intervening. She got the feeling that there was more to the story than her son was letting on. She knew him and she knew he would never defend his wife they way he did then if he doubted her faithfulness even the slightest bit. Nor would he so strongly stand up for a baby who Meerab claimed was his if he wasn't entirely sure it was.
"Haya chup kar jao" was all she managed to utter. But her delusional niece was not in the mood to be respectful, "kyun chup kar jaun?" She screamed, tears lining her eyes threatening to spill. "Sab aap ki wajah se hua hai" she pointed an accusing finger at Maa Begum who's face contorted into another expression of shock and confusion.
"Mai ne kya kia hai?" Salma Begum spat.
A broken laugh escaped Haya's lips, "sab aap hi ne tou kia hai! Aap jaanti thein ke mai bachpan se Murtasim se mohabbat karti houn, phir bhi aap ne mera haq uss Meerab ko de dia" she pointed a finger at Murtasim now while still facing Maa Begum before turning around to face him again. His expression remained unchanged.
"Aur Murtasim tum? Tum bhi tou jaante thei na? Tum jaante thei na ke mai tum se kitni muhabbat karti houn. Phir bhi tum ne uss dou taqe ki Meerab se shaadi karli?" She was breathless from all the screaming and crying but her breath hitched when the thin thread of Murtasim's patience finally snapped, "AGAR EIK LAFZ BHI AUR KAHA TOU ZABAN KHENCH LUNGA HAYA!" He burst out, his voice booming through the empty waiting room, bouncing off the walls as an eerie chill spread all around.
"Woh meri biwi hai! Aur mai kisi ko iss baat ki ijazat nahi di ke woh uss ki izzat ko iss tarhan se uchale ya uss ke khilaf koi ghalat baat kare" his eyes bore holes into her face, his lips spewing venom in the form of words, "tumhari jesi behaya larki se mai marte dum tak shaadi na karun! Dou taqe ki izzat nahi hai tumhari meri nazron mei" he spat her words back at her, burning her skin like acid spewing from his lips. The words pierced her heart like he had shot a bullet through it and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Nahi, tum mere sath aisa nahi kar sakte. Sirf mera haq hai tum par mai ne tumhe haasil karne ke liye kya kuch nahi kia-"she choked on a broken sob, "tum se hamesha mohabbat ki, tumhari har zaroorat ka khayal rakha, tumhare liye har hadd paar kardi kya kuch nahi bardaasht kia mai ne, tumhari kahi hui har sakht baat, tumhari di hui har aziyat bardasht karli, har kisi se larti rahi, Meerab se larti rahi, usko ko ghar se jaane par majboor kardia mai ne-" She stopped mid sentence, her and everyone else's eyes widening in unison at the words that had just left her mouth.
Silence. A stunning silence, that's all there was.
An eerie chill surrounded them, Haya's revelation silently echoing around the room causing a shiver to run through her body as the weight of her words settled in, the realisation that she had just dug her own grave settling in her mind like a storm cloud.
All eyes pinned on her as she stared at the off white dusty tiles, her head spinning, a sinking feeling settling in her chest, fresh tears lining her eyes.
As she slowly sunk into an abyss of realisation and darkness, a figure stepped towards her, coming to a halt just mere inches from her, towering above her cowering figure.
****
I know y'all are so done with my cliffhangers at this point but pls bare with me hehe! the chapter was getting too long and I had to end it somewhere!