Her heart bled.
Her feelings froze
Her body numb.
Her eyes wept.
She couldn't take it anymore. Enough was enough. He had turned into a monster. He wasn't the same man she had married. The man who only had eyes for her. Today, he had stooped so low that he had touched her sister in law. What next? Her body shuddered thinking the worst. She whirled around as the tears made their way down her cheeks. She ran to her bedroom and took out an empty suitcase from under the bed.
Tears spilled and the clothes from the closet sprawled in the open suitcase. She was unaware of how many clothes she was dumping in the suitcase. All that mattered was that she distanced herself from him.
His heart was thudding loudly as he ran behind his wife. Ignoring the disgusted look Aileen gave him. His pulse quickened seeing the open suitcase.
"What are you doing Sammy?" he racked his brain for some excuse, "It was a mistake. I was sleepy I thought it was you standing in the kitchen."
He moved forward grabbing her arm to gain her attention. She shrugged his hand off her arm, her eyes raging with vehemence, "Don't touch me and for Allah's sake stop lying to me."
She stepped back, she was revolted to be anywhere near him.
He frantically shook his head, "No no you don't understand. It was a mistake. Believe me. I am really sorry."
Her jaw clenched, taking one step backward, her back hit the dresser. She clutched a perfume bottle that was displayed on the dressing table. The same one he had gifted her last year on their anniversary. She threw it at him. He ducked his head on time and the perfume bottle shattered against the wall. It rained glass and the liquid of perfume across the room. But both of them didn't care at that moment.
"I have had enough. I am leaving you." She pointed at his chest, "Nothing you say will change my mind."
"Please, please, Sammy listen to me." he begged.
She grabbed hold of another perfume bottle, "Get away from me or else I will hit you again."
His hands in the air as a man guilty of a crime and he stepped backwards, "Okay okay fine. I will go. Just calm down please."
She shook her head slowly, "You are late Faraz. I was calm for last few months. Not anymore."
His head bowing in shame, he left his bedroom and went to sit on his son's bed in the children's bedroom. Burying his head in his hands, he shut his eyes tightly. His heart hammering in anguish, his head throbbing. What to do? What was he thinking to act so recklessly?
Never did in his mind crossed that this news would reach Nouman. And it did. In just half an hour a violent and ferocious Nouman entered the apartment and strode straight in the children's room where they were sleeping soundly while Faraz sat in his misery.
Nouman grabbed his collar and dragged him out of the children's room and hauled him in the bedroom. Startled, Samreen eyes widened as she was packing her suitcase.
"Samreen take the baby out of this room and leave us alone." Nouman said through his gritted teeth.
Samreen swallowed, she knew well her brother's temper, "Bhai please."
Nouman glared at her that he had robbed her speech. With one last look at Faraz, she left with the sleeping baby in her arms.
Kicking the door closed, Nouman turned to his once best friend. "You bloody bastard! How dare you touch my wife?"
He cracked his knuckles and blood drained out of Faraz's face. Faraz gulped in fear. Nouman was taller and had sturdier built. No way, he had any chance to protect himself from Nouman. The months of a high frequency of masturbation had also made him physically weak. He wasn't the strong man he once was.
He had to reason it out to Nouman for his sake, "N..n..nouman yaar listen. I am s..s..sorry I thought she was Samreen."
"Explain this bullshit to someone else Faraz." Grabbing his collar Nouman pushed Faraz to the wall. Faraz fell against it, his head banging against the wall. Scorching pain shot up at the back of his head and Faraz shook his head as his eyes watered. But before he could recover, Nouman punched his cheek.
"You have been messing with Samreen haven't you? Aileen heard part of your conversation and this is the reason Samreen is so determined to leave you." His other cheek was punched. His nose broke, His lip tore and blood dripped.
His head dangled and he wasn't able to defend himself. Nouman again grabbed his t-shirt, "I trusted you with my sister you fucking asshole. But you fucked up. I am taking her along with the children. I want to see how you try to fucking stop me." with that he gave him one last blow on the stomach.
Faraz winced as he bent down, wrapping his arms around his midriff. His legs weakened due to the pain his body couldn't bear and he slid on the floor.
Nouman huffed and spun around. Yanking the door open, he shouted, "Get all the kids ready we are leaving in 5 minutes."
His eyes focused on his sister and for the first time, he really looked at her in months. What did this bastard do to his sister? She had lost immense weight. Pale face with dark circles around her eyes she looked lifeless. His wrath escalated. He wanted to go back and finish the job. Kick him where it hurt the most so that Faraz would never forget to treat his sister without respect.
Samreen wasn't able to meet eyes with her sister in law or her brother. She was ashamed of how her husband had demeaned her relatives. Nor could she stay with him anymore. She was so fed up. It was only a day ago she had found out about his sex chatting. But she had ignored that too. But now her resolve had weakened when she had seen how he was ready to approach other women including family members. Her hands trembled as she put on winter jackets on children. She dared not go in her bedroom in fear of what she would see. When all the kids were ready, Nouman took the suitcase from her bedroom and the kids to the car.
Aileen stood at the doorway of the apartment, she said softly, "Samreen?"
Fresh tears leaked from her eye lids, "Just give me a moment. I will be downstairs at the parking."
Sympathy was all over Aileen's face, she nodded and left her.
Her legs shook and sweat trickled down her back even in this winter day as she walked to her bedroom where her husband lay in agony, moaning in pain.
"You ruined everything. I gave you so many chances for you to come back to me. I overlooked at everything, you know why?"
Amidst watered eyes and blood dripping face, he looked up to her. With the sleeve of his shirt he wiped away his eyes.
"I love you Faraz. I gave you a chance for every day for last one year and especially in the last few months. But what I got in return? You went and did the worse. How will I ever look at my brother and sister in law the same way? Did you once think how you will feel if some man did that to Nawal? How will you feel then?"
Her lips quivered and she tasted the saltiness of her tears, "Faraz you had made promises to me on our wedding night. I will never forget those promises. Because they come back to me and haunt me that you were not able to keep them even for a decade. Let alone for a lifetime."
Wiping her nose and cheek with the back of her hand, she whispered the final words, "I am leaving. I am leaving my husband. I am leaving my household. But remember you drove me out of here."
She whirled around and pressed her palm to her mouth stifling a sob as she ran away but not before she heard his weak voice.
"Sammy girl don't leave me."
****
Liyaanah rubbed her eyes in the car and glumly looked at her mother at the front driving seat from her car seat at the back, "Why are we in our pajamas Mommy?"
Samreen sniffled as she halted the car at the traffic light. Her eyes riveted at the rear view mirror. She attempted to smile but it was futile, "Because sweetie mamu said he can't wait for us to come to his home. So I decided why wait. We will have breakfast at mamu's place."
Liyaanah small forehead creased, "But Mommy I didn't say goodbye to Daddy."
Pursing her lips to stop herself from sobbing and from the heel of her palm she rubbed her eyes so she can clearly see the road as she drove on. "Sweetie Daddy is at work." That was to be first of lies that Samreen would be saying to her daughter.
Liyaanah looked out the window and then after few minutes she said, "I wanna talk to Daddy on the phone."
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, "He is busy at work. When he is free he will call us."
"But Mommy..."
"Enough Liyaa now let me drive." She said it more sternly than she meant to. But she was truly trying to cope with what had happened in the last few hours.
****
Hours later, when the children were washed, had their breakfast and were busy playing in the Safa and Marwa bedroom, Nouman turned to his sister.
"Samreen tell me what is it?" he asked softly.
Samreen's hands tightened around the tea mug she was drinking. Her head lowered in shame. "Bhai leave it please."
"I need to know to help you out." He pressed.
When she remained quiet, her chin to her chest, he asked her gently, "Is it some other woman?"
She wasn't able to stop herself, "Women. Its women." She rose her head and met his eyes.
He frowned, "Women? What do you mean?"
She looked away and swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat, "he has been watching porn and also chatting with random women."
"That fuc..." he stopped himself. "How long this has been happening?"
"Around a year." She quietly admitted, "But I found out a few months back."
He nodded curtly that's when his eyes met his wife's who was standing behind the sofa where Samreen was sitting. Aileen silently placed her index finger on her lips indicating him not to ask more questions. Samreen was already wounded and she didn't need probing right now. They had to become her support now.
Aileen sat on the leather sofa arm rest gingerly and curled her arm around Samreen's shoulder, "Don't think much Samreen. We are here for you. Why don't you go and relax."
Samreen looked at her sister in law, "I am so so so sorry Aileen what you had to go through."
Aileen hugged her, "Don't be absurd. Why are you sorry? It wasn't your fault."
The loving arms of her sister in law were all it took for her to breakdown.
She cried for the forgotten love.
She cried for her future.
She cried for the forgotten past.
And she cried for her children.
But even now her heart wept for the man she loved.
****
There was an eerie silence in the apartment. Amongst the pool of blood, he lay. Every muscle of his body ached. With all his strength, he stood up, stumbling the first few steps, he slumped on the bed. His eyes wandering at crib where his baby son slept but was not there anymore. He looked at his wife's pillow.
Taking it in his arms, he hugged it to his chest. Blood smeared from his face to the light pink pillow case. But he sank his face into its softness. And then for the first time in years, his shoulders shook as he cried.
Tears of anguish leaked. He had no one to blame but himself. He had dug his in grave of unhappiness and gloominess. And all because of what? The temporary pleasure that had clouded his mind and senses.
At that moment, he hated himself. His wails grew louder and his torment mounting with every minute.
In the silence of the apartment, his phone chat tone beeped. In frustration, he grasped his phone from the night table and threw it hard against the wall.
It broke in multitude pieces. Just like how his heart had been broken.
--------------------------------------
Finally realization has hit Faraz. Sometimes, drastic measures should be taken to make the sinner realize his sin.
Just out of curiosity, how many readers are married here?
Until next time,
Assalam u alaikum warahmatuallahi wabarakatuhu