"Where is she?" Maha stromed into her parent's house as if she had to catch a train.
"No Salam No dua, Maha where are the manners" Mrs jafry scolded maha, maha sheepishly smiled and hugged her parents.
"Mom it's urgent that's why! Where is zee?" Mrs jafry pointed to the room in corner, maha kissed mrs jafry and quickly went inside.
As soon as she entered, she saw zara sleeping calmly. She smirked and went inside washroom, after few minutes she was back with bucket full of water.
1....2....and she splashed water over zara, zara got up and started to breathe heavily. Maha suppressed her laugh while zara coughed. "What the hell" she shouted and rubbed her eyes. To her much surprise maha was there with bucket in her hand.
"Are you mad mahi, how many times I've asked you to not use this idea" zara came out of the bed and wiped her face with her hands. She quickly went inside washroom while Mrs jafry entered the room.
"Great" she said sarcastically while Maha bit her lower lip "Amazing, do one thing maha, fill the bucket again and splash the water all around house" she remarked angrily and went outside the room. Maha laughed.
In mean time zara was back, she glared at maha as if she was going to kill her. Maha glared back. Their glaring game was going on when zara asked "now what?"
Maha went to her, held her hand and both of them sat at couch. "Why you are doing this?" Maha asked, zara pretended to be unaware of the topic, maha is talking about.
"what am I doing?" Zara stood up from couch but maha pulled her back.
"Don't pretend or else this will be your last day at earth" maha sounded dangerous, she was serious this time. "Why did you ask for divorce from shuja?" Zara averted her gaze.
"So he told you about it" zara sounded sarcastic.
"He didn't tell me, I just listened to his talks with umair" zara didn't meet maha's gaze so maha made zara turn her head "He loves you then why are you doing this" maha sympathetically told which made zara's heart skip a beat. The tears started to well up in her eyes but she controlled.
"Because.....I just....don't love him and...." maha cuts her off.
"Don't lie, especially to me" Maha sounded chilly. Zara took a deep breath, "I am not....." zara was again cut off by maha.
"DON'T LIE" maha shouted this time, zara knew she couldn't take it anymore so she started to cry heavily. Maha was flabbergasted by this sudden change in zara, she hugged zara, Allah knows for how much time zara cried and Maha patted her back.
Maha knew zara needed someone so she didn't question her further as it seemed inappropriate for this time. Zara broke the hug and wiped her tears, there was a long silence when finally maha thought to end it.
"Zara" Maha held zara-s hand ,"Tell me whatever you are hiding, just tell me, I can not set the things right but at least I'll know the reason" Zara nodded.
"I want divorce because....." zara stopped, Maha beckoned to continue.
"I am not right for shuja, I'll mess up his life. I know he loves me, he admitted it too but I just am not right person for him" Maha gave the look "are you serious"
"Tell me right reason" Maha demanded.
"Maha I just don't want to spoil his life, see I have this very very very dark past. And I know some point at my life I'll have to tell him my past and he'll surely leave me...." maha was about to cut her off but zara gestured her to stop and continued "My past Will have bad impact on our relation, moreover his fame will be affected, he'll be affected, his father told me how much shuja has worked hard for his career, I can't just spoil his career. If in case Media comes to know about my background, they'll surely ask numerous questions from shuja, there will be hustle, he, his fame, his money, his business will be affected and I don't want to ruin his entire life" Tears were continuously flowing from zara's eyes, maha took a deep breathe.
"Maar bhi tou nahie saktie mn tujhey zara. Ae Allah mn kya karun iss larki kaa? Khud marun k pehley isko marun" (I can't even kill you Zara, Ae Allah, shall I kill myself first or her?). Zara wiped her tears and in confused state looked at maha.
"He knows about your past zara" zara was shocked.
"I was the one who told him" zara didn't know how to react "But why?" Zara demanded.
"That day..." Maha continued "I was working in office when......"
Flashback starts
"Maha" the voice came, maha looked up and found shuja standing.
"Oh bhai, Asslam O alaikum" Maha greeted while she stood up in sense of respect.
"You are here for umair right? I am so sorry bhai actually, he just went for a meeting and he'll be back after half an hour" shuja nodded negatively
"I want to talk to you, can we go in a cafe" maha was startled but managing her posture she said "umm..yeah fine!"
..................................................................
"Umm okay yeah, what you want to talk about?" Maha asked , once they sat at table. Waiter came and they ordered coffee.
"What? I mean what about zara" shuja got a call but he rejected it and turned his all attention to topic.
"About her past and all" maha was startled, managing the situation shuja again spoke.
"She bas been getting nightmares lately, she is always tensed about something and I know something is haunting her but she just doesn't shares it with me, she always seals her lip and I know something in her past haunts her that's why she is always so silent, moreover you both have lived your lives together, I really want to know what haunts her and I know you know it" Maha was confused, shuja had bit of hope within.
"Umm...." maha started to speak, shuja noticed she was reluctant in telling about past.
"Please I really want to know" shuja spoke while waiter placed their order.
"Actually... okay let me start from the start" shuja nodded and took a sip from his coffee, "I know zara since she was 5 and I was 4, we shifted in same building where she used to live, we used to go to same school. She usually used to be silent, she used to speak very little. Like hello, hi, bye. I told mama that zara behaves weird so mama told me may be because she is introvert or something like that. I used to get irritated of zara because she doesn't use to speak. When I was 18 I came to know that zara's mother used to have one night stands with every next person."
"What" shuja almost shouted but managing his posture, he gestured maha to continue.
"But before I came to know, zara was always like a silent person. She was our neighbour so we used to hear her screams at night, we used to hear the sound of breaking glasses and every next day she used to have her wounds dressed. We, i mean my parents and we used to fear that may be some day her mother would kill her because her mother never cared for her, at times my mother used to go to their house to make zara's mom understand that how precious zara's life is but it was of no use. Years went on, she used to beat zara, dad complained to police but it was useless as with police officer itself she had... the stand" shuja was beyond shocked, not over zara's mother but zara's patience. How much zara had endured.
"Was zara real daughter of that women?" Maha nodded, shuja took another sip but the coffee turned cold.
"Zara was real daughter and she wasn't illegitimate child. Her father died when she was 2." Maha took the sip coffee, shuja sighed.
"Alright so you know her mother wasn't fair to her so zara used to fear every human, it was at the age of 8 when she accepted my friendship but she used to fear my mom as she used to think that each mother is like that of hers, she was a tough child. Mom and dad used to fear that she might fall in depression so they used to cheer her up and at times zara used to live at our house. Her mother never cared for her thou so she never enquired where and how zara is, once zara was 13 and was in her own house, her mother sold her to some man for some dollars" At this shuja clenched his fist but tried to remain calm. " But as soon as papa came to know about it, he called police and zara-s mom and the person was arrested. Zara then hated each women until my mom and papa legally adopted her. Mom changed zara's mind set and we used to have this happy life but once again it was shattered when at the age of 17, a person tried to rape her, she was saved by the time but now she always hates the idea of 'love'.
Flashback ends.
"He..he knows about my mother, he knows I was at verge of being raped?" Zara spoke, maha nodded her head.
"He doesn't hates me?" Maha hugged zara "why would he? What was your mistake?"
"My background would affect his life, if anyone comes to know that my mother was this "women" than he'll be questioned and...." maha cuts her off
"He loves you zara, if there was any other man at his place, he would have divorced you at the moment but after I told him about you, he loved you even more. And you know what zara, he is messed up right now because of you!!! It's been 3 days, he is not going to office, umair tells me how disturbed he is, and you are here sleeping like a cow" Maha was annoyed.
"Don't ruin your life and not his, you both love eachother than what's the problem. If we can love you despite of your mother why can't shuja love you? All these years you were living with us, were we ever questioned? Okay that aunt of mine, mama's sister is lunatic, she is always creating hatred but never she has questioned us, Grow up Zara, Grow up, don't leave shuja, he loves you" Maha took her bag and was about to go outside the room when she looked back at zara and said "Stop thinking about past, come into present and beautify your future. Stop ruining everything" maha walks out.
"I think she is right" whispers zara.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Thank you for the votes and comments.
Now what? 😎 let's see in next update.
Asslam O Alaikum.......