The steam from the daal simmering on the stove curled around the kitchen tiles, wrapping the entire apartment in a comforting warmth. Maira stood barefoot on the cool kitchen floor, gently stirring the pot, the aroma of dinner filling the space like a gentle embrace. She turned the stove off putting a lid on the pot then wiped her forehead with the edge of her dupatta, already draped loosely over her head, when the sharp chime of the doorbell rang.
Her brows furrowed.
Who could it be at this hour?
She glanced at the wall clock, it was nearing 8:30 p.m. Hadi never came this late. In fact, no one did. As the bell rang again, more persistent this time, she quickly fixed her dupatta, adjusting it securely across her head and chest and headed toward the door, her heart thumping slightly louder than it should.
She opened the door cautiously, only to find Faiz standing there. His tall frame leaned casually against the doorframe, dressed impeccably, his smile far too comfortable for the situation.
“Hi, hope I’m not disturbing you,” he said smoothly.
Maira blinked, momentarily thrown off. “No,” she replied slowly, the word unsure on her tongue. She instinctively pulled her dupatta closer around herself.
“I was in the area. Can I come in? I needed to talk to you about something,” Faiz said, his tone friendly but forward.
Maira hesitated, a beat too long. And though everything in her body urged her to be cautious, she found herself nodding. He was Hadi’s friend after all, she couldn’t exactly slam the door in his face. That would be rude.
“Umm, okay…” she said softly, stepping aside to let him in.
As Faiz walked into the apartment, his eyes scanned the space as though he was assessing more than just furniture. Maira noticed it. She quickly excused herself and went into the kitchen.
With hurried hands, she filled a glass of water, placed it on a tray, and just before walking out, she paused. A tight knot had formed in her stomach, something didn’t feel right. Trusting her instincts, she quickly grabbed her phone from the counter, typed a brief message.
She hit send, placed the phone back on the kitchen counter, and walked out with the tray.
She found Faiz seated confidently on the couch, legs stretched out slightly, his arm resting along the back as if it were his own home. That discomfort from earlier flared up again in her chest.
Offering a polite smile, she walked over and forwarded the tray. He picked the glass from it.
“Thank you,” he said, the tone slow, deliberate.
“You can sit, you know. It’s your house,” he joked, motioning to the chair beside him.
She hesitated but then complied, perching herself at the edge of the cushioned chair, her back straight. She set the tray on the coffee table, clasping her hands in her lap.
Faiz wasted no time.
“I’ll get straight to the point,” Faiz said, placing the glass on the table. “I really like you, Maira. And I already told Hadi… I want to marry you.”
The words dropped into the room like a heavy weight. Maira’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened slightly. He did what? Her mind raced. Hadi hadn’t told her anything about this.
“But Hadi told me you refused,” Faiz continued, shifting closer to the edge of the couch, his body inching toward hers. “Honestly, that upset me. So I thought I’d talk to you personally.”
There was a flicker in his eyes that unsettled her.
“Why did you say no, Maira?” he asked a little too gently.
“I… I’m actually not ready to get married yet,” she answered, her voice low, her throat suddenly dry. “I feel it’s too rushed.”
“Did you not like me?” he pressed, leaning even closer this time.
Maira shifted back in her chair slightly. “No. It’s not that. It has nothing to do with you. I just don’t feel ready.”
His eyes didn’t leave her face, but they dipped briefly, not to her hands or feet, but lower. It made her skin crawl. She instinctively pulled her dupatta tighter, the urge to stand up and end this conversation growing stronger by the second.
“Okay. I get it,” Faiz said, pulling back, his voice lighter.
Maira exhaled silently in relief.
The room fell into a strange silence. He stopped talking, and she stared at her hands, praying he would get up and leave.
---
Meanwhile, in the Ansari residence, Hadi was on the bed with Zohan, letting his little boy crawl over the soft pillows. Just a little while ago, he had a call with Lubna who informed him she'd be home by tomorrow night. He smiled as Zohan let out a giggle, waving his tiny hands in the air. It was one of those rare, peaceful moments where Hadi could momentarily forget everything else.
His phone buzzed beside him.
He picked it up lazily, until his eyes fell on the notification.
Maira: Your friend, Faiz is here at the apartment.
Hadi froze. His breath caught.
What?! his mind screamed.
He sat up so suddenly that Zohan toppled into his lap with a surprised squeak. Hadi scooped him up quickly, placing him safely on the mattress, his heart now thudding in his chest.
What the hell was Faiz doing at her apartment? He had told him not to go. Faiz had agreed. Hadn’t he?
Hadi immediately dialed Maira’s number.
No answer.
Again.
Still nothing.
His fingers trembled slightly as he tried again. “Pick up, Maira, pick up,” he whispered to himself, panic rising.
But she didn’t.
He stood up abruptly, adrenaline kicking in. He hadn’t changed into his nightwear yet. Thankfully. Scooping Zohan into his arms, he stormed out of the room.
In the living room, he found one of the trusted staff and handed Zohan to her along with a small bag of essentials. “Take him to my mother’s place. Tell her I had to step out urgently. I don’t know how long I’ll be. Stay with her. Do not leave Zohan alone with the other staff. Please.”
The woman nodded, sensing the urgency in his voice.
He kissed Zohan’s head quickly and turned on his heel, grabbing his car keys on the way out. His heart thudded painfully in his chest. Something wasn’t right. He knew it.
Within seconds, he was behind the wheel, speeding down the near-empty roads. His jaw clenched. He kept glancing at his phone on the passenger seat.
Another call.
Still no response.
“Damn it!” he growled, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. Every passing second tightened the grip of dread around his chest.
He didn’t know what Faiz was going to say to Maira. But he had a terrible feeling in his gut.
Something was off.
And he wasn’t going to let things spiral, not again.
Not tonight.
---
Inside the dimly lit apartment, the ticking of the wall clock filled the silence between breaths. Maira sat rigid on the cushioned chair, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her dupatta. She glanced at the clock again, nerves tightening around her chest like a vice.
Across from her, Faiz shifted slightly on the couch. Then he laughed, low, amused, and vaguely unsettling.
“You really are something,” he said, a crooked smirk stretching across his face. “It just… intrigues me more.”
His gaze lingered on her, sharper now, probing in ways that made her skin crawl. Maira straightened in her seat, her knuckles whitening around the edge of her dupatta. Something in his tone, in the way his eyes traveled over her, was deeply wrong.
“I was still considering marrying you… even after knowing the truth,” Faiz said, his voice suddenly darkening, “but here you are, turning me down, as if you’re some sort of… princess.”
His words sliced through the air, heavy with menace.
Maira’s heartbeat thundered in her chest. "What truth?" She asked, her breath hitched.
Did he know?
Had he somehow found out… about her nikaah with Hadi?
But how?
In one sudden, unsettling motion, Faiz leaned forward to the edge of the couch, his face now inches closer than before. “Your truth,” he whispered coldly, “that you’re a damaged piece.”
Maira’s eyes widened. Her brows furrowed in confusion, pain, and disbelief. “Excuse me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her hands had started trembling. The way Faiz's tone had shifted, his body language, his posture, everything screamed danger. Her gut twisted.
Faiz’s lips curled into a sneer. He leaned back for a second, then spat out the next words with disgust, “But I still convinced myself that it’s okay. I told myself I’ll accept your flaw. I didn’t know you’d be so high and mighty to think it’s okay to reject me.”
His teeth clenched. His eyes burned with entitlement and rage.
Tears pricked at the corners of Maira’s eyes. Her throat closed up, her legs numb beneath her. She was frozen in place as he rose from his seat, looming over her.
"You think anybody would want to marry you? Huh?" he said cruelly. "Trust me, sweetheart, nobody would."
Then, he moved, suddenly and swiftly, placing both his hands on the armrests of the chair she was in, boxing her in. His face came dangerously close to hers. Maira’s breath caught in her throat.
“But I want to,” he added, a low growl in his voice.
A chill ran down her spine.
She tried to pull back instinctively, her body jerking, but her back hit the firm support of the chair. She was trapped.
"You know why?" he murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek that had fallen out from her dupatta.
Maira’s skin crawled at the touch.
“Because you’re enticing,” he said, eyes dark with something far from affection. “Your body… your eyes, everything about you....it makes me want to make you mine.”
He grabbed her arms with both hands. The grip was firm, pressing into her skin.
That was it.
Maira cried out. The vulgarity of his words, the sudden invasion of her space, it cracked something inside her.
With all the strength she could summon, she shoved him back and stumbled to her feet, her breaths ragged and fast. She rushed toward the kitchen, she needed her phone. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the counter where she had left it earlier. Only one name echoed in her head: Hadi.
He’s the only one who can help me…
But before she could even take another step, Faiz caught her wrist and yanked her backward.
“No!” she shrieked, spinning around.
Without a second thought, she slapped him, hard, across the face. The sound echoed through the apartment like a gunshot.
Maira’s eyes widened as her own hand flew to her mouth. Sobs ripped from her chest as the tears poured freely now. Her shoulders shook with the intensity of her breakdown.
Faiz stood still, stunned for a second. He hadn’t expected resistance, not like this. His cheek stung. The slap had left a red mark blooming against his skin.
He blinked… and then let out a bitter, humorless laugh. His face darkened, his pride bruised. “So you’re not as delicate as you look.”
“You really shouldn’t have hit me,” he said coldly, his fingers brushing over his cheek that still stung from the slap. But then his eyes darkened, rage curling around his expression.
Maira, breathing heavily, began inching backwards, panic making her dizzy. But Faiz wasn’t done.
He lunged forward, grabbing her by the waist this time, spinning her around roughly and holding her in a vice-like grip. She shrieked, struggling violently in his arms, beating at him with her fists.
“Let me go! Please let me go!” she sobbed, her voice hoarse.
“You think anyone will come for you?” he whispered into her ear. “Nothing can save you now. You’re mine.”
As he leaned closer, breathing down her neck, trying to force her against him, the apartment door burst open.
BANG.
And there, in the doorway, stood Hadi. His eyes flamed with fury. His chest heaved as he took in the scene, the fear in Maira’s eyes, her torn expression, and Faiz's hands on her.
It was enough.
Faiz froze for half a second, his grip on Maira loosening just enough for her to fall from his arms and hit the ground.
“HADI...it’s not what you think...!” Faiz started, but it was too late.
He barely had time to step back before Hadi lunged forward, his fist colliding with Faiz’s jaw in a brutal punch that sent him crashing to the floor.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" Hadi roared, his voice thunderous.
He didn’t stop.
Punch after punch, Hadi rained down on Faiz, his rage unrelenting. Faiz tried to crawl back, spitting blood, but Hadi grabbed him by the collar, yanking him up and slamming his head into the wall.
“YOU FREAKING NUISANCE! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!” he screamed, his voice hoarse.
Faiz winced in agony as Hadi twisted his arm, a loud crack echoing with Faiz's cry.
They grappled, Faiz yelled, “No, Hadi.....please, no!” in protest, but it only enraged Hadi more.
“Hadi, stop.... please....I didn't!” Faiz sputtered. But Hadi didn’t care. The sight of Maira on the floor, crying, shaking, sobbing... it was all he needed to see.
"You still have the AUDACITY to LIE?" Hadi growled.
But just as he was about to land another blow, a small, broken voice cut through the haze of violence.
“Ha…di…”
Hadi froze.
His head snapped toward the voice.
There, on the floor, was Maira, curled up, shaking violently, her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were red, her body trembling, her voice barely audible.
The sight pierced through him. Rage melted into horror.
He shoved Faiz aside, who stumbled and fell, and rushed to Maira, falling to his knees.
“Maira… hey, look at me,” he said gently, touching her shoulder, his voice shaking now. “Are you okay? Open your eyes. You're safe now. I’m here.”
He cupped her cheek, tapping it lightly, his touch soft and careful.
“Look at me, Maira…”
Her eyelids fluttered. She blinked through the haze, finally seeing him.
“Hadi…” she whispered, brokenly.
“I’m here. I’ve got you. You’re safe,” he reassured, helping her sit up gently and letting her lean against the wall behind her. She couldn’t find her voice. Her lips parted but nothing came out.
That’s when the sound of the front door slamming echoed through the apartment.
Hadi’s eyes snapped up, the door was shut again.
He turned around quickly.
Faiz was gone.
Hadi stood up, fury returning, and bolted out the door. He ran down the corridor, scanning in all directions, but the night had already swallowed Faiz whole.
He was too late.
Grinding his teeth, heart still pounding, Hadi turned back and sprinted back again.
Maira was still where he left her, trembling, broken, but alive.
He ran to her. And for the second time after the accident, Hadi felt utterly, completely helpless.29Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCXrBNSuxA
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