Far Away Love ✓

√chapter eight

💫Don't forget to read the author's note at the end!💫

Zainab's POV

"If you don't mind; may I know who is that guy and why was he after you?" Meekal asked causing me to look at him.

Should I tell him everything? It would be so embarrassing for me when he would get to know this. I would even need to tell him about how Daniyal was before. But I had no other choice than this. Today that Shakir kidnapped me, the next day he could do something worst with me. With me being alone, I had spent my five years with whatever it costed but whatever happened a while ago, it still induced goosebumps to form on my body considering in what other direction it would have gone. It was better for me to tell it to someone and right now, Meekal was the best option.

I again glanced at him who had his lips pursed up in a thin line while his eyes were on the road.

"He used to be my brother's friend. My brother used to play cards with him in exchange for money before he got paralyzed. Seven years ago, in a game, my brother lost against him and according to game rules he had to give money to Shakir but my brother didn't have money with him to give Shakir. After a lot of threatening, they both concurred on a mutual agreement which was Daniyal would get me married to Shakir as a replacement for money," I stopped to catch a breath while my eyes go to Meekal who was already looking at me without blinking his eyes.

I continued after a while, "I used to like a guy at that time and wanted to marry him. When I got to know about that agreement, I objected to it because this Shakir is a horrible person. I tried to make my family understand that I couldn't marry him but they didn't agree.  Somehow after much thinking, I made their mind by saying that I will give the required money to Shakir from my savings and part-time jobs. They also agreed to it since I was fulfilling half of the needs of our household by my jobs and the guy I wanted to marry was also richer than Shakir."

"What the heck! How can your brother be like this, Zainab?" Meekal spewed in anger.

I wearily smile while shrugging my shoulders, "he was like this, Meeko. Now he has gotten better. But that's not what's the whole thing," I deliberately paused and glanced at his confused face.

"Something happened and I couldn't get married to the guy I liked and then seeing the terrible circumstances, Shaiq forced himself to marry me to protect his broken friend; my cousin, my best friend," I whispered the last words as tears started invading my eyes remembering Shaiq.

"That's when I lost my best friend who is still angry with me because I told him to live his own life and don't care about me. And then since that day till now, he never talked to me. Shakir got to know that I am alone and he has been harassing me since then, telling me to take divorce from Shaiq and got back to him and I am unable to do anything against him. Today as well he kidnapped me and I am helpless right now because he has power," I spoke in a low voice.

"This much has happened to you and you never told me, "Meekal complained.

"What I would have got by telling you?" I question him back.

Meekal sighed and rubbed his nape in agitation, "and why your husband had left you alone like this? He shouldn't do that, you are his wife, and that's his responsibility to take care of you when you are alone."

"That's not his mistake, I had told him to leave him and he is doing what I wanted from him, "I told him as a tear trickled down my cheek.

I couldn't believe I had told him every secret of mine for which I had no one to tell to anyone since the day Shaiq left.

"What?"

I sighed and closed my eyes which prompted a loner tear to get free from them. I again opened my eyes to find Meekal intently peeking at me, waiting for an answer. For a moment, my mind became hesitant upon whether I should tell him everything or not. Despite being my good and sincere friend for two years, he was still a stranger. But noticing him getting concerned like this made me again reminded of Shaiq. It was one of many times I was seeing Shaiq in him. How Shaiq's funny and nonserious side always died down when I would have been in any trouble and right now Meekal was doing the same. How Shaiq always got worried for even my minor problems; the same thing I was feeling with Meekal right now. Moreover, I was in desperate need to tell my problems to someone before it would be too late.