It wasn't meant to be ✔️

Chapter 30

And there he sat with a smirk on his face and a gun in his hand.

The devil himself.

Ismail Hussain.

My tormentor, my abuser, my gunnagar.

And....my supposedly dead husband.

I stopped in my steps. He was supposed to be dead what the hell was he doing here!

I did think it was too good to be true but I never thought that he'd be back.

He got up and swiftly made his way to stand in front of me.

He pressed the gun on my swollen stomach and questioned "Who's child is that?"

I stood there shocked, amused and afraid.

Shocked because he was meant to be 6 feet under the ground. Amused because I should be the one to be shooting questions at him yet here we were. And afraid because I remember all that he had done to me. All that he is capable of.

"Ayla," he warned me.

"Ayla, khuda ki kasm if you don't answer me right now. I'll beat the sense into you, I don't care if you are heavily pregnant. I will make you remember who you belong to-"

"Ayla!" A familiar voice called out to me. I turned and as expected there stood Armaan, Aunty Nosheen's son.

The very man that's had an interest in me since he's seen me. And it kills me that reciprocate those feelings. I've tried to give him no-so-subtle hints but he won't get it. And now he's here, in front of Ismail.

He smiled and took me into a warm embrace. He whispered in my ear, "don't worry I've got you. Go along with whatever I say."

"I've missed you my jaan!" He exclaimed as he pulled out of the embrace.

He turned and pretended like he just saw Ismail. "Who's this?" He asked acting confused whilst slyly pulling me behind him and away from the gun.

"I'm her husband." Ismail spoke up with a smirk "Ayla why are hesitating to reveal our relationship in front of this gentleman?" He asked mockingly.

"EXCUSE ME!" Shouted Armaan. "This woman right here is my woman. And I assume you are the asshole who hurt, tortured and nearly killed. The same asshole who is supposed to be dead, for God's sake!" Wait, how does he know and what does he know. I thought to myself.

"I became infuated with her when I first saw. But as I kept bumping into her and meeting her I realised something. I would help her, I would help her pick up her broken pieces and she would become a masterpiece. Much better than any other girl. Why, you ask? Because she's strong. She far stronger than anyone I know of and I will help her and I will provide her with help. I will protect this woman with my my life. I will never let any harm come her way especially after what you've done to her." He shouted pointing at Ismail.

"But who is she to you, that you are doing so much for?"Ismail shamed him.

"She's my wife. She's in my nikah." Ismail's face dropped. "And she's pregnant with our children." He said stroking my belly.

"No she can't be in your nikah, nor pregnant with your child-"

"Oh but she is,"  it was time for Armaan to mock Ismail.

"She preformed her iddat for 4 months. I proposed to her straight after and we got our nikah done. And after after a month she fell pregnant." He stopped and raised his hands upwards and whispered an Alhamdulillah "and now she 2 months pregnant with our triplets. Obviously this happened under the impression that you were dead. So you can just divorce her and we'll get our nikah done again and go our separate ways." Ended Armaan with a smile towards me, like a loving husband does to his wife. But I wouldn't know would I now?

I don't remember receiving anything genuine, everything was fake in my married life. Nothing was genuine, nothing was real. No smiles, no kisses, no compliments, no promises, no declarations of love. None of it was real.

I come out of my thoughts and see the both of them staring at me and then Ismail repeats "Is what he saying true?" He says calmly, the calm before the storm.

I nod slowly, praying that Allah would forgive me for my lie.

And that's when his eyes darkened like how they would before he would batter me to near death. He shouts, "You slut!" He lifts and pushes me into the glass table, which shatters into pieces under my weight. My vision blurs with my pain filled tears and all I hear 2 gunshots and someone calling my name before I pass out and give into the darkness.

I feel something wet on my face and force my eyes open. There sat beside me is Aunty Nosheen and Armaan pacing the room. Whilst his younger sister Haleema is reciting something on me and blowing it on me.

"Ayla beti, how are you?" Asked Aunty with a smile while Armaan snaps his head towards me  and relaxes his facial expressions into a smile. Haleema's face lights up as she sees me awake.

"I'm fine. Sorry for troubling you."

"Arey, pagli how are you troubling me, you are practically my child. I've checked you over and you are fine and so is your child. But you should go to hospital, just in case." Then the room fell silent.

"Please marry Armaan. I'm scared for you. I would love for you to be my daughter-in-law. He will protect you till his very last breath."

"I can't I'm still in his ni-"

"What do you mean you can't. You can and you will. If you are worried about still being in his nikah, we will help you to get a khulla."

"I'm a bad omen. You'll be the talk of the country for accepting such a girl who doesn't even know who's child she's carrying. You'll never be able to get Haleema married if I marry into the family. Someone will always use this against you. And I won't be able to give Armaan the same love he'll give me. In broken, tainted. There's no point dragging in someone like me into such a beautiful home like this. I'll only end up destroying like everything else."

"Buts-"

"No buts Armaan. I won't let you destroy your life over someone as worthless as me. You don't deserve this."

Silence fell over the room before i broke it.

"You won't be living here anymore. I'll buy you guys another house anywhere you want but you can't stay here anymore."

"Why?" Asked Aunty.

"Because Ismail will hurt Armaan one way or another so it's better to leave before anything happens. I may not love you but I care about you, all of you. I don't want to drag you down with me."

Silence again.

"Please! I don't want anything bad to happen to you, any of you. Please I'll buy you another house in this same area, you just need to get out of these flats please!" I pleaded.

Aunty Nosheen slowly nods her head "ok but only because of your insistence. But you have to promise to give me updates about your day and doctor appointments, ok?"

I nodd frantically.

"And you have to talk to me everyday for an hour." Haleema chirps in.

We burst out in laughter. "Of course, my jaan." I sat as I pull her cheeks.

"Promise you'll take care of yourself." Armaan says, I turn to him and nod my head. He leaves the room with blood shot eyes. I pray he finds the perfect someone worth living his entire life with. I know it's not me. He'll never be happy with me. I know that for a fact.

I leave their flat feeling refreshed knowing they'll be safe, In Sha Allah.

******

Nearly there!
We are nearly done.
This close to the end 🤏