Predestined

| Healing |

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*

Bia

I opened the front door of my flat and blinked in surprise.

A woman in her late twenties or early thirties stood in front of me, with a small boy standing by her feet. "Assalam Alaikum." She smiled at me. "I'm Mishal Sarib, Shehzad's former sister-in-law."

"Walaikum Assalam." I was surprised to see her here unexpectedly.

"This is my son, Maaz." She ruffled the hair of the little boy, who blinked up at me with his wide eyes. Even without an introduction, there was no doubt that he was related by blood to Shehzad, because of the resemblance.

"Maaz Shalib." He corrected his mother. "Full name, Mama." 

"Sorry, jaani." She smiled down at him before looking back at me. "This is Maaz Sarib." 

"Hey there, Maaz." I bent down to smile at him. "I'm Sobia." 

"Full name?" He asked curiously.

I laughed. "Sobia..." I paused, hesitating. "Sobia Shehzad." 

"That's my Chachu's name!" Maaz said, happily.

"And, Maaz, this is your Chachi, your Chachu's wife." Mishal Bhabi explained to him, gently.

"Oh sorry!" I suddenly realised my error. "Please, come in." I stepped aside and let them in. 

I closed the door and followed them into the living room.

"I'm the closest person that you can consider your in-laws, Sobia." She said after we'd taken a seat on the sofas. "I should have come earlier, but..." She stared quietly down at her lap. "I'm sorry, I have no valid excuse. It's just really hard for me."

"Don't worry, it's okay." I said, softly.

She looked up at me and I saw tears in her eyes, which she attempted to blink away. "Anyway, I'm here to welcome you into the family. I was curious to see the girl who finally convinced Shehzad to get married." She set a bakery bag down on the coffee table. "This is a little something for you. It's tradition not to visit someone empty handed."

"You really didn't have to." I told her.

"This is nothing." She said, sadly. "Sarib and I used to live in our own place, so whenever we visited Shehzad, my husband used to buy so many things for his kid brother. Sarib absolutely adored Shehzad. Our car boot used to fill up with bakery items for him."

I smiled weakly. "That's so sweet." 

"And then after Maaz was born, Shehzad has been doing the same when visiting us, but his car is filled with things for his nephew." 

The little boy was walking around the living room, on his own little adventure. He opened the cabinet under the TV, peering in curiously.

"Maaz, no!" His mother warned him in a soft voice.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea or coffee? I'll make some..." I began to get up.

"No, Sobia, it's okay. Thank you." She sighed. "I'll be heading out soon as I have to take Maaz to a new school for his admission interview." 

"If you don't mind me asking, would you rather not go back to the UK?" I asked. I knew, like me, she was from London, and she still had family there.

She pursed her lips, as if contemplating her reply. "My parents are insisting that I go back with them. My sisters and their families are also there, but I can't. I don't want to go back. I want to stay here, close to him. Maaz was born here and I want to raise him here, where his father had intended for us to raise him."