FROM NEVER TO HAPPILY EVER!

10.

Mahira Khan.

All about the mishap that took place just minutes ago seems to vanish from my memory as my brain only focuses on what he said. Before I can utter another word, he is out of the room in a whiff. I grumpily follow Umer who seems to be having the time of his life.

As we settle in the car and he punched the address to Khan Villa, I smack him in the head.

"That's not the way to my home. Take me to the Baigs", I order sulking.

All the way back home, I try to rack up my brain for what could be the reason of Mohsin's extra cold behavior today. That jerk couldn't even be there for me, today of all days he had to act like an asshole.

"Trust me when I tell you, you are the last person who is supposed to be talking about feelings."

" You must be an amazing believer of Islam considering how you are staring at a Na-mehram all day long."

"Kisi din nafrat ki patti hata kar dekhna.
Shayad kisi musafir mein apna nazar aaye.
Kisi din phoolon ki mehek ke andar jhankna.
Shayad kaaton ki berukhi ki wajah samajh aaye."

"Only, if your oblivion did not bother me. Only."

Oblivion. What could I possibly be oblivious about? There is definitely something that I am missing here, something out of the loop.

" Now why are you frowning? I thought your revenge was completed, I had seen the satisfaction on your face as the asshole was dethroned. Aren't you supposed to be throwing a party on your victory?" Umer probes nudging my shoulders.

I shake my head, looking for the right words, "It's not my victory Umer. If it was, I would be feeling in tip if the world, but I am not."

He was so surprised by my answer that he lost control of the steering for a while there and the car shook. Dramatic much?

"Ooo teri! Gai bhains paani mein. To teen saal ka siyappa sab waste?" He acts all shocked.

"Umer ke bachche! Stop pulling my leg. What I mean is, I don't feel victorious or happy even. Just contented. I feel like my life has finally fallen back into place. You know that one moment of truth you needed to see in reality to realise you were holding onto the wrong things all along. Amir was by far the biggest mistake I have ever made, and I unfortunately learnt it the hard way. I now realize what happened on my wedding day was partly due to my stupid mistake of choosing the wrong man. So I am only relieved to be free of the burden of anger and hatred now. Moreover, Amir reaped what he sowed. He had illegal connections, remember the way I reacted the first time we discovered that and how I stole Rashid's file from the CBI office?" I reminiscise and a second later I hear his boisterous laugh.

"Of course I do! You were about to faint when you saw him snorting heroine. And the about death trap you put yourself into by stealing information from the CBI. The things you did for Amir, Hira!" He shakes his head at my stupidity and I can't help but frown at his last words.

They sound so wrong. And then it hits me. First, slowly, very slowly and then so damn fast like pelting rain. That's it! That's fucking it!

I jump in my seat squealing so loud, and the next moment I burst out laughing.

I get it now. I was such a fool. Even after Amir's betrayal, I invested so much of my time, energy and emotions for that guy which he absolutely did not deserve. Infact, he did even deserve a small part of my memory. I should have forgotten him and about the past with him the very day I tied the knot with Mohsin. That would be the very correct thing to do, religiously and spiritually. That was what was ticking Mohsin off all these days.