Life Sentence

CHAPTER 9

~THE NIGHT OF MURDER (4 ½ YEARS EARLIER) ~

Kubra twirled around in the beautiful white gown, the flaring fabric spreading in a circle around her, much like her joyful innocence. Stopping, she smiled brightly at Huma who had helped her get ready. Huma looked like the night to her day, the yin to her yang, complementing her best friend’s white with the blackest of blacks. She looked pure class in an off-shoulder black gown, a discreet slit running till her knee, hidden in the fold of the fabric. Her now black dyed hair was tied in a high ponytail, simple diamond studs adorned her ears and smoky eye with nude lip completed the look. She looked regal like a queen.

And the queen looked very unhappy.

Kubra’s smile disappeared on Huma’s irritated expression.

“What happened?” she asked her. She couldn’t think of any reason why she was irritated at her best friend’s engagement.

“Nothing,” was the only response she got. The frown on her face now reflected on Kubra’s as well.

What could possibly be the reason?

Of course she couldn’t have known that on that day she was shattering Huma’s brother’s poor heart. After all, no one had told her and she was blinded by the love of Yusuf. The shine of which wasn’t as bright for Yusuf for he would soon put on the shades and turn against her.

But who was there to tell her that?

“You’re getting late. Yusuf Bhai would be here any minute. You should set your hair.”

She felt odd at the coldness in Huma’s eyes but she decided not to react to it and let Huma tie her hair in a loose fishtail that rested elegantly over her left shoulder, a sapphire floral hairpin adorning her brunette hair, matching the ring that was about to be placed in her left hand.

“Is Superman here?” The idea of not having her favorite human being on her favorite day was absurd to her. “I need his opinion about how I look.”

“He’s biased. Of course he wouldn’t tell you that you look like anything other than beautiful.” She smiled at that. “Besides, he’s won’t be able to make it tonight.”

“WHAT? WHY? This is a joke, right?” All the giddiness, all the happiness, and all the butterflies’ __ everything left with just one sentence. Anyone with just a glance at her could tell that the dam was about to break.

“He’s not in town.” He was. “He had to go to Pindi for some business.” He didn’t. But lying was easier than explaining the reason that he couldn’t bear to see her becoming someone else’s to a girl who couldn’t recognize true love when it was in front of her for so many years.

She grabbed her phone from the dressing table and dialed his number. It rung once, twice, thrice, then it went busy. She gaped at the phone. Never had he ever cut her call. She dialed again. It got busy, again. She threw her phone in anger. It hit the plush carpet and got saved but what about her heart, which felt as if it had broken into a thousand pieces?

And dejected was how Yusuf found her when he came to pick her up fifteen minutes later.

“You look gorgeous, love. But who’s the reason behind that sadness of yours?” She noticed Yusuf wearing a royal blue tuxedo, one that really made the blue in his eyes pop out.

“Superman. He isn’t coming to our engagement.” She looped her arm around his and started making her way to his car, not really feeling like doing anything now.

“Yeah, he told me he had a meeting with this client of his. It was really urgent. Otherwise trust me, I’m really mad at him for not attending his brother’s engagement.”