Filmon ki Tarah| Completed ✔️

Chapter 22 Part 1 (Zindagi Itni Mushkil kyun hai?)

Mahjabeen consoled Maryam as she cried her eyes out, she was heartbroken, the unexpected events had made her feel helpless. She laid on Mahjabeen's lap finding solace there as she didn't want anyone else to enter her room. To see anyone's face except hers, at last she had to sacrifice her life for their so called izzat.

They didn't care about anything if their izzat was at stake, "Maa ke liye khandan ki izzat ke uppar kuch nahi, khud ki beti bhi nahi", Maryam cried tears welling, she remembered how her mother had tried to bribe her. The amount of betrayal she felt wasn't something she could handle, Maryam had given her mother another chance, she had chosen their family over her own ego. But Maa Begum made her realise how little worth she carried, as she without another thought had draped the duppatta over her. When Maryam had shook her head, she had kissed her temple and whispered, " Aadhi zameen tumharey naam par kar dungi, Maryam

"Sach bol rahi ho Maryam, yaar Haya baji kaha hongi? " she wondered her thoughts out loud. It was midnight and have been nine hours, Mahjabeen shuddered as she thought about her current state.

"Bhaagi hai toh kuch toh planning ki hogi usne. Uska naam mat lo mera toh Haya ka gala dabanne ka mann karraha filhaal", Maryam seethed in rage, if Haya had never accepted the proposal in the first hand, this event wouldn't have occurred. Or maybe she had done this on purpose, to defame their family name. She couldn't believe this was the same girl she grew up with, how could people who grew up in the same family be so different.

"Haya ka gala...", Mahjabeen giggled she couldn't forget that day, her rage had overtook her and without thinking she had grabbed her neck, "... maine daba chuka hai"

Maryam sat up with a look of wonder and caught Mahjabeen's hand, she saluted and kissed her hands as if she had killed all her enemy soldiers on the frontier and won a battle, "Badshah Begum ye qaneez ab zindagi bhar aapki seva karegi"

"Kitni drame baaz ho yaar tum", Mahjabeen giggled and continued " Waise batau uss din hua kya tha?"

"Haan haan batao", Maryam sat up now excitedly as she listened to Mahjabeen. At the end she couldn't clap as she bowed to her, "Aaj toh sachme mai aapki fan hogayi hu Badshah Begum, kya adaa hai aapki, Mashallah. Shayad Haya isliye bhaagi hain, uska aakhri sahara toh ab bhai bangaya ... Arrey sorry bhai jaan", Maryam was giggling the tears had dried up as Mahjabeen laughed along.

"Haan toh mere Murtasim ko galey lagani ki jurrat ki thi na", she said normally, but Maryam smirked and taunted " mere Murtasim aaye haaye mai sadke java kya pyaar hai mohabbat hai!"

"Pyaar mohabbat nahi ishq hai", Mahjabeen corrected then she held Maryam's cheek and said to her, "Ek baat manogi meri?"

"Haan farmaye Badshah begum", Maryam said as she held her hand across her chest, Mahjabeen pulled that hand away and seriously gave her piece of advice," Dekho aaj jo tumne kurbaani di hai, usse badi kurbaani Naurez bhai ne di hai. Mai maanti hu Maa Begum ne tumhare saath theek nahi kiya, magar woh phir bhi Maa thi tumhari. Magar Naurez bhai ka toh koi rishta nahi tha, unhoney tumse shaadi ki raza mandi bina hichkichai dedi...tumhe pata hai iske do matlab nikal sakte"

Maryam who had been thinking about herself all along, nodded. Maybe she would have runaway just like Haya had, if it wasn't for that reassuring smile. A smile that had pierced her heart, it wasn't forcing her to say yes, instead it was a smile filled with acceptance and understanding. She always wondered what Kashaf meant when she had said, "Chai ka cup"- it was this, she understood the phrase for the first time. Naurez had protected her family from the disrespect and even reassured her with that one smile- it made all the difference. Just like Zaroon had without a hint of hesitation, shield Kashaf from harm by placing himself before her.