The Eclipsed Heart

Chapter 11

Meerab felt her stomach churn up in disgust as the reality of her so called marriage struck her. The name "Mahi" hung in the air, an elusive presence that stood between her and Murtasim, making Murtasim's rigidness towards accepting their marriage or putting in any effort to make their forced, yet, consensual relationship work. The question echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain - who was Mahi, and why did Murtasim chose to ruin her life when he was seemingly entangled in a clandestine web of love with someone else?

The night unfolded like a surreal nightmare, the moon casting eerie shadows on the backyard where Meerab found herself pacing. Her emotions danced wildly between anger and sorrow, a tempest of betrayal brewing within her. A loveless marriage had already been her cross to bear, but discovering that Murtasim might have been cheating on her added salt to her festering wounds.

The marriage, an unfair alliance orchestrated by Maa Begum and her father, had become a prison for Meerab. A sense of injustice, like a storm, raged within her, fueled by the realization that her fate had been manipulated to fulfill the selfish desires of others. She wanted to curse at the puppeteers of her misery, but the words remained trapped in her throat, suffocated by the weight of societal expectations.

Maa Begum, the architect of this doomed wedlock, bore the weight of Meerab's resentment. How could one woman, willingly condemn another woman to a life of misery? It was as if Maa Begum had traded Meerab's life for a fleeting fulfillment of a dying wish, a transaction that left Meerab with nothing but complete loss. It seemed as though on that fateful day, it wasn't just Uncle Shahnawaz who passed away; he had taken away Meerab's happiness with him along with him.

The anger within Meerab intensified as she grappled with the revelation that Murtasim was not the noble figure Maa Begum and her father had portrayed him to be. Instead, he happened to be a coward, who was unable to confront his own wishes and tangled emotions. The bitterness in her heart surged as she pondered on how her life had become collateral damage in the pursuit of choosing other people's happiness over her own.

In her desperation, Meerab wanted to scream and shout at her father and Maa Begum, expressing the devastation they had imposed upon her life. Yet, a voice within her knew it would be useless, drowned out by the chorus of well-meaning lectures on making the marriage work instead. The irony of seeking advice from the very orchestrators of her misery was not lost on her.

As she grappled with her helplessness, Meerab's mind raced through potential figures she could possibly turn to in which Farukh crossed her mind. Yet the fear that he would obviously side with Murtasim stifled her impulse to seek solace. The isolation she felt deepened, and tears threatened to spill, yet she reminded herself that these people were not worthy enough of her tears.

With a deep inhale, Meerab acknowledged the harsh reality that confronted her. In the stillness of the night, she felt the weight of her circumstances pressing down on her shoulders. The revelation had exposed the fragility of her world, and as she stood amidst the ruins, she understood that rebuilding would require more strength than she ever imagined. However, for now, she had let the feeling of helplessness, like a relentless tide, wash over her as she sat on the bench contemplating her once perfect joyous life.

Murtasim couldn't help but notice the very much palpable shift in Meerab's demeanor. The vibrant and lively presence of Meerab he had seen since the last two months had faded into a mere whisper of herself. For an entire week, he had observed her withdrawal from her daily activities, as if she inhabited a world entirely separate from everyone else.

The silence that enveloped Meerab seemed to echo louder than any words she had ever spoken. She had retreated into a cocoon of isolation, her laptop and headphones acting as barriers that shielded her from the outside world. Murtasim couldn't fathom the cause of this sudden transformation, and the unknowing uncertainty gnawed at him.