𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹-𝗲-𝗠𝗮𝗵𝘁𝗮𝗮𝗯

غمِ عشق ۱۲۔

A broken heart is all that's left~

"Before agreeing to your relationship, I had met him. He convinced me that he likes you and is willing to marry you. I was deceived by the facade he presented. I believed he was sincere. I even investigated him, and nothing suspicious came up. I hurriedly arranged your marriage because I feared that in the face of your stubbornness, I would have to surrender, and ultimately, it wasn't the right thing. I wanted you to be happy. Your happiness should never be tied to someone who is already broken, damaged, and mentally disturbed. It is my fault, Airah, it's all my fault. Mujhe maaro peeto lekin Allah ka waasta hai yun chup aur naraz nah raho!"

(Punish me, beat me, but please for Allah's sake, do not get upset with me!)

By the end, tears welled up in her eyes, cascading mercilessly down her cheeks as a muffled sob escaped her mouth. Pressing her hand against her lips to stifle the cry, her entire body trembled with anguish. Hamza, helplessly watching, wished he had died before marrying her off, regretting his past selfishness. If only he had been there for her when that vile man tormented her. The earth swallowing him seemed a preferable fate.

Inching forward, Hamza gently placed his hand on her back in an attempt to calm her. Instead, his touch triggered a fresh wave of tears as she clung to the shirt at his waist, crying brutally with her head on his chest. Hamza's eyes, filled with tears of penitence, shut with distress as two drops seeped out, absorbed into her hairline. His hand tapped her head soothingly, but it felt as though Airah needed to cry her eyes out that day. She had endured so much because of him, finding solace in him like countless times before, compelled by an age-old habit.
It is true that once tears begin to flow, they are difficult to stop.

Hamza allowed her to cry, and after a considerable amount of time, when her tears had dried, she released a wavering breath. Detaching herself from him, she took a few steps away. Without meeting his eyes, she murmured a hesitant apology.

A sorry, perhaps for staining his already blood-stained shirt or for exposing her vulnerable side in his presence.

"Aapko pata hai puri dunya se ham har cheez expect karsakte the lekin aapse mar kar bhi nahi! Aap toh bachpan se hi har cheez mein hamare saath khade rahe the! Ham ne business parhna tha sab khilaaf the siwaaye aapke! Ham per Ziyaad ne ilzaam lagaya tha sab ko yakeen aagaya tha siwaaye aapke! Hamari har cheez ki aapne fikar ki, college ki fee se lekar kapde wagairo ki! Ham toh aapki Irah they! Ham aapse iss buzdili expect nahi karte they!"

(Do you know, from the whole world, I could expect everything but from you, never!! You've been there with me in every aspect since childhood! When everyone opposed, it was only you who supported when I wanted to pursue business studies! When Ziyaad accused me, everyone believed him except for you! You cared about everything for me, from college fees to clothes and more! I was your Irah! I never expected such cowardice from you!)

The mention of Ziyaad caused Hamza to draw in a sharp breath, his intense dislike for the man evident. What Airah had just brought up happened in the early months of her university life.

Flashbacks;

Ziyaad was a guy from university who stalked Airah a lot. Without any prior connection or any lead from Airah, he developed an obsession for her. Airah  didn't even know him. He followed her to her house and eventually called her, blackmailing her to meet him or he would assassinate her character in front of everyone, including her family. Apparently, he had some sort of photoshopped pictures of Airah with which he was blackmailing her. Airah panicked and blocked him. This triggered him, and the next day he was at her house. She was stunned to see him there, and the audacity with which he was smirking left her taken aback. It was the first time she had seen her grandfather's eyes well up with tears of shame mixed with extreme anger. At that moment, Hamza came forward and dragged him out of the lounge by his collar. He beat Ziyaad black and blue in front of everyone on the porch. Hamza hadn't even glanced at the pictures once. He beat him until Ziyaad fainted. Airah was too ashamed to even meet anyone's eyes, standing away from everyone's sight.