"Jab mai choti thi na mujhe kisi baat ka darr nahi tha. Kyuki mere Mama Baba humesha mere saath they, humarey ghar mai ek maid kaam karti thi jiske shohar ne usko bohot peeta tha. Baba kehte they ke Meerab beta in maamlon mai dakhal andazi nahi karna chahiye, ye toh inke ghaireloon maamlaat hai. Woh log aapas mai suljha denge. Kaise magar? Aurat ko khamosh karke, dara kar dhamka kar, maar kar uske saath jaanwaron jaisa saluk karke?" Meerab said on the call to Saba.
"Meerab yaar tum aisi baatein kyun kar rahi ho? Kuch hua hai kya?" Saba asked on the other side, Meerab sighed. The past week has dragged on as she maintained her silence. She wasn't talking to Murtasim or anyone in this house. She was in the house but she sat far away from Murtasim, she started ignoring them as if they didn't exist for her.
A man who was starting to be the world for her, ceased to exist. It was as Juliet realised that Romeo was the villain in their story all along. The fight against her family didn't matter anymore, the hatred,and the anger for her family vanished. Before she had been married to him, she had hated him with all her heart. If he had done this to her at that time, she would have been physically hurt. But instead of forcing her, he won her heart, she started loving him, believing his words. She believed that Murtasim loved her,but the doubts in her mind slowly vanished and Meerab realised she was incredibly lucky to have such a loving husband. His eyes on her had made her blush, his words had made her heart flutter and his touch gave her the butterflies.
He had stood up for her so many times, against her own family. Reached out his hand, when he had no intention of marrying her. If all of that was an act to lure her then Murtasim was more dangerous than she had given him the credit.
"Meerab... Meerab. Tum ro kyun rahi ho yaar??" She heard Saba's worried whisper, Meerab glanced at the clock and realised she had disturbed Saba after midnight. Unlike her, Saba had college the next day, she had a busy life.
"Kuch nahi", she wiped her tears and changed her voice. "Bas tumhari yaad aarahi thi".
Saba didn't say anything and sighed after a while, "Meerab mai kal tumse milne aarahi hu".
"Theek hai".
***
Murtasim's reflection in the dim light of his terrace revealed a man tormented by self-loathing. He questioned the very core of his being, grappling with the monstrous side he had discovered within himself. The tears he shed were not just for Meerab but for the irreversible damage he had inflicted on their relationship.
The memories of that dreadful night played like a relentless loop in his mind, each scene etched with the indelible stain of his actions. He was haunted by Meerab's pleading voice, her screams echoing in his ears. The woman he had professed to love now bore the scars of his unforgivable transgressions.
In the stillness of the night, Murtasim's thoughts became a tempest of remorse and disbelief. How had he let his anger transform into something so heinous? He questioned the very foundations of his identity, recoiling from the monster he had allowed himself to become.
The realization of his monstrosity gnawed at him. He had betrayed not only Meerab but also the values he once held dear. The protector had become the perpetrator, and the weight of that transformation was too heavy for him to bear.
As Murtasim continued to grapple with his internal turmoil, the journey to redemption seemed like an elusive path. The man who had once been a beacon of strength now stood on the precipice of his moral abyss, desperately searching for a way to confront the darkness within and, perhaps, find a sliver of redemption.
Murtasim cautiously entered the room, his eyes searching for Meerab. He found her sitting on the bed, her gaze fixed on some distant point, lost in her thoughts.
"Meerab," he began tentatively, "I was thinking, maybe you could join law school. Pursue what you're passionate about. It might help us move forward, build something together."
Meerab's eyes met his, but there was no spark, no enthusiasm. She looked at him with a detached calmness that sent shivers down his spine. After a pregnant pause, she replied, "Whatever you want."
His heart sank at the monotone response, realizing that the vibrant, fiery Meerab he once knew was now a mere echo. Desperation welled up within him, and he pleaded, "Meerab, please. I want you to be happy. Tell me what you want."
She looked him dead in the eyes, and in that moment, the truth cut through the air like a knife. "Whatever you want," she repeated, the words hanging heavy with resignation. The depth of her fear was palpable, and Murtasim felt the weight of his actions crushing any hope for a genuine connection.
He longed to see her light up at the prospect of pursuing her dreams, but the spark was gone. Meerab's response served as a stark reminder that the damage he had inflicted went beyond the physical; it had shattered the very core of their relationship, leaving behind a hollow shell of what once was.
Murtasim, tears streaming down his face, implored desperately, "Meerab... please, I am sorry. Yaar, mujhe jaan se maar do, magar aise na baat karo. Please."
Meerab's expression remained stoic as she nodded at his every word, her eyes locked onto his. When he pleaded for forgiveness, she flinched, the pain evident in her eyes. A range of emotions flickered across her face, torn between compassion and the haunting memories of that fateful night.
For a fleeting moment, Meerab felt the urge to comfort him, to embrace him and wipe away his tears. But then the realization hit her like a sudden storm – his tears were not for her pain but for the consequences he faced. The emotional manipulation, the facade of remorse, became painfully clear.
As Murtasim continued to plead, Meerab's mind battled between conflicting feelings. She wanted to ask him, "What do you want from me?" The sincerity she once believed in had crumbled, replaced by the harsh truth that he only cared about maintaining control.
Finally, as Murtasim begged for forgiveness, Meerab's voice, cold and resolute, cut through the air. "Maaf karu? Galti tumhari nahi meri thi... uss raat wapas nahi aana chahiye tha. Magar kya karti, mohabbat ki wajah se majboor thi."
The words hung heavy, crushing the hope in Murtasim's eyes. Meerab's strength, though fragile, stemmed from a newfound realization – she wouldn't apologize for surviving his brutality, and love was not an excuse for his actions. This left Murtasim grappling with the weight of his transgressions, realizing that the shattered pieces of their relationship might never be mended.
