MEIN- The End

The End-Part 2

The next day was bright and sunny, a typical morning in Karachi. Yet for three families it felt as though heavy grey clouds loomed over their homes, casting a somber shadow and turning everything that was once beautiful and vibrant, grey and dull.

Arya stood leaning against the large window in her living room, staring into space. The familiar walls she'd grown up in provided some solace to her aching heart, yet a sort of empty, hollow following settled deep in her chest, and it showed on her features as she stood like a lifeless body without a soul.

As she stood there staring into the abyss, feeling trapped in her own despair, every movement outside seemed to echo in her heart, but none so loud as the sound of his footsteps as he entered through the door.

She could hear his voice as he pleaded with her Bhabhi to let him meet her, insistent on doing so even as she told him Ayra did not wish to see him. Now or ever.

After much begging, there was silence, and she didn't know what to expect. Had he left? Or had her sister in law finally allowed him to enter? She didn't know nor did she bother to turn around and find out. But as she pondered the idea of him giving up and leaving, the ache in her chest intensified, burning like salt to her wounds, worsening the pain she had been feeling ever since the moment he had dismissed her cries with one single word: "agar "

"Agar aisa kuch bhi hua..."

His words rang in her mind, taunting her like a painful reminder of the way he had chosen to investigate the matter and find proof instead of simply believing her after all his promises.

Agar.

The word hung in the air like a bitter taste, a bitter realization that his promises were nothing but empty words. It felt like someone had stabbed her in the back and very cruelly,  continued to twist the knife until she could no longer voice her pain, leaving her to wonder if anything he had ever said was true.

Guess those promises were all just meaningless words.

"Ayra..." his voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She blinked away the tears, hastily wiping the stains from her face, but the evidence of her pain remained in her red, swollen eyes as he came to stand beside her.

He was here; Bhabi had let him in. She suddenly herself stuck between a whirlwind of conflicted emotions, unable to decide whether she felt a flicker of relief and happiness that he hadn't given up and stayed or did his presence only serve to deepen the wounds inflicted by his family? A part of her still longed for hiscomfort, his reassurance that everything would be alright. Yet, intertwinedwith that desire was a bitter resentment that left her wanting to scream at him and tell him to leave.

She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, fearing what she might find there. Would it be understanding and empathy, or would it be the same disbelief and indifference she had seen last time? The distrust that had not only shattered her heart but also her soul.

Agar.

"Kyun aaye you yahan?" She found herself questioning him without looking at him. She had already made up her mind and in her heart she knew that this would be the last time they ever saw each other, so she felt emboldened to ask all her questions knowing this would be her final chance; it was now or never.

"Tum se baat karne aya houn. Iss tarhan apna ghar chor ke kon aata hai Ayra?" His tone was casual, as if he expected this to be just another fight where she would lash out, he would apologize and eventually, everything would blow over and they would go back to normal. And this nonchalance only served to fuel the irritation she felt towards him as he stood next to her.

"Aise apni biwi ko bey-aasra chor ke kon aata hai?" She retorted, finally turning to face him, her glare piercing. Her words carried a sharp edge, fueled by a mixture of anger and heartbreak, her heart and mind still unable to comprehend that he had chosen to investigate instead of trusting her and taking her word for it.