Written in the Stars

one

Darya was tired. Her entire life she had never felt so vulnerable, so weak. At the moment she cursed herself, her life, her identity as a woman. She didn't have any hopes, she had lost it all. Life was going, the way it was going was fine. Wasn't it? That's what everyone told her.

"Zaryab aaya hai tume lekar jaane." Her mother's rough voice rang through the room dragging her out of her miserable thoughts.

"Ammi, hume kuch aur din rehna hai." She found herself whispering back meekly.

"Ladki, ek hafta hogaya tume aaye. Tumhare shohar ke saath apne ghar jao." Came her mother's gruff reply causing Darya to scoff in frustration.

"Wo ghar mera nahi hai, Ammi!"

"Darya! Khamosh. Astagfirullah, tumhare Baba jaani ne sun liya to tumhari khair nahi. Ye ghar bhi tumhara nahi hai, tum mehmaan ho." Her mother thundered in anger, almost ready to smack her.

Remorseful tears started flowing down her cheeks at her mother's insensitive words. Her body reverberated in jerky sobs causing her mother to launch into action coming to her side.

"Darya, kya ho gaya hai. Chup hoja ladki."

"I don't want to go back to that house. Everyone hates me there. Wo maar denge mujhe, Ammi. Mujhe jaan se maar denge."Darya cried on her mother's chest, hoping her mother asked her to stay. But that never came. Her mother feared Baba Jaani more than she loved Darya.

And just like that a hour later, Darya sat in the Black Range Rover that belonged to her husband, taking them to his home.

"Tum royi thi?" Her husband questioned slowly breaking the awful silence that filled the car his eyes kept drifting off to her.

She simply shook her head, not bothering to answer back. Her heart was too heavy with fear of the insults and taunts that awaited her.

"Dinner kiya hai tumne?"Came his next question but Darya once agin answered only with mute gestures.

"Dari.."He sighed heavily, taking her hand and placing it on the gear stick before covering his own hand over it. "Narazi khatam karo ab. Maine ghar pe sab sambhal liya hai."

Normally, Darya would've swooned at her husband's gesture but it only irked her. She hated how he dusted things under the rug like always to avoid conflict. Most times Darya would let go of her anger and go back to suffering in silence but this time her patience was running thin.

"You say the same thing every time, Zaryab. Aur har baad mein bewakoof aap par aitbaar karti hoon. Mujhse nahi hota ab aur. Dum ghutta hai mera." Darya screamed, tears flowing down her cheeks, her eyes distraught.

"What do you want me to do? Huh? They are my family. I can't abandon them, Darya!" Zaryab replied, averting his gaze from her teary face. Her tears had always affected him. They made him weak. "If you won't understand my condition, who else will?"

This was the same dialogue he repeated every time she went to him with her concerns. He made her feel like she was burdening him with her problems. Initially he used to listen to her, console her. But now it felt like she was nothing but a nuisance to her husband. She had stopped complaining after a point when she realised it was useless. She kept to herself, didn't let her problems show. But, last week it had left a mark on her self respect. She couldn't bear it anymore.

Snatching her hand from underneath his, she turned to the other side, her eyes still dripping with tears, she only felt pain all over her body and soul.

"Darya..."Her husband called out again but she didn't pay him any heed, soon they reached the grand haveli. The wealthiest and the biggest in the entire town. It afterall belonged to the council leader.