Serenity: A Journey Within

Chapter 6

A week later:

Zaid returned home late again, as he had been doing for the past several days. He would avoid Ayra as much as possible in the morning and go straight to Mubashira's bedroom right after coming home, skipping dinner. They had exchanged nothing more than greetings and small talk. Ayra, preoccupied with trying to impress Asif and prove herself a better daughter-in-law than Mubashira, hadn't noticed Zaid's absence until her bhabhi asked her about him yesterday. It suddenly hit her that Zaid was avoiding her.

As Zaid entered the house and headed straight for Mubashira's bedroom, he was taken aback to find Ayra standing there, her eyes burning with intensity. "Enough is enough, Zaid," she declared, her voice quivering with frustration and anger. Her hands trembled as she clenched them at her sides, the storm of emotions raging within her. "How long are you going to treat me this way?"

Zaid rolled his eyes, a gesture of exhaustion and frustration evident in his weary expression. "I'm too tired, Ayra," he sighed, his voice heavy with fatigue. "I'm going to sleep. We can talk in the morning."

But Ayra stood her ground. "No, we're going to talk right now," she insisted, her voice tinged with hurt and determination. "Why are you avoiding me? Why have you been sleeping in her bedroom instead of ours for the last few days?"

"This is my bedroom too, in case you've forgotten," Zaid said, his tone tinged with weariness and a hint of resignation. "Now leave. I'm too tired for this." His words carried the weight of exhaustion and a desire to escape the confrontation.

He lightly pushed Ayra away from the door, but she stood her ground, her voice rising into a desperate scream. "You can't make me leave until you answer my question!"

"I said leave, Ayra!" Zaid repeated, his patience wearing thin as his voice hardened with frustration and exasperation.

"No, I'm not leaving," Ayra shouted back, her voice trembling with indignation and desperation. "This is all because of Mubashira! Can't you see? She's coming between us even when she isn't here. She probably staged the whole leaving drama to make you feel bad for her."

Zaid finally lost his cool. The stress from the entire week of meetings, the guilt and worry about Mubashira, and his father's refusal to share any news about her had pushed him to the edge. He took a deep breath, trying to control his anger, though beneath his facade, frustration and exhaustion simmered. "Enough is enough, Ayra," he said, his voice low and controlled. "Stop blaming Mubashira. She isn't even here. Whatever is happening in our relationship is because of you. Do you understand?"

Ayra's eyes brimmed with hurt and frustration as she interjected, "How could you blame me when all I'm doing is trying to be part of your family? I'm putting in so much effort for your dad to accept me."

Zaid's voice dripped with sarcasm as he let out a bitter laugh, his disbelief turning into frustration and resentment. "Really, you're doing this for me? No, you were doing it for yourself. If you even cared a bit about me, you would have seen how stressed I've been this whole week, but you were too busy trying to take Mubashira's place in this house to notice anything. And now, why have you suddenly realized something's wrong? Let me guess. Someone told you, didn't they?"

Ayra stood there, struck dumb by Zaid's accusations, her mind racing for a defense that wouldn't come. Before she could gather her thoughts, Zaid, without waiting for a response, turned away and strode into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. The sound of the closed door broke Ayra's resolve. She glared at the door for a moment, her frustration boiling over, before leaving with a defiant stomp, her foot slamming against the ground like a silent tantrum.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Zaid stormed into the bedroom and threw his blazer onto the bed in a fit of anger. He started pacing around, trying to calm himself, but the more he moved, the angrier he became. He ran his hands through his hair, frustration evident in every movement. He didn't know who he was angrier at—Mubashira for turning him into this person he hated, himself for letting his past control him to the point of blindness, his father for creating this situation instead of understanding, or Ayra's transformation into someone he no longer recognized. Everything was a mess, and he felt completely overwhelmed. Somewhere deep down he knew he was responsible for most of it, and yet he had no idea how to fix this.

He finally collapsed onto the bed, burying his head in his hands. His thoughts swirled chaotically, each one a sharp reminder of how out of control his life had become. His breathing was ragged, and he could feel the sting of tears threatening to spill over.

As he sat there, lost in his turmoil, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up and saw Mubashira standing there, her expression soft and understanding.

For a moment, Zaid couldn't speak. He just stared at her, the surprise of seeing her mingling with the flood of emotions he was already grappling with. He didn't know if she was real or just a figment of his stressed mind, but her presence brought a strange sense of calm to his storm.

"Mubashira," Zaid whispered, his voice trembling with astonishment and relief. "Is it really you? Have you come back to me?"

As Mubashira gently withdrew her hand from his shoulder, Zaid felt the warmth vanish, leaving behind an empty ache. "Don't worry," she said, her voice carrying a tone of cold detachment. "I'm just here to gather my belongings and leave."

Zaid stood up in shock, his eyes wide with panic. His voice cracked with desperation as he pleaded, "What do you mean you're going to leave? You just came back, and now you want to leave me again?"

Mubashira met his gaze, her eyes unreadable, while her voice remained detached and cold. "The last time I left, it was temporary because I needed some peace of mind. But this time, I'm leaving for good. It took me some time away from everything to realize that I don't need love or marriage—I need peace of mind. I wish I had realized this sooner and not made this mistake. Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life, Zaid, and staying with you after being disrespected repeatedly was the second."

Zaid, desperate and heartbroken, reached out and grabbed her arm. His voice quivered with anguish and disbelief, "How can you call our marriage a mistake?"

Mubashira's facade dropped as her eyes filled with tears. She pushed him away firmly, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. "The same way you refused to acknowledge our marriage. You said you didn't consider me your wife, and you were happy ignoring my existence. You verbally and emotionally hurt me. You know, Mohib's betrayal didn't break me, but your treatment did. You broke me, Zaid. I hate you."

Zaid, overwhelmed by emotion, pulled her into a desperate hug. "Please don't say that," he pleaded, his voice cracking with raw desperation. "I know I was a horrible person. I treated you unfairly and hurt you. But please, don't leave me, don't say you hate me. I can't lose you again; I barely survived the last time." His tears mingled with hers as he clung to her, his words filled with anguish and remorse. "Please, forgive me. Just give me one last chance." 

Mubashira broke the hug, pushing him away with finality. Her voice, though trembling, was resolute. "I'll never forgive you, Zaid. It's over between us for good this time, and I promise you'll never see me again." Her eyes, unreadable, bore into his for a moment before she turned away and whispered with a cold and detached tone once again, "Goodbye, Zaid."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Hello, everyone. I hope you are all doing well. I'm sorry for the late update. I hope this doesn't disappoint you. Let me know what you think. Poor Zaid isn't having a good time in this chapter. Did you feel bad for him? I kind of did, but then I remembered how he treated Mubashira, and I stopped feeling bad. Also, this is just the beginning. I might torture him more; how much will depend on my mood.