𝗗𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗿-𝗲-𝗗𝗶𝗹

اضطرارِ دل ۶۔

غم سے اب گھبرانا کیسا
غم سو بار ملا
ہم نے تو جب کلیاں مانگی
کانٹوں کا ہار ملا~

Gham se ab ghabrana kesa
Gham so baar mila
Ham ne toh jab kaliyaan maangi
Kaanto ka haar mila~

(Why be afraid of sorrow now?
We've faced sorrow many times.
When we asked for a bouquet of flowers,
We received a garland of thorns instead.)

Sitting at the same table with people, especially Ibrahim, was going to be difficult for her today.

Only she knew how she was managing her emotions. Her heart was beating faster than usual. Her eyes glistened with tears repeatedly, and she did her best to hold them back. She loved him and had dreamt of a future with him.

It's painful when dreams are shattered by fate, but the agony of having them crumble in seconds due to cowardice is on another level. She wanted to shut her mind down for a few hours, but she couldn't. She kept chanting to herself like a mantra, "Be strong, Inaya! You are strong!" Although her voice kept breaking with emotion, she was helping her mother in the kitchen by taking plates out and arranging them on the dining table.

It was around 7:45 PM when Safeer, his wife, and Osama arrived for dinner. Ibrahim was to join later as he had a meeting.

They were all seated at the dining table. Fahad sat at the head of the table, with Gulzari on his right and Shehreen next to her, as they wanted to talk. Safeer sat to Fahad's left, with Osama next to him. Inaya hadn't joined them for dinner yet, having excused herself by saying she wasn't feeling well.

"Inaya bete ham sab tumhara wait kar rahe hain khaaney per! Jaldi aao!"

(Inaya, we're all waiting for you to join us for dinner! Hurry up!)

Fahad, who had called Inaya to summon her downstairs to the dining room, ended the call without listening to her excuse and resumed his conversation with Safeer.

Inaya quietly arrived and took the seat next to Shehreen. She greeted everyone softly. Her face glowed from a few minutes of crying and the water she had splashed on it. Taking small bites, she ate very little and spent more time pushing her food around with her fork.

She took a deep breath, relieved that there was no talk about the proposal. She wanted everything to end as quickly as possible so she could lay on her bed and cry until her tears dried up forever.

Inaya was the kind of person who never cried in front of anyone. She was strong-or perhaps weak-in that she never shed a tear in public. She was afraid of crying because she didn't want pity. She already felt enough pity for herself.

She swallowed hard, forcing down the sobs that threatened to escape, determined not to let her pain overshadow their hope. She bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms, using the physical pain as a distraction from the emotional turmoil within.

Reciting numerous duas and verses in her mind, asking Allah for strength in that moment, she moved her fork lightly against the plate.

"Asalamalaikum!"

A single voice, which caught many off guard, made Inaya snap her head toward the source of the intrusion. There he stood, in all his glory- Ibrahim, the great enemy of hers.

Inaya turned her head back to her food and shut her eyes in frustration.

'Aap bhi nah Allah har aafat akhatey hi dete ho!'