Junooniyat|✔

CHAPTER 98

Maryam Chaudhary
*********************

I can sense that he is crying at this moment, though I cannot witness it myself. His beautiful green eyes, which should always radiate happiness, are now filled with tears. The sight of him in distress is unbearable, it breaks my heart to see him cry.

"I need to see him", I pleaded with baba, my heart racing as we entered the house. He might think that I have left him. But I can never leave him. I didn't love him just to abandon him. He is the only one for me.

"No, you're not going to talk to him or see him again", he stated firmly. "And tomorrow, we are sending divorce papers to him". My heart dropped at his words. How could he say such a thing? Leaving Danish was out of question for me. He was my everything, and I couldn't imagine a life without him.

"Please, baba", I implored, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "I can't leave Danish. I can't leave without him.....and I know he can't live without me".

"How can you possibly say that you can't leave without him?", baba asked, turning his head towards me with a concern look. "Its been only six months since you met him. How can you be so sure that your love for him runs deep enough to make it impossible to live without".

I wiped away a stray tear from my cheek, feeling the weight of his words hitting me hard. How could I possibly explain them what I felt when I even struggled to understand it? The truth was time wasn't a factor when it came to falling in love. It could happen in an instant or take years - there was no set timeline for such emotions.

"Even a second is enough to fall deeply in love", I replied, looking at ammi who stood quietly in a corner watching our conversation unfold. "And six months have been more than enough for me".

"You know, it's common at your age to mistake infatuation for love", baba said nonchalantly as he strolled into the kitchen. Turning to face him, I retorted, "How can you be so sure that what I feel isn't true love?", as I joined him in the kitchen. With a sip of water, he calmly replied, "I just have a feeling, trust me", his words lingered in the air like a dagger at my heart.

"No, baba, I really love him", I said as I wiped my tears with my sleeves.

"You know, your aunt also went through all this drama you're going through now. She said she couldn't live without him, yada yada yada, and look where she's ended up", he said firmly.

"But I'm not my aunt, and he isn't junaid Raza Mir", I replied, looking up at him, biting my lips to hold back the sobs. I knew deep down that my love was different, unique, and worth fighting for. The tears streaming down my cheeks were a mix of sadness and determination, a testament to the depth of my feelings.

"The man standing in front of me may not be Junaid Raza Mir, but he sure is his son. And let me tell you, junaid Raza Mir wants you out of the picture", he yelled, sending the glass of water flying to the ground where it shattered into countless shards. "You better not even think about reaching out to him or trying to meet him, do you understand?", baba's voice was stern, his eyes blazing with fury as he fixed them on me. I trembled in terror, my gaze locked with his, tears welling up in my eyes. This was a side of baba I had never witnessed before, and it sent chills down my spine.

Tears streaming down my face, I hurriedly made my way up the stairs to my room. Once inside, I locked the door behind me and collapsed to my knees, the sobs wracking my body. Why couldn't baba see that my heart belongs to Dani? I yearned to be his side, for in his presence, I felt safe and whole. With Danish beside me, nothing and no one can could bring harm to me, not even Junaid Raza Mir.

I felt an urgent need to see him, to talk to him, as I got up from the ground, wiping away my tears. Stepping out through the door, I descended the stairs and spotted both mama and baba sitting on the couch, sipping chai. Giving them a quick glance, I turned to head towards the door, just about to take that final step. Baba's voice rang out, causing me to freeze in my tracks. I slowly turned to meet his gaze, my heart pounding in my chest. With a stern expression, he warned, "you're not going to meet him. If you do, you're not going to see my face ever again", the weight of his words hung heavy in the air, leaving me torn between my desires and his disapproval.