𝗗𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗿-𝗲-𝗗𝗶𝗹

اضطرارِ دل ۱۰

اُڑ اُڑ کے کہے گی خاکِ صنم
یہ دردِ محبت سہنے دو
مجھے تم سے محبت ہو گئی ہے
مجھے پلکوں کی چھاؤں میں رہنے دو~

Ud ud ke kahegi khaak sanam
Yeh dard-e-muhabbat sehne do
Mujhe tumse mohabbat hogayi hai
Mujhe palko ki chaaon mein rehne do~

Beloved, my ashes will fly and say that
Let me bear the pain of being in love
I've fallen in love with you

Let me dwell in the shadows of your eyelashes~

"Mama, baba ko bata diyega aaj mujhe aaney mein deir hojaayegi aaj mera apni kuch colleagues ke saath duty ke baad kuch outing waghaira ka plan hai."

(Mama, please let baba know that I'll be late coming home today. I have plans with some colleagues for an outing after my duty)

Wearing her maroon scrubs beneath an overall (lab coat) with "Dr. Inaya K. Malazai" embroidered on the front pocket, Inaya informed Gulzari bano before heading out.

She got into her car and reversed out of the driveway. As she was pulling out, she came face to face with Ibrahim's car. He was dressed in formal attire: a white dress shirt, navy blue suit, and brown tie.

She gave him a slight nod in greeting as she drove past his car.

Around 5 p.m., she entered the café with her two colleagues, Sami and Fatima. The café was quite popular in the city, and it was her favorite as well. It was the same café where she had met Ibrahim before their nikkah.

They had placed their orders and were discussing the case Dr. Sami had handled that day. Inaya had assisted with the jaw surgery earlier. Fatima excused herself to go to the washroom, leaving the two of them alone.

As Inaya was talking to Sami, her eyes drifted toward the café's entrance, where she saw Ibrahim walk in.

He took a few steps inside, and their eyes met. The moment he saw her sitting with another man, his expression turned stoic.

He took a seat at a nearby table and made a phone call. Shortly after, his wait ended as a woman sat across from him.

Hypocrite.

Inaya looked closely and recognized the woman-it was Anoushey. She appeared tense.

A few minutes later, Fatima returned and took her seat beside Inaya. They continued their lunch, chatting casually.

Inaya suddenly heard a soft sob from the nearby table. She turned her head to see Anoushey crying, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to hold back louder sobs. Ibrahim handed her some tissues, speaking softly. He looked tense and a bit uncomfortable as well.

Inaya knew that Ibrahim always grew uncomfortable around people who were crying, especially women. He didn't like seeing anyone cry.

Ibrahim said something again, which made Anoushey smile as she wiped away her tears and smudged mascara with a tissue. Seeing her smile, Ibrahim sighed in relief.

This exchange of looks and words between Ibrahim and Anoushey unsettled Inaya.

As Ibrahim glanced in her direction unexpectedly, Inaya shot him a glare while watching him pass another tissue to Anoushey.

Ibrahim's hand lowered, and he awkwardly massaged his earlobe, then shifted his attention back to the woman sitting across from him.

"Oh yeh toh Ibrahim bhai hain nah?"