𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 28

Last night, she entered the room and was met with silence because he was not present. This wasn't unexpected for her; from the very first day of her marriage, she had never shared a deep bond with Ashar that would leave her surprised by his actions. Still, it hurt her.

She woke up half an hour ago and began her Fajr prayer. After completing her salaam, she raised her hands in supplication.

"Ya Al-Alim, the Knower of the seen and unseen, guide me to the right path."

"The situation and my intuition are eating me from the inside. The hurt is haunting me, and the fear is overwhelming, ya Rab!"

"Please make things easy for me, and if this is a trial, grant me the sabr (patience) to endure it, ya Rabbul Alamin."

Rubbing her hands across her wet face, she wiped away her tears. She folded her prayer mat and set it aside, then went to the wardrobe. After a few minutes, she emerged wearing her abaya and hijab. After putting on her veil, she picked up her mobile phone and went downstairs, where, as always, she was met with silence. She stepped outside and saw Ashar standing with Asjad in the parking lot, engaged in conversation. She walked towards them and stood a little distance away.

He noticed her but didn't say anything, continuing his discussion with Asjad. Once their conversation was over, Asjad walked away, and Ashar was about to get into his car when Ayat took a few steps forward and grasped his hand, preventing him from entering.

He looked down at her hand; this was the first time she had initiated contact, and the thought crossed his mind. He then looked into her face; despite being covered, her eyes conveyed emotion. He noticed they were moist. Breaking the silence, she blinked multiple times to hold back her tears.

"Can you drop me at madarsa?" she asked nervously, and those words slipped out before she could stop them. He had been expecting something else. Unknowingly, a smirk crept onto his face, but he quickly concealed it and replied coldly, "I don't have time. I already told the driver he will drop you there."

He jerked his hand away from her grip and got into the car. Stunned, she watched him with tears welling in her eyes as the car pulled away. Finally, the moisture turned into tears, rolling down her cheeks, and she swallowed the lump forming in her throat.

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She found herself at madarsa, sitting in Sabeeha's room, waiting for her. After a while, Sabeeha entered with a smile, but her expression quickly shifted to confusion when she saw Ayat sitting on the sofa.

"Ayat? You're early today?" Sabeeha asked, entering the room. Ayat, distracted by her thoughts, looked up at Sabeeha, who was busy removing her veil and hijab. Ayat followed suit, removing her veil and simply humming in response. Sabeeha halted her movements and looked at Ayat before turning away.

"Can I know the reason?" Sabeeha asked, folding her abaya. Ayat remained silent, which only fueled Sabeeha's curiosity. Concern washed over Sabeeha's face as she studied Ayat's pale expression.

"Ayat! Is your health okay? You look unwell. What happened?" Sabeeha bombarded her with questions while placing the abaya in its spot and hurriedly moving closer.

"I'm sorry; I wasn’t here because my brother was going to Mumbai, and I just came back from the station," Sabeeha explained. But Ayat didn't seem inclined to listen. Sabeeha placed her hand on Ayat's shoulder.

"Ayat! What happened, hmm?" This time, her voice was comforting, and perhaps this was exactly what Ayat needed—words of comfort. Looking into Sabeeha's eyes with tears welling up, Ayat finally burst into tears. Sabeeha, astonished, quickly enveloped her in a tight hug and nervously rubbed her back, not saying anything until Ayat calmed down. When they broke the embrace, it became increasingly difficult for Sabeeha to hold back her questions.
"Ayat? What happened? Tell me. I’m getting really bad thoughts!" Sabeeha said worriedly, her eyes wide. Ayat looked at her and blinked slowly.