𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 41

Flashback starts

That night, Aadam lay awake, staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts of Ayaan. He began to worry about whether he had made a mistake by agreeing to Ashar. After hearing Ayaan, his concerns grew. If Ayaan weren't a Khan, Aadam might have considered him for Ayat, but he couldn't take that risk. He feared that society would think Ayat must have issues for them to marry her into a lower status family. It was purely a societal perspective.

After leaving the shop, Aadam hurried home and told Salma that he was willing to proceed; Ashar and his mother were coming to meet Ayat the following day. Aadam realized he might be overthinking the situation, so he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hoping to find some relief.

×××××××××××××××××

Sabeeha was at her friend's house, who was having some health issues. Sabeeha came to take care of her friend because her parents were out of town, and during Sabeeha's difficult times, her friend had really helped her. Now it was Sabeeha's turn to care for her. While staying there for several days, she had seen Ayaan many times but hadn't had the courage to approach him. She was also confused because she hadn't met her friend's parents and hadn't seen her father.

Now that her friend was feeling better, Sabeeha intended to leave. She changed into her abaya and stepped outside the house. "Allah Hafiz!" her friend said, and Sabeeha nodded in assurance. "Can you go alone, or should I come with you, Sabeeha?" her friend asked, standing at the entrance, but Sabeeha shook her head. "No, no, it's fine! I know the direction!" she replied with an assuring tone. Her friend nodded and went back inside. Sabeeha went down the four stairs and walked toward the road where her house's door was clearly visible.

Ayaan was lying in his room, waiting for dinner to cook so he could eat peacefully. He was holding a Rubik's cube and lost in thoughts about Ayat when he suddenly heard a thud from the kitchen. Instantly, he got up and rushed to the kitchen, where he found his mother lying on the floor. Anxiety and fear took over his mind as he hurriedly knelt beside her.

"Ammi, ammi!" Ayaan shouted, tapping her cheeks. He checked her pulse and was relieved to find she was alive. He quickly got up, picked her up in his arms, and rushed outside the house.

Sabeeha saw him rushing out with his mother in his arms. Panic set in as she hurried toward them. "Ayaan, what happened to Ammi?" she shouted without thinking. A confused look crossed Ayaan's face, but then his eyes widened. "S-Sabeeha, Ap-Pi??" he asked in shock. Sabeeha nodded, her eyes moist and body trembling. Not wanting to waste any time, she noticed a taxi passing by, quickly stopped it, and jumped in. Without thinking, Ayaan laid his mother on the backseat, and Sabeeha rested her head on her lap. Ayaan took the front seat with the driver. "Drive fast to the city hospital!" Ayaan instructed urgently, and the driver sped off.

They reached the hospital, and Ayaan entered, carrying his mother in his arms. When a nurse noticed them, she hurriedly brought a stretcher. "Please, call the doctor quickly!" Ayaan pleaded, his eyes moistened at the sight of his mother, while Sabeeha panicked, holding her mother's hand tightly. A doctor arrived and checked her pulse.

"Don't worry, she may have just lost consciousness. Does she have any health issues?" he asked while checking her pulse and heartbeat. Sabeeha glanced at Ayaan. "Yes, doctor, she has a brain tumor!" Ayaan replied, and Sabeeha froze in shock, her eyes wide as she tried to process the information. "Okay, wait here; we need to do some checkups," the doctor said, and they took her toward a ward. Sabeeha grabbed Ayaan's arm instinctively, looking at him in disbelief.

"H-How? And when?" Sabeeha asked as tears began to flow down her face. Ayaan wiped away a lone tear and looked at her. "We found out about it the day you left the house!" he answered, pulling his arm away from her grip and sitting on a nearby bench, while she stood frozen in place.