𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐓: 𝐀 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐫'𝐚𝐧

chapter 44

Ashar was in his office, sitting in his chair with his head thrown back, eyes closed, and his thoughts swirling. Soon, his secretary knocked on the door and walked in.

"Sir!" he called. Ashar merely hummed in response. "It's getting really late, sir. We have to close the building!" The secretary's tone was worried; it had been a month since Ashar had been acting so strangely. He arrived early in the morning and left late at night, but today he was staying even later, not budging from his seat. "Hmm, I'll be there in a minute!" Ashar said, still with his eyes closed. The secretary nodded and left, clearly irritated. As he exited, he ran into the security guard.

"What did he say?" the guard asked, observing the secretary's reaction.

"He has lost it since the day he got divorced from his first wife, and now we all have to tolerate him," the secretary vented, taking a seat beside the guard, who sighed as he sank into his chair.

"What did he exactly say?" the guard pressed.

"Just that he'll be out in a minute!" the secretary scoffed.

Meanwhile, Ashar opened his eyes and looked around. He had everything he had ever desired-his plans had all come to fruition. He had property, money, and his projects were nearly completed. Yet, he felt a void in his heart that he couldn't quite identify. Though he had no regrets about anything, his ego was far more significant to him than his feelings.

Sometimes, a person can only be controlled by their ego, which can overpower even their deepest emotions. Finally, he rose from his chair, took his car keys, and left his office. The guard and the secretary quickly stood up, but Ashar didn't even glance at them, which only frustrated the secretary further. "Now he'll go to a club and drink like a madman, then come back in the morning looking frustrated and irritated," the secretary said through gritted teeth, as the guard patted his back and headed towards the cabin door to lock it.

As Ashar entered his home, his steps were unsteady. He struggled to maintain his balance and was about to collapse when someone caught him. He looked up to see Nayla, her face filled with concern, holding onto him. He adjusted himself, attempting to stand upright, but she continued to grip his arm to prevent him from falling.

"You drank again, didn't you?" she asked, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"N-No, it's not like that! Let me go, I'm just sleepy!" he protested, his lips trembling as he tried to push forward, but she didn't release her hold on him.

"Why can't you accept that you are broken? You are regretting, you are in pain, Ashar!" she insisted, tears rolling down her cheeks. In a moment of frustration, he harshly pulled his arm away, his body trembling, but he instantly steadied himself and shouted, "Ammi, shut up! I'm not regretting anything. I'm happy in my life! I have everything I ever wanted!"

Despite his words, his body betrayed him, showing signs of his struggle. Nayla wiped her tears and watched as he turned his back and tried to head upstairs. Over the past few months, he had changed dramatically; he barely spoke to anyone. And what about Kinza? He no longer showed any concern for her, which led her mother to take her to London during her pregnancy because she didn't trust Ashar to care for her. After the baby was born, she planned to return, but Nayla was increasingly worried about Ashar. His ego had consumed him; he cared about nothing more than his pride, just like his father had, leading to his own ruin.!

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Ayat got up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom to make wudu. She removed her veil and placed it on the bed. Entering the washroom, she stood in front of the basin and looked at her reflection. Her silk hijab was slipping, so she took it off to adjust her bun, brushing some stray hairs behind her ear. Folding her sleeves up, she began making wudu. Afterward, she came out, placed her silk hijab back on her head, refolded her sleeves, and looked around for prayer mat but couldn't find it.