---
When Anjum arrived at Moomal's house, she found Zarina Begum waiting for her in the living room. Other than Zarina Begum, there was no one else present. After exchanging greetings, Anjum immediately inquired about Moomal.
Zarina Begum hesitated for a moment but then recounted the entire situation. Upon hearing everything, Anjum felt as if her entire existence had been shattered, leaving her numb.
She held her head in a daze. "Moomal... where is she?" she asked desperately, eager to see her friend.
After learning about Huzaifa’s second marriage while in such a state herself, how could Moomal have endured this?
"In her room... since Huzaifa left, she has locked herself in there, refusing to eat or speak to anyone. I didn't know what to do, but then I thought of you. Please, talk to her," Zarina Begum said, tears streaming down her face.
Despite her attempts, Zarina Begum had been unable to reach Moomal. Her daughter refused to shed tears in front of her.
Anjum took a deep breath to calm herself and then stood to head towards Moomal's room.
Although Moomal never shared her true feelings with her, Anjum was aware of her immense love for Huzaifa. She understood the depth of Moomal’s feelings, having observed Huzaifa’s possessive behavior towards her. Anjum had always been convinced that Huzaifa loved Moomal, which was why she often teased Moomal, hoping to encourage her to confess her feelings. But Moomal had never believed her.
The girl had been silent for so many years, loving a man who gave her nothing but heartache.
Stopping in front of the door, Anjum lightly knocked before opening it. The room was completely dark, illuminated only by the light from the hallway.
On the bed, Moomal lay with her arm over her eyes. Anjum turned on the light, closed the door, and walked over to the bed.
"Moomal..."
At first, Moomal seemed unaffected by her presence. But as soon as Anjum called her name, she removed her arm from her eyes and looked at her.
Her eyes were red and swollen, but she stared blankly at Anjum, devoid of any emotion or tears.
Anjum’s heart ached seeing her friend in such pain. She took a deep breath to control her emotions.
"What's the matter with you? You look so broken right now," Anjum said, trying to sound stern.
Instead of responding to the rebuke, Moomal turned away and lay on her side.
Seeing her silence, Anjum’s tears fell. She wiped them quickly, not wanting Moomal to see.
"Why are you doing this to yourself for someone who didn’t deserve you from the start? You were the only one blind to his flaws. If I tell you the truth, I’m actually glad Mueez uncle kicked him out. Otherwise, I would have done it myself. Now that he’s gone, I’ll find you a decent and more handsome man who will love and cherish you."
"You often said he loved me," Moomal said for the first time, her voice empty yet tinged with a strange tone that startled Anjum.
"Hmm...?" Anjum looked at her, puzzled.
Moomal sat up and looked directly at her. "If you always believed he liked me, then why did he marry Ruby?" Her voice was weak and broken.
Anjum was at a loss for words, her eyes burning with tears. She didn’t want to show weakness, knowing Moomal needed her strength more than ever.
"Why are you silent? If he likes me, why did he marry Ruby?" Moomal’s voice was filled with emotion as her red eyes welled up with tears.
Anjum moved closer and cupped Moomal’s face in her hands. "Please, Moomal, I was wrong. That person can't truly love anyone, not you or anyone else. Don’t hurt yourself over him. He doesn’t deserve your precious tears."
Moomal pulled away from her hands. "No! Don’t call him selfish! He’s not selfish. I’m the one who’s selfish, Anjum. I knew about his relationship with Ruby and still allowed him to marry her. But now, after he’s married of his own will, look at me mourning like a selfish person. Why can’t I be happy for him? How did I become so selfish? Why?!"
Anjum was stunned by the revelation. She stared at Moomal in disbelief.
"I knew he was in love with Ruby, not me. But he has no idea that I’ve loved him for so many years. I never told him, never told anyone. Not even you, Anjum..." Moomal cried harder, each word like a knife to Anjum’s heart. She needed to express her pain, to stop hiding it.
Anjum didn’t know what to say. The shock that Moomal knew about Huzaifa’s affair and allowed him to remarry left her speechless.
She wanted to chastise her for her foolishness but, seeing Moomal’s agony, she couldn’t stop her own tears. She joined her friend in crying.
"When we got married, I hoped my unconditional love might make a place for me in his heart. I prayed he would forget Ruby and accept our marriage," Moomal said through her sobs.
Anjum tried to comfort her. "Moomal, stop it. I can’t bear to see you in this much pain."
"But nothing like that happened. He didn’t forget Ruby. He didn’t fall in love with me..."
The pain in Moomal’s heart was so intense she felt it might destroy her.
"Please stop hurting yourself," Anjum pleaded, but Moomal wanted to release the pent-up anger and disappointment she had hidden for years. Weeping uncontrollably, she shared everything she had kept inside.
"I knew this day would come... I had prepared for it... but I can’t endure it. Please, Anjum, help me. I can’t bear the thought of him with someone else. It feels like I’m dying. I’m in so much pain..." Moomal’s body trembled with her sobs.
Anjum hugged her tightly, also crying. "Everything will be alright, I promise. You will forget him."
"I want to, but I know I can never forget him. Why does my heart still yearn for him? Why can’t I hate him?" Moomal’s cries were heart-wrenching.
"He doesn’t deserve your love. He never did," Anjum insisted, though her voice was also broken.
They continued to share their pain, Anjum feeling a growing hatred for Huzaifa. Her heart ached for the man to appear so she could tear his heart out, the one that had no room for Moomal.
* * * * * * * * * *
It was almost evening, and Huzaifa remained on the sand, watching the ocean waves crash against the shore.
He had been lost in thought, feeling trapped in the moment when Moomal refused to leave with him.
Why...?
Did she think he had betrayed her trust and wanted nothing to do with him?
The cold sea breeze did nothing to cool the fire in his chest; it seemed to fuel it further.
His pain intensified with each passing moment. He felt suffocated, unable to escape his anguish, and all he could think about was Moomal, who let his father remove her hand from his grasp.
Did she feel nothing when his father expelled him? Why didn’t she stop him? Why didn’t she ask his father not to do that?
"Huzaifa...? What are you doing here at this time?" A voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"Mateen...?" Huzaifa said in surprise.
"Yes, Mateen Wahab Haider," said the man standing before him, smiling.
---
YOU ARE READING
Broken desires
Roman d'amourSeeing her in someone else's arms, why did it feel like he had lost the entire world?''' He couldn't understand why he was acting like this. The unknown and indescribable amount of emotions welling up within threatened to rip his heart apart. Moomal...
