"There will be no divorce, ever. So think before you say yes." His view fixated on her.
"I've already said yes." Her voice and eyes were dim, too much for anyone to not notice.
"I'm a cruel man so don't you dare humiliate me if you get cold feet and...
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"What are you talking about ammi ji? Abba ji was fine when I had left." She could hear Farhana sobbing as she spoke, Shahwar's own body was rejecting the news in complete shock.
"Shahwar, he wasn't. He just didn't want you to know. He couldn't get a donor for his kidneys Shahwar. He had kept it all from me too..." Farhana kept on saying things but Shahwar couldn't hear anything it was like her ears could only hear a single beep sound continuing on and on deafening her.
"Shahwar?" Rehaan stepped ahead of her from behind when his wife had stilled in her position not speaking over the call she was on. "What happened? What is she saying?" He saw Shahwar's face lose all the color when he stood in front of her.
When she didn't respond to him he took the phone from her, "Salam ammi ji. It's Rehaan, what has happened?" Shahwar was still unmoving. She couldn't sense anything happening.
When Rehaan heard of the news he understood his wife's reaction. He subtly cut the call and Shahwar suddenly remembered something, "Rehaan, you said, you said you'll ask him for my medical records, why didn't you tell me he wasn't okay?" She was gasping for air trying to speak.
"I—I—Shahwar I didn't know." Shahwar looked at him with so much hope for answers to her painful questions. "He never answered my calls, Shahwar I'm sorry I thought maybe he didn't want to keep in contact with us."
She kept on looking at him trying to breathe everything was going back to numb. "Shahwar, we—we should go there." He held her face when she zoned out.
"No. I'm okay." It was a lifeless response that he had not expected. Shahwar moved away from him and went to the bedroom without looking at him.
She sat down on the floor of her room and watched the moon shining through the terrace doors. Her father, he was no more. He was her life. Her father, was sick and she hadn't known. He didn't even see her before his final days. She had lost him. She had been hoping for him to end their estrangement. It was now never going to happen.
Rehaan came inside the room and looked at his wife. She was on the floor like there was no life inside her. It was unbearable for him to see her in so much pain. She wasn't even crying. It was a dangerous sign if she wasn't.
"Shahwar," He sat down on the floor next to her and touched her head, "Come and sit over there on the bed."
"Rehaan." She was suddenly feeling like there was nothing to do with herself anymore.
"Yes my Shahwar." He was hoping she'd say it. Whatever she wanted.
"He didn't, he didn't, he didn't Rehaan. Unho ne mujhe bulaya hi nahi apnay paas." Her voice started breaking and he shifted her in his lap folding his legs on the floor.
(He didn't call me to see him at all.)
"Let's go to him then, okay." He moved his hand up and down her back soothing her but she wasn't loosening up.
