The dawn broke softly over Khan Haveli, but within its walls, the air was thick with tension and unspoken words. Meerab sat on the edge of the bed, her body trembling slightly, not from the chill of the morning but from the remnants of the trauma she had endured. The memory of last night was still vivid, a haunting echo that refused to fade. Murtasim's rage had transformed him into a stranger, a monster who shattered the very essence of their relationship.
She could hear him moving in the adjoining room, pacing as if the weight of his guilt was too much to bear. The sound of his footsteps grew louder, and her heart raced. He was coming for her. Part of her wanted to flee, to hide from the man who had betrayed her, while another part remained rooted in place, waiting for whatever confrontation lay ahead.
Murtasim entered, his face drawn and weary. The moment their eyes met, a wave of emotions washed over him-regret, anger at himself, and a deep sorrow that he could not articulate. He opened his mouth to speak but faltered, his words dying in his throat.
"Meerab," he began, but the word hung in the air, heavy with unsaid apologies.
She turned her gaze away, her jaw clenched. "What do you want?" Her voice was steady, but the underlying hurt seeped through like a crack in glass.
"I came to-"
"To what? Apologize?" she interrupted, her tone biting. "Do you think an apology can erase what you did? Do you think it will take away the scars you left on my body and soul?"
Murtasim flinched at the accusation, his chest tightening with remorse. "I was angry. I-"
"Angry?" she echoed, her voice rising. "Is that your excuse? You were angry, so you forced yourself on me? Did it make you feel like a man? Did it give you a sense of power? Tell me, Murtasim, did you enjoy it? Would you like another go at my body?"
His heart sank at her words, each one a dagger that pierced deeper into his guilt. He stepped forward, wanting to reach out, to comfort her, but he felt like a fool, a coward. "Meerab, please..."
"Please what?" she spat, turning to face him, her eyes blazing with fury and pain. "Please forgive you? Please pretend that nothing happened? I can't forgive you! I don't even recognize you anymore. You are not the man I loved; you're just a monster."
The silence that followed was deafening. Murtasim stood there, his hands clenched into fists, fighting the urge to break down. "I know I can't take back what I did, but I want to make it right. I want to help you-"
"Help me?" she laughed bitterly, a sound devoid of joy. "How can you help me? You've stripped me of my dignity and left me to pick up the pieces of a shattered life. I am now your wife in every sense, and yet, I feel so utterly alone. You think you can just waltz back into my life and make it all better?"
He shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. "I never wanted this, Meerab. I never wanted to hurt you. I am so sorry..."
Her expression hardened. "Sorry doesn't change what happened. Sorry doesn't undo the brutality of last night. So tell me, Murtasim, do you feel like a man now?"
He took a step back, her words stinging more than any physical blow. "No," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I feel like a monster."
"Then live with it," she hissed, the anger in her voice a thin veneer over her heartbreak. "Live with the knowledge that you destroyed everything we had. You may have taken my body, but you'll never take my spirit. I won't forgive you, Murtasim. Not now, not ever."
With those words, she turned away from him, her heart heavy with anguish and resolve. Murtasim remained rooted to the spot, watching her, a sense of despair engulfing him. He had lost her, and in that moment, he understood that no amount of regret could ever bring her back.
The walls of Khan Haveli stood silent witness to their turmoil, but inside, the echoes of betrayal would haunt them both, a reminder of the darkness that had crept between them and the love that once flourished in the light.
