She fell in love. She couldn't be with him. She married someone else. She fell in love again. Then she fell apart.
•••
Iraj Kazmi knows only one thing, that she's always right. Then life proves her wrong...
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"Mehran? Will you marry me?" Iraj Kazmi had never thought she would be asking a man a question like that but here she was, in front of the person who could make her smile any day.
"Of course Iraj. I'd marry you in a heartbeat." He replied with a big smile.
And two days later Iraj had asked him to meet her for an important conversation.
"Baba has chosen someone else to marry me. He's already made up his mind Mehran. I'm sorry I tried to convince him but I don't think I can refuse my father either and I won't ever be able to have any relation with you. I belong to someone else now." Iraj had expressed it all the moment Mehran had walked out of his car towards her where she stood outside his office.
"Is the person Azfar?" His question made her speechless and she nodded in silence. "Iraj, are you comfortable with marrying a man you never were fond of?"
"I don't want to ever refuse baba." Looking directly at his face she spoke without hesitation.
"Should I talk to your father?" He had asked her.
"No. Please. It's not appropriate anymore. I don't want to upset my parents Mehran. I hope you can forgive me." Iraj felt sad and guilty saying it to him.
"Don't be silly. Why would you ask for forgiveness? No matter what we'll always be friends Iraj. I hope you can still be a friend." Mehran had requested her and she felt like it wasn't something that she should've refused either.
If the two of them could maintain friendly boundaries then it was definitely fine with her. And Iraj had always been very clear about her distance with Mehran after that day and had maintained only a very formal friendship with him.
The flashback from Iraj's memory was blurred when she heard her husband's car enter the driveway. She went to the door before he entered and opened it holding it. Azfar walked in and then stopped to look at her, "Iraj, I had told you I'd be late, why are you still awake?"
"Let's have dinner." She held his hand and walked in without answering his question.
"Iraj." He stood sighing near the dining table and she went inside the kitchen to bring the food to the table.
"Why are you still standing? Please sit down." She set the vegetable curry on the table and pulled a chair for him.
"You don't have—" She went back into the kitchen to get something else.
Azfar sat down seeing her do everything in a very bizarre manner. He could sense she wasn't alright. Iraj came back with a dish in her hand and before she could place it on the table it slipped from her hands and broke down on the floor scattering the food in it.
"Iraj!" Azfar hurried towards her, "Are you—"
Before he could finish his words she started crying staring at the floor. Her sobs became heavy and she bent down to pick up the broken ceramic of the crockery with her hands.
