Umeed

Chapter 46

Noor finished speaking, her voice barely a whisper as the weight of her past finally spilled into the open. Tears streamed down her face, and her shoulders shook as she tried to calm herself. Across from her, Shahzain sat frozen, silent, and still, as though the truth she'd shared had shattered something deep within him. His face held a profound sorrow, his eyes reflecting the pain he had never anticipated but was now forced to confront.

This was exactly what Noor had feared. Her confession had finally lifted the burden she'd carried alone for so long, but it had also broken him in a way she never wanted to see.

Ayesha, who had witnessed the scene from afar, saw the deep anguish etched on both their faces. She knew they both needed time to come to terms with everything. Faris, on the other hand, was speechless, the enormity of Noor's suffering crashing down on him like a wave. A sharp pang of guilt cut through him. How could he, her brother in every way that mattered, have missed the signs? He had failed to see her suffering, her silence, her pain. He hadn't protected her, hadn't seen what she was going through. The regret weighed heavily on him.

Without a word, Shahzain abruptly rose from his seat, his expression dark and troubled. The emotions swirling within him seemed almost too much to bear. As he walked out of the room, Noor's heart raced, and she instinctively followed him, barely aware of Ayesha and Faris watching them leave. They both understood without speaking-this was a moment only Shahzain and Noor could face together.

Shahzain moved quickly down the hallway, his footsteps heavy, his breaths coming in uneven bursts. When he finally reached his room, he entered and shut the door behind him, letting the silence of the room swallow him whole. He leaned against the wall for a moment before his legs gave way, and he slumped down onto the floor, resting his head back as he tried to steady himself, feeling utterly hollow. Everything he had done, everything he had been so sure of, now lay in ruins.

A moment later, Noor slipped into the room, quietly closing the door behind her. She approached him slowly, her own pain softened by her desire to comfort him, even now. She lowered herself to the floor beside him, her presence a silent reassurance. Neither of them spoke, both weighed down by the shared, unspoken sorrow that hung between them. The silence was thick, filled with words neither could bring themselves to say.

At last, the stillness broke as Shahzain's breaths began to shudder, and he let out a soft, anguished sob. Noor's heart clenched painfully as she watched him. This was a side of him she had never seen-the weight of his regret and guilt, raw and vulnerable. She reached out, her fingers trembling as she gently touched his arm. "Please, Shahzain," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Please... don't cry. This... this is what I feared most. I never wanted to see you hurt like this."

Shahzain turned to her, his gaze full of sorrow and regret. "Why, Noor?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion. "Why did you love me so much... why did you let yourself be destroyed for my sake?" His voice broke, and he struggled to continue. "I hurt you so many times. Back then... and even now, I forced this marriage on you. Why didn't you ever try to stop me?"

Noor shook her head, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She wanted to erase his pain, to lift this terrible weight from him. "It wasn't our fault, Shahzain," she murmured, her voice gentle but firm. "We were both deceived, both taken advantage of. We were drugged... neither of us were in control of our actions. Please, don't do this to yourself. I don't want to see you blame yourself... please."

But Shahzain couldn't release the guilt that gnawed at him. His jaw clenched, and his fists tightened, as if trying to hold back a storm inside him. "It was my fault, Noor. I brought her into our family... into our lives, and look at what happened. I destroyed everything. I ruined you. I destroyed your happiness, your future... everything because of my own choices."