TAWAIF {तवायफ} Ek Pyaar Ek Dard

Ek lomdi doosri lomdi ke liye

Gulab Kothi

Zara was standing in her room, looking at Shlok's photo, smiling and blushing, dreaming of becoming his wife, replacing Vidhya, and living a perfect life.

Just then, someone entered the room. Zara turned to see who it was. It was another girl who worked there. The girl walked towards Zara and said, "Zara, Razia aapa ne tumhe bulaya hai." (Zara, Razia has called for you.)

Zara looked at her with confusion but nodded slowly. As the girl left, Zara placed the photo on her bedside table. She took her dupatta, draped it over her shoulders, and headed toward Razia’s room.

When she entered, Razia was lounging on a couch, smoking a hookah. She looked up at Zara with a calm yet sharp gaze. Zara greeted her with respect, "Razia aapa."

Razia nodded in response. Zara asked, "Aapne bulaya mujhe?" (You called for me?)

Razia slowly nodded and said, "Haan, Zara. Maine tumhe yahaan isliye bulaya hai kyunki..." (Yes, Zara. I called you here because…) She paused, letting out a puff of smoke before continuing, "Main chahti hoon ki tum Akshat Chauhan ka khayal rakho. Ek tawaif ke taur par aur is kotha ki aapa hone ke nate, mujhe yeh dekhna padta hai ki har grahak woh paaye jo woh chahta hai. Aur Akshat chahta hai ki tum uska seva karo. Kyunki use sirf tum pasand aayi ho."
(…I want you to look after Akshat Chauhan. As the madam of this kotha, it is my duty to ensure every customer gets what they desire. And Akshat desires only you.)

Zara hesitated before replying, "Par aap jaanti hain na ki main sirf Shlok sahab ke liye hoon." (But you know I belong only to Shlok, right?)

Razia smirked, her sharp gaze piercing through Zara, "Haan, mujhe pata hai ki tum sirf Shlok ke liye ho. Par main yeh bhi jaanti hoon ki tum uske liye mana kyun kar rahi ho." (Yes, I know you are only for Shlok. But I also know why you’re refusing.)

Zara, caught off guard, stammered, "Kyun?" (Why?)

Razia leaned forward, her smirk widening, "Isliye kyunki Shlok tumhe pasand karta hai, isliye woh tumhare liye zyada paisa deta hai. Isliye tum sirf uske saath rehna chahti ho, hai na?"
(Because Shlok likes you. That’s why he pays more for you. That’s why you want to stay with him, isn’t it?)

Zara grew nervous as if she had been caught. She tried to deny it, "Aisa kuch nahi hai, aapa." (It’s nothing like that, aapa.)

Razia chuckled, her tone laced with sarcasm, "Zara, agar jhooth ka koi chehra hota, toh woh tumhare chehre jaisa hota." (Zara, if lies had a face, it would look like yours.) She continued, "Main tumhe achhe se jaanti hoon. Aur ek aur baat, maine tumhe Akshat Chauhan ke liye isliye kaha kyunki usne tumhare liye bohot badi keemat di hai. Soch lo, woh keemat Shlok se zyada ki hai."
(I know you very well. And one more thing—I asked you to entertain Akshat Chauhan because he has offered a very high price for you. Think about it; his offer is more than what Shlok has ever paid for you.)

Zara’s eyes lit up with curiosity. She asked, "Kitni di hai, aapa?" (How much did he offer, aapa?)

Razia replied with a smirk, "Utni jitni Shlok ne kabhi nahi di tumhare liye."
(As much as Shlok has never given for you.)

Zara stood there, deep in thought. Her mind raced with possibilities. If she agreed, she would get enough money to buy anything she wanted. If she refused, she would remain bound to Shlok’s possessive obsession for a lifetime.

She thought to herself, "If I agree, I’ll get so much money, and even if Shlok finds out, I’ll just say I didn’t have a choice. I’ll play innocent and manipulate him—he’s easy to fool."