When Rivals Collide (Tere Bin AU)

Chapter 13: The Letter

A couple days later:

The Khan family were enjoying their evening tea in the living room. Despite being an influential and powerful family for the village, they lived normally as a family, giving time to each other, openly discussing each other's lives and eating meals together.

A maid walked in amidst their conversation, with a letter in her hand. "Salaam Sahab, Salam Bibiji. Malikon ki taraf se paigham aya hai." With that she stepped towards Nazia Beghum and presented the letter to her.

Nazia took the letter from the maid, her expression grim and astonished. Anwar too had sat up straight, his expression unreadable. Meerab looked confused, her glances switching between her parents.

Nazia slowly unrolled the letter and silently skimmed through it. "Meerab beta, go to your room. Your baba and I have to discuss something important."

Meerab opened her mouth to say something but Anwar spoke before she could. "No buts beta, if Ammi said something , you act on it right away."

Not wanting to disobey her parents, reluctantly Meerab turned on her heel and stomped away to her room while her parents also dismissed the maids in the room.

"What does the letter say Nazia?" Anwar asked with concern.

Nazia passed over the letter to him. "I think you should read it yourself."

Letter from Salma Begum (Bari Ammi):

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Raheem_

Mohtarma Nazia Khan aur Janab Anwar Khan,

Assalam-o-Alaikum,
Umeed hai ke aap aur aapka khandan khairiyat se hoga. Allah ka shukar hai ke aap apne ilaqe aur gharane mein izzat aur qadr ke saath apna maqam barqarar rakhe hue hain. Aaj main aapko ek zaroori aur ahm baat ke silsile mein khat likh rahi hoon.

Aap jaante hain ke Malik aur Khan khandanon ke darmiyan mukhtalif masail aur narazgiyan rahi hain. Lekin mujhe lagta hai ke un masail ko suljhaane ka behtareen tareeqa yeh hai ke dono khandanon ko ek mazboot rishte ke zariye ek dosray ke kareeb laya jaye.

Is silsile mein, main aapki beti Meerab ke rishtay ka izhar apne bhatijay, Murtasim Malik, ke liye karna chahti hoon. Murtasim ek taleem-yafta, samajhdar aur zimmedar insaan hai, jo apne khandan ka hamesha fakhar raha hai. Mujhe puri umeed hai ke Meerab aur Murtasim ka rishta sirf do afrad ka nahi, balke dono gharanon ke darmiyan ek nayi shuruaat banega.

Main yeh baat puri tawajjo ke sath arz kar rahi hoon, aur mujhe yaqeen hai ke aap is faislay par sanaatein nahi balki samajhdari se ghoro-fikr karenge. Agar aap is rishtay ke liye razamand hain, toh mujhe ijazat dijiye ke main khud aapke ghar aake apni taraf se baat mukammal karoon.

Aapka jawab mere liye intehai ahmiyat rakhta hai. Allah se dua hai ke woh humein iss faislay mein hikmat aur barkat ata kare.

Wassalam,
Salma Begum

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For a few seconds, Anwar couldn't say a word. Shock was an understatement for what he was feeling at the time. He reread the letter as if hoping the words would change, but they remained the same, each line echoing louder in his mind.

Nazia, sitting across from him, finally broke the silence. "Yeh... yeh kabhi socha bhi nahi tha, Anwar. Malik aur Khan khandanon ke darmiyan itni gehri dushmani... aur ab yeh rishta ka izhar?" Her voice was steady, but her expression betrayed the turmoil within.

Anwar placed the letter on the table and rubbed his temples, trying to gather his thoughts. "Salma Begum ke iraday kya hain, Nazia? Yeh sirf ek rishte ki guzarish hai ya ismein koi aur chhal chhupi hui hai?" His tone was laced with suspicion.

Nazia frowned, her hands clutching the ends of her dupatta. "Salma Begum jo bhi ho, woh bewakoof nahi hain. Unhone yeh khat soojh-boojh ke sath likha hai. Murtasim Malik ka naam lena... unka eklota bhatija... Malik Khandan ka Sarbarah... woh yeh khel kisi maksad ke liye khel rahi hain."

Anwar leaned back in his chair, his face hardening. "Aur woh maksad kya ho sakta hai? Kya woh yeh rishta istemal kar ke apni position mazboot karna chahti hain? Ya apni saazishon ko agay barhana chahti hain?"

Nazia shook her head. "Pata nahi. Lekin ek baat to tai hai, Anwar-iss faisle ka asar sirf hum par nahi padega. Pura ilaqa dekhega ke Khan khandan aur Malik khandan ke darmiyan kya hota hai. Log iss rishtay ko seedha hamari izzat se jodenge."

Anwar stood up abruptly, pacing the room. "Humari beti ek siyasi chaal ka hissa nahi banegi, Nazia. Meerab ka rishta humari khushi aur uske mustaqbil ke liye hona chahiye, na ke dushman ke saath sulah ka zariya banaya jaye."

Nazia looked at him, her eyes filled with concern. "Aur agar Salma Begum sacchi hon? Agar unka irada sirf dono khandanon ke darmiyan aman lana ho? Murtasim Malik ke baare mein har koi jaanta hai-woh samajhdar hai, zimmedar hai. Shayed yeh ek moka hai jo humare liye acha sabit ho."

Anwar paused, her words giving him momentary pause. He knew Nazia wasn't wrong. But the idea of trusting the Maliks-of trusting Salma Begum-was too much to accept so easily.

"Pehle, mujhe Meerab se baat karni padegi," Anwar finally said, his voice firm. "Woh humari beti hai, aur uski razamandi sabse zyada zaroori hai. Lekin main yeh faisla jaldi nahi kar sakta. Malik khandan par bharosa karna asaan nahi hoga."

Nazia nodded, understanding his hesitation. "Haan, lekin yeh bhi sochna hoga ke agar hum is rishtay ko mana karte hain, toh iska asar bhi bura ho sakta hai. Salma Begum ko naraz karna... woh is baat ko apne khilaf hamla samajhengi."

The two sat in contemplative silence, the weight of the letter pressing down on them. Neither of them knew how this situation would unfold, but one thing was clear-this was not a simple decision.

And in her room, Meerab paced back and forth, her mind racing with questions. What could possibly be so important that her parents had dismissed her so abruptly? The air was thick with unease, and the suspense gnawed at her. Unable to bear it any longer, she slipped out of her room, carefully tiptoeing down the hallway.

Her parents' voices were muffled but intense, coming from the living room. She crouched near the doorway, just out of sight, straining to hear.

"This rishta... from Salma Begum? For Murtasim Malik? I still can't believe it," she heard her father say, his voice laced with disbelief.

Meerab's heart skipped a beat. Rishta? Murtasim? The words hung in the air like a thunderclap. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling as though the ground beneath her had shifted.

Nazia's voice followed, calm but firm. "Anwar, this isn't a simple matter. Salma Begum must have thought this through before sending the proposal. And Murtasim... he's her nephew, her heir. This isn't just about family-it's about bridging the divide between the Maliks and Khans."

Meerab felt her pulse quicken. The Maliks? A rishta with their rivals? And Murtasim? The man who was always so composed, so sure of himself, and who seemed to bring out the fire in her at every turn?

She leaned in closer, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Meerab ka kya? Uski marzi ka kya?" Anwar's voice grew louder. "Humari beti ko is dushmani ka sifarish bana diya toh uski zindagi ka kya hoga? Kya woh kabhi is faisle ko accept karegi?"

Meerab froze, her breath catching in her throat. This wasn't just a proposal-it was a decision that could change everything. Her freedom, her life, her identity. The walls seemed to close in around her as the weight of the conversation settled over her.

Nazia replied softly, "Humein Meerab se baat karni padegi, lekin socho, Anwar. Agar Salma Begum ka irada saccha hai, toh yeh ek moka ho sakta hai jo dono khandanon ke liye naya safar ban jaye. Lekin agar hum mana karte hain, toh iska asar bura ho sakta hai. Salma Begum yeh mana nahi karegi."

Meerab couldn't listen anymore. Her legs felt like they would give way beneath her. Quietly, she backed away from the doorway and returned to her room, her mind reeling.

Murtasim Malik. Her name and his in the same breath, linked in a way she had never imagined. The man who infuriated her, challenged her, and yet, in some inexplicable way, lingered in her thoughts.

As she sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor, one thing became clear-her world would never be the same again.