The Fallen Widow

Chapter 21: Aftermath

Day by day, the haveli was changing, today the lady of the haveli was thrown out. Ulfaz Naz, the chief maid's task was to ensure that Shahgul left the haveli by nightfall. It was a colossal task to ask the mother of the haveli to leave, but everyone understood why, she was a traitor. Making her way down the staircase for the last time, dressed in death black, Shahgul accepted her fate. She was a proud woman. She wouldn't ask for an appeal, or beg her son, it had to be done and she had to leave. Now, Emaan was gone there was no reason or goal to stay. Shah Nawaz had decided her fate. Ulfat remembered the first day Shahgul arrived as a bride; fresh faced, red lipstick, wide eyed she was pure and innocent until the horrors of the haveli scared her and entered her into battle mode.

Shahgul took nothing with her, not a piece of clothing in a bag, nor food. With a brown tasbeeh in her hand, dressed in black she left the haveli the way she came, empty handed. It was a solemn day, maids scattered in the haveli watching Shahgul leave, they knew that Hoorayn would soon be the lady of the haveli. As she stood by the gate, she turned back looking at the towers, shining marble and the amazing architecture- still wowed by the sight when Dilawar-Baksh bought her. She took a deep sigh of sadness that she couldn't ignore. Maybe one day her son's heart would soften? But she didn't want to wait for the maybe, he was his father's son.

The gate squeaked loudly behind her as it slammed shut. Guards were pleased she left, she was a murderer, a traitor, the death of Jahanpur. The people were proud of Shah Nawaz's brave decision to oust his mother; it wasn't an act a son should do, but in these extreme circumstances, it had to be done and he was man enough to do it. Making along the path, soon it would be nightfall and she had nowhere to go. However, there was one goodbye she had to say.

It was the graveyard she entered. Dilawar-Baksh's freshly covered grave next to his forefather was at the far end of the graveyard with fresh flowers dressed around it; Fiza had visited today. She spent hours sitting by the grave and reciting verses of the Quran. Shahgul looked at the wood pillar where it was written in a scrawl until the official gravestone was produced.

'Dilawar-Baksh'

Bitter emotions curled up in the bottom of her stomach. She kneels before the grave.

"You are now dead, Dilawar-Baksh." She began her voice screwed with anger. "You have no title. No cast. No wealth. Nothing. You are lying naked in the ground with a piece of cloth. Naked as the day you were born."

Her body grew tense.

"You are being questioned for your actions, for your sins. You were a horrible man." She took a deep breath.

"I thought hard- very hard of a good memory with you. Yes, I married you for money, security, status, but hell, did I suffer. The only reason I lived was for my son, one day he will be king and I will be beside him. I sacrificed everything for him. He was my life and now he throws me out of the haveli because of you."

Her breaths fast she stood up and walked round to where his head lay.

"I was a good and loyal wife. I prayed, feared God and feared you. Yes, I may have had feelings for another man, but I never actioned them like you. You slept with every other woman but me, which was a blessing." She scoffed.

"Now you are dead. I will not sit outside and cry on your grave. I spent years working hard to this day, waiting for you to die- I will not walk away." She pointed her finger at him.

"You saved our son from your bastard brother- another man rotting in his grave. For that reason, on saving our son and sacrificing your sorry self I forgive you. I forgive you for everything you did to me, when you first saw me and raped me. Raped me over and over again. Then you beat me. Where do I start?" She was nearly on the verge of tears recalling those awful and dark days. Alone in the haveli with no one to trust or speak to, until Wajahat Ali stepped forward and showed his face.