The Unwanted Marriage

Chapter 44

Zayd's POV

It had been a while, standing there in the rain, and she hadn't moved an inch. I knew she was sad, crying over something, something I didn't yet understand. I wanted to let her be, to give her that space, but if we didn't go inside soon, she'd surely catch a cold.

I gently, hesitantly, grabbed her wrist and pulled her under the sheltering roof of the palace, out of the downpour. "What?!" she snapped, pulling her hand back, her voice laced with irritation. She was completely drenched, her niqab clinging to her face, her eyes slightly red and swollen.

"Kya hua?" I asked softly, reaching out to gently lift her chin, forcing her to look at me.

[What happened?]

"I'm sorry, Zayd. I'm sorry," she whispered, and now the tears came harder, freely. My heart ached, a sharp, twisting pain.

"Amina, kya hua? Batao mujhe," I urged, my voice filled with genuine concern.

[Amina, what happened? Tell me.]

"Kuch nahi, bas mujhe maaf kardo," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

[Nothing, just forgive me.]

"But kis baat ke liye?" I asked, confused. She paused, then took a shaky breath.

[But for what?]

"Aap ko chhodne ke liye. Aap ko nahi samjhne ke liye," she said, her voice raw. My heart stilled, a cold shock. I couldn't say anything, just blinked, trying to process her words. "All these years, I thought that I did right. But little did I know that I committed a sin by breaking this marriage. I'm sorry," she said, her tears still flowing freely.

[For leaving you. For not understanding you.]

I finally snapped back to my senses. "Okay, okay, listen to me," I said, gently taking her face in my hands, making her look at me, forcing her to see my sincerity. "You are not wrong. After what I did to you, your reactions were valid, Amina. Don't make yourself look bad," I said in a soft, steady voice. "You did what you could, and you tried your best to make this marriage work. Look what you made me. And it was all meant to happen. It was already written." My voice was a gentle reassurance, pouring out my soul.

But then, she said something that stole the very air from my lungs, something that made my heart leap and freeze at the same time. "I love you," she whispered, the words barely audible against the lingering sound of the rain. I froze. My hands ran cold. I think I heard something wrong.

"What?" I said, my voice barely a croak, not quite understanding, needing to hear it again, to believe it.

"I love you, Zayd," she said, a little clearer now, a slight stutter in her voice, but firm.

I instinctively placed my palm on my chest, as if my heart would just burst out. I stumbled back a little, my back hitting the cold pillar, needing something to steady me." Amina, trust me. I want to hug you so bad," I said. She looked down shyly.

I smiled so hard, a wide, euphoric grin that stretched my face. I felt like the happiest man alive, lighter than air. I slowly opened my arms, a silent invitation to finally pull her close, but then I stopped. She stepped back, her eyes wide, a beautiful spark in them now, a spark of pure, unadulterated love. "Amina," I breathed, my voice thick with emotion, "you made me the happiest man alive."

She laughed then, a soft, joyful sound that echoed in the quiet space, a sound that promised a future I had only dared to dream of.

______