Once Upon A Lifetime

~Epilogue~

Saqib's POV~ 

"You okay?" I asked, looking over to my wife who sat in the passenger seat.

"Hm?" Misha turned to me from looking out the window.

"I asked if you were okay." I repeated.

"Yeah I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She questioned and I gave her a look.

"You don't seem okay." Misha smiled, though it didn't look genuine.

"I am, don't worry." She said but I still didn't believe her. I decided to drop it until we got home.

We were on our way home from my parents' house. It was long past midnight of course, as everyone, especially the women, got carried away with their chatter, especially since Taalia had finally told Aasim about their baby. I was very happy for them. They deserved their happiness after everything they'd been through before their marriage. 

It was then I realized why Misha was upset. Of course she was upset about this! How could I not have realized this sooner?! 

I looked over to Misha who was still sulking by the window and sighed. I decided to give her some space until she was ready to talk about it. 

Once we were home, Misha quickly changed and went to bed. By the time I made it to bed, Misha had already fallen asleep. Or so I'd thought. Just as I was about to dose off, I heard quiet whimpering and I opened my eyes to see Misha's shoulders shaking slightly. Her back was to me so I couldn't see her face, but I didn't need to to know that she was crying. I watched her back, wondering if she'd turn around to face me. When she didn't, I moved closer to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer to me. I kissed her neck and held my hand on top of hers. 

"Misha-" 

"Am I a terrible person for acting like this? I mean, I'm happy for Taali, I really am! But I can't help but think that it we would have had a child too!" she sobbed and I shushed her. 

"Come on Misha, it's not-" 

"Three miscarriages." Misha turned around to face me, her eyes red with tears streaming down her face. "Three miscarriages, Saqib! Who knows how many more I'll have?! What if I just keep having them? What if we never have a child?!" she cried and I pulled her even closer to me and she cried into my chest. 

"Misha, habibti. It's just not our time yet. Although we want a baby right now, remember that Allah has a plan for us and Allah is the best of planners. We might think we're ready for a baby but Allah knows best. He knows when it'll actually be the right time for us. Trust me, the wait will be worth it. You just need to stay strong and have patience, for Allah is with the patient. Just remember that you have me and we'll stick it out together until the end In Sha Allah." Misha's sobbing slowed down and was reduced to quiet whimpers and heavy breathing. After a while, Misha had fully calmed down. "Are you okay?" I asked. 

"Yeah." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry." I shook my head and kissed her forehead. 

"Don't apologize. I know you're hurting. Just don't forget that with hardships comes ease." Misha snuggled closer to me, her cheek resting against my chest and wrapped her arms around me. 

"Thank you." she said. 

• ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • 

Six months later...

Aasim's POV~ 

"Taali, are you ready?" I called from the living room but Taalia didn't reply. A few moments later, Taalia appeared in the living room wearing just a pair of grey sweats and a black bra. I raised an eyebrow in question as I watched my wife wander around the room, looking for something. "Um, Taali?"