Upside Down

Chapter 23

Samara sat in the kitchen, her mind racing. She knew giving Danial a chance to be part of Mehwish's life was risky, but it felt right. He had failed her as a husband, but maybe he could succeed as a father. Mehwish deserved to know her father, and he deserved a chance to prove himself.

"Are you my daddy?" Mehwish asked, looking up at Danial with wide eyes.

"Yes, I'm your daddy," Danial said, his voice filled with emotion. As the words left his mouth, Mehwish's little jaw dropped in shock.

"Re...a...ll...y?" she stammered.

"Yes, sweetheart," her father said, all the love in his heart evident.

"Mommy, can I go and give Daddy a huggy?" Mehwish whispered in Samara's ear. Samara knew Danial heard it, and he smiled at her.

"Of course, sweetheart," Samara said. Mehwish took tentative steps towards him, and Danial wrapped her in his arms.

"I missed you, Daddy. Where were you all this time?" she asked, still hugging him tightly.

"Um...I...was..." Danial began, but Samara cut in.

"Daddy had important work to do in a different city," she lied, hoping to protect Mehwish from the complexities of their past. Danial looked at her, gratitude mixed with guilt in his eyes.

"You won't leave Mehwish again, will you?" Mehwish asked him, her voice small and hopeful.

"Daddy will come to see you whenever I'm free, and every weekend for sure," he promised.

"Really?" she grinned, her eyes lighting up.

"Really," he assured her, kissing her forehead.

Samara watched the scene unfold, her heart aching with a mix of joy and sorrow. Seeing Mehwish so happy brought tears to her eyes, but she held them back. She had vowed never to cry in front of Danial again. He would never be forgiven for what he did to her, but for Mehwish's sake, she had to move forward.

The doorbell rang, and Hassan appeared, opening it. "It's 45 minutes late, so you're not getting the delivery charge," he told the pizza guy.

"Yes, Mehwish was hungry," she added, with Hassan glaring at her.

"Okay, he was hungry too," she amended, looking at Hassan with annoyance.

"Go inside, guys," Samara told them, handing the pizza guy the money and the delivery charge. Mistakes happen, after all.

"You've changed, Samara," Danial said as she returned to the kitchen to make tea.

"Time changes," she replied, busying herself with the task.

"Thanks for being supportive towards me, despite the fact that I never supported you," he said with remorse.

"We have to learn how to support ourselves rather than waiting for someone else," she said, pouring tea into cups.

"Since when did you become so sensible?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Since I didn't have anything to lose anymore. However, I have responsibilities," she said, carrying two cups of tea, one for her stepfather and one for Danial.

"How come you've got long, silky hair?" he asked.

How come you are so interested in Samara? she wondered.

"I couldn't take good care of my hair, so I used to chop it and blow dry it. However, after having Mehwish, I didn't have time for any fashion," she said honestly.

"I like the name Mehwish. What does it mean?" he asked, as if trying to catch up on everything he had missed.

"When she was born, she was really pretty, even now she is. Beautiful like a fairy. That's why I named her Mehwish. The meaning is simple: 'pretty'," she said, recalling the moment.

"It hurts," she whimpered in pain.

"You're doing really well, sweetheart. Keep pushing," the midwife said.

"I can't," she whispered.

"You're a very strong woman. Of course, you can," the midwife said, caressing her hair.

The feeling was indescribable. It felt like someone was pushing out one of her organs. She couldn't push anymore. Exhausted, she gave one last push, and the room filled with cries.

"It's a girl," the nurse said with a grin, tears mingling with the sweat on Samara's forehead.

"She is so beautiful," Samara said as the midwife handed her the baby.

"What are you going to name her?" the midwife asked.

"Mehwish Samara," she said, giving her own name as a surname.

"You there?" Danial asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, sorry, I zoned out," she said.

"It's a rare and beautiful name," he said.

"It's Mehwish Samara," she said proudly.

"Why didn't you use Saeed?" he asked.

"Saeed has been taken away from me, so I didn't have a surname to give her. I just gave her my name," she said, taking the cups into the living room.

"Papa, your tea. And this is Danial Malik, Mehwish's father. Danial, this is my stepfather," she introduced them.

"You have a stepfather?" Danial asked in disbelief.

"Let's keep that part of the story for another day," she said, and he nodded.

Later, Danial and her stepfather had a conversation while Samara checked on the kids. Hassan was asleep, and Mehwish had pizza sauce all over her face. She sighed and carried Mehwish to the bathroom to wash her face.

"Aren't you sleepy yet?" she asked, wiping her face.

"I can't sleep without you," Mehwish said, resting her head on Samara's shoulder.

Later, they had a father-daughter goodbye, and Samara walked Danial outside.

"You can call to speak to Mehwish. It's still my old number. Sorry, I forgot you must have deleted it. Don't worry, I won't text you this time," she said with a chuckle.

"I still have your number, and I know you won't. That's my new worry now, the way you trash people from Cardiff," he said, smiling.

"Was that you the other day who rang me and acted mute?" she asked in disbelief.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he said, getting into his car.

"Just because I spoke to you decently doesn't mean I've forgiven you. I'll get you back sooner or later," she warned him, and he chuckled.

Samara watched as Danial drove away, a mix of emotions churning inside her. She had taken a step forward, but the road ahead was uncertain. For now, she had to focus on Mehwish and the life they had built. One thing was clear: she would never let anyone hurt her daughter, not even Danial.

With a deep breath, she turned back to the house, ready to face whatever came next. Mehwish's laughter echoed from inside, a reminder of what mattered most. Samara smiled, determined to protect her daughter and give her the best life possible.