His Blue Eyes Girl

Ch.42- Father's Sin

"Amir, what are you doing at this hour," AD's mom asks as she walks into her husband's study room.

"Nothing darling," he replies as he puts the photo frame back on his desk.

"I know what you're doing," she says as she walks over to stand behind of him and begins to massage his shoulders. "It's been almost thirty years since Hafiza left us all," she says as she stares at the photo with all of four of them. From left to right, stand Amir, her, Hafiza and Omar. They were all so young back then. While Omar and she still look the same, Amir definitely gained some weight and old age has caught up to him quick. Running a business isn't easy. If Hafiza were only alive today.

"Sometimes I wonder what she'll look like if she's still alive. Would she be running that bakery like she always dreamed of? It was all my fault. She died too young."

"Amir, nothing is your fault."

"Fahima," he whispers his wife's name as tears silently fall onto his desk. "I could have saved her. I could have."

"But then what about us? Would you have been happy without me? Without us?"

"No," he says as he places one hand on top her hand on his right shoulder.

As soon as they all graduated from college, Amir and Omar began to help their late father with his business. Hafiza went back home, while Fahima, his wife, stay working in a restaurant. Two weeks later, Hafiza came back and met with him. She cried in his arms and had told him that her dad wants her to marry this old man who owns an oil company in Saudi Arabia. It was an arranged marriage to her father's failing business. After begging with her own father and telling a lie, she was given one week to bring home her boyfriend and have a wedding. If that happens her younger sister will marry the man.

"Hafiza, why did you lie to your father that we were dating?"

"I'm sorry Amir. It was my only way out. You have to help me. Please!"

"But I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I—"

"Please don't say you don't love me," she says as she clings onto his arm, "I know very well that you love Fahima and not me. But Amir, I love you a lot. I loved you before Fahima came along into the picture. I met you before her! Please don't tell me that you don't notice my love for you after all I've done."

"I know," he says, "but all this time I've only seen you as a sister. The one I want to marry and have a life with is Fahima."

"Why," she says as she lets go of his arm, "I can be everything that she is and is not. I can give you anything that she can and cannot give. Marry me," she begs, "I promise I'll love you until the end of me. You'll be happy. I'll make you happy and you won't ever regret marrying me. Please, you're the only who can save me."

"I'm sorry," he says, "but I can only marry Fahima. However,--"

"Very well," she cuts him off, "I wish you two the best. It was nice knowing you Amir," she says and grabs her purse before running off.

"Hafiza, wait," he yells after her, "Hear me out!"

But it was too late, Hafiza didn't give him a chance. Although he was not willing to marry her, he did have an idea. His friend, George Ingram, Keith's father, was looking to expand his family business in other parts of the world and Hafiza's family business is the perfect one as they're both in the fashion industry. For sure, a partnership can help save Hafiza's family business. And it did, only after Hafiza committed suicide once she got back home. After the funeral, he had approached Hafiza's father and told him about George's business. With a possible partnership and investment, it might just be the one solution that help save his business without marrying off his youngest daughter off. In 2010, Hafiza's father announce his retirement and with none of his heirs wanting to take over the business, the partnership was merged into one huge company that Keith and Hayley are now overlooking.

"I wonder how Omar dealt with her death," Amir says, "I know my brother isn't the best man out there, but he loved the girl so much. I can tell every time he saw Hafiza or was around her. He loved her a lot, Fahima."