Fitoor

every action has a reaction

Sahir turned around as he heard Maya gasp in horror. He got up from his seat and saw her horrified expression with her hand over her mouth as he reached out to comfort her. The last thing he needed was Maya getting triggered, especially while she was still in the vulnerable stage of her first trimester.

"Jaan...shhh...breathe." He consoled her as she looked so traumatized, her skin was pale.

"Sah- Sahir!" She pointed to television. Her breathing became abnormally loud as she started crying. "How did this happen?"

"How would I know, Maya?" He said in frustration. "The CCTV camera was off and nobody has the audacity to spy on me, no one even came in my ca-" Sahir halted in his words.

"Arzoo." He said.

Maya looked abruptly as he said her name. Sahir looked down as if he was trying to put the puzzled pieces together.

"Arzoo was the only one that came in my cabin." He said.

Maya looked at him as if she had gotten a revelation. "Sahir, she-I met her outside of your building. She said something about how I'll regret my decision, but I didn't think she was serious."

Sahir shook his head.

"Oh my goodness-she didn't sign the divorce papers. She's dragging it out and using the child for it. Now she stooped so low?"

"Sahir-that means she heard everything...she, she knows I'm pregnant?" Maya said as she clutched onto her stomach.

"No. No, no no no." She shook her head. "Sahir, if she tries to harm our kid, I swear I'lL forget she's pregnant with your child."

"Maya, I promise you she can't do a thing."

"What do you mean?!" Maya yelled. "She leaked our private moment for the entire world to hear. The same thing I was scared of is going to happen now." She said while running a hand through her hair as she sat down.

Sahir's phone rang, alarming both of them. He answered in haste.

"Sir, all the media portals are contacting HR for your statement. What should we do?" Aisha said in confusion.

"Aisha-please don't eat my brain now. Ignore them." He said hanging up his phone.

Maya's face remained expressionless as she showed her phone to Sahir. There were 15 unread messages in her phone. Each of them linking her to an article.

Maya Mehrotra: Businesswoman of the Year or Homewrecker of the Year?

Sahir looked at her in guilt as he didn't bother to read the article. No matter how much they twisted and turned this, the blame would always land on Maya, because she was the woman. And sadly, that's how the media portrayed her. He would've gotten away with this, but the mother of his unborn child's name would be dragged through dirt. And he couldn't let that happen.

He had to fix this.

**

Arzoo giggled as she spun around the chair in Sahir's study in what used to once be their bedroom. She reminisced the days when Sahir and her once lived in this house. Ever since Maya had trapped him, he would spend days away from here. She had gotten used to his absence where his presence was once loved.

Her laughter stopped as she remembered the forsaken night. She shouldn't have done it, she knew it was wrong. But her poor heart was aching in memory of him. She too wanted to feel loved even if it was for one night. She too wanted to feel someone love her with the intensity that she loved them. And she had missed him so much. She missed the time they spent after marriage, when he was so kind and sweet to her.