It was not Asmaira trying to take Raina’s place. It was you who were looking for Raina in her.
Feriha’s words reverberated in his mind. It was as if someone had thrown cold water and brought him back to reality. Being his mother, she read him like an open book when he himself didn’t realize what actually troubled him about Asmaira.
The room echoed with the slamming of the door against the wall. Amaan marched to the center only to halt at the condition of it. Everything was kept in its place and looked thoroughly cleaned. He walked backward when the scene of how he manhandled her on the Gala night flashed before his eyes. He stumbled on the vanity when her scream of that night echoed in his ear, and he covered his ears, dropping the phone he was holding in the action.
Marriage!A day that is engraved deeply into oneâs heart. For some people, itâs one of the best days of their lives; for some, itâs a new beginning. For some women, itâs a celebration of becoming someoneâs âyourâs forever,â while for some, it means the union of soulmatesâeach perceiving the marital union as per their expectations. However, one thing that is common among them is love. Love for your would-be spouse or the love that is showered on them during the entire ritual.It is believed a girl looks magnificent on her wedding day, which is evident in the way a groom cries seeing the woman he loves as his bride. This all would have been true for Asmaira if she had been married under normal circumstances. Although her wedding happened just the way she had imagined, in her small house with only her family witnessing one of her best moments of life, she was anything but happy. For her, all that was said about marriage or finding a soulmate was far from reality. There she was, alone an
Amaan glared at the girl with the glasses.He couldnât help but feel disgusted looking at her brideâs attire. He was never the one to judge people or even mock them, but seeing her as his wife made him want to murder her in that instance. The entire evening he didnât even know how he had been holding himself. If not for his motherâs disapproval stare or his brothers guarding him on their fatherâs insistence, he wouldnât have stayed back till the priest started the wedding supplications.His throat clogged, and he had to force out the words, I do, when he was asked.Rejecting the vows was on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to leave the woman and humiliate her in front of hers and his family. Let her suffer through misery at his rejection, yet he ended up saying yes to the vows. He was still consoling his scarred soul after leaving the wedding venue when he received a call from his father. He felt like the universe was against him and was mocking him for his helplessness. He was still
Amaan Hashmi was tall and handsome with a dimpled smile. Considered to be a Greek God with 6 ft heights, intense emerald eyes, a sharp nose, and a chiseled jawline, not many knew he was the owner of a golden heart. His broad shoulders and perfect body made him once the most eligible bachelor, full of life and dreams to conquer the world. He was not only admired by his peers but also looked up to by many entrepreneurs for his business acumen and engaging personality.A self-made millionaire at the age of 23 and the youngest son of Salar Hashmi, he was prophesied to be the future heir to Hashmi Industries by many contemporaries, including his elder brother. With his strong family background and equally profound surname, people assumed him to be arrogant and self-centric, whereas the reality was far from it. Unlike other heirs, he was never the work to brag about his daddyâs money. Instead, without seeking financial help from his father or surviving on his fatherâs reputation, he built
Amaan couldnât help yelling, âI don't want to get married.âhe was in the penthouse reminiscing his time with Raina there when the doorbell rang. At first, he thought it was housekeeping, but the intruder persistently rang the bell as if they knew he was inside. Irked at being disturbed, he opened the door only to freeze in his place, seeing his parents.His father spoke first, scrunching his nose as his son reeked of alcohol, âThirty minutes, and I want to see you in the house.âBefore Amaan could grasp it, his parents slid into the elevator with its door closed.Since the day he decided to leave his mansion and live in his penthouse with Rainaâs memory, he didn't bother to visit his family or receive their call. A ruthless businessman, Salar Hashmi was known of, failed to talk to his son. He knew his younger son was stubborn to his core; however, he never expected him to stop living. Although he had many ways to speak to him, as a father, he never wanted to make it more difficult fo
"Are you sure about this, Asmaira? Is this your final decision?" Asmaira's father, Ehsan, asked.They were seated in her room. With her head down and habitual licking of her lips, she looked skeptical, unsure of her decision. Ehsan was sure his daughter, who had never taken a step without consulting him or his wife, wouldnât be able to make a decision and would, as usual, ask him to decide. However, he was in for a surprise when Asmaira replied with one word, "Yes."Unable to handle the anger, he stormed out of her room, leaving a terrified Asmaira behind. No one knew what had happened between the father and the daughter or what they had spoken. The moment he left her room, disappointment was marring his face, while regret was evident on hers. Yet neither of them talks on the same topic further.On the other side of the city, Amaan parched on his couch, for once not intoxicated in his regular intake of alcohol. He was in his penthouse, anticipating his mother's call. It never happened
"No, please...... I didn't do anything. I swear I didn't know." Asmaira was crying in her sleep, mumbling unconsciously."Please......"Still clad in her wedding dress, she was cowering in her nightmare."Don't leave me. I am sorry, " she kept crying, holding herself together while lying on the floor.With her messy scattered around here, she was shivering with her eyes closed. One look at her, and anybody can guess she was in pain even in her deep slumbers. Her face was covered with beads of sweat mixed with her tears. Not a day had passed when she didn't have nightmares since she heard that newsâthe news which turned her world upside down. The news, which caused an invisible hole in her heart that never let her be at peace, the restlessness never left her since that day, and no matter how much she tried, she could never fill that hole. Never in her life has she been so helpless, and to make it worse, her savior was also not there with her."Raina!" She screamed, jolting up from he
Was she calling to taunt her for her lateness, or was she warning her of the rules? She had seen the Hashmi family at her wedding, and from the look of it, she was sure nobody was fond of her.Maya, by now, was sure the woman running before her would never be comfortable in the mansion or Hashmi’s lifestyle. Even if her humble background was ignored, her lack of confidence and edgy demeanor was so unlike Amaan’s first wife, who was the epitome of elegance and confidence. The woman before her was the complete opposite of what Amaan liked.No wonder he was against the marriage, Maya thought to herself, forcing a smile.“Ma’am wants to welcome you formally to the family. She insisted no one was to disturb y
"She had high expectations from you; I hope you won't disappoint both of us."Feriha’s words from earlier were ringing in Asmaira’s mind. She randomly strolled on the lawn aimlessly, not specifically moving anywhere. She needed her moment; she needed her time to settle. She was scared that she would let them down. She never left her family for a day, and here she was, living in new surroundings. She felt out of place.On cue, her mind flashed to Hania and Ishaal’s designer wears. Even Feriha’s simple yet classy attire gave away their elegance. She looked down at her modest dress and couldn’t help comparing. She noticed that she looked odd while sitting with them. Although they don't make her feel inferior nor look down upon her, her self-consciousness couldn’t let her miss the difference between her and them. M
It was not Asmaira trying to take Raina’s place. It was you who were looking for Raina in her.Feriha’s words reverberated in his mind. It was as if someone had thrown cold water and brought him back to reality. Being his mother, she read him like an open book when he himself didn’t realize what actually troubled him about Asmaira.The room echoed with the slamming of the door against the wall. Amaan marched to the center only to halt at the condition of it. Everything was kept in its place and looked thoroughly cleaned. He walked backward when the scene of how he manhandled her on the Gala night flashed before his eyes. He stumbled on the vanity when her scream of that night echoed in his ear, and he covered his ears, dropping the phone he was holding in the action.
“Y-Yes,” Mehwish’s stutter confirms Feriha’s suspicion.Rodriguez subtly disappeared from the scene and instructed his team to clear the premises. As a loyal subordinate, he read the room and gave privacy to the family.“And what did Asmaira reply?” Feriha took a few steps towards her, emanating her intense aura. The last fiasco in the Gala hasn’t been sorted, and she found her daughter at the center of another.“S-She….” Mehwish glanced at Amaan only to see realization drawing up on him.“If you
“We have a charity dinner invite from Mr. Shah. I want you to come along with Kabir,” Feriha said.Asmaira’s head snapped in her direction in surprise, “Me?”After getting discharged the next day, Asmaira was relieved that Amaan had left for a business trip. But what had suffice between them that night kept haunting her. That night, he not only unlocked the new fear for himself but also opened Pandora’s box. She couldn’t muster up the courage to meet Kabir in his absence. The guilt she was responsible for his miserable childhood overshadowed her love for him.Noticing her avoiding Kabir, Feriha planned to bring her and Kabir together on the pretext of evening tea. With Hania taking care of the NGO in her mother-in-law’s absence and Ishaal busy designing her new exclusive collection, this was the only way for her to break whatever wall Asmaira had created around her.“Now that people have seen you during the Ga
âFuck!âAmaan slumped on the bed with his elbows on his knees and clasped hands before his lips. Locking Asmaira away was the only way for him to calm himself down and think through.The fire of hatred that started seeing Asmaira in Rainaâs look made him take the drastic step. He had been verbal to her with his warning, but seeing her nonchalant, he had to threaten her in a different way. However, what he didnât expect was finding her squirm beneath him half-naked would only lead him to lose himself.The anger should have been extinguished after seeing her broken form. If anything, it intensified and irked at his emotions going haywire for a woman who brought agony to Raina in her dying moment. He swatted the night lamp on the ground. With his chest heaving with untamed fury, he clutched the duvet and ripped it. The bedsheet and the pillows met the same ending. He doesnât know what was making him feral, but the thought he was about to force Asmaira made him feel like a sexual predator
âNo, you didnât.âAsmaira screamed when Amaan pushed her onto the bed, but not before grabbing the end of her saree and yanking it off her. Clutching her loosened blouse from falling off, Asmaira dropped on the bed. She had to hold on to the piece like her life depended on it. Amaan glared at her naked back, and his fury intensified, realizing he froze at the sight of it momentarily. Angered at his slip of emotion, he threw the saree on the floor and leaned on the bed. Asmaira, attempting to scoot to the other side, shrieked when he caught her ankle and pulled her towards him. âNo!â she used her free leg to kick his hold on the other. Unfortunately for her, he grabbed both her ankles while saying, âYou wanted to take Rainaâs place. I will give it to you tonight.âTurning her around on her back and spreading her legs, he placed himself between them to put a stop to her attempt. âAnd every night. You will understand marriage is not a game, and every night I will be happy to make sur
Triggering scene. If not comfortable, please skip the two chapters.As soon as Asmaira entered the room, she ran to the couch and slumped on it, her body quivering with her sobs.âI⌠Iâm not jealous,â her murmurs escape in between her wails. Fisting the couchâs surface, she let out a heart wrecking cry. She lay there, crying her heart out, when a whoosh of cold wind made her halt. She raised her head, and soon another wave brushed her as if it was soothing her. She was about to stand when her steps were interrupted by the high heels. She removed them without caring for the blisters popping with her rough action. Her hair swayed with the wind that had her close her eyes, whispering, âRaina.ââI n-never envy you.âHer eyes opened to the view of the curtain swinging aside with the wind and the sliding door to their balcony appearing. She sniffled and walked out to where the breeze maneuvering her. Overwhelmed with her helplessness, regret, remorse, pain, and self-loath, she stopped at
“I gave her,” When Feriha said, Amaan’s retort was quick, “Don’t lie to me, Ma.”“Raina wanted it to be auctioned.”Raina’s name stilled him, “what?”“What you heard. It is the last piece in the auction, and I gave it to Asmaira to wear for the final act,” when Feriha confessed, Asmaira couldn’t help glancing at it again.“Amaan, I know how it looks, but this is not the dress Asmaira was to wear. Th—” Hania was interrupted by Amaan, “Of course. She wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place, but here she is. Isn’t she?”Seeing her son snarling like an agitated beast, Feriha i
“Here you are, Asmaira. I have been looking for you,” Hania uttered as soon as she entered Kabir’s room.It had been more than ten days since Asmaira stopped going to the office. Ten days of radio silence from Amaan as if he never came to the room in her presence. By the time she slept, he didn’t return, and by morning, the vague smell of his cologne told her he had already dressed and left for the office.What surprised her was the lack of questions raised about his absence during the meals. Apparently, he informed them beforehand that spared her the ordeal of falling under Salar’s scrutiny.“Do you need help with something?” Asmaira asked.With Hania and Ishaal swamped with Gala’s arrangement, A
Amaan was brought out of the painful memory when his phone buzzed. His face was marred with a stoic shadow with the blast from the past, making him realize Asmaira doesnât deserve his sympathy or any kind of emotions. She treated Raina worse than an enemy instead of listening to her. She hurt Raina at the moment of her death, and for that, he would never forgive her, no matter if she had strong morality. âRoss,â he answered the call when his friendâs name flashed.âWhatâs up, Captain? Do you still remember your friends?âHe squashed the cigarette under his shoes and asked, âWhen will you stop calling me that? We are not in school anymore.ââIâm glad you finally decided to answer my call.â Ross was surprised when Amaan answered the call instead of disconnecting, which he had been doing since Rainaâs death. Amaan knew what he meant. âwhere are you?âWith the background buzzing with noise, Ross replied, âOur usual. Boys are here for our monthly meetup.âRoss was Amaanâs school friend,