Chapter 14
Rayyan shut the door of his room behind him with a force that shook the walls.
His chest was heavy, breaths sharp, as if each inhale carried shards of glass tearing him from within.
He walked straight to the window, resting both hands against the sill, his head bowed.
His reflection in the glass looked alien-a man stripped of his control, drowning in grief yet too proud to scream.
Behind him, the door creaked open. Bare feet padded against the carpet. Before he could turn, slender arms wrapped around him tightly.
"Aayat..." he whispered, stiffening, trying to shake her off.
But she clung harder, her chest pressed to his back, tears soaking his shirt.
"Please, Rayyan... please," she sobbed, her voice broken, her words falling like shattered glass.
"Apne dil ki awaaz suno... please, mujh per yakeen karo. Mujhe mat saza do us galti ki jo maine ki hi nahi. Main ne kuch nahi kiya, Rayyan..."
Rayyan closed his eyes, every word stabbing deeper.
He forced her arms off, turning sharply. His face was pale, eyes bloodshot not with rage but with pain.
"Door raho mujhse," he said hoarsely. His voice cracked like broken glass. "Tumhari shakal bhi nahi dekhna chahta main."
Those words were knives. Aayat staggered back, her lips trembling. It felt as if the earth had split beneath her feet.
"Rayyan..." she whispered, but the sound was strangled, lifeless.
Before she could say more, a sharp, commanding voice cut the air.
"Tumne suna nahi?" Nafeesa stepped in, her sari rustling as she moved between them like a wall. Her face was stern, eyes blazing. "Mere betay ne kaha hai ke usse tumhari shakal bhi dekhna bardasht nahi. Phir kyun chipak rahi ho uske saath?"
Aayat's lips parted, but Nafeesa's scorn lashed again.
"Dekho kya haal bna diya hai mere betay ko! Main ne tumhe is ghar ki bahu banakar is liye laya tha ke mere betay ki khushi tum se judi thi. Lekin tumne... tumne usi ka dil tod diya."
Tears streamed down Aayat's cheeks. "Tai Ammi... main aisa soch bhi-"
"Bas!" Nafeesa snapped, slicing her words mid-air. "Tumhari wajah se mere betay ka ye haal hain..Lekin main usse aur tootne nahi dungi." And then she turned to rayyan and said,"Aj shaam tumhara nikah Ramsha ke saath hoga."
The room spun around Aayat. Her gaze darted desperately to Rayyan. He was still by the window, but now his shoulders trembled. His eyes, when they turned to her, were glistening-not in anger, but in unbearable grief.
"Rayyan... nahi..."
Her voice cracked, pleading, searching for that one lifeline.
Rayyan held her gaze for a long, suffocating moment. His hand rose-not to touch her, but to wipe his own tears. And then he whispered, broken but final:
"Ammi... tayyari shuru karen."
The words struck like thunder. Aayat's knees almost gave way. "Nahin, nahin, Rayyan!" she screamed, shaking her head violently. "Please, please don't do this to me..."
But Nafeesa placed a cold hand on Aayat's shoulder. "Tumhara samaan guest room mein shift kiya jaa raha hai. Aaj ke baad se tum is kamre mein nahi raho gi. ab se ye kamra ramsha ka hain , rayyan ki har cheez pr ab se ramsha ka haq hain sirf..."
Two servants entered quietly, lifting Aayat's suitcases, packing her books, the little frames she had kept by Rayyan's bedside. Each item being carried out was another stab to her heart.
She looked back at Rayyan one last time, hoping he would stop them, hoping he would speak. But he only turned away, walking out the opposite door without a glance.
~
Aayat stumbled through corridors, her breath ragged, until she found herself before Shahbaz Malik's study. Her taya jaan-the man who had always treated her as his own daughter. With trembling courage, she stepped in.
"Taya jaan..." her voice was barely a whisper. He stood by the window, hands behind his back, the way he always did when deep in thought.
She swallowed hard. "Aapne hamesha mujhe apni beti samjha... Mujhe pyar diya. Please... please mera yakeen kijiye. Main ne kuch galat nahi kiya. Main Rayyan ke saath aisa kabhi nahi kar sakti. Main aapki parwarish hoon... Mujh par bharosa ki......."
Her words trembled with desperation. But before she could finish, his hand lashed across her face. The crack of the slap echoed in the silent room.
"Isi ka toh afsos hai!" Shahbaz thundered, his voice shaking with rage.
"Hamari tarbiyat mein kahan kami reh gayi ke tum ne poore khandan ka sir jhuka diya?
Tumhari jagah koi aur hoti toh ab tak talaaq de kar nikal dete tumhe is ghar se.
Lekin tum... tum toh isi ghar ki beti ho. Tumhe nikal bhi nahi sakte."
Another slap sent her staggering into a table, the edge cutting her arm.
"Dafa ho jao!" he roared.
Aayat's sobs choked her as she fled, her vision blurred.
She collapsed in the guest room, curling by the bed, her cries tearing through the silence. "Ya Allah... meri hifazat kar.... Madad kar meri..."
The door creaked. Through her tears, she saw a small figure-her younger sister Hayaat.
"Appi..." Hayaat whispered, rushing forward. She fell to the floor beside Aayat, pulling her into her arms.
Aayat clung to her like a lifeline, sobbing into her little sister's shoulder. "Hayaat... tum toh mera yakeen karo... Maine kuch nahi kiya. Yeh sab jhoot hai..."
Hayaat cupped her sister's tear-streaked face. "Main janti hoon, Appi. Ap aisa kuch kar hi nahi sakti. Koi ap par bharosa kare na kare, mujhe ap par pura bharosa hai."
Her words were soft, but they wrapped around Aayat's shattered heart like a balm. Yet Hayaat's eyes watered as she stood.
"Appi... mujhe jana hoga. Abu ne sabko mana kiya hai apse baat karne ko. Main chup kar aayi hoon. Agar kisi ne dekh liya toh..." she said and walk toward the door.
She paused at the door, looking back, her own face wet with tears. "I'm sorry, Appi. Main kuch nahi kar paa rahi. Maine Abu se, Ammi se, bhaiyon se kaha, par kisi ne nahi suna. Sab ne kaha, tu choti hai... toh choti ban kar reh. Mujhe maaf kar dena..."
And she fled.
Aayat was alone again.
Evening descended. The house filled with guests, hushed whispers, the rustle of silk, the faint fragrance of roses. But for Aayat, it was the silence of a grave.
From the second-floor railing, she watched as the ceremony began below. Rayyan sat on one side of the partition, Ramsha on the other.
"Rayyan Malik," the Qazi intoned, "kya aapko yeh nikah qabool hai?"
Rayyan was silent. His gaze lifted-and collided with Aayat. For a fleeting heartbeat, the world froze.
Aayat's lips trembled, her eyes shimmering with hope.
Rayyan tore his gaze away. "Qabool hai."
Her heart cracked.
The Qazi asked again. "Qabool hai."
Tears blurred her vision.
For the third time, his voice, cold and final: "Qabool hai."
The words sealed her grave.
Downstairs, Ramsha repeated her acceptance. Smiles, congratulations, blessings filled the room. Upstairs, Aayat whispered to herself, her lips curling in a broken smile:
" congratulations aayat."
~
She stumbled back to her room, turned the shower on full, stepping beneath the icy cascade. The water mingled with her tears as she whispered:
"Aj se Rayyan tumhara nahi, Aayat... Ab woh Ramsha ka hai. Kya ab bhi tum is ghar mein rahogi? In logon ke saath, jinhone tum par bharosa nahi kiya? Tumhe us galti ki saza di Jo tumne kabhi ki hi nahi... jin logo ko tumhari hifazat karni thi wohi log tumhare sab se baday dushman niklay."
Her sobs hardened into rage. " Aur Aj se Aayat malik mar gaye... In logo k liye uska pyar be us k saath hi dafan ho gaya .."
When she stepped back into her room, her eyes no longer held tears-only fire.
Rayyan entered, his face ashen. He tried to speak, but she cut him with a sharp, bitter laugh.
"Yahan kya kar rahe ho? Tumhe toh apni nayi dulhan ke paas hona chahiye, Rayyan Malik."
His jaw tightened. He grabbed her arm. "Dekho, tumne kya kar diya..."
But this was not the same Aayat who once begged. She yanked her arm free, shoving him back.
"Haath mat lagana mujhe."
For the first time, Rayyan saw not love in her eyes, but venom.
"Mubarak ho," she spat. "Tumhe bhi, aur is ghar k har eik fard ko be. Aj tum sab ne mil kr mujhe maar diya.. us gunnah ki saza di Jo mein ne kiya hi nahi...."
Her voice rose, echoing through the house. Families gathered at the doorway, alarmed. Rashid barked, "tum ne phir se ek naya tamasha laga diya?"
But Aayat cut him off, her voice like thunder.
"Bas! Ab ek lafz aur nahi sunungi. Abhi tak sunti rahi, kyun ap sab se pyar karti thi... Lekin tum sab ne aj us pyar ko khatam kar diya .. nafrat bhar di mere andar!"
She walked to Ramsha, pulling off the bracelet Rayyan had once given her, placing it in Ramsha's palm.
"Ab jab Rayyan tumhara hai, toh uski har cheez tumhari hai. Aur mein tumhe dua deti hoon, kay jo taqleef tum nay mujhe di hai , wohi taqleef tumhara muqadar ban jaye... balkay ap sab ka muqadar ban jaye..." she turned, eyes burning into each face, until they landed on Rayyan.
Her voice broke into a scream.
"Nafrat karti hoon main tumse! Aj se, abhi se, isi lamhe se. I hate you, Rayyan Malik. I hate you!"
She shoved him hard, her scream shattering the silence.
"Nikal jao! Dafa ho jao yaha se! Aj ke baad mujhe apni shakal mat dikhana. Kyun ke main tumhari shakal se, tumhare naam se, tumhare poore wajood se nafrat karti hoon!"
The words cut deeper than any blade. Rayyan stood frozen, his heart tearing open. For the first time, he saw it-the death of Aayat's love.
And all that was left was hate.