Chapter 46
Author's POV:
Evening sunlight filtered through the glass walls of Khans Group - painting the office in shades of gold and quiet. The city outside was alive, but inside, silence stretched like glass.
Aayat sat behind her sleek desk, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen, the blue glow brushing against her calm, expressionless face. Her posture was perfect - straight, still, and cold. The only sound was the faint tapping of keys and the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall.
A knock came at the door.
Without looking up, Aayat said softly, "Come in."
Arjun stepped inside, slightly hesitant, a folder in his hand.
"Ma'am," he said carefully, "Rayyan sir aaye hain... he wants to meet you."
Aayat's fingers froze mid-air. Her heart skipped, but her face didn't show it. She exhaled slowly, and said in a low voice,
"Bejo andar."
Arjun nodded and left.
A few seconds later, the door opened again - quietly this time.
Rayyan stepped in.
He looked nothing like the man she once knew - not the proud, composed Rayyan Hashmi, not the one who once stood unshaken before the world.
His hair was disheveled, eyes swollen and red as though sleep hadn't touched him in days.
The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled to his elbows; the top two buttons were undone, revealing the weariness written in every breath.
Aayat didn't raise her head. She kept typing, her voice calm, clipped.
"Bolo... kya kaam hai?"
Rayyan took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly.
"Aayat, main tumse-"
"Sirf business ke mutaliq yahan baat kar sakte hain ap mr. Malik," she interrupted, her tone sharp as glass, eyes still on the screen.
He stopped mid-sentence.
For a long second, the silence between them was so heavy it almost hurt. And then... Aayat finally lifted her gaze.
Her eyes met his.
Something inside her twisted.
The man standing in front of her looked broken - like someone who had lost not just peace, but himself.
She rose from her chair slowly, controlling the tremor in her hands, masking the ache beneath that icy calm.
"Kyu aye ho tum yahan?" she asked, her tone steady.
Rayyan's lips parted, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Aayat, mein tumse....maafi mangna chahta hoon .... Har us dard ki maafi jo meri wajah se tumhe mila."
Aayat gave a cold, bitter laugh - one that sounded more like a wound reopening. She stepped closer, eyes unwavering.
"Tumhe lagta hai ek sorry sab kuch theek kar dega?... Agar....."
Before she could say more, Rayyan moved closer - and then, to her shock, he went down on his knees before her. His head lowered, voice shaking.
"Aayat... main tumhara gunahgaar hoon. Mein tumhari hifazat nahi kar paya. Tum jo be saza dogi, mujhe manzoor hogy."
Her breath caught. For a moment, her chest ached, her throat tightened - but she didn't let it show.
Before she could speak, Rayyan lifted his head and continued, voice raw,
"Lekin..." - he paused, meeting her eyes -
"Main un khula ke papers par sign nahi kar sakta aayat."
Aayat froze. The air between them turned sharp.
She stepped back, her expression tightening.
"Toh khade ho jao phir," she said icily. "Kyun kay mujhse maafi tumhe tab milegi, jab tum mujhe azaad kar doge is rishte say."
Rayyan stood, his eyes wet.
"Please Aayat... aisa mat karo. Main tumhare aage haath jodta hoon... main-"
Aayat turned away, her jaw clenched.
" BAS!! yaha se chale jao."
Rayyan's voice broke completely,
"Main mar jaunga Aayat..."
Aayat looked over her shoulder, eyes cold, voice steady -
"Toh mar jao. Per meri nazro se door ho jao..."
That single sentence fell like a blade.
For a second, Rayyan forgot to breathe. His knees almost gave way, and he looked at her - as though searching for the woman he once loved, the one who once smiled at him like he was her whole world.
But all he saw now was emptiness.
Her back turned to him, her shoulders stiff, her silence louder than anger.
Rayyan's gaze fell to her reflection in the glass window - her posture unshaken, her distance infinite.
Inside, his heart tore.
He whispered under his breath, " aj samj aya, jis se ap pyar kro , aur wo muh mod le toh kitni taqleef hoti hai ."
He could feel every wound he had once given her - the humiliation, the disbelief, the nights she must have cried alone.
He thought of the slap he had given her, the trust he had broken, the day he had chosen Ramsha's lie over Aayat's truth.
Tears slid down his face.
He moved closer, gently turned her by the shoulder - forcing her to face him - and said, trembling,
"Tum jitni naraz rehna chaho, reh lo... lekin main tumhari is narazgi ko dur kar ke rahunga. Chahe mujhe kisi bhi imtihan se guzarna pade."
Aayat stared at him, voice almost breaking but still cold.
"Sign kar do, please rayyan... main tumhe maaf kar dungi... Warna mujhe majbooran ye sab court le jaana padega."
Rayyan gave a faint, broken smile.
"Ye galti pehle kar chuka hoon aayat..."
"ammi ne kaha nikkah kar lo, maine bina soche samjhe kar liya. Ab tum keh rahi ho khula ke papers per sign kar do... lekin is bar main nahi karunga. Is bar jaldi mein kuch nahi karuga..."
He wiped his tears roughly, looking straight into her eyes.
"Is baar akhri saans tak koshish karunga. Kyunke tumhe chhodna... apni zindagi chhodna hai."
Aayat's eyes filled despite herself.
"Tum bohot pehle mujhe chhod chuke ho..."
Rayyan shook his head, voice trembling,
"Nahi... nahi chhoda maine tumhe. Aur dua karta hoon jis din chhod doon, wo din meri zindagi ka aakhri din ho."
And with that, he turned and walked out - quietly, without looking back.
The moment the door clicked shut, Aayat's fa?ade shattered.
She sank into her chair, covered her face with both hands - and sobbed. Silent, breaking sobs that echoed in the empty room.
~
The streets glowed under yellow lights. Rayyan drove aimlessly, the steering wheel blurring behind his tears. When the call to prayer echoed from a nearby mosque, he stopped the car.
He walked in, washed his face with trembling hands, and joined the prayer.
When everyone left, Rayyan remained seated, his hands folded, his heart heavy with regret.
Memories flooded him - Aayat's eyes that begged him to believe her, his silence when she was humiliated, the thappad that still echoed in his mind.
He whispered between sobs,
"Ya Allah... main bohot bada gunahgaar hoon. Meri biwi par tohmat lagi, us par haath uthaya sab ne... uska kamra us se cheen liya gaya ,..... aur main chup chap khada dekhta raha. Main apni biwi ki hifazat nahi kar paya."
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he trembled.
"Main ne usko duao mein manga tha aapse, par shayad main khushiyan mangna bhool gaya. Jab wo dua qubool ho gayi, main uski ahmiyat bhool gaya. Apni hi ki gaye dua ko main bhool gaya..."
His voice broke completely.
"Ya Allah... main bohot dard mein hoon. Meri madad kar. Mujhe rasta dikha ke main is nikkah ko bacha sakoon... agar nahi bacha saka toh is nikah k khatam hone se pehle mujhe khatam kar de...."
As he wept, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder.
Rayyan looked up - it was an old Molvi sahab.
Molvi sahab smiled softly,
"Main ne tumhari baatein suni, beta. Tum bohot dard mein lag rahay ho?"
Rayyan wiped his tears, voice hoarse.
" Mujhse ek bohut bada gunnah ho gaya hain ... Main ne us ladki ko tanha kar diya... jise main sabse zyada mohabbat karta hoon. Per usey meri mohabbat pr yakeen nahi hain.... Ya phir ye keh le kay , main ne usse aur uski mohabbat dono ka qatl kar diya..."
"Is liye ab wo chahti hai main khula ke papers par sign kar du. Par main nahi kar sakta. Agar aisa kiya, toh main mar jaunga."
Molvi sahab chuckled softly, shaking his head.
" Kehte ho mohabbat karta hoon , aur phir utni hi jaldi haar be maan rahe ho.
.. Agar sach mein mohabbat karte ho, toh imtihan do.
.... Nikkah mein bohot taqat hoti hai, beta.
Us se maafi mango, dil se. Usse ehsaas dilao ke tum badal gaye ho. Kay tumhe ahsas h apni galtiyo ka..."
Rayyan looked up with wet eyes,
"Agar phir bhi maaf na kiya toh?"
And with that, the old man stood and walked away, leaving Rayyan sitting there - broken, yet with a flicker of hope.
Rayyan bowed his head again, whispering to himself,
" mein sab kuch theek kar k rahuga aayat , har nahi manuga ab mein..."
~
AK GROUPS
Aayat walked down the marble corridor of AK Group, her heels echoing with purpose. Her eyes were tired, but her face unreadable.
She stopped outside Ayaan's office, hand on the door handle.
But before she could step in, she heard his voice.
"Haan... Karta hoon mein aayat se mohabbat . Jab ussey pehli bar dekha tab se karta hoon..."
Her hand froze on the door.
Her heartbeat thundered in her chest.
She stood there - silent, shaken, and utterly still.