Chapter 13
"I DESTROYED HER IMAGE... TO MAKE HER MINE THEN brEAK HER EGO," Adnan screamed into the phone, his voice laced with deranged pride and shattered ego that had now turned into ruins.
Before he could process what was happening, a fist came flying at him, connecting with brutal force. The phone slipped from his grip, dropping to the floor as the call abruptly disconnected.
A horrified gasp escaped Adnan's mother's lips as Zaviyar, seething with rage, landed a lethal punch to his face that sent Adnan crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
Adnan groaned in agony, his body writhing on the floor.
Blood trickled from the busted skin on his lips, the corner of his mouth already swelling with a bruise.
With trembling limbs and the help of his shocked mother, he struggled to steady himself.
His hand shot up as he wiped the blood tickling down the corner of his mouth.
"Dare you disrespect any woman like that again," Zaviyar growled, his voice like thunder, dark and dangerous. His eyes gleam with suppressed wrath, and his clenched fists trembled, aching to end this man right then and there.
Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Murtaza rushed forward and fell to his knees before Nauman.
"Please forgive us, Mr. Khan," he pleaded, his voice shaking as he folded his hands together. "Please... have mercy."
Nauman's expression didn't change only growing colder by each passing second.
"Forgiveness won't fix anything now, Murtaza. " he replied coldly, shaking his head in bitter disappointment and dismay.
Murtaza's voice lowered to a whisper of desperation, still loud enough for Nauman and Riffat to hear.
"We can still fix this.", his eyes gleam with something dark and desperate. " No one knows your niece's face. Let her sit for the nikah... she'll wear a veil. No one will even know who the bride is."
His gaze flickered to Riffat, his tone hopeful. "Both families' honor will be saved."
For a moment, Riffat looked convinced.She could feel the weight of society's judgements and whispers which were slowly bearing down on their shoulders. But Nauman's angry voice snapped her out of it.
"When your own daughter didn't care about your honor, you expect us to sacrifice the girl from our family? NEVER!" Nauman barked, shoving Murtaza's hand off his shoulder
"Thank you very much... but this is where our association ends." His tone was final, slicing through the tension like a blade.
A dark, chilling laugh echoed through the hall slicing through the intensity of the air. All eyes turned to Adnan, who chuckled to himself like a lunatic, blood staining his teeth.
"So what?" he rasped, raising a trembling finger, pointing between Safiya and Zaviyar.
"The pictures were proof th-that these t-two... these two were too close."
His voice cracked with venom. "How can a girl allow a boy to come this close before marriage unless... SHE'S A SLUT?" he screamed, the vulgar word hanging in the air like the blade over someone's neck in the guillotine. His words stirred doubts within the guests and relatives.
Rabiya instinctively reached out and clutched Riffat's hand. Wajahat closed his eyes, visibly flinching at the accusation. The same vile word used to insult his own wife echoed again, reopening old wounds.
Before Zaviyar could take another step, something fast flashed past him.
Safiya, her eyes blazing with fury, lifted her heavily embroidered lehenga and with perfect precision kicked Adnan right in the crotch. The impact being so powerful that Adnan let out a scream that could shatter glass. His mother gasped out in shock.
But Safiya didn't flinch. She pressed down further with more pressure making sure that the psychopath at her nercy wouldn't be able to forget this ever.
"It's okay if I don't get married," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom, "but I'm not letting you call me a slut and walk away like it's nothing."
Wajahat and Rabiya rushed forward, trying to pull her back. Years of training as a black belt in taekwondo had made her dangerous. But today, her rage made her unstoppable.
"How dare you- you shameless girl!" Adnan's mother shrieked, her voice shrill with disbelief. Safiya turned to her slowly, eyes narrowed.
"So you're the bitch that birthed this embarrassment," she said coldly, with a sneer of disdain.
Adnan's mother stood up and gave Safiya a light push off of her son. Safiya didn't stumble but only took a step back, to stand tall in front of the woman.
"You dare speak to me like that?! My son was saving your honor by proposing marriage to you.
But no! You had to act like you were better than him.
No wonder you're like this... after all, your mother was the same.
First, she opened her legs for a rich boy, and now she's taught the same thing to her daught-"
SLAP!
The sound rang through the air, making the people gasp in utter shock. Safiya's palm met the woman's cheek with a force that snapped her head sideways. The red imprint of her fingers burned on her skin.
" I'll break your bones, grind them into powder and feed it to your bitch of a son. Dare you say one more word about my mother. ", safiya said clicking her fingers in her face, threatening her by deliberately dragging her words.
"Get them out of here," Zaviyar commanded, voice cold as steel.
Without hesitation, his men stepped in, dragging Adnan's broken form across the floor. His mother stumbled after him, holding her cheek in stunned silence.
Murtaza stood there, seething in anger. All he could see was the cash he had lost. This marriage wasn't just an alliance, this meant years of power and money to him.
The title of the Khan's and their backing is what mattered to him more. More than his daughter! Panic and desperation clashed in his eyes as he faced the Khan family, while the guards held him harshly dragging him away.
"Adnan is right," he spat bitterly. "My daughter might've tainted our image, but this girl-" he pointed at Safiya with shaking hands, "she's no better. If not worse."
As Murtaza was dragged off, the tension in the room deepened. Agastya turned to Waqas, blinking twice- their silent signal. Waqas nodded slightly and slipped away with the men.
Meanwhile, Safiya turned to her parents, voice soft and shaky after venting out her anger. It was probably the first time her parents had witnessed her anger which made her almost lose all her sanity.
Her rude self was only preserved for people who decided to cross her. But today her actions even had her parents shocked. She had always tried to remain calm when with them.
"I would never do anything like...", she said holding both of her parents. She knew they trusted her. Her parents were not like others who would abandon their daughters because of some false accusations.
Her mother didn't let her finish. She stepped forward, wrapping Safiya in a crushing hug.
"I know. My daughter would never," she whispered, eyes shut, tears trailing down her cheeks. Her heart ached for her daughter. That's why she preferred that they remained away from Azamgarh. She had endured the same insukts once. But today, she refused to let history repeat itself.
Riffat stood frozen, her hands clammy with unease. She turned to Nauman and her heart dropped.
His face was pale, twisted in pain.
"Zaviyar- " Nauman called out hoarsely, his voice barely audible before he clutched his chest and staggered forward.
Riffat caught him just in time before he collapsed. Zaviyar and Wajahat rushed to either side of him, grabbing his arms and helping him stay upright. Agastya quickly cleared the way, guiding them off the stage.
They moved swiftly into a side room, the makeshift makeup area stacked with gifts and wedding props.
Khwaish followed as worry etched into every feature of her face. Agastya immediately dialed the number to summon the team of doctors who were always shadowing him due to his political position.
Within minutes, the medical team arrived and requested the room be cleared.
Khwaish, being a doctor herself, refused to leave and was allowed to stay.
Outside, Wajahat stood silently, massaging his temple, overwhelmed by the storm of emotions. He didn't know what to feel about the accusations targeted at his daughter or the marriage that were now into ashes.
That's when Rabiya, who was standing beside him approached Riffat.
"Bhabi... do you blame Safiya- ", she asked softly, afraid of the answer. Riffat shook her head, eyes glistening.
"Nauman..." she choked on a sob before Rabiya gently placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Everything will be alright, Baajjo," Rabiya whispered.
Riffat nodded slowly, wiping away her tears just as Zaviyar burst out of the room, his eyes wild with panic. Agastya followed close behind.
Across the hallway, Safiya and Kabir leaned against the wall, waiting anxiously, tension hanging like a thick fog around them.
"We have to handle the guests. Rabiya, please come with me," Riffat said urgently, her voice quivering, the stress weighing heavy on her words.
"Wajahat, you stay here and keep the kids calm," she instructed before heading off with Rabiya toward the main hall.
The corridor buzzed with hushed whispers and concerned murmurs. As they rounded a corner, both women froze.
They could hear a small group of ladies speaking in low tones. Among them were three female guests, one of whom was a distant Khan relative, and another whose voice sounded really familiar to Rabiya.
Rabiya's eyes widened when she realised it was a woman from their city Almora. She lived in their neighbourhood and was quite an influential woman in their circle.
A group of women stood in the corridor, their heavily adorned sarees swishing softly as they leaned in to whisper among themselves, hungry for gossip. Their faces etched with malice and arrogance and they spoke.
"That girl- she has no shame. Talking like that and did you see what she did to that boy..." one woman sneered in shock, widening her eyes.
"She is some lawyer... that's why. Educated girls tend to be rowdy and proud," another added, adjusting the dupatta over her head.
"The Khan's son- is no less. They claim to be royals yet their son is here. Being close to girls before marriage. What days have come?" said the woman who happened to be thier with a shake of her head, her gold bangles clinking with each movement. The others nodded in agreement.
"Boys can be like this but girls... Chee chee cheeeee....",The woman crossed her fingers and moved it over her mouth two to three times. The exaggerated disapproval rolled off their tongues like venom dressed in concern.
. "Areh you all don't know that girl... Safiya. She lives in our neighbourhood. Her mother had been looking for a suitable boy for her...", the woman from Almora said, making sure to deliver each word with emphasis and malice.
Gasps followed. "Really?"
Rabiya only looked at them with anger. She shook the flashbacks that she was getting. The woman of the village coating the black ashes from the mud stove on her and her mother's face for loving Wajahat.
Words were no less than actions. They were doing the same thing even after 25 years.
"Yes, but I heard she kept rejecting all the boys.
No matter how good they were. Now that I have witnessed all this, I'm hundred percent sure she has been in a promiscuous relationship with Khan's son.
" Her voice dripped with smug certainty as she poked her finger into her palms as if to prove a point.
"Tch tch... No matter how much they try to hide this. sins are always exposed by the creator himself..." one of them muttered dramatically adjusting her dupatta over her head once again.
"Yes... Yes... Otherwise why would she refuse such good boys who asked for her hand in marriage.", the woman who happened to be their relative said shaking her head vigorously.
"Now I understand. I must warn the women of our circle about this dangerous girl...", the woman from Almora said.
Just then, a powerful voice cut through their gossip like a dagger.
"Mrs Bothra.... How dare you speak such filthy words about my daughter like this?"
All the ladies froze in place as Rabiya, stepped forward from behind the wall with her chin held high.
Mrs Bothra blinked in panic. "Mrs S-Shah, I-"
Rabiya was one of the main fund raisers in their circles for various events including their parties and any social gathering held for a cause. Mrs Bothra who had always been jealous of Rabiya couldn't help but open her mouth to shame her the first chance she got
Seeing Rabiya now struck her with sheer panic. But Rabiya wasn't done.
"I don't have time to waste with you but if you are so keen on shaming my daughter then I'm no saint to shut up.", Rabiya was furious. She took a step closer, her voice rising.
"Before you point your finger at my daughter should I tell them how you and your husband are living apart because you are having an affair with his boss?", the women gasped and instinctively moved back.
"Why would I just tell them... I'll show it to them..."
Mrs Bothra visibly paled. "Mrs Shah-", she let out loudly, her face going red as the woman now looked at her with disgust.
"What? So only you have dignity? You don't think twice before speaking like this about my daughter but then you cheat on your husband with another man.", rabiya said harshly making her flinch.
"Dusro peh ungli uthane se pehle apni girebaan mein jhaank ke dekhiye..." she spat with angrily before walking past the group leaving them alone.
( Before you start pointing fingers at others make sure to look into your own actions )
Riffat strode towards the two women who belonged to the Khan family with slow, deliberate steps.
"The Khan family is cutting ties with both of you! "
The group stood in stunned silence, their scandal-hungry mouths now sealed shut, their judgment silenced under the weight of exposure.
However, their words had watered a seed that had been buried deep within the soil of insecurities but this seed was budding again.
Inside the makeup room, the atmosphere was tense yet calmer. The doctors had arrived quickly, their equipment laid out in neat rows as they checked Nauman Khan's vitals.
One of them, a senior with a composed face and confident voice, addressed the concerned group.
"Mr. Khan is alright now. He just fainted due to a spike in his blood pressure."
Khwaish, standing beside her father's bed, her doctor's coat over her lehenga, nodded attentively.
"Dr. Khwaish, make sure that he is not given much stress otherwise there might be consequences." Dr. Nikhil advised firmly.
"Yes, Doctor Nikhil. Thank you." she replied with gratitude and a bow of her head.
The doctor gave a warm smile. "You are very skille-"
"If you're done here. Then get lost. " a sharp voice cut in.
Agastya stepped forward, his expression hard, arms folded. His protective nature over both Khwaish and the Khan family gave his words weight.
"A-agastya Bhai," Khwaish murmured, taken aback but understanding his concern. Agastya almost felt his heart shattering into a million pieces. His shireena had called him by his name after many years yet she had to ruin it by adding bhai.
He gulped clenching his first as he stared at her with his cold eyes. The doctor, startled, muttered something incoherent and exited with his team.
Khwaish turned back towards the bed, whispering a quiet thanks to Agastya.
"Thank you so much for what you did."
Before Agastya could respond, a nurse walked in briskly.
"Mr Khan is awake and is calling his wife and brother inside.", Khwaish nodded before hurriedly walking out to inform everybody. While Agastya sighed mentally before going to console Zaviyar.
The news brought relief to everyone as Riffat, Wajahat and Rabiya sauntered inside the room. Khwaish knowing the elders needed time after everything that had happened went to Kabir and Safiya.
A drip was attached to Nauman's arm as he lay lifeless on the bed, his face pale and lips quivering. Worry lines etched on his forehead. The beeping machines were the only sign of time passing.
He stirred, his eyelids fluttering open slowly as though even that required effort.
A faint warmth pressed gently onto his head.
He opened his eyes to the sight of Riffat's trembling hand caressing his head.
Her fingers moved gently through his hair, almost like she was memorising the feel of him, as if afraid he'd slip away if she let go.
Her brown orbs glistened with unshed tears, just like the emptions she was holding back in her chest.
"I'm okay, begum. Don't cry." Nauman's voice was a mere whisper.
Riffat didn't say a word. She only nodded, her throat bobbing as she swallowed her grief. Leaning closer, she blew softly over his face, muttering a prayer under her breath.
His eyes drifted to Wajahat and Rabiya at the corner of the room. They stood in silence, but their silence was heavy, screaming with emotions too thick to say out loud.
The moment Nauman saw them, his heart clenched. The happy day was now reduced to strained glances and heavy silences.
"I... I feel so helpless, Wajahat." His lips barely moved, but the pain in his words was louder than any scream. Nauman stared at the white ceiling. A stray tear slid down the side of his face.
Wajahat looked away, unable to withstand the condition of his brother.
"The rumors have already started... They're going to twist everything about Zaviyar." His shoulders slumped like he was carrying the weight of every whisper and judgment.
"Not just him... They're going to drag Safiya through the mud too," Riffat added, her eyes still on Nauman but her thoughts were spiralling around everything that had happened back in the hall.
Nauman closed his eyes, as though trying to block out the noise in his head. "Ya Rab, how do I stop this wild fire from burning everything down?"
"What if... what if Zaviyar just marries Safiya? " Rabiya's voice broke the silence, making everyone's eyes widen in shock.
"Rabiya, do you even hear what you're saying?" Wajahat turned sharply toward her, disbelief etched on every line of his face. He harshly held her arm, turning her towards him.
"Then tell me, Wajahat... what am I supposed to say? Huh? You tell me!", Her voice cracked, not from anger but from the pain that she went from years ago.
"People are tearing my daughter's character apart with their words. They're tainting her dignity, questioning her character... and for what?" Her voice trembled, her hands clenched into fists.
"I will not let my daughter suffer the way I did.", she said jerking away her arm from Wajahat'd grip
"Why should she be shamed? Why should she carry the burden of someone else's actions?", She took a step forward, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Zaviyar will move on. He's a man. He'll find someone else.", she said looking straight at the other three, her features morphing into desperation.
"But Safiya? She'll be blamed and left behind... because it's always the girl who pays the price."
Wajahat inhaled sharply, wanting to say something but words felt useless.
"Rabiya, you're letting your own past take control of this situation... Forcing a marriage now- won't that just validate their accusations on our daughter?", Wajahat said trying to convince his wife who was slowly reaching a conclusion which would cause harm no one could foresee.
"So what if it does?" Her voice had turned bitter, cold. Her eyes were glassy but defiant.
"Do you remember what people said when you married me? Do you remember your father's words?" she asked, her tone quiet now. Her words held silent accusations.
"He told you even though you were married to someone like me, girls from 'good families' would still line up to marry you. All you had to do was leave me... ", Her voice cracked then, just a little but somewhere she had carried this pain throughout.
Thats why she didn't regret one but when they moved away from Azamgarh and built a life separate from the people here.
"You were married and yet society didn't flinch. Because at the end it's always the woman whose character is annihilated.", Her eyes met Wajahat's and there was fury behind them.
" That was a long time back, Rabiya... Things have changed now- ", Wajahat tried to reason, but his words were cut off by Rabiya's sharp retort.
"You think things have changed? Just because we are modern now?", she asked with a chuckle.
"This society still worships the man and crucifies the woman."
"And you want my daughter to live a lifetime of compromise? No matter which family she goes to if her past follows her, she will be blamed for her entire lifetime.", Her lips quivered. "And she will have to carry this to her grave..."
Then she turned slowly to Riffat and Nauman, her eyes looking at them with a gleam of hope.
"Tell me honestly- Riffat baajjo... bhai sahab.... Would you accept my Safiya as your daughter-in-law today?"
There was a long pause as Nauman and Riffat shared a glance.
"Rabiya don-" Wajahat tried, but his voice trailed off.
Nauman's chest rose slowly as he breathed in, and then he let out a heavy sigh that felt like it had been buried inside for years.
"Rabiya... I'm ashamed to admit it, but... you've said exactly what my heart has been screaming in silence.", He tried to move, his hands shaking as he reached for the edge of the bed to support himself up.
"W-what are you doing, bhai sahab?"
"H-help me get up, Wajahat," he whispered, stubborn determination laced with exhaustion.
Wajahat rushed to him, helping him sit up slowly, careful not to disturb the IV line, while Riffat propped a pillow behind him to support his back.
"You know, Wajahat..." Nauman said, voice softer now, "Before our Dad passed away, he shared his last wish with me."
He looked at his younger brother, his eyes watery, and filled with memories that never quite faded.
"He wished to see his family united again... for his younger son to return home with his wife and daughter. But his pride always kept him from doing so.", he said hanging his head low in guilt. His words only shocked Wajahat whose eyes widened at his confession.
"I agreed with him. But then I saw you in the city with your daughter... I buried my own wish deep inside me.", His voice wavered and his eyes blinked the tears away.
"Since then, wherever you went, I found myself trailing behind... just to catch a glimpse of my brother and his family once more.", He swallowed thickly.
"But then... I truly saw Safiya. Her dreams were far too big and I couldn't chain her to this place."
"I thought she would never find happiness here. But I was wrong. Wherever she goes, she builds a world of her own.. a name of her own.", He looked up now, straight into Wajahat's eyes. His voice didn't shake anymore.
He took extended his other hand which had nothing connected to it, for Wajahat to take. Wajahat immediately held his hand, and with a reassuring squeeze Nauman asked-
"Today... I come to you asking for your daughter's hand in marriage for my son, Zaviyar Khan."
Zaviyar was scrolling through his phone, relaxed now that he got the news that his father is stable. He wanted to give them some time to make amends with the situation. Going in front of him now, only tensed him.
His hair was tousled and the top three buttons of his sherwani was opened. Agastya had stepped out to handle some urgent matters.
Zaviyar looked up from his phone when he heard the door to his vanity room. He immediately tossed his phone away when he saw his mother enter the room with slow steps.
" A-are you alright, beta? ", she asked. Her voice trembling at the sight of her son who was supposed to get married and start a new life today.
Zaviyar nodded, " I always knew she wasn't going to stay. "
" What? "
Zaviyar nodded, " I got some hints... "
Rabiya gasped at his words.
". and you decided it was okay to not tell us. ", Zaviyar shrugged twiling the pearl necklace around his index finger.
" Now you all won't force me to get married... Let's go now. ", he got up, taking his phone from the couch and his ivory turban. He had just crossed his mother when felt a tug at his sleeve.
" Safiya se nikah karlo.... "