Chapter 49
Author's POV:
The soft hum of the air conditioner filled the glass-walled office of Khan Groups. Outside, the city pulsed with life, but inside, silence wrapped itself around Aayat Khan like armor.
Five months had passed since her khula from Rayyan Malik.
Five months since she had signed away a marriage that had broken far before it ended.
And five months since Ayaan Khan - her constant, her support - had left for London.
The woman who once laughed in rare, quiet moments now sat with a face carved from marble. Her employees whispered behind closed doors: REAL AK is back... Aur is bar unko bachane k liye ayaan be nahi hain...
Aayat's eyes, sharp as glass, darted across the file in her hand - every page was a battlefield of red marks and errors. She slammed it shut, the sound echoing through the office like a gunshot.
"Arjun!" Her voice cut through the silence.
Her PA hurried inside, nervous, clutching his tablet.
"Y-yes, ma'am?"
Aayat stood up, her tone cold and clipped. "Ye kya hai?" She threw the file across the desk - papers scattered mid-air before crashing against Arjun's chest. "Itni ghalatian? Ye report agar mera time zaya karne k liye laye gaye thi , toh congratulations, tum kamiyab ho gaye ho."
"Ma'am, sorr-"
"Bas." Her voice sliced through his excuse. "Tumhe salary sorry kehne ke liye milti hai kya?"
Arjun opened his mouth, helpless, "Lekin ma'am, main-"
" Dafa ho jao mere saamne se, abhi ke abhi!"
Her words burned like acid. Arjun gathered the papers, eyes lowered, and nearly tripped on his way out.
Outside, Hayaat - her younger sister and CFO of Khan Groups - stood waiting.
Arjun bumped into her, still shaken.
"Careful!" Hayaat steadied him. "Kya hua? Tum bhag kyu ray ho?"
Arjun exhaled sharply. " ma'am, AK ka gussa... roz ba roz badhta ja raha hai. Aapko pata hai, is hafte 5 employees nikal diye gaye hain?"
Hayaat sighed, pain flashing in her eyes. "Rayyan bhai ki doori ne unhe aisa bana diya hai... maine ye socha nahi tha aisa hoga."
Arjun blinked. "Rayyan?!"
Hayaat looked at him, confused. "Aur kon?"
Arjun hesitated. "Ma'am... mujhe lagta hai Aayat ma'am, Ayaan sir ki wajah se aisi hui hain. Rayyan sir se toh pehle bhi alag hui thi, tab wo itni sakht nahi thi..."
Hayaat frowned. "Tum kya kehna chahte ho?"
"Jitna main janta hoon," Arjun said quietly, "Aayat ma'am Ayaan sir ko miss karti hain."
Hayaat's tone hardened. "Tumhe jo nahi pata, us k bare mein bolna band karo. Aur hatto mere samne se."
She brushed past him and entered Aayat's cabin.
~
His thumb traced her face, lingering over her smile - the one that no longer existed.
"Good morning, Aayat," he whispered, forcing a faint smile.
But tears betrayed him, falling onto the photograph.
He quickly wiped them away and slipped the picture back into the drawer. "Not now," he muttered under his breath.
As he turned on his laptop, the door burst open without warning.
Ayaan looked up sharply. "Excuse me-"
But then he stopped.
Aaliya Rahman - the younger sister of his business partner, and his closest friend in London - stood at the door, arms crossed, a teasing smile on her lips.
"Knock karna seekh lo, Aaliya," Ayaan said, a tired amusement touching his tone. "This isn't your cabin."
Aaliya smirked. "Mujhe tumhari permission ki zarurat nahi samjhe... Jab is cabin ka owner mera hai, toh yeh cabin be mera hua na?"
" What?"
" Kya what ? Dost be toh apna hi hota hain na..."
Ayaan laughed - genuinely this time. "That logic should be illegal."
She walked over, dropping her bag on the chair opposite him. "You've been buried in work since morning. Coffee?"
Before he could answer, she leaned out of his cabin and called, "Ana! Two cappuccinos!"
The assistant outside - Ana, a soft-spoken British girl - nodded.
"Thank you, Ana," Ayaan added politely.
Aaliya sat back, studying him. "You still miss her, don't you?"
Ayaan froze mid-gesture. "Who?"
She smiled sadly. "The woman whose photo you hide in that drawer every morning."
His lips parted - then pressed shut again.
Aaliya didn't push. She simply whispered, "You know, Ayaan... kabhi kabhi humein apne past ko bhool kr zindagi mein agay badhna chahiye.. kya pata koi aur ho jo tumhe chahta ho, aur tum us k liye banay ho.... Islye bhool jao usey...."
Ayaan looked away, the mask slipping for a second. " bhool jau? Koi saans laina bhool sakta hain kya? .... Bas tum ye samj lo wo ladki meri dadhkan hain... us ko bhoolna mtlb apni dadhkano ko rokna ...."
~
Rayyan Malik sat alone in his cabin, surrounded by silence.
He had changed too - not the confident CEO the world once admired, but a man carrying invisible chains.
Every corner of his office reminded him of her. The scent of jasmine she used to love still lingered in his mind.
He paused his work as the azan echoed faintly from a nearby mosque.
Slowly, he stood, washed for wudu, and laid out his prayer mat.
As he bowed in sujood, tears fell silently.
When the prayer ended, he stayed there - forehead pressed to the mat - whispering the same plea he had whispered every night for months.
His voice broke at the end. He sat there for a long time, eyes red, heart heavy - a man who had finally learned what true loss meant.
---
Hayaat peeked into Aayat's cabin later that evening. The lights were dim, the city's glow casting silver patterns across the glass.
Aayat was sitting at her desk, hand over her forehead, eyes closed - the weight of exhaustion, anger, and longing heavy upon her.
Hayaat stepped closer. "apii..."
Aayat opened her eyes slowly, hiding the sheen of tears. "Kya hai?"
Hayaat hesitated. "You've been in office since morning. Chalo ghar chalte hain."
Aayat's tone was firm. "Mujhe kaam khatam karna hai."
Hayaat nodded quietly. As she turned to leave, Aayat's whisper followed her - so low it barely reached her ears.
" Ayaan tumne be meri zindagi ka faisla , mujhse pooche bagair le liya?"
Hayaat paused, a flicker of realization softening her face. But she didn't answer. She simply closed the door and let her sister drown in the silence she'd built around herself.
~
Ayaan sat alone, city lights reflecting in his eyes.
Aaliya had long left. The office was quiet.
He looked at his phone - at the unsent message he typed almost every night.
"How are you, Aayat?"
He stared at it for a full minute. Then he deleted it again.
Some distances, he thought, weren't meant to be crossed with words.
He leaned back, closed his eyes, and whispered to the darkness -