"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
Asmaira’s head went even lower at being humiliated in front of everyone, including the staff; however, Amaan found her action as her reluctance."I said get off that chair," grabbing her forearm, he yelled at her, not noticing the change in the surrounding. That was where his Raina used to sit, and she has tainted it.Asmaira yelped but obliged. With no other option, she obediently rose and waited for a further outburst from her husband. He was still holding her by her arm and was about to say something when he was interrupted by a bang sound. Both were immersed in their emotions, Amaan in his fury and Asmaira in her shock, failing to notice the rise in Salar's temper."Enough!" he roared while slamming his palm on the table, unable to hold his anger any longer.
Asmaira was grateful to Feriha for letting her have dinner in her room and then bringing her back to Amaan’s room. Her respect for her mother-in-law increased tenfold when she sat with her and advised Amaan to work on his behavior. However, there were limitations to which she could help Asmaira. Recollecting Amaan’s warning, she decided to continue to sleep outside the room to avoid crossing Amaan’s path. Staying in the same room was out of the question, and she couldn’t sleep on the couch, knowing he could and would kill her in her sleep. She walked out to the adjacent space to his room. The vast space surrounded by the glass railing could be her temporary habitant. Looking at the metallic garden swing with a leg rest in one corner, she knew who planned that sit-out interior. She heaved a sigh, grateful for the sliding door separating the room and the balcony. The blinders over the door gave her the necessary privacy from the tyrant prowling on the other side. “Must be Raina’s idea
“If he is hungry, he will join us,” Feriha replied a sliver of disappointment in her tone. Last night Amaan said he would work on the marriage. Though she wasn’t expecting a miracle from him, he could have made an effort to be part of breakfast at least. She was a woman who gave importance to family values hence her insistence that family should eat together. “I was wondering if I could prepare his breakfast before he leaves for office.”To Feriha, it looked like Asmaira was proactive in molding herself into the role of a wife, whereas the fact was far from the truth. Her only intent was to know Amaan’s routine to plan her time with Kabir. Since the devil has warned her to stay away from Kabir specifically, she can’t risk it. Not when Kabir hadn’t opened up to her yet.Feriha let out a sad smile. If only she knows what is going on inside Amaan’s head. “While I won’t stop you from doing that but get accustomed to living here first. And as for him leaving for office,” she faced Sal
“Amaan, aren’t you having breakfast?”Amaan’s step came to a pause at his mother’s question. The moment he descended the stairs, the sight of Asmaira sitting in Raina’s place threatened his resolution. He had to rein his simmering anger before turning around to answer his mother.“I’m afraid I would be sluggish on my first day,” he lied. His clenched fist inside his slack pocket was evidence of his struggle to remain composed.Like earlier times, reacting in front of his parents would only give more opportunity to the subject of his rage.Asmaira.The moment he cast a veiled glare at her, she shuddered and dropped her fork on the plate.“Asmaira?” Feriha placed a hand on her shoulder in question.Feriha’s concern only startled Asmiara, who forced a smile and grabbed her fork again. Even though she lost her appetite seeing the devil husband of hers standing at the doorway, looking too calm for his personality. “I will make your favorite coffee.” Hania offered.She couldn’t hide her ha
“Why didn’t you call me when you were going through so much?” “I don’t know, Mehwish. I honestly don’t know what was happening to me back then. I thought I could handle it. I thought that girl would reject the marriage, and I didn’t have to break Ma’s heart. I just…” he trailed off, rubbing his face with his palms.“Amaan, you have always been kind and caring out of all. You didn’t want to disrespect Ma, and I can bet you didn’t want our parents to worry about you anymore. But how can you trust a strange woman or underestimate her?” Mehwish feigned concern.Granted, she loved Amaan dearly, but his mindset always irked her. While she wanted him to have the best of the world, he chose not to discriminate against people based on their benefits. When she wanted him to have a beautiful and sophisticated wife, he fell for a commoner. He even raised his voice at her to defend Raina when she advised him not to marry her.From then onwards, she decided never to interfere in his life again and
“Where is Ma?” Mehwish enquired at the dinner table.“She had urgent work at her NGO?” Salar announced, looking around.He didn’t miss Amaan and Asmaira’s absence at the table.“What happened?” When Mehwish asked, Hania replied, “One of our employees had been physically assaulted by her husband. Ma went to take care of her and also to file a case against her husband.”“Low-class people. What can you expect from them,” Mehwish scoffed.“Where are Amaan and Asmaira?” Salar asked instead of dignifying his daughter with a reply.“I saw his car leaving the mansion some time ago,” Mehwish replied.She smirked inwardly, recollecting how Amaan dragged Asmaira and locked the room’s door before leaving. But that was something she would rather keep to herself and let things unfold. She has done her task of igniting the spark and gradually would fan it into a fire. She always played her card in hiding and let someone else do the dirty deed for her, and that someone was Amaan.“Hania, Ishaal, did
“This is great. The presentation you prepared is exceptional. With this strategy, the Singhania’s will agree to the contract at our terms,” Salar said, ecstatic. Feriha narrowed her eyes, sensing a change in Amaan’s demeanor and also at Asmaira’s absence at breakfast. “We have a rule not to discuss business at the table,” she reminded them. “Let’s discuss this in the office,” he said, apologetically smiling at his wife. While Amaan was closing the laptop, she asked him, “Where is Asmaira?” Before he could answer, Salar said, “She didn’t bother to come for dinner last night.” Feriha, surprised at Salar’s tone for Asmaira, looked at Amaan only to find him give her a smug look. “She isn’t well and slept early last night. I had asked Maya to send her breakfast to her room,” the moment Amaan said, Hania’s fork dropped on the plate. Finding his father stunned at the information, Amaan glances around to see the rest mirroring the same expression before looking at Feriha again, “Didn
When Asmaira woke the following day, she sat up startled, finding herself on the couch rather than outside. Her mind flashed with Amaan’s words, and her head instinctively moved toward the bed. Finding the bed neatly set, she thought he had already left for the office like every day. With her mind occupied with the intention of meeting Feriha and asking for her help, she grabbed her clothes and absentmindedly opened the bathroom without glancing. Her chain of thought broke, and she skidded to a halt finding Amaan wrapped only in a towel. The abrupt halt only made her feet slip, and before her ass could touch the floor, a hand shot out, grabbing her waist and pulling her up. A gasp left her mouth, feeling a strange rush in her body and finding herself in Amaan’s arms. With his hair dripping wet and freshly shaved jaw, he stared at her in confusion. The faint scent of Jasmine enveloped him before his eyes were drawn to the softest browns staring at him. The heat from her palms went st