Meher •completed•

40.

TW: Chapter is sexually graphic and may not sit well with some viewers, kindly skip after the first part.

"... and then she went on going about for an hour, an hour about Mrs. Faiz's daughter, can you believe the audacity of the woman."

"Let it be Momani jaan, some people never change." Hooriya said looking at Safa, the two were having their evening cup of coffee in Hoor's hospital room.

"You two can talk, had this Mrs Faiz and her daughters topic continued for a minute more I would have crawled myself to death." Yusuf said flexing his legs lying on the sofa in the room.

"Please you were enjoying it as much as I, you just pretend Yusuf that you don't care." Hooriya said sticking her tongue out at him.

Hooriya's condition was still deteriorating but Safa's presence and the love she was receiving had somehow slowed the process.

"Of course." Yusuf said sarcastically as rolled his eyes.

"Yusuf you need to imp-." Hooriya was cut by the loud ring tone blaring through Yusuf's phone kept on the  coffee table.

"Yusuf bacche you need to attend your calls what is it the sixth call in the last three four hours ?" Safa said looking at him.

"It's.. its no..not important." He said giving Safa a forced smile. He looked at Hooriya who was staring back at him. She knew it was Meher, Meher called him everyday, for the past few weeks, and Yusuf everyday took the blaring phone in his hand and looked at it longingly.

"By the way kids, Umair is asking me where I have been going since the past few days, I don't know how long will I be able to hide it from him. Your mammu jaan is a wise man hoor he'll figure it out soon."

"Don't worry Momani jaan, I don't have that long anyway, by the time he finds out everyone will be notified about my dea-."

"Shut up." Safa said cutting Hooriya in between, although she knew Hooriya had barely anytime left, she wanted this time to never end, she was getting to know the little girl she had once loved and she was coming around to loving her again. Safa cursed herself every night before she went to bed for treating Hooriya so horribly, for not giving her a chance, for blaming her for something which wasn't her fault at all.

"Hoor please don't, you don't understand I'm so sor-."

The sound of Yusuf's phone ringing cut the old woman, she looked at Yusuf and gave him a pointed look.

"You better pick up that phone right now Yusuf." She ordered.

"It's not important." Yusuf said.

"Then tell the caller that." She whisper yelled.

"Okay okay." He said picking up his handset from the table. A different name flashed on his screen, a name he thought would never again pop up.

"I need to take this." He said getting up and walked out of the room into the hospital corridor. He immediately swiped the screen and placed it against his ear.

"Hello ?"

"She..she knows the truth."

"Arham.. hello ?"

"She fou..found out."

"Arham are you drunk ? What are you saying."

"Sh..she found out about hoo.. hoo.. Hooriya and my.. my nik..nikah." Arham slurred.

"No." Yusuf whispered.

"Everything is done, she will leave me too now I .. why !"

"Where is she Arham ?" Yusuf asked sweat beads formed on his forehead. His hand trembled. He had always wanted to tell her but never could, and now when he prayed for this secret to remain a secret, she knew. She knew and she was all alone, all alone, surely in pain and confused and scared.