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Standing in front of the room mirror, Zaniyah stared at the chain with Arzel's name around her neck. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice him standing behind her. He walked past her and into the wardrobe without a word.
Seeing him ignore her, Zaniyah's heart ached. She watched him head to the balcony and followed him.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down. He frowned at her words, his gaze fixed on the forest area below, where there was no sign of life.
"Why?" he asked calmly, still not looking at her. She didn't respond immediately, but tears started to roll down her cheeks.
"She's not my mumma?" Zaniyah asked, remembering Kabir's words that kept echoing in her mind.
Arzel's expression widened in surprise. "Who told you that?" he asked, frowning.
"Kabir," she replied, looking down again. Arzel gently led her to the balcony sofa and hugged her, trying to calm her down.
"Please tell me the truth," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Princess," he uttered, his grip on her waist tightening. Zaniyah's breath caught, comprehending the gravity of his words. With a firm hold, Arzel made her back slam against his chest, creating an unsettling embrace in the haunting silence of the room.
"Zaniyah Syed.."
His words triggered a cascade of realizations in her mind-(Ali) her father.
"Kabir's sister," the revelation left her legs weak, and she staggered upon hearing it.
"Kabir."
Arzel held her tightly as she whispered, a lone tear slipping from her eyes.
"How?" The question escaped her trembling lips.
"When you were five years old," Arzel turned her around, pulling her closer.
"Kabir was ten years old...you all used to live happily."
"What do you mean?" She asked, her gaze fixed on him.
"I was 12 at that time, and I came from London between my study... Kabir also studied with me there. Eventually, we both completed our mafia training together." The weight of his revelation hung in the air, unraveling a complex web of connections that had shaped their intertwined destinies.
"Mafia," the sudden thunderstorm outside echoed Zaniyah's whispered realization.
Arzel chose not to delve further into the ominous topic and redirected the conversation.
"When we both came here, you were already five, and I saw you at my home for the first time. Kabir's mother and mine were best friends. You were holding Kabir's hand when you entered my house for the first time," he recounted with a smile. Zaniyah, attempting to recall, found her memories elusive and blurred.
"Don't think too much. I'm here for you. Kabir, being overprotective, was possessive when I was around you," Arzel chuckled, and Zaniyah looked at him.
"Then Zahra Ibrahim, your best friend..."
"You know her?" Arzel nodded, acknowledging his awareness of Zahra, who Kabir had a crush on in their childhood.
They shared a promise at thirteen:
"When we grow older, tu mujhe Zaniyah dega," Arzel declared.
"Aur tu mujhe Zahra ke time help karunga," Kabir reciprocated, sealing their childhood promises with the innocence of youth.
"But suddenly, we came to know that your father had an affair with a woman named Raisa, who is a prostitute. My mom was against your father, and later on, I found out that Raisa killed your mother to become your father's wife," Arzel revealed, watching Zaniyah step back, realizing the gravity of the revelation.
"They both got married. Kabir started hating her, but you were so close to Raisa that Kabir somewhere started hating you too, even though you were just 5 at that time."
"I tried to make him understand, but Kabir chose to leave for abroad again. I wanted to stay with you, but my father sent me with Kabir. The last time I saw you was when you were playing in the garden with your small house."
"Remember my farmhouse's outer structure? It's the same structure you used to have in your toys," Arzel's words widened Zaniyah's eyes. A tear escaped from Arzel's eyes as he uttered those painful memories.
"I'm sorry... for hiding this" he confessed, and Zaniyah shook her head. She held his cheek, kissing his forehead on her tiptoes.
Arzel hugged her, his lips pressing against her hair.
"Later on, Raisa suddenly disappeared from our lives with you. Your father tried his best to find you, but he also died after three months. Then my dad found out that Raisa lived as a prostitute. But as if he cared... about you or me," Arzel's voice broke.
"He never cared about me or you, and he'll never, and I don't expect him to be. Because Arzel Khan never expects something from a man who killed his mother,"
he confessed. Zaniyah's eyes widened as she looked at him, and Arzel gazed into her enchanted eyes, whispering,
"That too in front of his son."
"Arzel," she uttered, hoping to engage him, but he remained unmoved, absorbed in his own thoughts.
"We were... where?" Arzel questioned, attempting to draw her into a conversation, yet once again, her words fell on deaf ears.
the tale of Kabir's relentless search for Zaniyah, delving into the dark secret of her upbringing in a brothel.
"Even from afar, Kabir used to search for you everywhere, becoming a hacker to gather every tiny piece of information about you," Arzel confessed. Zaniyah, finding solace in Kabir's presence since the beginning, listened attentively, trying to piece together the complex narrative.
As Arzel continued, a cloud of confusion enveloped Zaniyah.
"When I came here, I learned about your past in the brothel. But I don't understand why my dad helped your mother that night, claiming she had a debt, only for her to sell you to a man that same night," he explained. Frowning, Zaniyah struggled to comprehend the tangled words, her focus shifting to untangle the pages of this intricate story.
"After that, Kabir showed me your photo. We knew who you were to us, but seeing you again after eight years was a new experience. Everything changed in our lives," Arzel continued, adding layers to the complexity of their intertwined fates.
"You're not her daughter" Arzel pressed the words in anger
Zaniyah gulp and nodded, "look at me" Arzel Whispered
She looked at him slowly, "I'm sorry for hiding this" he husked and kissed her
Zaniyah cried out, and finally she wrapped her arms around his neck she gave up on him.
