Madiha Shah, a young woman from a middle-class family, finds her life unexpectedly entangled with the illustrious Zafar Shah Abraar, a prominent business magnate in India and the elder brother of her betrothed, Zahid.
As fate would have it, unforese...
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Zafar came down for breakfast the following day. Everyone was present at the table already. He took a seat, and his eyes fell on Madiha. She had a big smile as she spoke to Ziya about something very animatedly. And for a second, he felt anger for Zahid bubble inside his chest. How could that idiot man even think of hurting such an innocent soul?
He forced his gaze away from her and settled it on Zahid, who was eating his toast. He kept staring at him until he noticed and looked back.
The stern look on Zafar's face told Zahid that he would not let this matter go.
"When will you tell her?" Zafar asked after everyone left the breakfast table.
Zahid breathed deeply. "Give me some time."
"Your pre-wedding rituals start tomorrow. You don't have the luxury of time." Zafar whispered while gritting his teeth.
"I know." Zahid said, "I will tell her."
The entire day passed with Zahid trying to get some privacy with Madiha so that he could speak to her. But the relatives just never left her alone.
Zafar took him aside again in the evening and told him, "If you don't do it today, then I am doing it tomorrow morning."
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During the night, Zahid sat alone in his room and thought if he really wanted this marriage. Sure, Madiha was a great girl, but was that reason enough to marry her? He thought it was, but that was until Alica had not texted him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to get back with Alice. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to marry Madiha.
After contemplating for a few hours, he concluded that if he wasn't sure about marrying Madiha, he shouldn't. But he was a coward to accept that in front of the entire family. He wasn't strong enough to say that to Madiha's face.
So he packed his bag, wrote a letter, slipped it under Madiha's bedroom door, and left the farmhouse in his car just at the crack of dawn.
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Madiha woke up with a nervous smile on her face. Today was her mehendi in the afternoon—her first pre-ritual function.
Feeling the giddiness, she moved out of the bed. Just as she was about to enter the washroom, her eyes fell on a white paper, folded in half, lying on the ground near the door.
She frowned and went to pick it up. She opened it and read the contents inside.
Madiha,
I am so sorry, but I can't marry you. I think I am in love with someone else, so I don't want to ruin your life by trapping you into a loveless marriage.
I am sorry.
Zahid.
She felt her fingers shake and tears well into her doe-shaped eyes. She reread the letter repeatedly to ensure this wasn't just an ugly dream.
As soon as her brain accepted the harsh reality, she rushed to her parent's room.
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"I.." Almaas stared at the letter in her hands, "I don't know what to say. How could Zahid do this?" Her voice was underlined with shame and embarrassment.
Zafar was standing behind the couch Almaas was sitting on. He kept his hand on her shoulder in support. He, himself, was shocked at the step Zahid had taken.
"Rahim Bhai," Almaas folded both her hands, "I am so sorry for my son's deeds. I am ashamed."
Rahim, Madiha's father, just looked defeated. On the other hand, Madiha was sitting on the bed, holding her mother's hand. Silent tears fell from her eyes continuously. She was not in love with Zahid, nor did she feel heartbroken by his taking off. She felt humiliated. She felt under-confident and conscious about herself.
"What good will your apology do, Almaas ji?" Rahim sighed, "It will not save my daughter from the humiliation of this society? People are going to think there was something wrong with Madiha; that's why Zahid left her. Who is going to marry her now?"
From the small town Madiha's family hailed from, people still found ways to blame the girl for a failed relationship.
"We had believed that our daughter's destiny was to become a part of a family like yours," Madiha's mother, Sabina, cried. "but now it seems that this single choice has brought devastation upon her life."
"Don't say that." Almaas begged, "We never intended for this to happen. I have always wanted the best for Madiha."
"But now.."
Rahim was cut off by Madiha, who finally spoke her first words after reading Zahid's letter. "Baba, enough. This is neither our fault nor theirs. So, Almaas, Aunty, you don't have to apologize. Maybe I just got what was destined for me."
She slowly stood up and slipped the diamond ring off her third finger. Almaas had made her wear it when the marriage was fixed. And she had not taken it off ever since.
She brought Almaas' hand up and placed the ring on her palm. Then, wordlessly, she left the room.
No one spoke anything after Madiha left. Just Sabina's soft cries were audible. Zafar walked towards the room's huge window and looked at the workers on the lawn, decorating the place with flowers for the mehendi function.
He turned his head back to look at his mother. She was toying with the ring.
A few minutes later, Almaas looked up at her eldest son. A question floating in her eyes. She made A silent request to Zafar, pleading with him to say yes.
And so he did.
He nodded his head in a yes, making a small smile break out on Almaas's face.
"Rahim Bhai," Almaas called out, "if you and Sabina Bhai find it right, then I would still like to make Madiha my daughter-in-law."
Rahim and Sabina looked confused.
Zafar walked back to stand behind his mother.
"My one son might have run away, but my other son is ready to accept your daughter as his wife." She offered, "If you say yes, then we can have Zafar and Madiha's wedding."
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This was the whole plot, but it still makes me giddy everytime I read it!
