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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No one talked about Zahid coming back again. They just simply ignored him, especially Almaas. She refused to even throw him a glance. Zafar didn't initiate the conversation either because he had no idea what to say. He didn't know how to make other family members feel better with Zahid's presence when he himself was disquieted by it.
"Can you come back early today?" Madiha asked, handing Zafar his watch as he got ready for work.
He, without meeting her eyes, replied, "Why?"
"I was thinking we can, maybe, go out for dinner today?" She bit her lip unsurely, "I am craving pizza."
While wearing his blazer, he shook his head. "I have a meeting that will go on for long. Maybe some other day."
Her face fell. "Is everything okay?"
He didn't reply.
"I am noticing your changed behavior for the past few days. Is something bothering you?" She innocently asked.
Yes, he wanted to say, the presence of my brother under the same roof as you is bothering me!
He shook his head before making a beeline towards the door. She followed him immediately. They reached the breakfast table where the other three members were already present. The meal was a quiet affair, it had mostly been ever since Zahid was back, apart from the little conversation between the three ladies. Zafar left shortly after that, leaving an upset wife behind.
The day went normal for Madiha. She helped Ziya pack as she was leaving for Mumbai in a week. Then she spent some time overseeing the household chores.
In the late afternoon, once Almaas and Ziya had retired to their individual rooms, Madiha settled in the backyard to tend to the plants. She had always loved gardening, and the expansive garden in this haveli was one of her most beloved spots.
Engrossed in the work at hand, she did not notice Zahid walking up to her.
"Do you mind if I sit?" His voice made her startle. She looked up at him for a few seconds before nodding. He shrugged his shoes off and sat down on the floor, keeping a decent distance between them. She got back to putting fertilizers in the flower pots.
"I remember you telling me you like gardening," He started after a few minutes of silence, "when we were getting to know each other."
She continued her work. "That feels like a lifetime ago."
"Yeah.." He trailed off.
"Madiha," He called out again after a while. She turned her head. "I want to apologize to you for what I did."
"You already have." Her tone was as soft as ever.
"Yeah, but it was not enough." A pained expression on his face.
"Zahid, you don't have to do this." She emphasized, "I honestly have no resentment towards you anymore."
"You can say that all you want, but I know I left you heartbroken at the altar. You didn't deserve that."
"I don't.."
"You don't have to deny it and put up this strong facade. Not in front of me." He scooted a little closer. "You can show all your anger towards me."
She smiled in reply. "I am not someone who can hide her feelings. And trust me, if I had even a single ounce of anger towards you, I would not be living under the same roof as yours. I had no problem accepting the fact that you're back.. because I don't care."
Zahid didn't believe her. But he didn't voice that out either. Instead, he said, "If that is the case, then you should not have a problem befriending me?"
She frowned.
"Come on, we're a family now. And since you don't have any complaints left, let's become friends?" He forwarded his hand towards her.
She contemplated for a minute before shaking his hand. He smiled at her which she half-heartedly returned.
Zahid helped her fertilize and water the plants for the next half-an-hour. They talked about casual stuff and Madiha realized that spending time with him wasn't as bad.
They finished working and she started walking to her room to change all the dirty clothes. On her way, a househelp stopped her. She gave her a large pizza box with garlic bread.
"Who gave this?" Madiha confusingly asked.
"Zafar baba brought it." The helper replied.
Her face lit up. "Zafar came home?"
"Umm, yes. But he left again."
She frowned.
"He came with the pizza and went to find you. But a while later, he asked me to give this to you and left."
She took the food to her room and brought out her phone to text her husband.
You came home and left without seeing me? Was it a work emergency?
Thank you for the pizza, though! Although I would have liked it if we could eat it together.
She went to take a quick shower then. She changed into her most comfortable pair of pajamas and cuddled in the blanket. The sky was turning gray with occasional lightning and thundering.
She checked her phone for his reply, but there was none. She texted him again.
Should I wait?
She waited for more than an hour. He had seen the messages but didn't reply.
Finally she opened the lid of the box to find her favorite chicken pepperoni pizza inside. She watched the rainpour from the window as she ate the cold food.
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Zafar came back home a little after midnight. The haveli was quiet. He slowly opened his bedroom door and found his wife sleeping in a very uncomfortable position, with the half-eaten pizza box sitting beside her.
He took off her blazer and tie and threw them on the couch before quietly taking a seat beside her. Picking up the pizza box, he kept it on the nightstand. Then he adjusted her body in a more comfortable position. She made some sound at the movement, but didn't wake up.
He looked at her for a long time, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. It was the face that had brought peace into his life, the one he was blessed to see as his first and last sight each day. He couldn't live without that wonderful, beautiful face, even for a single day.
Cupping her cheek, he caressed it with his thumb before moving towards her pink lips. And then he remembered how she was smiling at Zahid today with those same lips.
He had seen them sitting in the backyard together. He couldn't hear what they were talking, but he did watch them shake hands before his wife gave him one of her stunning smiles. He didn't stay to see anymore.
He knew he was behaving unreasonably. But no matter how hard he tried, it bothered him to see Madiha and Zahid together. He was afraid of her realizing that he was a compromise she had to settle for. He was afraid of losing her, a fear that was growing with each passing day.
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