As Long As I Live

Triumphant Love

* Teary Eyed *

I can't believe we've reached the end! This incredible journey that has given me so much is about to finish. Just the epilogue and the tale of Mayra and Aamir will be over.

There have been people who have stuck with me throughout this amazing experience - so many of you that I can't name but you all know who you are and I can never ever thank you enough.

To those of you who have gone back to read this story more than once (a few people seven times!) and those who've asked me to publish this - you've humbled me beyond words.

This one is for all of you, each and every single one. I've put in incredible amount of work into this chapter to say, "thank you!"

Happy Reading!

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"There's someone here to see you. They say they've come from Zaheer's office."

"Zahra, who is Zaheer?"

"Bhabhi, he's Aamir Bhai's really close friend and lawyer. Don't you remember him, we've seen him at so many parties!"

"Oh yeah," Mayra felt embarrassed at the reminder. "For a moment I had forgotten. But why do they want to see me?"

Zahra shrugged her shoulders, "no idea."

Perplexed, Mayra walked out of her room, down the stairs to the lobby, her footfall echoing in the silent house. Nobody was home yet but the men were expected back soon enough from the office. Her mother-in-law and her sister had gone shopping. Zahra was busy working on a college project.

Mayra had been sitting in the room wondering how life had changed since Aamir had come back, fully recovered. He had become less angry and more thoughtful. She could sense the change in him, it was palpable even when he was silent. The rage that had emanated from his body at a continuous pace had quieted down.

He didn't scream anymore, didn't insult. He never raised his hand to her anymore.

A huge part of her wanted to rejoice. The liberation she sought from her monster seemed to have been delivered - a cause of quiet celebration. Yet her mind could never stop replaying the horrors of the night when Aamir had unleashed his worst to her.

His unpredictability was terror itself.

She couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to dream of a life of peace. At least not until Aamir was bound to her. The irony that she couldn't imagine a life without him! She was married to monster and disowned by her parents. Couldn't go back and couldn't move ahead.

She was stuck. In unholy matrimony. In hell.

She walked into the living room to find a man dressed in a black coat, telling her that she was faced with a lawyer. "My husband should be here soon," she said. "Please sit."

"I'm not here to see your husband. I'm here because of your husband. As the assistant of Aamir Hassan's legal representative, I'm here to serve you these papers."

Mayra looked at the sealed documents with fear. Her hands shook as she reached for them and the lawyer dumped them in her trembling palms.

She knew, instantly what they could be.

A small glimmer of hope in her heart tried to soothe her that it wouldn't be what she was dreading but when she unfolded the documents and the bold headline of the sickening word stared right back at her, her heart stopped.

He had done it.

Tearful eyes looked up from the papers at the legal representative, with shaking hands and quivering lips. "Why?"