24. Unrequited and broken

*****

"Ziah!"

The voice was etched in the back of her mind like a fading nightmare, one that was almost buried deep in the dark abyss but had suddenly been brought to life. She had found comfort in little things and here, at the Qureshi estate, she had found people- people who defined her once lost family, a hope for something better, a future that suddenly didn't seem like it was far beyond her reach and a person who defined home.

Her nightmares weren't a common occurrence, maybe because she had made peace with the fact that the reason she escaped the place was for better and it was. Nightmares were nothing but dark memories that never left a person's mind, haunting them with the reminders of something or someone. For her, she was grateful for whatever had happened.

She was grateful for not being in that haveli, among them anymore.

She was grateful for the new faces who seemed like angels in her life, providing warmth to her mind that was before frozen with doubts and fear.

She was grateful for him, because if not for the man, then she'd have been living the worst life one could imagine.

But now, seeing her past standing in front of her, his face contorted in an ugly look of concern, eyes that seemed to sparkle as though they had found a treasure while trying to cover the hideousness of a vile snake made her shiver.

Laiha had her hand on Ziah's back and it didn't take a second for her to not recognize the stiffness, the terror coiling through her spine. Ziah had unconsciously leaned more towards Laiha, as though wanting to hide and Laiha didn't disappoint.

"Ziah, khuda ka shukr hai tum theek ho, pata hai kaha kaha nahi dhunda tumhe? Amma toh ro ro kar behal ho gayi hai."

He took a step forward, eliciting a flinch from the woman he addressed. Hafeez's hands fisted by his side and he tried his best to not push him out of the house, instead, he pulled the man back by his shoulders with a hard force.

"Ruko abhi. Baat khatm nahi hui hai."

Badar glared at the man who didn't seem to mind his own business. Shrugging off the touch as if it had burned him, he scoffed and turned his hard gaze towards Ziah. He could feel the eyes of the people in the room and he instantly softened his stance, showing just how concerned and happy he was.

"Ziah, I know you might be sad and angry that I didn't reach out to you sooner but trust me-"

"Isn't he trying to sound a little too considerate, like desperately?"

Laiha whispered under her breath, not liking the man even a bit. Her hands were wrapped around Ziah's shoulder. The tense form of the female in her hold made her more alert and unknowingly, her gaze shifted to Hafeez who seemed conflicted.

Hafeez's riled form met Laiha's questioning eyes. He felt his shoulders drooping but the worry didn't dissipate. He subtly motioned with eyes to Badar and Laiha scrunched her nose in disgust.

Hafeez bit the insides of his cheek to stop the smile that wanted to surface at her expressions.

Seems like the feelings were mutual.

But just not in the way he wanted them to be.

The sound of someone clearing their throat finally made the people in the room realize that there was another man who had accompanied Badar.

Karan tried not to scowl at being blatantly ignored and instead, gave a small smile to Ziah before addressing the issue at hand.

"As you all might be aware of, Miss Ziah's guardian, her cousin and apparently long time fiance reached out to us a few days back. It's a relief that we've tracked down Miss. Ziah's family and she can safely return to them. If she wishes to."

The last sentence was given more emphasis and Ziah controlled the urge to say what her mind kept displaying.

Badar ignored the agent's words and fixed his hawk-like eyes at Ziah who avoided even glancing at his way. Trying to pile up all the patience he had in himself, Badar put on a sweet smile- a little too sweet- and even before Ziah could wrap her mind around the nightmare that had turned to reality, he politely asked her,

"Ziah, baat karni hai tumse. Hear me out, please?"

At his words, she almost let her tears break free. The experiences with him were not something she'd want to reminisce or even get a glimpse of through the lanes of her memory.

Her eyes reluctantly connected with his and no doubt, there was an underlying warning, a threat to be precise.

"You can talk to her, in front of us all."

Hafeez interjected, not wanting him anywhere near the females in the room. Badar took an annoyed breath. His sharp eyes turned to give a once over to Hafeez, silently conveying his loud vexation and hatred at first sight.

"I-I"

Ziah tried to speak for the first time since he arrived. All gazes turned to look at her, all holding the same look of concern apart from one- the one behind her miseries.

"Wouldn't you want to know about mamu?"

Badar threw in the big move that he had kept rolled up his sleeves. Suppressing the urge to smirk in victory when Ziah's wide eyes looked at him, he put on a soft and caring expression while Ziah fought to form the right words.

His mamu.

Her father.

"Wh-what about him?"

Badar tried not to show the sense of upcoming triumph and instead, remained looking solemn.

"It's..."

He looked around at everyone and cleared his throat once.

"It's a little personal."

Hafeez scowled, if not with an intensity more than the previous one. Something about leaving Ziah alone with the man in question seemed relentless, almost like a hazard.

The females all shared a look too, not understanding what to do but before anyone could interject, Ziah spoke in a low voice, an underlying desperation coated her voice.

"Okay t-then. Ahm, the l-lawn would do."

She nodded more to herself than him. Her heart lurched at the thought of why had her father been brought up all of a sudden but the questions about her parents that remained ignored for many years made themselves known.

The blood.

The hushed whispers of the police and her relatives.

The appearance of Khursheeda begum and her son out of nowhere.

Everything happened so fast that her childish brain couldn't comprehend or make sense out of it all. The disappearance of her parents from her life, new people being thrust in and her once loud laughter filled life had turned into one of gloomy silence and snide remarks.

And maybe, just maybe, amidst all this, she had forgotten her old self and stuck to the one that the people around her approved of.

Voice low, eyes down, form hidden and life being controlled by others rather than her own self.

Laiha's hand shot up to catch Ziah's wrist when she tried to get up. The latter just blinked down at her and with slow steps, stalked towards the man she didn't want to encounter again in this lifetime or any other.

Badar maintained a poche facade but before following Ziah, he shared a resentment filled eye contact with Hafeez who was having a hard time controlling his fist from connecting with the man's jaw.

Ziah could feel the cold gaze of his penetrating through her skin. The unpleasant goosebumps that rose on her skin, the way the air felt icy cold and suffocating, everything about the situation screamed danger.

But it was needed.

Or so she thought.

The 3 minutes walk to the lawn felt like that of many hours. Ziah stood with a stoic stance, not wanting to show even the slightest quiver in her steps or the fading colour of her cheeks.

"What about my father?"

She asked, not wanting to roam and have baseless talks.

"What about him?"

Badar shrugged, as though he wasn't the one to bring up the topic a few minutes back. Ziah felt her thoughts blurring. Her fists kept themselves tightly at her sides, knowing better than to do what she wished to.

"Badar, please don't-"

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to maintain her stable posture. She should've known the man wouldn't tell her something she was desperate enough to find out.

Though she still hoped.

Silence engulfed them, highly uncomfortable and filled with a mysterious aura. Badar tilted his head to the side, scrutinizing her from top to bottom. The look made Ziah take a step back. Her eyes suddenly got clouded with a defense mechanism, one that she wasn't going to let down this time.

"If you've nothing to talk about-"

"Oh, but I do."

Ziah glared at him. A look full of hatred and an underlying disgust and even when Badar had noticed it, he acted unfazed.

"Mamu left behind his last words on legal papers, one that had been with amma for all these years. Their lawyer arrived a few days back and has asked for your presence- more precisely, your signatures."

"For what?"

How much she knew, her parents' lawyer had left the country shortly after their demise. She had seen him a few times- the last being at their funeral.

"Property transfer."

Anger as no such flared in her veins. She knew everything that they used- from the haveli to the cars. The mills at the edge of the town to the manufacturing factories in the middle of the city were all her parents'. They were the one who worked hard to build it all out of nothing and vultures as such were not far behind to eat it all up when they left all the materialistic possessions along with this world.

But everything had a loophole and greed didn't always find a way to satisfy itself.

The properties were all under her name. Legally, if she wished, she could file a case against the mother-son duo for misuse of personal property and embezzlement but for that, she'd need a lawyer.

Someone whom she didn't have.

"And if I say no?"

The tension around felt thick and undesirable. Badar was trying to control his temper even though self-restraint was not his thing. Taking in a sharp breath, his cold, hollow eyes bored into her wavering ones.

"Who says you've an option?"

He took a step forward, causing her to flinch at the slightest. Ziah's right wrist unconsciously gripped her left one, rubbing the surface that had once been gripped harshly. The memories of the day he sold her roamed through the lanes of her mind- clear and precise for her to live it all again.

"I-I am not signing any papers."

"Yaha rehkar zaban kuch zyada hi chalne lagi hai tumhari. Lekin koi nahi, bahot jald jo bhi galat fehmi hai tumhare dimaag mein ki 'you've someone' khatm ho jayengi."

He sneered with venom. Ziah stumbled backwards, his demeanour made her spine shiver with terror.

"I-I do have so-someone. They-"

"Them? The ones in the mansion?"

Badar shook his head with a mocking look. Tsking in ridicule at the woman, he smirked when he saw her expressions.

"Do you really think if you were to put them in danger, they'd think of you as an acquaintance? Do you seriously believe that they would remember a flimsy stranger who was nothing but a burden on them for more than a month? What makes you think they'd even bat an eyelash at you once you've left this godforsaken place? Instead, I'm sure they'll be grateful for having you out of their hair. Nobody likes uninvited guests, especially the ones who they didn't know existed until she stood at their doorstep."

His words pricked, more so than Ziah would like to admit.

Badar felt a feeling of satisfaction seeping through upon seeing her expressions. The wheels in her head were turning and soon, he'd have her just where he wanted her to be-

In the web of his words, only to devour her not long after.

*****

Hafeez paced around in anxiousness when even after 20 minutes the two didn't return. His phone was clutched in his fists, as he waited, anticipated, considering and reconsidering the thoughts in his head.

"Hafeez, baith jao ab. Aise ghumte rahe toh chakkar hi aa jaana hai."

Laiha scolded him with a frown. Her words made him halt and stare at her for a few seconds. Blinking once, twice, he sighed before taking a seat on the far end of the couch.

"Don't stress yourself. She'll be fine."

He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and a warm air surrounded his form, caressing him gently before disappearing along with the touch.

He gulped, knowing well that his thoughts were entering uncharted waters and intangible dreams. Trying to keep his emotions aside, he found his gaze being fixed at the blank screen of his phone for the nth time.

Finally deciding on what to do, he excused himself and quickly went through the recent messages with Marwan before the man left. A sigh of relief escaped his lips upon finding the number he was searching for and he quickly dialed it, impatient and worked up, waiting for the man to pick the call.

The call rang more than a few times but no response came from the other side. Groaning in annoyance, Hafeez rang a bell again and again and again.

A total of 10 tried later, he bit his lips to suppress the urge to scream in aggression. Though he knew Marwan wasn't on a vacation, he still hoped that the man would be free at the moment to pick his call.

To his utter bad luck, it seemed that it wasn't the case.

Approaching footsteps were heard and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Taking deep breaths to calm his riled up form, he kept the phone in his pocket and walked back into the living room where now stood Ziah and Badar.

One looked as though life had been drained from her eyes while the other just smiled- a smile that spoke of hidden manipulations and deceits.

"Ziah, I've called Marwan, he-"

Hafeez started but was stopped when she spoke up, a tone so distant and robotic, that he felt his blood freezing at the mere sound of it.

"I'll be leaving with Badar."

The words were solemn and small.

Ziah vanquished the thoughts, the light, the hope that bubbled in her heart and had stayed there for long enough. The dream that she had been living as a reality had now come to its end and no matter how used she was to feeling defeated, the feeling wiped out any sense of belonging that she had developed in the company of the ones she hoped she could call hers.

Hope:-

A feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.

But what they forgot to embed in her consciousness was that the majority of it was left unrequited and broken. Shredded to pieces so small and many, that it would take one ages to find the courage to join it all again.

And maybe, Ziah was done trying.

Done hoping and waiting- only succumb back into the pits of the valley of darkness.

**********

That was.... depressing...

Or was it? Havoc havoc havoc... Just wait till Marwan gets a whiff of what's happening.. Allah khair kare in logo ki...

P.S. I have found a ship name for my babies!!

MarZiah is sailing through the seas and I've no idea if it would make it to the shore. Well, seeing as I'm a sucker for clichè happy endings, we're most likely to reach the coast but but but, after almost sinking a few times..

Because drama is life....

***********