chapter 25

Chapter 25MishalI could feel good about the fact that I ignored Daniel’s call because of Faiz. Why did I ignore his call? Did I ignore him because of Faiz? Could I ignore him, forget him, abandon him for the rest of my life and live with Faiz? I looked at Faiz once again and thought if I could really spend my entire life with him. My future with Daniel may seem doubtful at the moment. I may not have a chance with him, but I certainly could not spend my life with Faiz. Whether or not I could have anything with Daniel, I had to tell him what I felt for him. I had to let these feelings out of my system and tell him everything, so I could feel free. I had to see him. I had to talk to him. I had to tell him everything. The entire truth. Nothing could stop me this time. While Faiz continued to have a chit-chat with me, I feigned a quick smile and typed a text message for Daniel. I need to see you too. As soon as Faiz and his family left our house, I excused myself and rushed upstairs into my room. On my way, I fidgeted with my phone, typing a text message for Daniel. Once I was inside my room, I was out of my breath. With my eyes still on my phone screen, I sent him the message and looked up only to see him standing across from me in my room.Was I hallucinating, or was he really inside my room? The phone dropped from my hands and fell on the carpeted floor with a soft thud as soon as I realized it was all real. I was surprised to find him already in my room. ‘Daniel…’ I said, breathless. He stood before me with no flicker of emotion on his face, his arms limp at his sides. Seeing him brought me instant happiness. Without thinking about anything else, I rushed into his arms and hugged him, pressing the side of my face against his chest. It felt so homely being in his arms. I whispered as I hugged him. ‘I missed you so much.’He did not flinch for a second while I hugged him. He did not move either. I wondered if he was okay. I wondered if he still wanted the same thing. I wondered if he also missed me as much as I did. I continued whispering despite him staying quiet. ‘Why are you so quiet?’‘Why did you give a false testament against me when Fariya accused me of sexual abuse?’ he said finally. His sudden, unexpected words sent a chill down my spine. I was shocked into silence. Slowly and carefully, I loosened my grip on his waist, distanced myself from him, and looked up at him. Hurt was evident on his face. I could see the agony in his eyes. ‘Why did you go against a kid who had not done any harm to you? Why?’ A deep frown formed on his face as he said those words. I cast my eyes downwards, embarrassed, ashamed. I did not know how to tell him anything. The worst had already happened to me. He learned the truth from someone else. It should have been me who told him about everything for the first time. I should have confessed everything to him the moment we became closer. However, I never gathered the nerve to tell him anything. Despite getting so many chances, I could not tell him the truth. ‘Why did you force a kid to stay away from his mother? Why did you steal his happiness from him? Why did you do this, Mishal, why?’ A tear escaped out of my eye and fell on my cheek. I tried to look him in the eye, but I miserably failed and looked away. He took a few steps toward me and held my chin so I could look him in the eye. He pressed his lips together in a thin line before saying, ‘Look me in the eye and tell me the truth.’I gulped the saliva down my throat as I looked him in his eyes. ‘Tell me everythin’ Fariya told me was a lie. Tell me you haven’t done anythin’. Please tell me,’ he begged. I shook my head slowly as tears began to roll down my cheeks. He shook his head, holding me by my arms. ‘No, please, don’t do that to me, Mishal. Please tell me you did not do that.’I gathered every ounce of courage and told him the truth. Finally. ‘Whatever Fariya told you is true, Daniel. I did give a testament against you to prove that you were guilty.’He took a deep breath, released his grip on my arms, and turned around. Tears continued to roll down my cheeks. ‘I’m sorry, Daniel. I’m so sorry.’He turned to look at me in disappointment. ‘I wanted to tell you all about it myself… but…. but I never got the right time.’He bit his lower lip, shaking his head in disapproval. ‘I’m sorry I did that to you, Daniel. I’m sorry for helping Fariya kick you out of your Mum’s house.’He quickly ran his fingers through his hair and paced around my room. ‘Please forgive me…’ I sobbed. He finally stopped and stood in front of me, a shadow of disappointment crossing his face. ‘I cannot believe I fell for someone who tried to ruin my childhood—my entire life.’I stared at him in shock, tears running down my cheeks. He shook his head slowly, a faraway look on his face. ‘I can’t believe I fell in love with someone who tried to keep me apart from my mother all these years…’‘Daniel…’ I said in a whisper but did not have any words to say anything else. ‘You have disappointed me, Mishal. You have hurt me.’‘I am so—sorry…’‘I wish I could bring myself to unlove you.’With a despicable look on his face, he turned his back on me and walked outside my room. As soon as he left the room, I dropped to my knees and cried like a baby.DanielWith tears in my eyes and hurt in my heart, I came back into my room and closed the balcony window behind me. I leaned against the glass door, slid down to the floor, and sat down, resting my head against the door surface. All these years, I kept thinking about the person who came out as the eye witness and spoke against me. Never in my dream could I have thought that person was Mishal. Why did she do this to me? Why did she help Fariya back then? Why did she keep it from me all this while? Why did she not tell me it was her? Just then, I heard a light tap on my door. I wiped off the tears from my face with the back of my hand and took a long breath before I told them to come in. The door slightly opened, and my Mum’s face came into view. ‘Are you in there?’ she asked, standing in the doorframe. I nodded. ‘I’m fine. Come in.’She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. ‘Why are you sitting on the floor?’I stood on my feet and sighed. ‘Just like that.’She came closer to me to observe my face in a better way. ‘Are you okay?’It would have been easy for her to know I had been crying because my eyes were swollen. ‘Why does it look like you were crying?’ she asked as she put a hand on my face. I shook my head. ‘No, I wasn’t.’‘Did you tell her?’ she asked, raising her brows in anticipation. I knew I had no other option but to lie. ‘No, I did not.’She frowned. ‘But why?’‘I guess she’s busy. Maybe some other time?’ I said with a shrug. She sighed. ‘It’s okay. No worries. I want you to come with me downstairs.’‘Right now?’She nodded. ‘Khalid wants to see you.’I furrowed my brows. ‘But why?’‘It’s a family thing. Come with me.’ Mum held my arm and took me downstairs. To my surprise, Khalid Butt, Hammad, and Fariya were waiting for us in the lounge. Khalid Butt looked at me as soon as Mum brought me there. Mum looked back and forth at Khalid Butt and me. I stood before them, my arms crossed against my chest. ‘What’s up, mate?’Khalid Butt cleared his throat before he began, ‘We, as a family, would like to extend our apology to you.’I furrowed my brows in confusion, looking back and forth at Mum’s face and then at him. ‘Apology?’Hammad stepped in. ‘Fariya has told us the truth.’I glanced at Fariya, and she cast her eyes downwards. Hammad continued. ‘She has told us that she made a false accusation against you.’Surprised, I exchanged a long glance with Mum, and she came to stand beside me and held my hand. ‘Now we know you never sexually abused Fariya,’ Khalid Butt added. ‘My daughter built a false case against you, and we held you responsible all these years for something you never did.’Hammad put a hand on my shoulder, a look of guilt on his face. ‘Please forgive us, Daniyal. We are already quite embarrassed.’‘Fariya was just a kid when she did that,’ Khalid Butt said. ‘She was probably jealous of you, and she couldn’t stand you in her house. That’s why she did what she did. Please forgive her and forgive us for blaming you all this while.’I looked at Mum, and she passed me a sympathetic look. ‘I am sorry, Daniyal,’ Fariya said all of a sudden. ‘I am sorry for everything.’Mum looked at me and nodded, indicating a gesture for me to forgive her and everyone else. ‘Can we be a happy family again?’ Khalid Butt asked as he spread his arms to offer a hug. I looked at Mum again for her approval, and she nodded, teary-eyed. I took a long breath before saying, ‘It took me a long while to find my place in this house.’All eyes were on me. Mum, Khalid Butt, Hammad, and Fariya stared at me, silent. ‘It took a long while for all of you to accept me.’‘We are sorry about everything, son. We truly are,’ Khalid Butt said, a flash of guilt in his eyes. Without saying another word, I stepped toward him and hugged him. I reassured him I had nothing against him and his family, and I had forgiven them. He kissed my forehead and told me he was proud of me. On the occasion of a happy family reunion, Hammad announced he would order pizza, and we would all eat together that night. On the one hand, I was happy to resolve things with my Mum’s family and have good terms with them, but, on the other hand, I was sad because Mishal had betrayed me. I wish she had not kept things from me. I wish she had told me the truth sooner. Perhaps things would have been different between us. Perhaps I would not have fallen in love with her. ***The next day, I woke up in bed and checked my phone for notifications. I had received a confirmation from the airline. I had to catch the flight in the next two days. I had two more days left in Pakistan. Two more days and I had got nothing to do. There was nothing to do except go for my PCR test as I had to submit the report to the airline 72 hours before my flight. After dressing up, I walked downstairs and saw Mum and Khalid Butt having breakfast at the dining table. ‘Hey, honey.’ Mum reached out for my hand, and I kissed it. ‘Come, have breakfast with us.’ Khalid Butt gestured for me to take a seat. ‘Uh, I have to go for my PCR test. I’ll have breakfast later.’‘Shall I come along?’ Mum asked.‘No, Mum. I’ll manage.’‘Do you know where to go?’ Khalid Butt asked. I nodded. ‘Yes. I know, mate.’I drove Mum’s car to the nearest laboratory center and got done with the PCR test. The receptionist told me I’d receive my report within 72 hours, and it would be automatically shared with the airline I was flying with. When I came back home, I parked the car outside the house and got off the car. Just when I was about to close the gate, I saw Khadija approaching my side. She sighed. ‘Hi, Daniyal. Can I have a word with you?’My heart thudded against my chest so loudly with nervousness that I was afraid she might have heard the sound of it. There was no way I could avoid her at the moment. So, I simply nodded and gestured for her to come in. I let her in and made her sit in the living room. She sat opposite me, with her hands resting on her lap. From her face, I could tell she was nervous. ‘What shall I get for you? Something cold or hot?’‘I’m fine, Daniyal. Thank you,’ she said as she fidgeted with her hands. ‘Are you okay?’ I asked after a small pause. She nodded with pursed lips. ‘Is… Mishal, okay?’ I asked with a raised brow. She smirked briefly. ‘Why don’t you ask that from her?’I bit my lower lip and looked away. ‘We have nothing to talk about.’‘I think you both still have a lot to talk about.’I looked at her, confused. ‘Daniyal, I would like to ask you not to blame Mishal for anything.’I furrowed my brows. ‘What do you mean?’‘If there is someone to blame, that would be me, not my sister.’‘I don’t understand what you’re saying…’She sighed. ‘Mishal gave a false testament against you because Fariya threatened her to do it.’I stared at her, my lips slightly parted. ‘Fariya had, somehow, gotten access to my private photos… and… she threatened to leak them if Mishal did not support her in putting a false accusation on you.’My face fell in shock. ‘What?’She nodded. ‘At that time, we couldn’t do anything except support her in her vicious plan. Mishal only gave a false testament to protect me—my honor.’I frowned. ‘Why couldn’t she tell me the complete truth?’She exhaled. ‘I don’t know. Maybe she can answer that better.’I covered my face with her hands and shook my head. ‘I can’t believe this. I can’t believe Fariya made her do that.’‘Daniyal, please listen to me.’I uncovered my face and looked at her as feelings of guilt engulfed me. I had no idea how to overcome this feeling of guilt and face Mishal again. ‘I know my sister very well. She has been in love with you since she has understood the meaning of love.’My eyes became watery, but I tried my best not to let the tears come out.  ‘She loves you, and she deeply cares for you, and I know you might feel the same for her.’I nodded at her, biting my lip, and cast my eyes downwards.‘But, you need to understand that you both can’t have a future together.’Now, I could not control my tears anymore. The moment I heard her say those words, tears spilled on my cheeks, and I did not wipe them away. ‘We have seen a proposal for her. She will probably get married soon, and you have your whole life back in Australia. I don’t see you both going anywhere…’ Her voice trailed off. I sniffed, looking at her. ‘Probably you’re right, and I agree with you.’She looked at me considerately. ‘I assure you I will never come in her way, and I will never cause her any trouble.’‘I know you won’t, Daniyal.’‘I am leaving the day after tomorrow.’‘Oh.’I nodded. ‘Yeah. Going back.’‘Okay.’‘Can I ask for one last thing?’‘Sure.’‘Can I see her for one last time?’She sighed. ‘Daniyal… c’mon. You know you don’t need my permission to meet her.’‘Thanks for sayin’ that.’‘You’re welcome.’I closed my eyes for a bit and wiped away the tears from my face. It was time to meet her for one last time…