Hamraaz- Epilogue

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"Zamurad, chodo mujhe!"

An annoyed looking Darya tried to free herself from the clutches of her husband who had suddenly turned into a just born baby. The two lay carefree on the king size bed, one with an expression of utter frustration while the other pretended to be asleep when in fact, all he wanted to do was enjoy his wife's riled up expression.

"Zamurad, khuda ke vaaste abhi ke abhi apne haathon ko apne

pass bulao warna-"

"Warna kya?"

He mumbled next to her ears. His hold tightened around her waist as he pulled her closer to himself. Darya knew she resembled anything but her natural complexion but the stubborn side in her refused to give into his spellbinding cuddles.

"Warna you better reserve a couch to sleep on for the next 1 month."

Her threat made Zamurad snicker in amusement. He finally opened his eyes and placed his chin on her shoulder, their breaths mingled more if possible and Darya gulped in an attempt to not bring her sinful thoughts into play.

"Jaana, mujhse zyada tumhe mere upar sone ki aadat hai. So even if I were to sleep on the couch, you'd follow me like the cute little kitten you are."

He cooed softly at her, as though talking to a kid. Zamurad bit the insides of his cheeks as he saw her face resembling the beautiful break of dawn, the hues of red made her look beguiling.

Darya huffed in his hold, her attempts of separating from him finally were thrown out of the window as she snuggled into him. A wide smile broke across Zamurad's lips as he sighed in bliss and welcomed her gestures with an open heart.

"But I want to go rafting."

Darya used a sorrow-filled tone. Her puppy eyes quickly took over her expressions as she gave her cutest look to her husband who could only mumble incoherently under his breath.

Zamurad knew he was a goner every time she gazed at him with her wide eyes filled with an innocent mischief. He could clearly see the mirth dancing in the most graceful of ways within her burnt sienna irises but he could do nothing to revolt her request.

"Jaana, remember the last time you threw up halfway during hiking and even fainted?!"

"Lekin that was all your fault!"

A bewildered look took over his features and his hold loosened considerably for Darya to wriggle out of it. An angry pout was all that she could give him and it took every ounce of patience for Zamurad to not pull her back in the bed and repeat the actions that have led to this result.

Not that he wasn't happy with it but his wife sure did have a little complaints about the turn of events.

"How is it my fault?"

Darya crossed her arms across her torso. A look that said 'you really don't know?' rested on her face and Zamurad could feel only pride rather than being the least bit apologetic about it.

"You know very well how it's your fault."

Her voice reduced to a complaint filled whisper, the anger vanished into thin air when she saw the teasing glint in her husband's eyes that looked like the endless woods she could gaze at feeling nothing but a serene happiness through it all.

"Do I now? My memory seems to be lacking Mrs. Zamurad, please enlighten me."

He removed the quilt that covered his form. Clad in only a pair of black sweatpants, Zamurad seemed like the elegant statues of the Greek royals that screamed power and masculine grace.

Darya could only mumble words of unidentified language under her breath. She knew he was toying with her already messed up hormones and had purposefully laid without a shirt to make her sane mind go haywire. Looking at her form, she blushed even more when she noticed her appearance.

Her wide eyes looked back at a highly pleased looking Zamurad who gazed at her with nothing but a love so precious that it should've been stored in the most protective of chests and kept as an untold secret.

"But I want to-"

He didn't allow her to complain. With a gentleness that always remained in her presence and what had only increased after the news that made Zamurad weep in gratefulness, the emotion only heightened around her.

Zamurad pulled her on his lap. The frown of complaint on Darya's features did not vanish as she looked at him. He smiled at her cute antics but knew he couldn't give into her requests.

"Darya, jaana, such activities can be hazardous during this time. I don't want to see you or my little munchkin getting hurt just because I was too soft to grant you your request."

"But we'll be careful."

"Darya, you know if it were in my hands we'd have returned back home the very day your test results came, hai na? But you forced me to extend our stay in Dalmatia."

"Because it's our honeymoon! Aise kaise aadhe mein chod kar chale jaaye?"

Darya's hands flew in the air in an animated manner, as if explaining to him words of great knowledge and wisdom. Zamurad snickered at her attempt to justify her actions and softly pecked the tip of her nose more than once.

"Bahane khatm nahi hote na tumhare?"

The tenderness in his tone made Darya smile a cheeky smile. Her skin glowed like that of the moon on the night when the sun had shared a part of its light with her, just like how Zamurad had shared a piece of him with her.

Snuggling in his hold, she wrapped her arms around his torso and sighed in merriment on feeling his warmth.

Precisely 5 months had passed since Zamurad's return and a total 9 months since the two were tied down. The past days were nothing but a dream come true for the two of them. Complications within the military often called for Zamurad's assistance but finally after a whole load of work, he had taken a leave of a few months to put his sole focus on his wife, his jaana.

The two had come to Croatia in hopes of making the country a memorable place where they made a million happy moments but it turned out to be a huge surprise when a week after their arrival, Darya fainted during their hiking trip in Plitvice. Zamurad had almost lost his mind because even before losing her consciousness, Darya didn't look quite well and had thrown up quite a few times.

Upon a checkup from the best hospital that he could find in the short while, he was left shunned by the news of being a father within a few months, Insha'Allah. He had cried like a child, holding onto Darya as she lay giggling on the hospital bed with happy tears glistening in her eyes.

The happiness that the couple felt at that moment was incomparable as they lay in each other's arms in silence, not being able to voice their inner emotions that had surpassed to be addressed as mere happiness.

"Waise, Azra is not ready to shut up about our arrival. Next time she calls, you're the one dealing with her annoying sass."

Zamurad's rude words were met with a smack from Darya as he laid the two back under the covers, not ready to leave the comfort that their embrace and the bed had to offer at 8 in the morning. The weather in Dalmatia was pleasant, as though trying to match the mood of the couple in the room.

The hotel room that they resided in overlooked the sea ahead. One of the specialities of the country was its serene shore. The sea waves held a soul of their own as they hit the sand with a grace that could encapture anyone's gaze. The adjacent cliffs towards the left of the vast land of water looked like a place perfect for the solitude lovers who desired nothing but silence and the aura of a tantalizing peace.

"Z-Zamurad?"

Darya stuttered as she tried to swat his hand away that was trying to sneak into her husband's shirt that covered her form. Her closed eyes shot open to give a glare to her husband but instantly shied away when she saw him staring at her with his dark eyes that matched the intensity of the growing water waves that hit the edge of the cliff with a roaring desire.

Zamurad placed a kiss on her collarbone that kept teasing him in a way that saints would run miles away from. His hand rose higher, touching her skin that felt like the petals of the rose that had just opened itself to welcome the caresses of the spring breeze.

Darya shuddered as Zamurad covered her small form with his. Her eyes tried to keep themselves open, stare at the dark sky that glistened with tiny stars in the irises of the man that had her wrapped around his cute smiles.

Zamurad felt her hands clutching his biceps, he tried not to make the shiver that ran down his spine visible as he gazed down at Darya's flustered form. Her lips were parted, an involuntary breath was caught in both of their throats and as though under a compulsion, Zamurad found himself covering her lips with his.

The breeze that peaked into their window, watching as the two mingled into two bodies and one soul, could only giggle as the haya that surrounded the lovers' forms shyly made its way to them. The message of the awaited union was carried by it to the impatient waves that kept thrashing on the shore, while Zamurad and Darya lay unaware of nature's curiosity and lost themselves in a land of un-measured ecstasy and a thirst for more.

*****

Darya turned her head away as Azra tried to force feed her the sour oranges. Her due date was near and rather than cautious, all Darya felt was heavy boredom as the people in the house kept fussing over her like mother hens.

As if Zamurad wasn't enough already, the whole Radwan house didn't let her put her feet down the bed and if she did, then Allah! The glare that she received from Aashna was enough for her to quietly take hold of the quilt and put it back over her form.

"Bhabi, mama kahi bahar nahi gayi hai. She's in the kitchen, so better finish this plate of fruits in one go or else-"

"Azra, yaar, baksh do mujhe."

"Bhabi, just a few more, please..."

Azra gave her famous puppy eyes to her bhabi who of course melted at the look due to the up and down of her hormones that loved to play with her mood as though it were a ball. Dodging it from one emotion to the other.

"Fine."

Darya grumbled out the word with a displeased look and as Azra placed the orange near to her lips, a pain equal to that of sharp glass shards being stabbed on her abdomen made Darya yell in agony.

Azra's eyes turned wide with panic as she took in the wailing form of her sister-in-law but much to her relief, the scream was loud enough for everyone to race to her room.

Aashna looked alarmed as she saw Darya clutching her swollen stomach, tears streamed down her face as she bit her lips to contain the pain filled sobs.

"Azra, jaldi gaadi nikalo and call Zamurad. Quick!"

Azra nodded hastily at her mother's words and helped Darya to get on her feet. Aashna supported the majority of her weight as she guided her towards the car. They had shifted the couples' room downstairs in order to avoid using the stairs as much as possible and this situation just made Aashna grateful for her previous decisions.

Aashna paced in front of the LDR. Her motherly instincts roared with worry as she heard Darya's painful screams from the room. The labor was intense and a critical one and her lips kept mumbling prayers for her bahu's- more like her daughter's safety.

"Mama?"

A panicked Zamurad came into view. He panted as though he had covered a marathon and he did. He had come all the way from his father's company, a look of excitement to welcome a new member into the family gleamed brightly in his eyes but the worry for his wife's health dominated the emotion.

Aashna said nothing but smiled at her son and kissed his forehead. Her motherly love and warmth surrounded Zamurad's anxious form as he waited beside her for the rest of the hours. Zorawar and Azra too sat beside them, the whole family busy reciting verses and heartfelt prayers to their Lord.

A good number of hours later the door of the LDR was finally opened and before Zamurad could sprint inside or fire his worry-filled questions, the soft yet sharp wailing of a newborn reached his ears. His whole form froze as he stared at the small being wrapped in a towel in the nurse's hand.

Aashna took hold of the angel that had stepped down from the heavens to bless their family with nothing but immense love. Her eyes overflowed with tears as she gazed at the little boy that was crying at the change of environments.

Her eyes looked at Zamurad with a knowing love. A teary smile was all she offered to her son along with the little bundle of joy and Zamurad never knew a feeling as the one at that moment.

He stared down at the small creature that lay unaware of the hearts that he had captured. For the first time in ages, Zamurad felt himself weeping in happiness so huge, that he knew nothing could compare it. He kissed the small forehead of the tiny thing in his arms to his heart's satisfaction. His small fingers looked so fragile and porcelain like that he feared that a mere touch might break them.

He looked at Zorawar, a silent conversation being done through the eyes that resembled each other's. Handing over his son to his father, he watched silently as Zorawar recited the adhan and the Iqamah in the little ears of his newborn son. The cries that once rang across the hallway had now come to a halt and a serene look took over the doll like human's face.

He left the newborn in the care of his parents and quickly made way inside the room where his wife rested after battling to bring another life to the world. A life that completed the purpose of his and hers.

Darya had her eyes closed. Her body ached like no other as she tried not to wince over every little movement that she made. Her limbs felt numb while her back almost felt like it had fractured. Her throat hurt from all painful yells and whimpers that she had voiced in the last many hours.

"J-jaana?"

The teary whisper of a voice that was etched in her soul made her smile. She slowly opened her tired eyes as Zamurad sat on the chair beside her bed. His eyes overflowed with tears as he clutched her palms in his, kissing it ever so softly as if it would break.

"I don't even know what to say."

"Then don't."

He gave a look to Darya who was giving a tired but toothy smile. Her eyes glimmered with a brightness like that of a summery sun that had just reached its zenith.

He chose to remain silent and got up to place a kiss on her forehead. Darya closed her eyes as she felt a tear falling on her cheeks but she knew it was of nothing but happiness.

Aashna entered the room after a few minutes alongside the others.

Darya's eyes strayed to her son that lay in Aashna's hand and she could feel her emotions heightening, the most prominent of all was awe and protectiveness.

Aashna gently placed the little boy in Darya's hands. The latter could feel her nerves picking up but as soon as she took hold of her son, the feeling of doing the same for a long time made all her nervousness dissipate into nothingness.

The peaceful silence around of disturbed by thundering footsteps and Darya rolled her eyes knowing very well what or more likely who the tufans were.

"Murad, main pehle dekhunga use. I am the rightful mama over here. Side hut!"

"Excuse me? More than you, Darya appi loves me, us hisab se pehla haq mera hua."

"Side hato bandaro. I am the only khala and my turn shall be before you both."

"Sab chup ho jao warna abhi hospital se bahar phek dunga."

Zaviyar's stern voice made the three of them zip their mouths. Zameer, Murad and Zaahira all quickly walked inside the room, their eyes gleaming with a child-like glee as they looked at the little bundle in Darya's hold.

"Don't even think for a second that I am handing my son over to any of you."

Darya narrowed her eyes at her siblings who gave her a look of betrayal. Dua smacked each of their heads and wiped her tears that had flowed on seeing a daughter holding a son of her's.

Oh how time passes by in a blink!

Zaviyar blinked his eyes that suddenly felt moist. He refused to cry and could only take a deep breath as Dua held onto her grandson and then looked at her husband with a look of disbelief.

"I know."

Zaviyar whispered, knowing very well what his wife felt. Zayn and Mahira took their turn to hold the small being. Zayn could only think of the time when he had first seen his bhai holding a similar fairy-like creature in his hold and entering their home years back. Mahira leaned on her husband's bicep, her tears streamed down her cheeks as the day when the cycle of a family of 3 had first started roamed fresh in her memory lane.

"Aapne koi naam socha hai?"

Azra asked with an excited squeal to her bhai and bhabi who nodded their heads in excitement. Darya smiled widely at Zamurad who returned the gesture and declared the name that they had chosen for the new edition of the family.

"Damurah Zamurad Radwan."

Because their son was just like the sparkle of light, like the break of dawn in their life.

He was the endless light that would shed away the darkness that dared to come their way in any form.

.

.

The End

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It's officially over and I am trying my best to not bawl my eyes out. Why do I love being mean to my characters but in the end weep when it's time to depart from them?

To think of it this way, I had decided to write Hamraaz in an attempt to get over my partial writer's block. Hamraaz was a storyline different from anything I'd have ever thought of but then again, all the stories in Mehr-o-Mah will have a touch that only they can master in and no one else.

The plot for Hamraaz struck at the last moment when trust me, I was seconds away from putting Mehr-o-Mah on hold for months because in the midst of my exams, I was on the verge of losing my sanity with all the pressure and books that lay in front of me almost mockingly.

We hereby move on from Hamraaz station and to the next. Buckle up tight because the next station of story will be a roller coaster of its own!!

Riwaayat will Insha'Allah be out in a week or two. I'm yet to even name the Male MC so you can imagine what all I have to set right for the story.

See ya soon my precious lindt chocolates!

- Dilara💕

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