... According to CDC guidelines, underweight women (BMI 18.5-24.9) should gain 25-35 pounds...

Shahveer noted down the fact in his little black book. It was more of a leather bound black journal in which he is keeping notes of all things Ibtihaaj and his baby related.

The first page had a copy of the latest sonogram picture of his baby that he had managed to sneak from his wife's bag. It was but a grainy image of a foetus but Shahveer swore that he has never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

He had cried for the better part of an hour, just looking at his baby and loathing himself for all the injustice he had inflicted on his little love. But he decided then that he would do everything to make things right with his wife and child.

Right now he was reading a book on pregnancy and educating himself on all the things that he should be on a lookout for in his wife.

Shahveer checked Ibtihaaj's medical records and wrote down her weight. She was borderline underweight. He needs to consult with her doctor and get her a proper diet chart!

Just as he was about to wrap everything up, his brothers started filing in his room.

He had called everyone for a family meeting!

As soon as his entire family barring his wife, was settled in his temporary bedroom ( he plans on going back to sharing a room with his wife) , he stood up and cleared his throat.

" I'd like to address this meeting by beginning with an apology..." Shahveer was nervous.

Right now he wasn't looking at HIS family but rather Ibtihaaj's Khaandaan.

Behroz and Zohaib snickered. Their ever so casual Veer Bhai was treating them as business associates.

Ishq insaan se kya kya karwaata hai!

" I'm sorry. For everything. From treating Ibtihaaj so harshly to being cruel with my own child. I'm truly sorry" Shahveer was shame faced.

His Mama, Duaa Ammi and Chachi all gave him sympathetic looks. They knew what their baby boy has been through and how tough it was for him.

His Musa Bhai and Bakhtiyaar Bhai were also empathic towards his plight. Zohaib and Behroz already knew his plan. They had helped form it!

The only ones not happy with his apology were his Baba, Rayyan Abbu and Qaan chachu. His Qiraat Bhabhi was disappointed with him and the worst case was his Hania Bhabhi.

She looked ready to murder him any moment now.

Shahveer gulped his fears because he knew that if he wants to win his wife back then he needed to pacify his family. Every single one of them. Especially Hania Bhabhi who was like a self appointed bodyguard for Ibtihaaj.

Sure Hania was intialy wary of Ibtihaaj but ever since she has realized her own mistake she has made it a point to safeguard her Little Doll's innocence.

" Sadia was my first wife and my first love. Getting over her death was very difficult for me as it was for all of you..." Shahveer choked back the tears that threatened to spill. His Dia still makes his heart tender.

Everyone had their own eyes moist as they remembered their beloved Sadia. She was an integral part of their existence!

" But she's gone and she wanted me to marry again and move on. Wanted all of us to move on..." He said wistfully. Everyone else was in agreement with him because that's what their Dia had insisted them on.

" Dia will always have a huge chunk of our hearts but she's not here. Ibtihaaj is. I'm glad aap sab ne usse apne Dil me jagah di hai aur ek main tha bewakoof..." He smiled sadly.

" Mujhe uski aehmiyat ka andaaza hi nahi hua. Shayad isliye Allah ne bhi mujh jaise naashukre se apni rehmat wapas leni chahi..." Shahveer shuddered remembering that fateful night of her accident.

" Aisa nahi hai Veer" Duaa began only to be cut off by him.

" Nahi Ammi, aisa hi hai. Maine apne masoom si aulaad ko bhi thukraya hai. Kaun baap karta hai ye? Mujhse bada gunahgaar shayad hi koi hoga..." Shahveer broke down and finally his father's heart melted.

His baby boy was hurting and he cannot sit back and watch him destroy himself.

" We'll help you win her back. But..." Azaan's voice had a warning in it.

" If you ever say something to hurt her again or do something that makes her cry, you'll have to face Ibtihaaj's Baba. Do I make myself clear?" Azaan said in an eerily quiet voice.

" Baba" Shahveer couldn't control himself from breaking down. Again. He hugged his father and cried his heart out.

Azaan held his son closer and prayed to Allah for their happiness.

Just as they were listing out all the ways that Shahveer could hopefully rectify his mistakes Hania huffed in mock irritation making him sigh. He was waiting for a tongue lashing from his eldest sister.

" Yes Bhabhi? " Shahveer readied himself for her sharp punch.

" Let me begin by saying that I'm not happy with you. Your behavior was despicable and I personally think my Doll is too good for you" everyone had an amused smile on their faces and Musa shook his head at his wife's antics.

" All I want to do is punch you right now and wrap my little doll in cotton. But then I'll feel sad because I love you too..." Hania sighed at her own feelings.

" And that sweet little girl deserves all the happiness in the world" she gave him a pointed look, " and you do too. So I'll help you" Hania added begrudgingly.

She did love the both of them.

The family laughed at their daughter and her dramatics. They began leaving his room and Hania and the twins were the last ones left.

Hania pulled his sleeve and made him come down to her level. His towering height makes it difficult for her small stature to serve him a lashing.

" Also, you're an asshole" Hania whispered slowly just for his ears lest their parents or worse Musa hears it and reprimand her on her colorful vocabulary.

Shahveer was horrified but he smiled at that.

The twins who had lingered back with her laughed out loud.

Their Hania Bhabhi is Savage!

" I know. And thank you for looking out for the two of them. I owe you for that" Shahveer side hugged his naughty sister.

" I love them and I'll always protect her from everything bad! Also I love you too. Bade aaye thank you bolne wale! " Hania snorted and nudged his belly with her elbow.

Shahveer was thankful for the blessing that is his family!

Ibtihaaj was blissfully unaware of the planning and plotting that her husband was doing in cahoots with their family.

She went about her daily routine and was right now looking for some work to do. Her mother in law and sisters have banned her from entering the kitchen and her father in law has already sent her resignation letter to the school.

Being unemployed was the worst feeling ever!

Ibtihaaj knew that it was for her betterment. Her condition was fragile and her baby takes precedence over every employment woes of hers.

" Mama, main koi doosre room me shift ho jaao?" Ibtihaaj bit into an apple and asked Faiqa.

They were all helping around in the kitchen and Ibtihaaj was made to sit on a chair. Since she was feeling too jobless, she was asked to cut some fruits for the fruit salad.

" Kyu baby? Ye room pasand nahi hai tumhe?" Faiqa stopped what she was doing and gave her daughter her full attention.

" Aisi koi baat nahi hai Mama, par wo room bohot bada hai, mujhe raat me kaatne ko daudta hai" Ibtihaaj sometimes feels scared to be alone in such a big room.

" Main so jau tumhare paas?" Faiqa was worried now. Her daughter was right. It's not safe for her to be alone in such a big room.

" Nahi Mama. Aap takleef na karein. Kisi mulaazma se keh dein, wo so jayegi mere paas" Ibtihaaj didn't want to trouble her mother in law over her problems.

" Beta, Shahveer se keh doon, wo apne room me dobara shift hone ki baat kar raha tha aaj subah" Duaa jumped in to put forth the idea. Their kids needed some help in terms of repairing their non existent relationship!

" Ammi, unhe nahi rehna hai humare saath. Wo khud apni marzi se ye kamra chod kar gayein the" Ibtihaaj still couldn't get over the fact that her husband loathed her sight so much that he preferred to leave his room than face her.

" Nahi baby, Veer sharminda hai apni galtiyon par. Usse pachtava hai apne badsalookhi par. He wants to rectify his mistakes. Hear him out please" Aamaal piped in.

" Unhone humara bohot dil dukhaya hai chachi. Main kaise ?" Ibtihaaj was disheartened.

Didn't they see how he had misbehaved with her? Were they siding with their own son despite him being in the wrong?

" Ibtihaaj, beta Shahveer ne aaj hum sab se maafi maangi, kyunki usne tumhare saath badtameezi ki thi. Usne humare Khaandaan ke waaris ko tarq kiya tha. Par ab wo apne galtiyon ko durust karna chahta hai" Faiqa sat down by her side and held her hands in hers.

" Will you give him a chance to redeem himself? To make it up to you? But only if you want to. Nobody here will force you to do anything against your will, not even Shahveer" Faiqa was determined to help them but only after her daughter consents to it.

" I know he will never let you down now. He knows your worth, his baby's worth. He deserves to be happy but most importantly, YOU deserve to be happy. You can choose to be sad and wallow in self pity over having a lousy husband or you can take a chance at being happy" Faiqa said with a smile and that even earned her a laugh from Ibtihaaj.

" I'm not saying that you forgive him outright or even forget what he did to you. But beta you can't lead a lonely life. The three of you belong together, your happiness belongs with each other and your baby " Faiqa continued.

" Make him work hard for it. Let him earn each and every smile of yours. Set rules for his punishment. Show him what's your value and that you're worth it. That you're not something easily dispensable. That you're not a toy that he can play with at his will. That you're his WIFE" Faiqa told a now weeping Ibtihaaj.

" Are you sure I'm your Bahu and not your daughter?" Ibtihaaj laughed.

How did she get so lucky to have this incredible woman as her mother in law, one who is siding with her over her own son!

" Hatt pagal. Who said you're not my daughter? That ullu ka pattha is my heart but you my love are my soul and I love you with everything I have" Faiqa kissed her forehead.

" Mama main?" Qiraat pouted at them.

" Aur tayi ammi main?" Hania was not one to be left behind.

" Haa tum dono bhi. Ammi loves you all just as much my monkeys!" Faiqa teased her other two girls making them laugh. Their Ammi is just too funny!

" My precious daughters!" Faiqa hugged Ibtihaaj closer to herself.

Ibtihaaj was sitting alone in her room and reflecting on what her Mama told her. She is hurt by her husband's behavior but she knows he was heartbroken over Sadia's death.

She's in no way justifying his actions but she's also tired of being sad and angry and lonely all the time.

What if her happiness lies with Shahveer?

What if he's the love of her life?

What would happen if she gives him a chance?

Would he hurt her again? Reject their baby again?

She never will know the answers to these questions unless she takes that leap of faith.

She will have to trust her Allah to guide her on the right path.

It may lead to Shahveer and it may lead her away from him. But she's sure that Allah will always guide her towards her happiness and peace.

Whether or not it lies with Shahveer is a different question.

Ibtihaaj prayed two rakaah nawfil of Ishtekhaara and left everything upto her Allah.

Allah knows best.

She woke up from her nap and had a sudden clarity of her entire situation. She will try to give Shahveer a chance. If he screws up again then atleast she will never have any regrets and question herself the prodigal WHAT IF?

If he doesn't and manages to win her heart then they can have their own fairy tale beginning to life.

Either way she has nothing to lose. It's better than being stuck in the murky waters of polite existential stagnancy!

That night Shahveer came into her room with a worried expression. He saw her sitting on the bed and reading a book out loud to their baby making him smile in adoration.

He was going to prove to her that he's sorry and that he's willing to change. He also has to put forth his story and point of view. Maybe it will help her understand his plight?

" Ibtihaaj..." He called out to her, gaining her attention.

" Jee?" Ibtihaaj responded to him in a polite tone. She wants to hear his side, just once.

A relationship is built on honesty and truth and respect and love. If he wants to work his way towards a healthy relationship with Ibtihaaj, she has to know all about his life. Even the parts she won't like. Especially that ones.

" Sadia was Hania Bhabhi's school friend and I had liked her from the very first time that we met. I guess she liked me too..." He leaned back on the wall and began.

Ibtihaaj was sad to hear about another woman in her husband's life but truth was that she was actually the first woman in his life and she's infact dead. She doesn't have it in her to hold a grudge on the dead woman. Especially a dead woman who loved her husband!

Shahveer took her lack of protest a sign to continue.

" Ours was an arranged marriage and we were happy to know that we were to be wed within a few months" he paused to see if he had her attention. She was fidgeting with her dupatta but she was listening.

" We were so in love that when the doctors told us that my wife, my newly wed wife..." Shahveer hiccuped. It still was a sore spot for him, remembering the pain his Dia went through.

Ibtihaaj went towards Shahveer, held his hand and led him towards her bed. She made him sit and offered him a glass of water.

She then sat in the arm chair in front of him and urged him to continue.

Shahveer got a hold of his emotions and resumed his tale.

" Glioblastoma Multiforme is what she had. By the time it was diagnosed she only had a few days to her name. We tried to convince her to undergo surgery chemotherapy anything just so that it gives her life..." Shahveer had a control over his tears this time.

" She refused every treatment option and wanted to spend time just with her family. I used to plead with her, cry to my Allah to give her back to me but Allah had bigger plans for us. My Dia passed away in her sleep one morning. In my arms..." This time his dam broke.

Shahveer still could feel her cold and unresponsive body pressed up against his when he woke up that morning.

How do you ever recover from that? How?

Ibtihaaj couldn't help herself and held his hands in hers, giving them a light squeeze.

How much has this man of hers suffered?

Shahveer gained strength from that little gesture of his wife and looked at her gratefully.

" The night before she had made me promise that I'll marry again and that I'll make a life with someone" he said with a sad smile.

" She was sure that Allah has someone more amazing, someone more beautiful, more kind-hearted and someone more magnificent made for me" he looked at his wife wistfully.

" In her last days Sadia used to say that Allah gave her to me to teach me how to love. How to cherish a woman. To make me more acceptable for my actual soulmate. She said that she's just medium for us to meet..." Ibtihaaj was weeping now.

" I was angry at her words. How dare she say that she wasn't my soulmate? That she's so easily replaceable? How could she say that my love for her was not pure ? That Allah will take her away from me? That I will make a life that we wanted, that SHE wanted; with someone else?" Shahveer was frustrated all over again.

" Then when I called you by her name, I realized that despite me claiming that I love Sadia, I still felt an emotional connect with you. I was angry at myself. Didn't I ever love Sadia that I so easily forgot her?" He was in a zone now.

" It wasn't you sweetheart. I was the bastard. I was undeserving of a good woman such as you..." Shahveer held her hands and looked in her eyes.

" Par aapne humare bachey ko mustrd kiya. How do you justify that?" Ibtihaaj has always been restless on this point.

She knew it would be absolutely foolish on her part to expect Shahveer to love her when he has never even interacted with her. Especially when he was in love with someone else before. That too so deeply.

But to reject his own baby? His own blood? That did not sit well with the mother in her.

" Main bata nahi sakta hoon maine khud ko kitna kosa hai. Wo galti nahi ek gunaah tha joh mujhse hua hai. Main agar poori zindagi bhi tobah kiya toh bhi shayad Mera khuda mujhe maaf nahi karega. Mera bachha mujhe maaf nahi karega..." Shahveer finally broke down.

His child is innocent and he was the criminal who rejected his life's biggest blessing.

" What happens now? Hum kaise aap par aitbaar rakhein? Aap toh aaj bhi Sadia se mohabbat kartein hai" Ibtihaaj was insecure about her position in her husband's life.

A man can accept his child after a period but to accept another woman in place of his first love is difficult. And Ibtihaaj knew this. She wasn't raising her hopes high and setting herself up for disappointment.

" I want to be there for you both. I want to earn your forgiveness. I want to make a life with you and our baby. I want to make you happy but most importantly I want to show you that you're worth it. Worth so much more than this idiot of a man that is your husband" Shahveer declared passionately.

" Baatein karna bohot asaan hai Shahveer. Zindagi se zyada umeedein nahi lagayi hai humne, humesha sirf shikast mili hai..." Ibtihaaj said sadly.

" Aapse shaadi ke baad bhi zyada kuch badla nahi tha. Hum wahi yateem the jiski kisi ko koi zarurat nahi thi..." She looked up at him.

" Phir uss raat jab aapne hume apne baahon me sameta jaise humare saare bikhre hisse dobara jod denge, hume itna pyaar kiya..."

" I was so hurt. But my heart broke when you rejected our baby. Your baby. How could you?"

" But I want to stop hurting so much "

She held his shirt in his small fist and looked up at him, her blue eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

" Can you make this pain go away? Can you make my heart stop hurting?" Ibtihaaj Shahveer asked her husband with hopes that he has answers to her dilemmas.

" We will heal each other. We can make a life with our little love. I'll always cherish and respect you. I promise that I'll try to love you with every fiber in my being. Wallah that I promise!" Shahveer held her beautiful face in his callous palms, eyes shining with all the promises that his heart wants to make to his wife.

" I can't forget everything so easily. I don't forgive you. Mama said I should make you work hard for it" She informed innocently making him shake his head.

His wife was too cute for her own good!

" Naa karna Meri Guriya. I'll move mountains to gain every ounce of your love and forgiveness. I'll walk through all the hurricanes if at the other end I get you and our baby"