Sana had the curling rod in her right hand which had end of my hair wrapped around it to be curled. She was almost about to finish with helping me to get ready for the party tonight.

"Tum itni lucky ho yar. Jahan Bhai kitne romantic hai kaise tum utha k le gaye. Haye mujhe bhe aisa he husband mile. Ufff. (You are so lucky. Jahan Bhai is so romantic. How he just swept you in his arms and took you away. I want the to find a husband like him.)"

She gushed with dreamy look in her eyes at which I couldn't help but smile from mirror remembering something.

I don't think that Sana would believe if I told her that Jahan actually wasn't romantic. He was affectionate with me and somehow it came effortlessly to him like an instinct. In our honeymoon, he didn't do anything special if dinning in an good restaurant doesn't counts.

I still remembered the story about those gajre that he brought for me. On my constant insisting, He told me that he saw vendor selling gajre at some traffic signal in Islamabad. He couldn't help but think about how would they look on my wrists but he didn't buy them knowing that they wouldn't remain fresh to his liking in four hour drive so he just made a note in his mind to buy them from Lahore. When he reached back to Lahore. Almost all shops were closed so he had to drive around the streets and fortunately he found a floral shop open so late and then bought them.

"May Allah give you a husband with more good and better characteristic."

I whispered as the smile suddenly disappeared remembering the name again.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, why?"

I turned on stool pulling my hairs a bit away to look at her to see what exactly promoted her to ask me this question. Did my tone gave away something?

"Tum kl bhe kuch weird the or ye sirf kl se ni hain. (You were a bit weird yesterday and it's not only since yesterday.)"

I licked the seam of my lips suddenly my lips felt dry. The desperation to talk someone and to lighten my heart maybe was the reason that I gave her an honest answer as she asked me further.

"Is everything alright?"

"No."

She took a stool and pulled it toward me before sitting on it. I parted my lips not knowing what to say? How to explain?

"Jahan."

I shook my head not wanting to exactly to tell her everything but still wanting her to understand my doubts.

"It's still irks me that main unhe sahe jante ni aur ye k unho ne pechle teen saal London me kaise guzare. (I don't know him well and that how he spent last three years in London.)"

She had knowing look in her eyes understanding the implication behind my words. She sighed placing her hand on mine.

"Yar honestly. You can talk to him about it or not. If you choose to not to then you can keep dwelling on the past which may put a strain on your present ultimately on your future or you can just let it go. It's in past right so what good to think about what already has happened and isn't happening now."

I tilted my lips in a bit. Her words did help me a bit but the point was what if the past was knocking the door of present.

I walked to bathroom and changed into the saree and then walked out.

"Yar jach rahe ho black mein. (You look beautiful in black.)"

I looked at myself in the mirror the smokey black eyes makeup with red lips matched with black embroidered sequence blouse and plain chiffon saree with embroidered borders with matching necklace and earrings.

I pulled on the strap heels with as a knock on door resonated in room. I walked to door and turned the knob opening it. Jahan stood straight with his signature look of black dress pants with royal blue shirt and the black lined dress jacket with matching tie pin, Rolex watch and cuff link.

I placed my hand in his outstretched one.

"Ready."

I nodded my head looking back at Sana who gave me a wide grin and a thumbs up.

"Allah Hafiz and have fun."

As I walked with him by my side wearing seven inch heel. I noticed that I still looked short with him was not able to reach his shoulders.

We walked down the stairs into the veranda where almost everyone was sitting chatting at evening tea. We stopped to say Allah Hafiz to everyone before going toward dadu.

She didn't let us leave before circling a note of five thousand around our head to protect us from black eyes.

"Masha Allah. Bohat pyare lag rahe ho sath. Allah mere bacho ko har bure nazar we bachaye. (You two look good together. May Allah keep my children safe from every black eye.)"

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I unbuckled the belt and was about to open the door to walk out of the car

"Ruke. (Stop.)"

"Ji."

I turned my head in his direction giving him my full attention. He sat there with his gaze moving on my face down to my body drinking me in.

"Jahan."

"Right."

He blinked scratching the stubble on his jaw before pulling himself together.

"Don't take any drink from anyone except me and wherever you go remain in my line of sight. Don't go to far."

"Okay ."

I set straight waiting for him to give me a signal to leave but he remained motionless. He pulled my hand from my lap and placed it on his thigh where his thumb grazed the back of it with his eyes whispering what his lips couldn't form.

Jahan wasn't kind of an husband who would compliment me on my beauty but you would know that he found me beautiful with just that intense gaze that would make my breath hitch.

"Chale. (Should we go?)"

He sighed taking his hand of mine with a nod of his head opening his side of door.

In these few months of our marriage. I have managed to read his expressions very porofoundly. It didn't escape my eyes that Jahan wasn't very inclined to attend the party that was actually organized in his honor.

I knew our host formally. They belonged to another politician family. A close friend of Agha Jan. I have met them at our wedding and some other occasion.

Entering the hall. I saw some actresses, bureaucrats and politicians with their partners. Some woman were wearing sarees with sleeveless half blouse with good amount of cleavage. Some were in evening gowns that weren't that modest. Some were dressed more modestly like me. I wasn't much surprised. This kind of crowd was common in elite class.

There were waiter going around with trays containing champagne glasses filled with alcohol.

We walked to the centre at the end of hall to greet our host. Zuhaib Khawar took Jahan in an embrace patting him on his back. Jahan kept a stoic expressions with tight smile which indicated that he didn't like this man much.

He took a glass from the waiter passing by. He clinked on it calling for attention.

"Everyone meet our guest of honor CMs Jahan Sikander Ali Shah here with his lovely wife Noor."

I gave a polite smile to the crowd feeling uncomfortable at this amount of spotlight. Jahan was still stoic with his lips in a thin line. I could read it on his face that he wasn't very pleased with this gesture.

Many people started coming to us one by one with their congratulations. I kept up with their partners while Jahan made small diplomatic conversations at my side.

"Sweetie, Introduce Noor to some of your friends. She must be bored here in between political talks."

Zuhaib Khawar called to his daughter who was dressed in an off shoulder halter beige dress.

She took my hand leading to me to corner of hall where she introduced me to her equally modern friends. I maintained the small polite talk as they talked about various thing including their foreign trips, fashion shows and brands etc etc.

I felt that gaze again that I kept ignoring since the announcement. I searched around the room until my eyes found the source. A man in his late thirties or early forties was standing opposite to me near the bar. He raised his glass with bow of his head. I don't know why he kept staring at me knowing that I was married. I was used to stare of man but his stare was more dirty and violating then any other that I ever felt.

I searched around the room looking for Jahan and I did found him standing almost in the middle with an actress wearing plump net see through saree with sleeveless half blouse. I don't watch drama shows so I didn't know her name but I must have seen her face on a billboard or an advertisement. Her left hand set on Jahan's right arm as she laughed elegantly at something. I couldn't see Jahan's expression from so far.

I felt my heart ache needing that woman to be away. I looked around the hall and back to the women I was standing with. I felt suddenly congested and suffocated. I gave a last look to my husband before excusing myself to washroom.

I started to walk away from hall to the corridor which lead to ladies washroom. I stopped suddenly in midway hearing the sound of footsteps. I turned around to find that man behind me.

I looked at the washroom which was a bit away then back to the hall which was far enough that I couldn't hear the noise of parry. This area was almost deserted. I suddenly felt scared when he walked up to me standing just some feet away.

"Noor saheba. You are beautiful just like your name."

"And you are?"

"Malik Ahmar apka parastar. (Your worshipper.)"

I felt the fear raising with every second. I looked around for a way to escape. I knew that I wouldn't be able to run much with my heels. I had the only choice to tangle him in talks and wait for Jahan to find me.

"Malik sahab. Ap kiya chahte hain? (What do you want?)"

"bs eik raat k liya apka waqt. (just your time for one night.)"

He took a step closer whispering. I could feel the smell of alcohol on his breath. It didn't look like that he wanted to play any game.

"Chale ge mera sath. (Will you come with me?)"

He took hold of my wrist taking my silence as an affirmation. I took a step back pulling my wrist out of his grip.

"I am a married a women."

He matched my step taking about another forward.

"Not an issue."

I wasn't careful with my next step trying to get as far as I could. My feet slipped and I was about fall only for an arm to wrap around my waist pulling me forward.

When I found Malik Ahmar so close holding me. I suddenly panicked and started to beat on his chest to get away.

"Chorein mujhe. (leave me.)"

At next moment. I was pulled back before Jahan walked to up him grabbing a fistful of his collar.

"How dare you?"

His thunderous voice echoed around the corridor. I could only look at Jahan whose right hand was now drawn in a punch just some centimeter from his face with green purple veins visible across the back of hand.

He pulled his hand back when it was only an inch away from his cheek taking his hand of the collar and now his hands were in pockets of his dress pants with a cynical smile on his face that was more scary then the murderous look that he had before.

"Aj k raat sukoon se guzar lo Malik qk us k bad main tumhe aisa zaleel karoga k tum pachtoage k tum q Jahan Sikander k hathon se mare ni gayi. (Spend this night with peace Malik because after that I will humiliate you that much that you will regret why you were not dead by hands of Jahan Sikander.)"

The threat even through not being meant for me froze me for a second forming dread in my chest. I knew Jahan very well. He always kept his word and I was truly scared. Scared of what he will do.

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