"N..no. P..ple.. please!"

"Look at me, Mayra."

"D..don't h..hurt me. Pl..Please."

"I said, look at me Mayra. Now."

Mayra clasped her hands on her head, crying miserably she slid down the wall onto the floor. She bundled up, hugging her knees to her chest and her palms held out in front of her.

A gesture of surrender, an appeal to not be punished.

Every fiber of Aamir's body screamed at him to go to her and comfort her in any way he could. He needed to do it. He needed to pull her into his arms and crush her to his chest and tell her over and over that he'd never hurt her, until she believed it. His need to do it was so great in that moment, it was like the air that he needed to breathe.

Mayra whimpered. This is who she was. A hopeless woman at the mercy of a man. Helpless to defend herself, cowardly enough to not punish him.

He was going to strike her. He was going to vent out all of his anger, channel all his frustration on her body. History was about to repeat itself. Jaffar would meddle with her life and Aamir would punish her for it.

Slowly he walked towards her, his shoes alerting her. She cried even more, desperation growing by the second. "I didn't... I don't kn..know. Please.. please don't! I di..didn't do anything. Please! Please!"

"Mayra.."

"Don't.. don't hurt.. hurt me!"

He crouched down in front of her, "Mayra, listen to.."

"Don't hurt me!" She yelled, panic-struck.

"MAYRA!"

Aamir screamed her name to break her reverie and clutched her elbows and shook her into awareness. They stared at each other for a minute, face to face, unable to speak, unable to think. Shock kept them motionless as both tried to search the other's eyes for answers, for reason.

Aamir sighed and cupped Mayra's face, his thumbs lovingly wiped away her tears. She stared up at him. This was supposed to be the part where he should be yanking her up by her hair and throwing her across the room. Or kicking her. Or slapping. Or cursing.

Anything.

Why wasn't he doing anything!

"Mayra, I need to hold you very very badly right now because I'm losing my mind. I'm so angry that I can't think straight. But before I lose my mind, I need to ask you some very important questions and you need to answer. I need to sort this mess out and I can't without your help.

"I will believe whatever you tell me Mayra. So please, listen to me. So far, I've never pressured you for anything, any answers or any conversations, but now you must tell me everything. There's more at stake here than just Faiza's life. Jaffar has much more than you understand."

"Wh.. What do you me.. mean?"

"Whatever Faiza said, was it all true?"

"Y..yes." Mayra answered.

"Every word?" Aamir asked.

"Yes."

"Is there anything, absolutely anything she left out, or that you know?"

She shook her head, hoping that he'd believe her because she would never lie to him.

And he did.

Aamir scooped her up in his arms and she let out a little squeal of surprise. Smiling down at her, he carried her to the bed and lowered her on top of the soft comforter. He went around the other side and took off his shoes and jacket before climbing in beside her. Gently pulling her to him, he removed her hijab and let her hair free and pulled the comforter over both of them. "Are you comfortable?"

Stunned, she could only nod.

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against the headboard. "This is what I've needed all along. I've needed to hold on to you. If I have you by my side, you in my arms, I can deal with any problem. But if you cower away from me, and look at me as if I'm that monster again, I'd die, Princess. I've never needed someone to believe in me so bad as I need you to. I don't know why but I just do."

Mayra turned her head and looked up at him, her hair flowing over his arm, her face gazing up at him. "Do.. do you hate.. me for being scared?"

He smiled and ran his hand through her hair. "No. I hate myself when you get scared."

She looked away and sat thinking for some time and then turned to look at him again, confused. "You didn't.. you didn't.."

"I didn't what, sweetheart?"

"Hi..hit me."

"I promised you," he reminded her, "that I would never hurt you again. I know you don't believe me, I don't blame you for it but I'm going to keep that promise, sweetheart."

"I know," she whispered. "its just.."

"Just what?"

She sighed. "I thought that.. that if I ever do something wrong again, you would punish me because.. because I.."

"What, darling?" Aamir turned her face to him.

"I shouldn't. You'll get angry," she said, guiltily.

"I won't," he promised. "Tell me."

"It's just.. People end up doing things that are second nature to them," she tried to explain. "I thought that if I ended up breaking the rules, you'd punish me because - "

"Because its second nature to me," he concluded.

She nodded. "I'm afraid of making you angry. I'm afraid of your temper, not of you. It's so hard to say. I'm afraid of myself. I hate myself because I know I'm going to do something that will make you angry. I know it. I'm just a clumsy, stupid girl and I know you will hate me for it. You will want to punish me for it. I'm afraid of that and I can't help it."

Aamir was stunned. "You've got to be kidding me Mayra! Is that what you think?"

"Ya."

He didn't reply. Instead he grabbed the remote for the large screen TV from the side-table and switched it on. Flipping the channels he reached the news shows.

Mayra stared in shock as she found her own image from the red carpet staring back at her on the screen.

"Yes absolutely, we can officially confirm that Aamir Hassan's wife is now a member of the Board with fifteen percent of shares entirely to her name, making her a millionaire overnight and trust me when I tell you, she has the poise of a millionaire already! We caught up with her on the red carpet and my-oh-my is she stunning!"

Aamir switched the channel.

"And she told our reporter that she wasn't wearing a brand we'd recognize. Now that's a huge statement we have from the wife of the President-cum-CEO of the company who is driving a powerful point that she supports local upcoming brands rather than internationally recognized ones."

Aamir changed the channel again.

"Aamir Hassan seems to be a devoted husband and why would he not be when he has Mayra Hassan as his wife. This stunning young woman has majored in Economics and Finance from the finest institution in the city and as per Aamir Hassan's own words, she secured the biggest and most important deal for the company. Not only has Mr Hassan given his wife a fifteen percent stake, most of it from his own private block, he has launched her with THE corporate party of the year.."

Another channel came up.

"Our experts are predicting that this bold move on the part of Hassan is actually a strategic move that'll result in his stock prices hitting the roof. When the stock market opens tomorrow, we will wait to see how this will impact the buyers. One thing is for sure, the investors are going to be very happy with this development as it signals more stability and larger commitment to growth of the business and more benefits for the workers.."

Another channel.

"Let me tell you, Emma, she has style that women could kill for. And that big rock of a diamond on her finger, let us tell you folks, she has her man whipped. And take a look at these red carpet photos and you'll know why we are calling them one very very beautiful couple.."

Aamir simply turned the tv off and looked at Mayra's shocked face.

"Clumsy? Stupid? Afraid? Which of those were you out there, sweetheart?"

"That was.. me?"

"Yes, it was. And now the whole world sees you the way I do. You know what I see in you. Enormous courage, infinite strength and undying loyalty, and I will try till my death to be able to see unconditional love for me. I'll earn it, make myself deserving of it.

You don't have to be afraid, I'll never hurt you. I know it's far easier said than done, especially coming from a jerk like me but I'll remind you everyday of who you are, my love. Everyday."

Mayra kept quiet, assessing all the information. She was a.. a celebrity now? Her? The woman who was only moments ago on the floor begging her husband not to hurt her.

But what if what Aamir was saying was true? Should she let go of the past and embrace the shiny offering of a glorious future. One where she was a confident and strong businesswoman and not a timid and useless trophy wife. Could she shake off her perpetual fear that someday she was going to end up breaking one of Aamir's rules and that he would, in fits of anger, punish her for it.

But if he wouldn't hurt her now, with all the current provocation from his mortal enemy, shouldn't she take it as proof that he would never hurt her at all? Not even when Jaffar goaded him?

Jaffar!

"What do we do about Faiza? What else do you think Ja..Jaff.. he has?"

Aamir's face hardened instantly. "He is more powerful than I thought."

"How?"

"Because he can destroy our lives too. Faiza's, your's and mine."

Mayra simply looked at him, stunned.

"Did you see what we've become, Mayra?" Aamir asked gesturing towards the TV. "You and I have become the most illustrious business couple in today's time. The media that is fawning over us will be waiting, desperately waiting for us to do something bad or make a mistake so that they can flash it as big breaking news."

"So," said Mayra, trying to catch up with his explanation. "If Faiza's news breaks out, they'll drag us into it because we are related to her?"

"No." Aamir sighed, suddenly very stressed. "We will be the epicentre of that story."

"How?" Mayra asked, genuinely confused.

"Remember what Faiza just said. Bastard and her planned and plotted on how to instigate me to torture you. She would report to him, in detail, of how I abused you and they would revel in it. He has on record, as proof, the details of our sordid marriage and when blackmailing Faiza isn't going to be enough, he is going to start blackmailing us. Especially you. Which is why Zaheer doesn't want me to pay the money."

Mayra paled. "But.. how can that.. He told us he'd delete all the messages and emails. He said that he'd never.. he.."

Mayra broke off at the pointed look that Aamir directed at her and suddenly it hit her. "He never deleted it! He lied to us!"

"I'm damn sure he lied. He's not stupid enough to delete that material which can fetch him millions."

Aamir's arms dropped away from her and pulling back he shut his eyes. Mayra felt so detached from him that she wanted his arms back around her, she wanted him to hold her and the realisation was astounding.

"What will happen if he leaks those emails out?"

"Those people who are adoring us will flash our names all over the media as monsters. You will be labelled as the helpless woman of ancient times who didn't have the spine to stand up to her animal of a husband. I will become a business outcast. People will hate me, our investors will back off. Our stock prices will crash. Not to mention the criminal cases that can be filed against me.

"Our family won't be spared either. The media will blame them for being silent spectators. No, actually they'll paint everyone as monsters because Faiza enjoyed seeing you hurt so they'll assume everyone is the same. I've no idea how Irfan will react, how this will impact his own business, but in short, that Asshole can destroy our lives. And he knows it."

Mayra's hands were shaking in terror. She had never thought of the possible consequences. No wonder Aamir was so angry. No wonder he was so stressed.

What could she do!

She didn't want to feel so helpless. She wanted to do something for him. Seeing him so dejected was breaking her heart.

Suddenly he wasn't her abusive, angry husband anymore. He was her love who was lying sick in bed, needing her and the comfort she could provide.

Mustering every ounce of courage that she ever possessed and clinging onto each and every memory where Aamir professed his love to her and swore never to hurt her again, she slowly wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.

Aamir sat motionless, in sheer disbelief. He didn't hug her back, he couldn't. She was a vision and she'd vanish if he so much as breathed.

"It'll be all right, Aamir." Mayra tried reassuring him and herself too. "I trust you. I know you'll make everything ok again, In Shaa Allah."

Aamir crushed her to his chest and buried his face in her fragrant her. Until this moment, he didn't even know how badly he needed her to do this for him. All despair seemed to drain from him as he whispered in her ear. "For you, I'll go to hell and back again. No one will ever hurt you again Mayra, I promise you."

Holding on to his wife, finally finding the peace within himself that he was looking for forever, he made a vow.

"This time, I'm coming for you Jaffar. This time, you will pay."