"Haya Haider , you are subjected to a marriage to Taimoor Hassan , with a Haqq mehr of 10 lacs. Do you accept. "Moulana asked .

I do. (Qabool hai )

I do (Qabool hai)

I do (Qabool hai)

She repeated three times. And her fate was sealed. At least, Taimoor is better than a rapist husband. She thought. She could not help but cry. Cry over her misery. Fate. Her broken dreams. A week had passed since that horrid indent but still she wasn't over what had happened. She wasn't able to accept that.She did not know what was happening. She felt dead inside. All she ever held dear was taken away. She felt betrayed. Her own family did not believe her. Her parents. Baba Jani's words kept echoing in her head.

"Come on in Haya, I'll lead you to Taimoor's room. It's not that you have never ever been there. You know your way but this time you'd be entering the room as his wife.", Aiman appi said as she winked. "Saman wants to call you bhabhi ? Taimoor told her it is cool." She said giving her a million-dollar smile.

Little did Aiman Appi knew why her brother had married her. She wasn't there when she was disgraced. She didn't know about her tarnished image. She didn't know anything at all. That was why she was treating her the way she was. With respect and love. But maybe she would have believed her. But why would she believe you? When your own family didn't, her brain was taunting her. And it all brought her back to that one question! Why would Taimoor believe her when no one did? They hated each other. And didn't he already had a girlfriend or someone he liked? Taimoor had informed her in one or other ways that he despised girls like her. The naive, indecisive, speak what's on their minds type without a filter. He had actually told her that he pitied the guy who would marry her. Who would have thought that , he would have to pity himself?

It was too much to bear . Haya sat on the middle of bed while Aimen appa set her dupatta. On such short notice, there was nothing much that could be done .Haya was wearing her mother's shadi ka jora(wedding's dress) with some alterations. She had always wanted to wear her mother's jora .But not like this. The red dupatta was covering her head while she sat there, crying her eyes out. Atleast this way no one knew that she was crying. Aiman Appa left to get Taimoor,leaving Haya at the hands of her thoughts. She just couldn't breathe as her brain refused to accept the fate. The room was getting airtight and began spinning infront of her eyes and then it was all black as her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

Taimoor found Haya sprawled on his bed. Her head was resting on the headboard and she was sobbing words like 'Don't' and 'Please' and 'Help'. Her chest rose and fell as she twisted her head. By the looks of her, she looked distressed , and Taimoor couldn't help himself as he reached out to her. With the minimal makeup on, she still managed to look like a hoor. And the red she was wearing suited her. Taimoor sat beside her as he soothed her.

"Hey its alright . I've got you . No one can ever hurt you now", A smooth calm voice told you and Haya's restless heart believed it. It was like a ointment to her burnt heart. Someone touched her cheeks caressing her smooth skin and she leaned in that comforting touch. Slowly opening her eyes, she jolted up as soon as the figure in-front of her became clear.

"You", Haya said as she adjusted her dupatta suddenly feeling self-conscious. Looking at her husband her eyes welled with tears. She was a wreck and alone, with all those emotions bottled inside her since she had no one to took to. She looked at her savior with accusing eyes.

"Why did you marry a trash like me? ", Haya asked repeating Tai's poisonous words.

Taimoor was sitting on the edge of the bed. Looking calm and serene as if everything was normal. His face was empathetic.

"Stop calling yourself that", Taimoor told her in an iron steel voice. Life was playing jokes on her. The Taimoor who used to call her names including trash , was asking her not herself trash. If it were some other day she would have laughed.

"Irony abounds. You, who belittled me all my life are telling me that. "Haya said humorlessly as she looked at him . For a second his eyes flickered with guilt. Was he guilty for calling her names when he did? Or was Haya reading him wrong and it wasn't guilt but pity.

"They didn't believe me, Taimoor....... No one did. Why did you marry me? After all those years of hating me and ridiculing me ." She said breaking into tears.

"You had your share of hatred towards me , so we were even. Ammi was looking at me pleading with her eyes.I am .... ."

Haya didn't let him continue. "You pity me ? You don't believe me ?Don't you? I thought you married me because you knew and felt like rescuing me. But you married me, for charity? The good MIGHTLY CHARITABLE TAIMOOR HASSAN DOES BY MARRYING A FALLEN WOMEN." Haya shouted .She wasn't able to function .She was upset and like a volcano she burst . He didn't deserve all that but she was hurting so much .And he was there in-front of her at wrong time. And the fact that he had always brought the worst in him . Why was the realization that he didnt believe her hurting so much? Why she had hoped that he would believe her ?

"You thought let's marry Haya ,I'll ridicule her all I want. To take revenge on me for all the years. Right? Or was it to prove how much of a savior you are? Taimoor the goodwill ambassador became a golden child in-eyes of everyone by accepting a lose girl as your wife. Why aren't you going around telling that to everyone huh? I hate you and I forever will." Haya didn't know what she was saying. She was taker her angst out on the wrong person and she was going to regret that later.

"Cut it Haya. How can you expect me to believe you when your own father didn't ? ",Taimoor barked in her face.

Did he just say what he did? Tears rolled down her checks. It was like a slap. He was right. Why would he believe her? How could he believe her? How could she even blame him? The truth was like a dagger straight to her heart. Haya froze at his statement.

"I'm sorry Taimoor . Yes, you are right. I am so sorry. I'll just.... " ,She said, and she ran to bathroom.

Taimoor cursed. He didn't mean what he said. The moment he said those words he felt like slapping himself. He had no idea why he said what he said? He was frustrated with himself. The guilt was eating him. He had asked himself the same question of why he had agreed to marry her? Was it the bet he had made with Salman back when they were ninteen? Was it because of his mother? He wanted to tell her that he believed her even if no one did. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't pity. He wanted to tell her that he all his life, never once he had wished harm on her. That he had forced himself to hate her. He had begun to despise her because he was afraid of the intensity of his love for her if he allowed his heart to go after what it wanted. After her. It was the whole fox and grape story for him. That day when she said she hated him, something broke inside him. Her words were carved on his heart. From that day onward he had pledged to hate her guts. He hated how naive she was. He always wanted her to know how cruel the outside world was.

But when the world became cruel why did he feel that he needed to protect her? Why he had felt this urge to rescue her? To protect her from everyone's disgusted stares. He knew she could never ever try to seduce Salman. He saw ,how she had sighed with relief when she realized he was going to drop her to university and not Salman. He didn't have to marry her. But he had. Was it because of her looking at everyone with hopeful eyes? Was it because he was never over the teenage crush he had? When he saw her in that broken state , he felt like someone had pulled his heart out and crushed it under their heels. Taimoor just couldn't bear it. And in that moment his heart got the best of him.

Taimoor's own mind was fogged with questions he didn't have answer to. But one thing ,he was certain about was that he didn't marry her to seek revenge. What kind of selfish bastard did she think he was? She always had thought the worse about him and he let her .Maybe he was the one at blame for what she thought about him.

"Close the curtains , Mom !", Haya muttered half asleep as she shielded her eyes with her hands ,the sunlight that escaped the curtain was blinding her. It was too early for her to wake up.

When realization struck her that there was no Mom here. Her mother had abandoned her. Getting into a sitting position Haya sat on the sofa which had served as a comfortable bed to her last night since she had refused to sleep with him in the same bed.

She looked around the room Taimoor was nowhere to be seen, the bed was empty. Yawing she got up from the sofa stretching taunt muscles when heard the shower go on. "Now I'd have to face the devil in the morning." She thought. While she thinking , she remembered how she had acted like a shrew last night. Haya was agitated and had taken that out on Taimoor. Whatever his reasons were, he had accepted her with respect. He even had protected her from Tai's knife of a tongue. Guilt was eating her.

Knock knock!

"Come in. " Haya replied adjusting her dupatta.

"Bhabhi!!! I am calling you Bhabi", Saman Taimoor's younger sister told her.

"Of-course. "She said giving her a tight smile. Who would have thought, she was going to call her Bhabhi some day? Definitely, not me ,Haya thought to herself.

"Hassan bhai came to drop your stuff and bought nashta (breakfast).Ammi asked me to put it in your room and call you guys for breakfast ". She said placing the suitcase in the corner.

"Thank you! " Saman in return gave Haya those smiles and left .

Hassan bhai came and left without meeting her. Guess what? She didn't want to meet him too. Brothers are supposed to protect their sisters. Not stand in the corner when someone is shaming them .She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't gauge that the shower had stopped long ago. So, when she looked up, she saw Taimoor wearing his yoga pants only!!!

His wet jet-black hair were covering his forehead. Black hair on his chest were glistening as the water droplet traveled down to his navel. She was so intrigued by the water droplets which were racing down to his navel , that she forgot that she was shamelessly staring at his naked chest.

Stop staring you fool. Her brain began the lecture . Beads of water trickling from his jet-black hair. The waterdrops from his hair were trailing down the bulge of adam's apple moving along his neck's veins. She gulped . She had always found the Adam's apple attractive. And damn why he had to have those traits which she found attractive. She did not know how the bile got stuck in her throat which resulted in a cough. Gaining his attention. Ahh that is just what you need.

Taimoor he looked up. Looked into her eyes and blinked. His dark eyes that were so deep and intriguing. She always ended up losing her mind when she looked into them. She was expecting a sassy "Take a picture it would last longer" comment from him. But he looked like he was more ashamed then her. He stood there frozen; it was as if he had not expected her to be here. Obviously, room sharing is new to him .You dummie. Now stop staring like a moron. Look away, you idiot," her alter ego scolded her.

"Sorry. If you are done, I need to use the bathroom ".She finally managed but her voice sound so raw, that it made her cringe.And he left to change into the wardrobe without uttering a word to her.

After taking bath and scrubbing herself for the umtheen time Haya came out dressed in a maroon shalwar qameez which had light embroidery on the sleeps with an organza dupata.

"We need to talk Haya. Last night you were not in a state to talk. So please listen to me carefully and don't interrupt like you usually do". Taimoor told her as soon as she got done with brushing her hair.

Guess what he was back to his asshole self. She thought. But at-least he had saved her . Whatever reason it was. She had to be grateful. He was so much better. He did not creep her out .He didn't even touch her or held her yesterday, she was grateful for it. His gaze did not make her uneasy instead it left her with butterflies .

"Thank you for everything. I'll be out of your hair as soon I start my job. You can marry a respectable pretty girl of your choice who is not like me because you despise people like me", She told him before he could say anything .

"Well that's where you are wrong? You are not going anywhere. And I will not divorce you. NEVER. Yeh hath mainay chornay k liye thama.(I did not marry you so that I can divorce you the first chance I get.) We will have to leave for Islamabad. Maybe you know about the contract that I signed since Saman tells you literally everything. We will leave for Islamabad next weekend. You can apply for job there. That day I dropped you, it was your last exam, right? So, it would not be a problem."

"Yeah the contract and your pity. I remember everything."

"I said DON'T interrupt me," He said losing all his calm.

"You here mister. Do not you raise your voice at me. My dad never....".

But she couldn't complete it. No one had ever raised their voices at her until that day. Maybe that was why she usually flinched when someone did raise it on her or around her. She broke into tears. Haya hated being a sissy in-front of Taimoor of all the people, who he taunted her .But lately she was crying a-lot in-front of him.

Taimoor tried to come forward to console her but Haya stopped him raising her hand. "I need air ",Haya said as she ran outside leaving a dumbstruck Taimoor there.

Life gets difficult when your hopes and expectations are crashed. It gets more difficult when your family is the one letting you down.