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𝓟𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓾𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮.

T H I R D P E R S O N

"Always remember that you are the only person who will maintain the respect of Hamza. Whatever he says to you, you can only share it if it's appropriate because you have to maintain his respect."

Her mother's words rang in her ears. Mehrish let out a shaky breath waiting for him in the room filled with rosy fragrance. She was waiting for her husband. The one she had always had a crush on is her husband now. Thanking Allah continuously, she smiled to herself and looked up when the door opened.

There he was. The silhouette of Hamza made her more nervous than ever. She looked down at her hands, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Assalamu alaikum!" He greeted her. His voice made her snap at him and she reciprocated his greeting,

"Walaikum Assalam!"

She looked down at her hands again as blood rushed to her cheeks. She glanced up again when she heard a sound of a door closing. Hamza had left to the bathroom without saying anything further.

"Weird," Mehrish mumbled to herself. She sat there silently to thinking about how he had left for the washroom without saying anything.

Hamza came out after a few minutes and had changed into his nightclothes. Striding towards the other side of the bed, he laid down. Mehrish noticed all his actions with knitted brows.

"Will you be sitting like this all night with that heavy piece of cloth you are wearing?" He glared furiously.

"Go and change. Stop dreaming things stupidly," He continued jerking off the pillow she had her hands on.

Silent tears rolled down her soft cheeks. The man she liked her whole life and had a crush on for years was behaving as if she is his enemy, not his wife."What's wrong Hamza? Why are you talking like that?"

He got up and came towards her side. Grabbing her arm, he made her look at him by clenching her jaw with his left hand. A rude behaviour she never expected he would do.

"You know what's wrong? Everything is wrong Mehrish! Everything is! Your whole family is wrong!"

He yelled at the top of his voice making sure she shivered under him. He glared at her like a predator would on his prey. She was sure that there will be bruises forming in her arms as he held her tighter with each second. Pressing it and relieving all his anger on the poor girl.

"It's hurting," She gazed down at her arms with continuous tears working their way down her cheeks.

"So what huh? So what? Show it to your family. Show how merciless I'll be with you from now. Tell the whole world that I will not let you live even a second. Especially to your family. I don't care. I don't give a shit how your family members or you will think about me,"

His words attacked her soul, breaking her heart into small pieces and shattering her already thrashed soul.

"You weren't li-ke this. What happened Ham-za?"

Mehrish managed to mumble out words that build a question for her life now.

"I was never like the man you saw before marrying me. You are free to tell everyone about how I behaved or will behave with you. Trust me, nothing will change. This marriage was just revenge and you are the pawn for my revenge. Just get this thing inside your head. I will be there with you always but I will never be there for you. Never."

He left her arm jerking it off and turn around continuing,

"Sleep on the couch once out of this shitty piece of cloth Mrs Rahmani. You will never sleep on the bed from now."

He laid down and switched off the lights but who cares if there is light or not? Her heart bled and the lump in her throat made it more difficult for her to breathe. Who thought the person she liked for years will be so rude to her? She had been praying to the almighty to bless her with a partner who would be kind and loyal. A partner would help her in entering Jannah but seems like her wish collided with the sky and it fell back in the world broken.

Resting her head back in the wall, she let her body sit down on the floor as she shed numerous amount of emotions. Hurt, pain, betrayal many ran through with her tears and made her restless leaving her with many questions unanswered. Closing her eyes, she let the tears fall. Where did she go wrong that Hamza was behaving with her this way? She wanted to scream and let out all her frustration.

Revenge? What has she ever did to him that he married her for revenge? It felt as if the person she dreamt of her life with had pushed her from a cliff while showing a beautiful waterfall with a rainbow.

Wiping her tears off, she got up and changed the clothes into her nightwear in the huge changing room inside the closet. Splashing water in her face, she removed her makeup and stared at her face when more tears fall out of her eyes.

Coming out of the washroom, she laid down on the couch. It was comfortable for her but her back hurt a little. It was alright as long as she doesn't have to face his wrath.

• ° •

The sun rays fell on the beauty sleeping on the not-so-comfortable couch. She clenched her eyes tightly and started opening them slowly. Staring at the ceiling for few minutes, she sat straight and gazed around the room. Hamza was still sleeping. She marched towards the washroom and tapped the faucet of the shower. Letting every hurt emotion of hers, fall with the water. She stood numb but the arrows that had hurt her heart were still there. The wounds were raw and fresh.

Changing her outfit into a hot pink salwar kameez, she walked out of the closet. Drying her hair with a white towel as she saw Hamza sitting straight in the bed checking something on his phone. He glanced up at her. His eyes soften but within a fraction of seconds, it became rigid hard again.

She ignored his stare and sat on the couch drying her hair. He left towards the washroom and came back within half an hour already. She was ready for the day too.

All of a sudden, he forcefully took her left hand and started to push a ring inside her ring finger. It was a small-sized one to her finger. Her fingers were long and thick. The ring wasn't the accurate size of her finger.

"What are you doing Hamza? The size is very small. It is hurting me," she cried.

"It should. Show it to everyone in your home. I don't care. Let them know the bruises that are hurting you after all this is your first gift from me."

"What did I ever did to you Hamza? I have never hurt you in any way. I was never at fault. Why are you destroying my life just like that?" She yelled between her cries.

"Because they destroyed her life just like I am going to do with you now!" He smirked.

She screamed in pain and snatched her hand in haste. It was itching around her finger. It hurt her like a pin is being stabbed there continuously.

"Stop doing things which will make me hate you," mumbling slowly between her shuffled cries, she ran towards the washroom. Forwarding her harmed fingers in front of running water from the washbasin.

Crying out loud for the pain that's hurting her so much. A little bit of regret at the end of her mind for marrying him. Does she have to face his wrath all her life?

After calming down, she went out of the washroom to notice he had already gone. Without wasting time, she went out of the room and bumped with Shaina. She led me to the dining hall where everyone was seated ready for breakfast. I sat beside Zoya Bhabhi after greeting them. Hamza was sitting in front of me. I didn't dare to look up at him. I hated the fact that he is hurting me for no reason.

"Mehrish, sit beside my son. Look the seat beside him is empty. I don't want my son to be alone," Said his mother.

Yeah, that's why he is making me suffer.

I passed her a smile and got up to sit beside him when I had no interest in sitting beside him. A husband should make her wife feel protected but here it seems it's impossible.

Hamza smiled at me. That smile for which I gave my heart in return. That smile had melted me back then. I simply sat beside him. After breakfast, they told Hamza to drop me at Ammi's place. Walima is being held evening.

We sat inside his car. I stared at the window all the ride. He didn't talk with me either. Not like I was dying to talk with him now. The scenery in front was a lot better than looking at his clown face. He stopped the car in front of the apartment. I opened the door to get out of the car when he said,

"Come soon love. We have to plan our honeymoon," he smirked. I glared at him and walked out.

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