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𝓤𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓘𝓼 𝓐𝓷 𝓐𝓻𝓽 𝓐𝓷𝓭 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓭𝓮

𝓜𝓮 𝓕𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓘𝓷 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓻𝓽 𝓞𝓯 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓘𝓽𝓼𝓮𝓵𝓯.

"Let's go," Shahveer sighed as he stared at teary-eyed Sahar. Letting go even for a while was hard for her. She glanced at ger Nani Ammi before turning to Shahveer. Her eyes roughly went through the hall. Izhaan wasn't there. He didn't want to see her leave. "Where is Izhaan, Mamu?" She turned to Hashir.

"He is upstairs in the balcony."

Without thinking for a while, Sahar turned towards Shahveer. "I'll come back soon." He just nodded at her, noticing how helplessly restless she was. She ran in the stairs and reached the first floor. Walking towards the balcony, she entered opening the door. There he was, standing near the corner, staring deep at the sun setting. The pink and purple hues in the sky were warm and refreshing.

"Why have you come here, Sahar?"

Izhaan sensed her presence behind him afterall he had loved him ever for so many years. "Stop making things hard, Izhaan. You know I can't leave you restless like this."

"Then don't leave, can you?" He turned around, deeply digging his smoky black eyes in her ebony ones.

"I am helpless. If Ammi was alive, she would have sent me to him." Sahar cried out. Izhaan sighed, frustrated.

"Ohh really? Phupho would have done that? Come on, Sahar! She would have taken you to him all these years but she didn't. There was a reason behind it, wasn't it? Then why are you going behind it? You know very well how his family will make a fuss if they see you."

"I have no choice, Izhaan. He is my father." Sahar murmured. She was tired of listening to him, even though she knew he cared.

"He is your father? Seriously you are saying this? What if his family never accepts you? What if they claim that you are not Shahnawaz's Siddiqui's daughter?"

"Izhaan!" Sahar yelled at him. "Do you what you are saying?"

"I know it Sahar. I just don't want you to suffer things like that. You would have never gone like this if you were married to me. Do I have no rights in what decision you make? I have been your friend since our childhood. You can't live my opinion hanging."

"Izhaan, I know you care about me. But you never knew my Ammi the way I do. She loved him with all loyalty and respect. No matter what he did or does, he is my father, Izhaan. Nothing is going to change that."

The heartfelt things she never did before. Rolled in a train of several emotions, she stood in front of him.

"Is your father so important now, Sahar?"

"He was always an important and sensitive topic in my life. His misapprehension in our lives won't make it any difference, Izhaan." she breathed out.

Gulping that hard lump hurting her, she went closer to him. "I clearly remember, Izhaan. I fought with Ammi just the way you and I are fighting. I didn't understand her point of forgiving my father so easily when he made her life worst."

She heaved a sigh before speaking again, "I understand everything now, Izhaan. The world is too small to hold grudges against each other. The lives we live are too short to hate others. We should stop. I wish I would have stopped hating my father. Every time Ammi talked about him, frustration ran through my veins hearing from her but deep down I adored him. However, he is my father."

Izhaan stared away from her, looking at the deep green garden outside. He seem to understand her emotions but a little hesitation knocked him down.

"I-I am just s-scared."

Sahar knew why he was scared. He was scared that he might have to let her go. He was scared of losing her if by chance. "Izhaan, you don't need to be. I know why you are scared. Trust me, I will come back to you. You need not stress about me, please. Mami won't like it. I don't want her to stress on something you are stressing for."

Izhaan couldn't say anything. He just stared at anything but her. He took a box kept on the table on the balcony. He directed it towards her. "What is it?"

"It's for you."

A tear formed in the corner of his eyes, not unnoticed by her. She understands his feelings but can't do anything either. "Thank you." She was about to open it but he stopped, "Don't open now. Once you are free, you can open it."

She merely nodded, "Goodbye..." She said and looked keenly at him. "Goodbye."

Sahar walked out of the balcony. She could hear him whisper,

"I hope you come back soon."

Irresistible of the pain, she ran towards the washroom and washed her face to wipe out all the tears. She went towards down the stairs and bid goodbye to her family. Shahveer kept her suitcase in the car's trunk and opened the car's front door for her. She glanced at him for a moment and looked back towards the balcony. There he was, Izhaan Hashir Ali standing, staring at her. She looked back at Shahveer and began,

"Can I sit in the back seat?"

Shahveer glanced back at Izhaan and understood. He nodded and opened the door of the back seat for her. She slid inside and Shahveer sat in front in the driver's seat. Izhaan saw it all and felt a little at ease. She did see him and sat behind but at least he might feel a little better. She gazed at the box given by Izhaan, emotionless. Striking the corner of it, she sighed. Keeping the box inside her long-stripped handbag.

The drive was awkward and silent until Shahveer broke the ice of hard stillness, "Taaya abbu will be very happy. He doesn't know that you are coming."

Sahar glanced at him and looked back at her lap. He continued, "Don't worry. As I have promised earlier. You will be given all the privacy and will be respected as equal like my sister Meesha."

She nodded. "You don't need to talk with Taaya abbu just when you come. The mansion is too big to take time for yourself. Settle yourself for a while. Give yourself time for 2-3 hours and then when you are ready, you can tell me. I will take you to him."

The drive to Siddiqui Haveli became quit again. Shahveer had an irresistible urge to communicate with her but the moment he remembers that Sahar is someone else's his heart drops down.

The car swiftly entered the mansion, the watchman opened the gate hurriedly and he stopped the car in front of the entrance. She didn't have any energy left to look outside. Shahveer walked out of the car and opened the door for her. She hesitantly got out and glanced at the ancient building standing high in front of her.

Her heart dropped at the sight of the keen architecture designed. The beautifully designed mansion was in the shades of beige and brown.

"Ma Shaa Allah..." She murmured and stood in front looking all over at the building. "Welcome home, Sahar." He wished. She passed a small smile to him. A fake one to be precise. Shahveer took her suitcase and directed her towards the entrance.

Meesha and Rayed stood at the entrance as they approached inside. The beautifully carved design was elite and elegant. Meesha grinned looking at Sahar and Shahveer.

"Welcome home, sister!" Without waiting for a second, she hugged Sahar. Startled with the sudden hug, Sahar hugged her back not knowing who she was thinking that it might be Meesha.

"Slow down there, Meesha!" Her doubt about her being Meesha cleared when he called her by Meesha. She left Sahar and stared at her. "You are so pretty, Ma Shaa Allah!" Sahar smiled at her and looked at Shahveer. "Thank you," She said.

"Sahar, meet Meesha. She is my younger sister and Meets Rayed, my best friend." Rayed smiled at her. "Nice to meet you."

"Let her come in, yaar!" Shahveer requested Meesha who was staring at her, adoring her beauty. Her beauty was simple, elegant and plain but ethereal.

"Please feel at home. It's all yours," Meesha comforted. They made her sit on the sofa in the huge living room.

"So what do you do as in career, Ms. Sahar?"

"I am an architect." She said.

"Woah... Great!" Rayed said.

Shahveer got a call from Jahangir. He picked it up quickly. "Yes, Baba... I am here.."

They served her some hot chocolate as it was the time of evening. Rayed, Shahveer and Meesha gave her good company and showed her the entire haveli. Her legs started hurting at the end, she stopped a little back from them and stood with the support of the wall. "The haveli is too huge."

Shahveer and Meesha chuckled. Rayed joked, "Meri halath bhi yahi hothi hai."

(My situation always gets like this)

Sahar laughed. "Let's play games," Rayed suggested. They agreed and decided to play when Rayed asked Meesha, "Do you trust me?"

She looked startled and answered, "No!"

"Smart! I thought we could be teammates, ya know!" He complimented making them chuckle. Before they could approach to play any games, They heard someone approaching, turning around they looked at the person standing.

"Assalamu alaikum Baba!" Shahveer and Meesha greeted. Rayed greeted too with a salam as Jahangir Siddiqui stood in front of them. Sahar stared for a while and greeted. Jahangir smiled at her. Looking at the beautiful features she inherited from her mother.

"You are the replica of Myza Bhabhi." Sahar looked up at him. A smile played on his lips, her heart felt a little better. "I the moment when Myza Bhabhi came here. She was just like you simple, elegant and minimalist."

Sahar gave him a pleasing smile. They communicated for a while after which Jahangir asked, "Did you meet Shahnawaz Bhaijaan?"

A shiver ran through her body as she heard his name. At some point, she didn't know why she was scared. She shook her head. He nodded and understood. "Do you want to meet him now?"

Sahar looked towards Shahveer as he said, "She will meet once she is comfortable here, Baba."

"No, I'll meet him now-" her sentence was cut off when she heard, "Who are you?"

A woman in her early forties stood wrapped in an expensive and posh saree. Light brown coloured hair and pale skin tone. By the look she had on her face, Sahar was sure that this lady is someone who will hate her for nothing.

"Assalamu alaikum Maama!" Shahveer and Meesha were greeted followed by Rayed.

"Walaikum assalam!"

Sahar greeted her too as she stood in front. "Zeenia, meet Sahar. She is Shahnawaz Bhaijaan and Myza Bhabhi's daughter which I told you about."

Her sinister smile turned into a warm one when she looked at Sahar but somewhere, at some point Sahar felt a different kind of uneasiness when she met her.

"Welcome home, dear... You are so beautiful." She hugged her, slightly stroking her hijab. Sahar relaxed a little in her arms. "I am so glad that you are here. Thank you for coming!" She warmly smiled. "I am your Chachi. You can call me Chachi."

"Did you have something? Meesha, did you serve her?" Zeenia asked dragging Sahar towards the couch and making her sit there. Before Meesha could answer, Sahar answered. "Yes, I did have hot chocolate."

"Good. What dishes do you like? I want to make everything which the eldest granddaughter of the Siddiqui family loves."

Sahar couldn't help but smile at her sweet words. For some point her heartfelt happiness, she felt belonged. Belonged to a string that held her stronger yet scared her. "Not a problem, Chachi. It's fine."

"No! Tell me everything you like." Zeenia continued smiling at her. "Anything would do, Chachi. Trust me." Sahar confronted.

"Okay then." Zeenia nodded and smiled when a worker entered the arena.

"Sorry for disturbing sir but Shahnawaz Sahab is awake and is asking for you, Shahveer Sahab." Shahveer glanced at Sahar and noticed how her smiling face dropped. "Alright, I'll be there."

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