Flashbacks are in bold*

Waniya had never felt this kind of uncertainty in her life. She was stuck. Neither could she stay here nor could she go back. What ifs were lurking in her mind. What if Yumna threw her out if she tried getting there? What if they all were thinking Waniya had chosen sides? She hadn't. She couldn't. She knew who was at wrong and who needed to be confronted for the mess he had created. She didn't tell Ahmer Hayam's whereabouts because she knew an angry Ahmer wasn't easy to reason with. He would've done some major damage making this situation stickier than it already was. She wanted him to calm down. More than that, she wanted to be there close to him. To tell him he wasn't alone. They were in this together.

It pained her to think that she couldn't go back. She should have. It was her house where her husband and family were but she didn't want to do any such thing which would make it worse. She wanted to know from Ahmer what they should do next. So here she was. In his office.

She knocked at his cabin door with a thudding heart. He was just Ahmer but still an unknown fear was clawing at her heart as if something bad was going to happen.

"Come in."

Entering inside she saw him standing close to his chair. He had looked up with an emotionless face. There was nothing to decipher from him. It was scary. It was foreign. Like she had never seen before. But she still took small steps towards him.

"How are you?"

She had standing close when he smiled bitterly.

"How do I look? Fine? Yeah."

Waniya shook her head and tried cupping his face when he held her hand.

"Waniya, I've got a question for you. But promise me you'll tell me the truth. Because these days you have started hiding things from me."

She felt her heart had stopped beating. She had seen a furious Ahmer shouting and giving angry looks but this calm and composed Ahmer with indifference in his eyes was a stranger to her.

"Did you know Where Hayam was when I asked you about it?"

She widened her eyes.

"Ahmer..."

"Yes or no!"

"Ahmer, I had a reason..."

"I said yes or no, Waniya!"

He said stressing every word.

"Yes..."

She had whispered looking away. He left her side and took a step back.

"Ahmer, just listen to me once."

"No, Waniya. You listen to me. I had expected everything from everyone but had no clue of all the people you! You would betray me!"

She shook her head and tried holding his coat but he shrugged her hand away.

"Between two families you chose them even after knowing how wrong those people are. Still you stood by them. Why, Waniya?"

She was trying to control her tears. This much distrust? Where was her Ahmer who would listen to everything she had to say with an open mind.

"Here my sister is having nightmares and is lying lifeless and that so called brother of yours is hiding somewhere enjoying his life with that other woman. And you all are defending him!"

"I never defended him, Ahmer!"

"Funny, You are saving him but not defending him."

She didn't know how to make him believe her intentions were not bad.

"It is right, what they say. People are bound to break your trust sooner or later. No matter what."

"Ahmer, Please! I didn't break your trust! I.."

"Go, Waniya! Just go. I'm not in a right state of mind right now."

She shook her head vigorously. She couldn't go leaving him like this. She had to make it clear to him.

"Ahmer Just once Lis..."

"I SAID GO!!!"

He had shouted at her making her shudder. In all these years, he had never ever raised his voice at her and today his one shout had told her where they had come.

"Just. Go."

She took few steps back in complete shock. Wiping her tears and giving an accusing look to him left from there when the cabin door closed with a bang behind her.

And she felt this wasn't just his cabin door.

He had closed the door of his heart for her as well.

__________________

Waniya twisted her hand in his but his hold was firm as he looked straight at his mother.

"There's a limit to everything, Mom. Waniya has had enough. You will not say anything to her."

The way his eyes gleamed dangerously scared Alishba who had her breaths stopped hearing him saying that with finality in his voice.

Yumna looked at Ahmer warily eyeing the way he was holding Waniya's hand as if to never let go.

"And what about the trauma my daughter went through in that house she comes from?"

She had pointed at Waniya who was looking ahead with glassy eyes.

"The great family! The son goes around having illicit relationships even after being married to prove he is a man and the daughter having a full-fledged love story even before marrying. The upbringing deserves claps."

This was a low blow. Ahmer couldn't believe it was his mother spewing this hate.

"Then what about my upbringing?"

Yumna stopped. The fire in Ahmer's eyes was matching hers. He was her son only after all.

"If Waniya let go of her values as you are accusing her of, then i did it too. We both had fallen for each other before even getting married. Does it tell that you didn't preach me good values either?"

Waniya gasped and so did Alishba.

"Ahmer!"

Yumna had yelled.

"You are questioning my upbringing?"

"I am not questioning anything, Mom. I'm just showing you the other side of picture you are so conveniently turning a blind eye to."

Yumna turned her face not wanting to see how he was so confident about this.

"Waniya is my wife. We are married. And in all our years of seeing each other we never ever crossed any line. We just loved. Gave each other support and waited for the right time to be rightfully bonded. And you are comparing our pure relation to the scoundrel. How cruel can you get, mom?"

"May be I'm. I'm a mother who's been wounded badly. What was my Alishba's fault? A condition she had no control over? Still she has been dragged as if it's her fault. And Waniya comes from the same family! I'm sorry but I can't accept that. When you were so adamant on marrying her, I had tried to reason with you all how double relationships never end well. This is what I had meant."

Yumna had thrown a complaining look in her mother in law's way who tried coming forward to set things straight but Alishba held on her Dadi's hand. It was best if this showdown confined to Ahmer and Yumna only."

"You did. And you tried shoving it on my face again trying to persuade me to divorce Waniya."

Waniya felt her heart skipping a beat. Yumna had tried forcing Ahmer to divorce her?

"But I'm never going to that. Never would. Waniya has no fault in anything that has happened. So she is staying with me. Wherever I go. And as far as coming from that family goes, those people are dead to Waniya. Moeez uncle has shifted to his own house. Both Waniya and him have no relation with Ibrahim Amjad's family."

"Whatever Just don't expect me to shower Waniya with the love her family snatched from my daughter. I will never give her that. I will never accept her."

Alishba closed her eyes in pain. This was so wrong. Her mother had always been quite strict towards Waniya and now this was feeling like things wouldn't ever get better.

Ahmer heard Waniya's sharp intake of breath and her hand getting clammy as well causing needles pricking in his heart.

"Don't you feel even a tiniest bit emotion for your coming grandchild, mom? Ahmer croaked this time.

"It's because of that child only that I kept quiet and let you get her here. Otherwise I would have never let any member of that family set a foot in my house."

Waniya wanted to run from there. It was getting too much for her. Ahmer closed his eyes feeling this won't ever get solved. His mother's every word was screaming the tiny bit of place Waniya had made in her life was nowhere there anymore. It was cruelty at its highest. Punishing someone for something they had never even done.

"Have you forgotten your sister's tears, Ahmer?"

"I have not forgiven that family and I won't do it ever for what they did to Aapa. In fact what they were about to almost do to Waniya, if they had had succeeded then i would have burn everything they held dear."

Flashes of that day were roaming in front of his eyes. The day he could never erase from his memory.

"Do you know what i am going through right now, mom? This guilt, this self-repulsion is eating me from within. I had made promises to Waniya. I'm her husband. I had an obligation towards her. When she tried to save me from taking any drastic steps when Hayam betrayed Aapa, I blamed her. She endured more than she deserved. This world is strange. Here the responsible ones roam around as if they haven't turned someone's world upside down, and the innocent ones get blamed. And who do this injustice? People like me and you."

Alishba stepped forward to place her hand on Ahmer's shoulder with her misty eyes. She knew he has suffered too. He restrained himself because of her and now he was doing the right thing to correct his mistakes.

There was a complete silence in the lounge. No one was talking anymore. The air was thick with tension.

At that moment Ahmer had taken a decision when his mother averted her teary eyes refusing to understand him and his plight. She was biased. She couldn't help it.

"I can't let Waniya be around this negativity when she needs to relax herself after the trauma she has gone through because of her family, my family and ... me."

He whispered at the end guiltily eyeing Waniya who wasn't looking at him.

"So, I think I should take her with me and live in a place where she would get peace and a little bit happiness at least."

Alishba and Yumna were dumbstruck while Waniya wasn't less shocked either.

"Ahmer, you will leave the home? Listen, Mom is just angry right now. Give her some time. She will come around please, Ahmer. "

Alishba tried to persuade him.

"The day everyone's anger calms down, I will be back, Aapa. Until then Waniya and I are out of this house."

He turned towards the stairs still holding Waniya's hand. Her face was getting pale telling him how all this was taking a toll on her. This was not good. It was happening the second time in the span of few hours. His decision strengthened some more.

"Ahmer!"

Yumna's voice had reached their ears.

"You don't have to go. I-"

She fumbled.

"I will try to give all of us a better environment here. Give me time will you? Just don't leave home."

She asked grudgingly making both Mrs Daud and Alishba breathing with relief. Ahmer himself sighed inwardly. This was good progress for the starters. May be not everything was lost yet.

He nodded and walked upstairs with a lost Waniya following him.

____________

A week it had been since Waniya has last seen or heard from him. He wasn't picking up her calls and going to their house or his office wasn't an option here. Hayam hadn't come back from hiding. The divorce proceedings were in initial stages. It was evident this case was going to bring defamation for Hayam and his family. Still people around Waniya were acting all normal. The only people feeling what the devastation had occurred were Waniya, Hareem and Moeez. He had asked Waniya why she wasn't going back to which she had narrated the whole incident to him. He hadn't said much but asked her to try talking to Ahmer but Waniya knew Ahmer needed time. She wanted her father to take her away from this house but the house deal wasn't finalized yet. Waniya had to live with these people as long as Ahmer didn't show up to take her back. But this didn't matter much. These days she was living in her own sorrow. Ahmer was literally slipping out of her hands. And her health wasn't helping her either. The nausea and vomiting on daily basis was taking a toll on her. She was feeling weak every time. Hareem was aware of her health issues but not her heartache. She was insisting Waniya to see a doctor. After dodging it for few days, Waniya finally gave in. She had thrown up almost everything she ate that day and she couldn't take it anymore.

They both went to the hospital to meet the doctor. There was suspicion in doctor's eyes. She had taken few tests and the reports were enough to announce it.

Waniya was almost three weeks along.

She was carrying a baby.

Their baby.

Hareem was both surprised and happy. They both came out of her cabin after the doctor suggested seeing the gynecologist in this hospital hence forward.

Waniya was lost. She was so pre-occupied past few days that she hadn't even thought in this direction. Such right news at such a crucial time.

"Waniya, it's going to be okay."

Hareem had hugged her caressing her hair. But Waniya was finding it hard to control her tears. She shook her head getting inside the car.

Once back home, she had locked herself in her room. Her hands were frantically dialing his number. She needed to tell him. He needed to know.

"The number you are trying is currently switched off."

Waniya threw the phone at the bed and slid down at the floor. Her sobs were shaking her body.

She wanted to stay afloat but the trouble waters were just pulling her down. More and some more.

"Ahmer."

She whispered but he wasn't there to listen.

He was nowhere.

______________________

Waniya glanced around the room and saw him standing close to the window. The conversation from a while back was still reverberating in her ears.

"Did she really ask you to divorce me?"

He closed his eyes. She didn't need to know these details.

"Did she?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you do it then?"

Ahmer's head whipped in her direction. He took few steady steps in her way and sat down in front of her where she was already seated on the edge of the bed.

"I could never. You know that."

He had cupped her face. She didn't turn away.

"I know what it feels to spend life with a single parent, Ahmer."

She looked up gazing at a point which was there and not there both at the same time.

"Baba loved me. He still does. More than anything else. But the feeling of a complete family was so foreign to me when I was a kid. I never knew what it felt to have both your parents with you. That's why I used to prefer living with uncle's family. They were my definition of a complete perfect family."

He held onto her hands.

"When I came to know about my pregnancy, the first thought was this only. Will my child have the same faith as me? I didn't want that. I won't ever want that for my baby. Coming with you was majorly based on this fear. I wanted my child to have the feeling of a complete family. But if this household can't give it to him or her, then what's the point?"

Ahmer felt his heart in his throat.

"W...What do you mean?"

"This house will never give this child the feeling of a home. I know this. Your mother will never forget what has happened and honestly she shouldn't. The distance last few weeks have put between me and you, we can never abridge it. You had to tell your mother you were leaving to put an end to the argument. This serious it is."

"Waniya look I..."

"You don't have to leave your home. Just tell your mother and everyone to relax. I would stay here until the baby is born. Then I will leave with my child and all of the problems of your family will be solved along with yours."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

He made her look into his eyes.

"Did we come this far only to let you leave and that too with the baby? Listen to me very carefully, Waniya. We can work this out. Please do not think to this extreme."

"This isn't easy Ahmer. I'll leave. Please don't try to convince me."

Her eyes were teary once again. This was not at all right. This was the time she needed all the rest but here she was, slipping into an abyss of nothingness. Her stance was showing her determination to him. He sighed. For her.

"I won't. The last decision will be yours."

He said putting the stone on his heart.

"Just don't worry unnecessarily."

He cupped the side of her cheek. If that would give her momentary peace then he was all game for it. 9 months is a long time to change perspective of someone who means the world to you and his world was right here in front of him as his wife and the baby growing inside her.

____________

It was the day they had finalized the case they were filing against Hayam. It was night and after making sure both Mrs Daud and Alishba were asleep, Ahmer and his parents had gathered in the lounge. The air had a melancholic touch to it. As if a death had occurred. And it had. The death of their happiness. The happiness which was associated with Alishba who was nothing short of a heart break these days. She was handling it better than they had hoped but still she was a human after all. The broken pieces of her trust and heart used to shine in her eyes.

"They all are going down. I'm pretty sure of it."

Ahsan had whispered. Ahmer didn't say anything. His thoughts were divided between his family and Waniya. As soon as she had left his office, the regret and guilt had started gnawing him from inside. She had been subjected to his wrath much to his displeasure. He also knew she didn't deserve this. But when it came to his sister and the fate she was made a part of, his control always ran thin. It was so wrong on his part. So so wrong. Waniya didn't deserve to be treated this way. He'll have to make amends.

"Ihtasham Amjad's family is dead to us from now on. Ahmer, the first thing you are going to do tomorrow is bringing Waniya back. Our daughter in law should be with us. She had no reason to be there."

Ahmer had opened his mouth but his mother beat him to it.

"No need."

Both Ahsan and Ahmer turned to Yumna who was all composed.

"What do you mean?"

"She isn't coming back. Let her stay where she belongs."

Ahmer was looking at his mother with shock written on his face.

"Yumna, are you hearing yourself right now?"

"I'm. She also a part of that family. And you yourself said they all are no one to us now."

"Waniya is our daughter in law. Ahmer's wife. A part of this family. "

"But she doesn't think like that. If she did, she'd have told Ahmer Hayam's whereabouts and let us deal with him the way we deemed right."

She gave a mocking look to Ahmer as if telling him she knew this details no matter how much he tried to hide it from anyone else.

"Mom, that's between..."

"You and her? No. This is our matter."

"She tried to not let the situation go out of control."

"And saved her brother in the process? You are defending her, Ahmer. We finalized your sister's divorce today. It should happen that you do the same and see here you are! Trying to save Waniya."

Ahmer took a unsteady step back. Yumna was now looking at him with a look he couldn't recognize.

"Mom..."

"Do it. Do the same with their daughter that is happening to ours."

"This is ridiculous! I won't. You also know that."

"Yumna! This is enough!"

Ahmer ran a hand through his hair in pure frustration. Did his mother just suggest what he thought she did?

"Waniya isn't anywhere at fault, Mom. You know this. I know this. You aren't letting me take her back home. I vented out my anger on her. This is enough of a punishment for something she hasn't even done. I won't subject her to this fate. No. Never."

He took long strides and reached the stairs steadying his heartbeat. What a mess. What a tangled up mess. He wiped the sweat beads off his face. His heart was aching for Waniya to be around him. But here, when Waniya wasn't even close, his mother was doing this. If she saw her everyday then what would happen?

He couldn't bring Waniya home. Not yet. They needed time. He needed time. His own emotions were all over the place. She was his wife not a punching bag. She didn't deserve to be at the receiving end of his wrath.

They both needed time. Everything needed time.

But unknown to him, Waniya was running out of time only.

_______________

Waniya stood outside the office premises with a thudding heart. It had been a week since she'd came to know about her pregnancy. After coming out of the melancholic feeling of getting the news under such circumstances, Waniya knew telling Ahmer should be her first priority. No matter how angry she was with him, but this was above all that. Hareem hadn't told her family about it but Waniya knew sooner or later they'll come to know. She was trying to call him but to her disappointment once again, his phone was unreachable every single time. It was heights. He was deliberately ignoring her. She wanted to cry out loud till her eyes ran dry. Why everyone was punishing her for the things she never did. She could see what her future would be. If Ahmer didn't try to listen to her then she'll be in between of nothing. And her baby? No, She couldn't let anything happen to it. Motherly instincts kicked in and with a newly found determination she took steps towards the main entrance.

Reaching Ahmer's cabin floor she saw made her towards it when his secretary stopped her.

"Sorry, Mam but sir is kind of occupied right now."

"But I've never needed waiting around."

"Seems like now you do."

So this was her fate now. She would have to wait hours to have just few minutes to talk to the her husband. That too just to tell him she was carrying his baby.

She didn't know whom to blame.

Her destiny

Her family

Him or their love.

Or circumstances.

"Waniya?"

She turned towards the voice and found Taimoor standing there with the same warm smile which was a part of his personality. He was Ahmer's close friend and employee.

"Taimoor, Is Ahmer really in an important meeting right now? I need to talk to him. It's urgent."

Taimoor looked at the secretary with a disappointed look on his face.

"Really, Sara?"

Sara just shrugged her shoulders.

"Unbelievable. Come here, Waniya. He isn't in a meeting. A friend of his has come to see him. He can take out time for his wife as far as I know him."

Waniya wanted to chuckle. If only Taimoor knew.

She wiped the sweat off her forehead and followed him. They stopped outside Ahmer's cabin when Waniya's eyes fell on a figure standing close to Ahmer.

Seemab.

It seemed like she was consoling a dejected Ahmer.

Waniya could feel her heart being squeezed. The air stopped entering her lungs and she could hear something shattering.

May be it was her heart.

May be it was her trust

May be it was everything they shared so far.

"Waniya...?"

Taimoor's hesitant voice reached her eyes. She tore her gaze from the two people in front of her and looked at him.

"I should go. Thank you for letting me in. But I don't think I'm invited here. Not anymore."

Her eyes turned back to glass window when a shaky breath left her lips.

"It was my mistake....I think....I shouldn't have come... "

She had turned away.

Far away.

__________________

"Ahmer, you know this isn't, right."

Seemab tried reasoning with him. Being his close friend and business partner she knew what havoc his life had gone through. She was well aware of his and Waniya's situation as well and right now was trying her best to knock some sense into him not to do what he was doing.

"My family is in shambles, Seemab. Specially, Aapa. Hayam has completely shattered her and I was ready to even kill him. I know Waniya wanted to stop me from taking a drastic step but I lashed out on her. In all these years I never even looked at her angrily but that day I bloody shouted at her. Told her to get lost. I lost my calm, Seemab and I know this can happen again. I can't take out my frustration on her. I just can't make her a victim of my wrath. This distance is needed at the moment so that I can clear my mind and take care of the mess I've created. My mother is ready to force something out of me but I won't give in."

"And what if Waniya takes all this negatively? Ahmer, what if she thinks you are done with her? Your marriage is also in shambles? It will break her some more. Don't do this to her and yourself. Talk to her and try sorting things out. Your way of handling the situation isn't right."

She was getting angry now. This fool was distancing himself from his love and she knew this won't be good. He hadn't heard from her for days and this was just insane.

"I don't know Seemab. I just don't know. I'm trying my best to make things all right but at this moment I'm feeling nothing but a failure. My sister is facing depression and having nightmares. My parents are worried and completely torn. Mom is turning into a person I don't even know if I know anymore. I pushed my wife away in my rage and now I don't even know how she is holding up. She is calling me and I'm a coward to run away just so I won't repeat the mistake I did last time. Just so I won't break her once again. Her face....Those tears....That disbelief in her eyes....I just can't forget it! How could I do this to her! Just because of my failure she is there, among the people I shouldn't even get close to her. I can't take her home. I can't go there where she is now. I can't talk to her because I'm a coward."

He placed his hands on his face making Seemab's heart break. She wasn't used to seeing her friend this torn. Pulling him up held his hands trying to comfort him that everything would be soon okay.

But both failed to realize a broken heart outside the glass walls had turned into stone seeing this in front of her.

_____________

Evening

Waniya's medicines were making her drowsy and that was the reason these days she was taking naps at odd hours. But according to her doctor she needed relaxation both mentally and physically.

Relaxation?

In this house was not even an option. The show down between Ahmer and Yumna in the morning was still fresh in her mind. She remembered how he defended her in front of his mother. How he was ready to leave them all just to keep her away from all the negativity. All this should've made her happy but it hadn't. Instead it was making her feel suffocated. Had he shown this side of him when she needed it, many thing could be prevented. She shook her head to get rid of these thoughts. Thinking about the past would make her upset and she was done with her passing out and throwing up episodes. It was not good for her and her baby.

She needed a cup of tea to make her mind relax. Ahmer had strictly told her to call house help whenever she needed something but she couldn't just do it. She didn't feel like she belonged here. And acting like a daughter in law of this house and the wife of Ahmer Ahsan? Nah. She couldn't do it.

Getting freshen up, she checked the attached study to see if Ahmer was back or not. He had to attend an important meeting so he had left few hours back. But before that he had made sure she ate her lunch and had taken her medicines.

Waniya entered the kitchen and found Yumna auntie instructing the cook about the dinner. She gave her a cold stare which Waniya ignored. She had gained so much hatred in the span of few days that it didn't surprise her anymore.

"Auntie.."

Yumna who was about to leave the kitchen, stopped and looked at her with a raised eye brow.

"I know you don't like me even a bit. You are right in hating me but I just want to assure you I have no intention of spending all my life here with your son."

Yumna gave her a confused look making her chuckle sadly.

"Hayam Bhai betrayed Alishba Bhabhi. He broke her trust. And you all are hell bent upon keeping her away from him. I might not have a mother or a protective brother but I have my self-respect which doesn't allow me to be with someone who has broken my trust. Don't strain your relationship with your son because of me. The day my baby is born I'll be outta here away from all of your lives. None of us wanted to land into this situation but now we have. I'll just say don't ruin the peace of your family because of me. I'm here today but who knows I'm gone tomorrow. Which I will. That's for sure."

She smiled dejectedly when her eyes fell on the person who had just entered the kitchen area looking at her with hurt written all over his face. Waniya ignored him and left from there. Ahmer gave his mother an accusing glance and walked after her.

Yumna sat on the sofa lost in her thoughts. She had seen the same pain in Waniya's eyes she was now used to seeing in Alishba's. A pang of guilt for what she said in the morning left her unsettled the very moment.

_____________