Ibraheem's POV:

Misha was grumpy since the moment she had woken up. It made sense since she was sore down there and her back was aching. She kissed my forehead in bed and then grumbled something before going to the bathroom. It was cute really. It was still hard to believe that she was finally living with me. The Walima was tonight at one of the biggest marquees in Karachi. I had left the main preparations to Kamran and Fahad. Misha and I had a photoshoot at 4 in the photographer's studio. What time was it anyway? I picked up my phone to check the time and almost immediately my eyes turned wide.

It was three already? Fuck, fuck, and fuck. Kamran had called me 12 times while Fahad had sent me 36 texts and 7 calls. How did we not wake up at all? I instantly got up from the bed and unlocked our room door because I had a feeling someone came to wake us up but we probably slept through it too.

After unlocking the door, I pulled on a t-shirt and stepped outside in a disoriented state of mind.

"Ah, the groom is up finally!" Sikandar declared while Malek and Daud applauded in return. I rolled my eyes, ignoring them as I scanned the room for Fahad or Kamran. Fahad emerged from one corner of the room and handed me a glass of orange juice.

"Good morning, bhai. I know you had a wild night but the Walima starts in 4 hours and we need to drop Misha off to the parlour then go to the hair dresser and ofcourse go to the photographer's studio andddd also go to the marquee after that." Fahad grinned while looking around for a lighter.

"What about my clothes?" Shit, I was supposed to get them picked up from the designer at 12 today.

"Don't worry, I sent Subhan and Bashar to pick them up." This idiot sent the two of them together? They are going to set everything on fire including my outfit. Fahad's twinkling eyes confirmed that he knew what he had done. "Don't worry, they won't involve your outfit in their personal beef. I think."

"What about the rest?" There was only Shamsher, Daud, Malek, Fahad and Delayr over here.

"Well, uncle is at the venue to confirm some last minute details. Auntie and the rest of the women just left for the parlour ten minutes ago." Fahad explained and then offered me an apple which I declined.

"Alright, shit, I am going to go take a shower and then let's head out." I told him quickly as I stumbled back into the room and locked the door again. Misha still wasn't out so I barged into the bathroom catching a glimpse of her tempting back and seductive ass.

"Ibraheem, what even?" She turned to glare at me. Her and her mood swings. I am going to have to get used to those.

"Jaan, its 3 p.m. already. We need to leave a.s.a.p. I am taking a shower with you. I really want us to make love again but we really don't have the time so let's do it when we get back." I said everything hurriedly as I started to undress, discarding my t-shirt and trouser on the marbled floor. I joined her in the shower and the sexual tension in the air made me want to ravish her here and now but the constant clock ticking in my head stopped me.

We settled on making out. I held unto her bare waist as I kissed her, entangling my tongue with hers. When I felt like I was losing my sanity, she lightly pushed me away and pecked my cheek before grabbing a bathrobe and covering herself.

"We will continue later. Take a shower, I am already done. Where are my clothes for today?" She inquired as she walked towards the bathroom door while drying her hair with another small towel.

"First cupboard on the right side. Maroon door." I told her and then got busy taking a shower as well. We needed to hurry. I was supposed to drop Misha off at the parlour at 3:30. She is going to be so pissed when she finds out.

I quickly scrubbed my body and cleaned myself up before grabbing another bathrobe as well. I had gotten us both matching bathrobes in navy blue. I was glad that Misha already knew her way around the room and house so it was easier to leave things to her. I had wanted to catch a glimpse of her sexy naked self again but by the time I made it back to the room she was already full dressed in casual attire. She wore a dark green shalwar kameez with a black dupatta around her neck. The dress I had chosen for her was on the bed and she was looking at it.

"This is quite heavy. Can you ask one of the men outside to move it to the car? My back still hurts." Misha pointed to the dress and I nodded. I will just carry it instead. I picked it up and unlocked the door before stepping outside. I looked at the clock it was already 3:20.

Fortunately, the only people outside now were Fahad, Kamran, Delayr and our cook. I had guessed that the rest had gone to get their own preparations done or help out the family in one way or another.

"Asalam o Alaikum Bhabhi," Fahad greeted with an amused look on his face. His face screamed that he wanted to ask more but I gave him a warning look so he just backed away while whistling. Kamran and Delayr also greeted Misha and side hugged me. "Well, there is a slight change of plan. Kamran is going to drop Misha off and then join us at the hair stylist since we clearly don't have time. The groom needs to be there at least. Don't worry, Kamran is leaving two guards and a driver at Misha's parlour to make sure she reaches the marquee on time. Auntie, Nura and Sadaf baji are also going to be at that parlour so rest assured, Bhabhi ain't going to be alone."

Misha and I nodded our heads simultaneously while listening to Fahad's instructions. Once, he was done, we were served breakfast while everyone started to pick up their pace. We were the only two people on the dining table since everyone else had already ate. I was relieved to know that Kamran was tagging along with Misha because I didn't want to send her alone with the guards or driver either.

Once done, I hugged Misha goodbye. I knew we were going to meet again in an hour or two so I didn't take long in our short farewell. Misha joined Kamran in his Porsche while Fahad and I took the Range Rover. Delayr said he would follow us in his Cruiser. He said Jannat forgot something at their house and he had to fetch it before he could join us so he changed routes.

Misha's POV:

I had hoped that the car ride with Kamran was going to be a silent one but I was so wrong. I had decided to sit in the passenger seat because he said he was more comfortable with that and Ibraheem didn't mind either so we decided to settle for that though he did say that once my makeup was done, Kamran would make me sit in the backseat since it had tinted black mirrors. He said he didn't want the men in other cars or passerby to stare at me.

Protectiveness really ran deep in the Narejo family. It was kind of cute really. Kamran looked like he wanted to say a lot of things but he was holding back and I had a faint idea it was going to be about Zoya since that was the only thing that mattered to him anyway.

"Bhabhi, I know you probably won't tell me but can you at least give me an idea as to why Anushay changed her name to Zoya?" He didn't look at me when he asked this. Instead the man frowned as he turned a corner, glaring at some random guy who was staring at us.

"This isn't my place to say, Kamran. It's too dangerous. I am already dreading the fact that she has to come to Karachi for my wedding. She has been avoiding this place for a very long time." I regretted my words almost immediately and bit on the insides of my cheeks in guilt. I should not talk about Zoya's matters with anyone else.

"Why? What happened that made her change so much?" He was finally looking at me since we had stopped at a signal. I looked into his eyes for any sign of negative intentions but his eyes for once looked sincere. They weren't devoid of emotion. He looked genuinely curious about Zoya but I couldn't expose her secret. It wasn't my place to talk.

"That is her story to tell. I am sorry but please don't hold it against me." I averted my eyes as I gave my answer. I really didn't want to look at his penetrating eyes right now. They were observant just like Ibraheem had told me. They could read through your actions, insecurities and lies.

"I won't. I will find out on my own." Little does he know that Zoya is taking another flight to a separate country tonight after the Waleema. I already felt guilt for letting her come to Karachi. A place she had avoided for a good 12 years of her life. I didn't know if Kamran belonged to that family or not or whether he would harm Zoya but all I wanted was for her to live and to forget the trauma that repressed her memories of that time.

I was truly thankful to the human mind. We had the capabilities of forgetting the more traumatic parts of our life. It's like the brain can't comprehend or accept what has happened so it decides to repress that part. Zoya forgot those parts of her childhood too. She knows what she saw and heard but she does not remember the visual graphics or audio of it. She knows what keeps her away but the faces from that time are blurred and forgotten and in a way, I am grateful for that. It taught her to be human again.

And if staying human comes at the cost of constantly moving about and staying on alert, so be it. As her sister, I will protect her as much as I can. Even if it's Kamran on the other side of the line.

An hour or so later, Ibraheem and I reached the studio at almost the same time. I reached a few minutes after him. The photographer started complaining about how the main couple wasn't on time but he gave up eventually when he remembered who Ibraheem was in Karachi. The moment I had seen Ibraheem coming towards me, we both had a mirrored expression on our face. One of awe and love. I was enchanted by how handsome he looked. It was sometimes hard to believe that this amazing man was my husband. Truly blessed I was.

My makeup artist had gone for a more natural look this time. Nothing to sharp or striking. My cheeks had a soft shade of tea pink while my lips were cherry pink. I hope that Ibraheem liked the whole innocent makeup look they had done. The photographer simply sighed when he noticed how Ibraheem continued to stand unabashed by the fact that we had reached the photographer half an hour late. He nodded before ushering us into the studio. And then started our extremely awkward session of photographs. I was cool with hugging Ibraheem but it was awkward when we had to do weird poses as part of the session.

Ibraheem seemed amused while I just blushed harder every time the photographer asked us to get closer. We had to do an intimate pose with my hands on his shoulder while I leaned on Ibraheem so that my forehead was touching his chest while his chin was on top of my head.

"You look beautiful, meri jaan." Ibraheem whispered before smiling down at my face allowing the photographer to take the perfect picture of us smiling at each other. The picture was somehow able to capture some of the love we had to for each other and the peace we felt in each other's presence.

The Waleema was quite calming too. I recognized some of the faces as I made my way to the stage with Ibraheem's arm locked in mine. The pastel theme was aesthetically pleasing and the family photographs were taken every now and then.

Fahad was grinning ear to ear as he went around the marquee. His grin wiped off almost immediately when he noticed one of Ibraheem's cousin's talking to Rubab. It was obvious how his pace increased as he made his way towards them. Perhaps the other people didn't realize but my view from the stage made it quite obvious. It was amusing really. Fahad's grin looked forced as he talked among the three of them. Rubab seemed unfazed by both the male presences. She actually seemed quite uninterested. I really wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation but I couldn't since I was stuck on the stage.

It was slightly boring since Ibraheem had left the stage to talk to the guests. I wasn't surprised since it was a normal thing for the groom to start roaming the hall or whatever. I was glad when I saw Zoya coming my way.

"Sis, you look so beautiful. I can't believe it's actually you sitting here. You almost look photoshopped." Zoya joked and I rolled my eyes as I started laughing with her too. She spotted Rubab and grinned. "Looks like Fahad isn't going to leave her alone anytime soon. It's hard to believe the man can't take a hint."

"Or maybe he is just used to Rubab's coldness now?" I reasoned and she shrugged while laughing. She then lowered her voice as she came closer to my ear. I knew what she was going to say.

"I am leaving tonight. Malaysia for a while and then I will take a trip to Germany. That was the only condition that my family agreed on when they sent me to your Waleema. I can't stay long. I will be leaving soon. I wish you all the happiness, love and success in this world. I don't know when I will be able to visit you again so consider this my farewell to you. We will stay in touch on call though." I felt my eyes turning glassy but she pressed on my hand. "Don't cry, the guests will think something is wrong with the bride. We will be in contact. I need to do this. You and I both know it's important. I will call you when I reach. I love you, Mish."

"Love you too, Zoe." And with that Zoya got up from the stage and left. I wanted her to get away but it hurt me that she was leaving again. I just hope she stays safe. I was glad that Ibraheem arrived almost right after because I didn't want to be alone right now. In a way I realized that he was always there for me right when I needed him. Whether it was to shield me, hug me or just comfort me with his presence. Ibraheem Narejo was always there for me.

He entwined his hand in mine as he grinned at me. I found peace in his playful smile. It really was true that when Allah closes one door of your life, another one opens for you.

As I held unto his hand, I felt his warmth sooth my anxious heart and pained soul.
Here is to a wonderful married life ahead of us. Ameen.

Author's Note:

Hello and Asalam o Alaikum Lovelies!

I hope all of you are well and safe. How are we all feeling after this chapter? What do you think is going to happen next to Ruhad and Zoran?

The wedding functions have ended and we are moving to the final chapter of the book. I know all of you are restless for me to start ATOH but I cannot start it without completing this first. Rest assured, two chapters to go, all in due time InshaAllah.