- Noor's POV -

"So, you're like, Mrs. Khan, now? You're like my boss." Rosalie couldn't wrap her head around the idea. "Wait, so can I please get a raise? Can you make that happen?"

Both of us start laughing. Rosalie couldn't approach me at the engagement party because I was being swarmed by everyone else and she had to leave right after the ring ceremony.

"That's crazy, how did this even happen? Did you guys like each other the whole time? Or was it arranged by your parents? I'm sorry, I'm just so confused." Rosalie couldn't stop rambling about all the questions she has and I don't blame her.

"Honestly... I'm sort of confused too..." I admit.

"Noor." Yasir interrupts our conversation.

"Yes?" I answer, looking up at him.

He looks... drained.

"I'll be right back."

"Rosalie, is this your place of work or is it the front desk?" Yasir snaps.

Rosalie instantly shoots up from her chair. "S-Sorry, sir."

We're on our lunch break but I'm sure Yasir's sudden burst of anger scared Rosalie.

I give her the I'm sorry look because I don't know why he just said that.

He shuts his office door behind us.

"Yasir, are you okay?" I place a hand on his cheek.

He swats my hand away. "I'm fine. Just because you're married to me, doesn't mean it gives you the right to slack off. You haven't organized any of the architectural contracts in the right order." He starts raising his voice.

"Yasir," I say softly. "They're not due until end of next week. I'm working on the one that's due tomorrow morning."

He rubs his temples and sits down on his chair.

"You're definitely not okay. Did you get into a fight with Nadira again?" I ask as the thought of his fights with Nadira excites me.

"No." He answers to my disappointment.

I give him a look and hold his hand to make him feel more at ease.

He sighs in defeat, my subtle touches soften him up immediately. "Not exactly. I've been hearing... rumours."

"About?" I raise a brow.

"About Nadira." He stares at the pen on his desk. "She's... supposedly pregnant."

My blood instantly turns cold and my limbs go thumb.

"Shit, is it yours?" I whisper.

"I don't even if she's actually pregnant! She hasn't said anything!" He doesn't deny my claim.

"Yasir, is there a possibility it's yours, if she is?" I ask again.

"I... I don't know." He rests his head on his hand. "Noor, she's probably not pregnant. She was always against the idea of having kids."

I let go of his hand as I take a few steps back.

"When was the last time you fucked her?" My own vulgar language shocks me.

"Noor, you—"

"When was the last time you had sex with her, Yasir?" My voice is now quieter.

"About four weeks ago." He finally admits after a bit of silence.

That answer brings me slight comfort, knowing that he hasn't touched her since our nikkah. But another part of me is afraid, afraid that if the rumours are true...

I run out of the room to grab my things, I'll go see Nadira myself.

I breathlessly show you at the front desk Rosalie is at. "Could you take over for me today, please? Something important came up."

"Yes, of course I can. Are you okay? You look a little pale. Did sir say something?" She asks with genuine concern.

I shake my head, I want to burst into a sob. "I'll be okay. It's an emergency. Sorry!"

She quickly nods. "Go!"

• • •

"Hello, Lateef?" I greet him as he picks up the phone.

"Hey, what's up, Noor?" He answers.

"I need Nadira's address." I say.

"I'm not letting you commit homicide." He states.

"What? What are you talking about?" I raise a brow.

"The only reason you'd ask me for her address is if you've finally decided to murder her." He laughs.

He's not wrong.

"Please, Lateef. It's important." I plead.

"First tell me what's going on and then the address is all yours." He says.

I explain the situation to him.

"Okay... that's fucked. But it's only rumours. I don't want you going there to have her do anything stupid." He says.

"I just have to know. Please, Lateef." I plead again.

He's silent for a minute and then finally sighs. "Okay, but you'll have to pick me up. I'll wait in the car when we get there, just in case."

"Deal. I'm still in the office parking lot." I tell him the location of my car.

"I'll see you in 10 minutes, then." He says.

"Okay." I hang up as I wait in my car for Lateef.

I receive six texts from Yasir:

"Noor!"

"Where are you?"

"You can't be irresponsible and leave mid-shift."

"I hope you're not doing anything stupid."

"Noor, they're just rumours. There's no need to fret."

"Noor?"

I close the messages app. I can't face him right now. I can't even think, not until I find out what's going on.

My heart feels so numb... what will I do if the rumours are true? What if turns out to be Yasir's baby? Will Nadira want to raise it as his or Shahid's?

There's a knock on my window, making me jump.

It's Lateef.

I unlock the door and he takes a seat. "Are you sure about this?"

I nod.

"I can trust you to not hurt her?" He asks with a slight smirk on his face.

I give a more hesitant nod. "Insha'Allah."

"Good enough for me." He shrugs his shoulders. "Who told you about this?"

"Yasir. Just now." I sigh.

"Why wouldn't Nadira tell him herself...?" He starts thinking.

"Maybe to not blow her chance with Shahid?" I suggest.

"Yes, but I'm sure she would tell Yasir. She loves watching people break in front of her." Lateef finds the situation fishy.

"Why would this news break Yasir? Wouldn't he be happy?" I ask.

"He would but Nadira's the type to play with your head." He explains. "She'll probably blackmail him saying if he doesn't do certain things, the baby will be raised as Shahid's or something."

"She's worst than a churail. She's the reincarnation of the Devil himself." I roll my eyes.

"She is." He agrees. "She's done nothing but hurt Yasir for the last few years. These rumours can't be a coincidence."

My hands on the steering wheel tighten at the amount of torture poor Yasir must've gone through because of her. I'm also terrified at the possibility of this being Yasir's baby.

"I want you to be careful when you're in there, okay? Turn on your phone camera and record the whole encounter. I want to be able to analyze it later." He plans.

I nod, that's a good idea. You never know what tricks she has up her sleeves.

"She has to be up to something... I swear she mentioned not wanting kids before..." Lateef says the same thing Yasir said.

"Yasir mentioned the same thing. But you never know about her. Having children in families like these guarantee you a better spot in the family. Heirs are a must." I think out loud.

"You're right." He nods. "This would make Nadira even more important than she is now. It'll keep her bloodline in power in Shahid's family."

"If it's Shahid's baby." I say.

"If she's even having a baby." Lateef clarifies.

After a 20 minute drive, we arrive at a huge house. It's just about the same size as Yasir's.

The guard at the door asks for my name but Lateef interrupts instead.

"Hey, man! It's Lateef." He says. "This is Noor, an old friend of Nadira's."

The guard instantly recognizes Lateef and opens the gates for us.

I drive in, my heart is racing.

I park the car right in front of the entrance of her house.

"You'll be okay, just don't forget to breathe. If you get angry, please don't. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail today." He smiles, trying to lighten up the situation.

I give a short laugh. "Don't worry. If I do, I know how evidence can be hid." I wink.

I give Lateef the keys to my car, just in case he needs to turn on the air conditioner or something.

He waves his phone at me. "Don't forget the evidence." He's talking about recording the event.

I nod and shut the door.

My legs can barely hold me up as I walk up the stairs to ring the door bell.

Once I do, an older woman opens the door.

"Hi, I'm a... friend of Nadira's. Is she at home?" I ask nervously.

The woman analyzes me, probably thinking about how she's never seen me before.

"Do you have an appointment with the Young Mistress?" She asks sternly.

Young Mistress? Nadira really bathes in the glory of her upper class status. Plus, why would a friend need an appointment?

"Uh... no... but it's sort of an emergency?" I try my best not to nervous but her stares are nerve-racking.

"Mel, who is that?" I hear Nadira's annoyingly chirpy voice.

Once Nadira sees me, her lips turn into a wicked smile that sends chills up my spine.

"Well, well, what a surprise we have here." She leans against her doorframe. "Come in! I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do."

I gulp as I look back at Lateef one more time, who's looking back at me with just as much nervousness.

Here we go.

- - -

- A/N -

• Just when you thought everything would be okay... 👀

Next Update: Friday and Saturday, Insha'Allah!

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