Zainab's POV

"Speak then, " I cross my arms on my chest in haste.

"You remember the first time when we met, Zainab?" He starts off as a smile crosses his face.

I don't say anything, instead, my frown just gets deepen more as to why he is discussing the past.

"You were my first female friend. The first girl who actually makes me comfortable with herself. We began all of this with friendship. The friendship which I still adore. I didn't have any fun in my life back then. Or perhaps it will be more appropriate to say that there was no one to add fun in my dull, workaholic life; because my sister was so older than me and my father didn't care for me at all, "he stops talking and stare at me.

This is out of my imagination that why is he talking about it. I don't have expressions to his statements, let alone a reply.

"When we first started meeting, I got attracted to that bright, fun-loving side of yours. I always thought contrary personalities attract. Your bright persona always enchanted me but..."

"Why are you bringing up the past?" I interrupt him.

"Because that wasn't the case. You attracted me as a good friend. A fun-loving girl who I was envious of and wanted to add in my life just as a friend. But you know what?"

Just as a friend? What does he mean by this?

With every passing moment, his every word, his every pause is laying pressure in the pit of my stomach. I clasp my bag tightly between my fingers and palm. Why is he explaining so much?

"I read my feelings for you erroneously. They were just admiration as a good friend. And I wouldn't be able to decipher it if I wouldn't have met her."

My whole body starts trembling in fear; the fear of betrayal; the fear of already knowing what he is going to say. My grip on the bag gets tighter. I clutch my lips tightly to stop myself from crying.

"Zainab, I.." He takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I have fallen for Zara. I don't know when these feelings for her engraved in my heart but I love her. She makes me enjoy myself. She urges me to explore the hidden truths of my life. Her presence makes me feel complete."

The welled up tears in my eyes start dripping from my eyes; falling right on my cheeks. My voice gets deterred in my throat. I clasp me both hands in each other until my long nails dig into my palms, oozing blood from them. But I don't care about anything. All these years, he has been playing with me. He was doing time pass with me. I have waited for him, listened and agreed to his every problem, every hurdle and in the end, he is saying, he thinks of me just as a friend.

"I don't want to put you in darkness for long. You are such a good, sweet, and innocent girl and you deserve best. I am not good for you. I don't want to make you linger for me anymore. You don't deserve a guy whose heart belongs to someone else and just his body will be with you. You deserve much better than this. I am sorry, Zainab," he says in an apologetic tone.

I wipe my cheeks and slowly walks towards him.

"Are you done now?" I ask with a smug on my face. I can decipher my voice shaking due to crying earlier.

He gazes at me with a confused look.

"Answer me," I yell in my full pitch.

"Zai--"

Before he can complete my name, I slap on his face hard.

"You jerk, it is this easy for you to mock my feelings. It is this easy for you to call your sweet promises, your commitments a mistakenly interpreted feelings. You played with me all along. In the cover of mending your wrongdoings with her, you just mend your heart. You used me and then, dump me. How low can you get than this?"

I don't realize I am full of tears now. When hiccups don't allow me to talk any further, I stop and look at his red face. He is staring at me with a stunned look, with his one hand on his right cheek. I push the chair harshly with my leg and rush out before he grabs my arm and yanks me so that I am facing him.

"It was far easy for me to not tell you and keep on playing with you but I didn't choose to do this because I don't want to hurt you. I can easily manipulate you in my fake love but that's not who I am. I decided to talk to you as soon as I got to know about my true feelings. I don't want to restrain you in a loveless relationship," he says in a whisper.

"Oh really?" I spat in irony.

I free my arm from his grip and slap him once again. This is so hard from the previous one. It's like I have poured all emotions flowing in me at that In that slap.

"This slap will always make you remember what you have done to me," I speak every word with gritted teeth.

I nudge him away from my way by pushing his chest with my hands.

"Zainab, you can't go without listening to me. Why you are making me feel like a criminal?"

My moving feet stop when he again utters. I turn back on my heels to face him.

"It's such a pity, Armaan, you still think about just yourself. And I don't want to talk to you."

"Wait, Zainab, you can't leave like this. That's not what I meant.  Please, Zainab, stop."

Tears trickle down my face as I run out of the restaurant. I can still listen to him calling me but I ignore him. I leave a sob when I hear his footsteps behind me with him constantly calling my name.

Why does this happen to me? I always love him, always try to understand his every situation. I never force him to divorce that girl. Why he has done this me? He has toyed me and my feelings for him. He doesn't think twice about me before letting out all that poison from his mouth. How can he do this? Why he has tricked me in his disloyal love?

But I don't want to show to him that I am vulnerable and can get easily impacted by his decisiveness.

"Zainab, stop right there."

He soon matches my pace and pulls me towards him by grabbing my arm. I try to free myself from his grasp but the only thing he does is to increase the force on my arm.

"Let me go," I attempt to remove his hand from my arm.

"I won't let you go until you listen to me," he says in a breathy voice.

"What more is left there for me to listen. I don't want to see your face now. Leave me already, " I yell at the top of my lungs.

After some strive, I am able to free myself from him. There is a creek of rage flowing through me. He still has guts to stop me and asking to listen to his crap after what he has done.

"Don't you dare touch me again, " I point my index finger towards him.

"You are not understanding me, Zainab. What.."

"Don't take my name with this mouth of yours. We are done now. I will assume that you had never come into my life. You are nothing for me now. And you know what?" I walk towards him and grab his collar tightly.

"Who are you to dump me. I, Zainab Hashim, today, break every tie with you. Armaan Raissani, if I ever got to remember you, I will overlook it as an awful nightmare. You are nothing to me now. Don't assume I am affected by these words of yours; because for me, you are nobody."

His eyes cross many emotions; from shock to agony but his lips remain glued. I still remember how I have always got to know about what is in his mind, just by looking in his eyes, and to my dismay, I am still able to read him. I leave his collar and turn around but something in me stops me from going away. I again reach near him. So near, that he is just a few inches away from me. The distance, where I can smell the fragrance of his usual cologne. The distance at which just thinking about to come, makes butterflies dance inside of me; just imagining about me makes me heartbeats to go wild.

I put my finger at his chest just under his collar and tap it.

"To the hell with you and that wife of yours," I whisper, loud enough for him to hear.

I shoot him a last glare before again increasing the distance between us.

"And don't you even think about coming after me."

I run forward without looking back at him. I ignore every call of him behind me. My eyes again start becoming hazy with salty water. This is the first time, I comprehend how fast I can run. Every voice, every noise around me becomes faint as my ears turn numb.

When I get assured that I have reached far from him, where I can't see him, I crouch down on the road. I cry hard as a whimper leaves my mouth. I shove behind the disturbing strands of my hair harshly with my hand but as soon as my hair comes in front of my eyes, a sigh leaves my mouth. My hand is full of fresh blood. The bruise is so deep that blood is still oozing out of it. Perhaps my hand gets injured when I was clutching my handbag's pointed edge in my hand.

Why me? I just love one person in my life and he dumps me. Everything happens under my nose and I don't even realize. Suddenly, I feel wetness over my face. I look up to discover it's raining. I wipe my face with the back of my hand and gets up. In just a while, meager rain replaces a storm. The cold water drenches me all but this is the least which I am concerned about.

I slowly start walking in the middle of the road.

He can't do this to me. Ya Allah, please make it a dream; even a horrible one but please someone tell me it's not real. He only loves me. How can he fall for someone else then? He has himself told me he doesn't even like his wife then how come he loves her now. How can he forget the promises, he has made with me? How about the confession of love he has always told me?

Suddenly, something buzzes inside me and I look at my right side to find a car constantly horning. My eyes pop out in terror seeing another car rushing towards me. Am I going to die? I close my eyes tightly as my heart begins thumping loud in my chest. Before I can do anything, strong arms grab my waist and pull me away from where I was standing.

"Zainab, have you gone insane?" Someone yells and cup my face with his hand.

I open my eyes and seeing the person in front of me, infuriates my lost anger again.

"Leave me alone, " I try to push his hands away from my face. I try to shove him aside but he is too strong than my weak arms.

"Zainab, what's wrong?"

"I say leave me. I don't want to see you." I punch his chest with my hands but he clasps my hands with his bigger one.

"Stay away from me, you jerk," I yell in between my sobs but he pulls me towards him and hugs my quivering body.

   
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Ahh so finally, I am done with this chapter Alhamdullilah. It was so difficult to write all this happening.

Assalam O Alaikum!

So finally, the day we all have been waiting for is here. Seriously, while writing it, I feel so bad for Zainab. Poor her. :(

Who do you think has come in the end?

How is the chapter? If you like it don't forget to vote and comment.

For all people who want Zarmaan's scenes, just wait for one or two chapters. There will be lots and lots of scenes of them. First, let your author fix some things. Isn't it?😂

So until the next update, Allah Hafiz.