Assalam o alaikum, folks!
Yes! Its an update. Last notification you got was by a mistake of mine. I'm really sorry for playing with your feelings🙈🙏💖
I know its cruel of me to think this way after that mistake, but it really warmed my heart when i got so many DM/PM's from you guys asking about the story. To know that people actually care for my story is really another kind of euphoria for me. i love you guys soooo much❤❤❤💜💜💜
Anyways, i was planning to update on Monday but decided otherwise. Hope you enjoy reading it.💕💛

•~•

The glass broke by the force with which he was holding it, the liquid spilling on the floor and the shard of glass lodging itself in his hand. The monster inside him was provoking him like never before.

Kill her!

He had never let anyone who had been audacious enough to tell him that he was wrong, live. And yet, the girl who was challenging his every single sentence was breathing.

She should know what Yazaan Ibraheem does with the ones who don't know how to keep their mouths shut! Kill her!

But there was also the fact that he thought he loved her.

But i love her! Isn't that what love means? To forgive your lover?

Let's just say, it was a constant battle.

"Lala, you're bleeding! Leave it!"

The exclamation of Abeerah brought his attention to his wounded hand. He opened his fist, and took out the glass without any care. Blood started pooling out and he followed it dropping to the floor with his gaze.

"Its nothing. I'll sort it. What are you here for?"

"The dinner is set. I was here to inform you but-"

"Okay. You go, i'll come in a few."

"Lala, if this isn't stitched up, you're going to bleed out. Let me do it."

He reluctantly allowed her for two reasons: her worried expression and the fact that he knew he wouldn't be able to do it. She brought a first aid kit from the cabinet in the washroom and began stitching the wound after cleaning it thoroughly.

Abeerah was studying Surgical Technology in Islamabad, so she knew basic things like doing stitches and stuff. She was in Hunza since the time she was kidnapped about four months ago and everyone here were not allowing her to go to another city all alone again. And no matter how much she tried to convince her folks, they would not budge.

"Lala, Bi Jaan is not going to be happy with the behavior you have with Layeba Bhabhi", she said after a while when she was bandaging his hand.

"Bi Jaan would have to deal with it. My wife needs to learn the rules of here."

"I don't think its going to happen anytime soon, if not ever, Lala", Abeerah said softly.

He drew his hand back the second the she was done bandaging it and stood up. He didn't want anyone telling him which he already realized but didn't want to admit.

"Let's go have dinner. Come on!"

They both went to the massive dining hall where his whole family was already seated with Bi Jaan sitting on one of head chairs and he occupied the one on the other end. Abeerah sat on his left and Gul, his phopho's daughter sat on his right.

"What happened to your hand, Yazaan?", Gul asked, a worried frown on her face.

Why does she care?

"Nothing. Let's begin."

He helped himself to a serving of the appetizing Chicken Karahi and began to eat without any care. Abeerah lightly touched his arm to gain in attention. When he looked at her, she gestured with her eyes towards Bi Jaan.

Oh! What did i do now?

The fury in Bi Jaan's eyes was confusing him. He thought she was over him kidnapping her daughter-in-law-

Ofcourse! Daughter-in-law!

"Yazaan, where is Layeba?"

See? Didn't even need to guess what her question would've been.

"She won't dine with us. In fact, she won't be given any food unless i say otherwise."

Bi Jaan glared at Yazaan and slapped her hands on the table and everyone got quiet. It was not an everyday event that Bi Jaan was angry with her favourite grandchild and when it was, well, everyone anticipated and enjoyed it.

"Abeerah! Go call Layeba here! This instant!"

Abeerah looked at Yazaan for a second before going. Yazaan locked his gaze with Bi Jaan. If he didn't speak right now, his head would be bowed in front of Layeba and if he did, that would mean disrespecting Bi Jaan.

What mattered more?

Without much thought, he lowered his head slightly before Bi Jaan and continued eating.

She won't come anyway.

Abeerah went up the stairs and knocked on the door but let herself in when she was met with silence.

Layeba was sitting on her knees on the floor, her hands raised in front of her for dua. Instead of a prayer mat, she had folded a clean white sheet and used it as Jaa-e-Namaz. What tore Abeerah's heart were the tears in Layeba's eyes and the pleas she was presenting to her lord.

"Ya Allah! I know i'm a sinner. I have committed many sins. But you are Al-Ghaffar. Please forgive me, Ya Rabb. Don't put me through such trials. I know you never burden a soul more than it can endure but Ya Allah, i don't think i can succeed in this challenge.

"You've put me in a situation where on one hand is a person who's been given the rank of Majazi Khuda in Islam. But on the other hand, are all the things, all the Islamic values that i've been taught all my life. I'm afraid i'll waver in my faith. Please make me strong. I don't know what to do. How do i pass this test, Ya Rabb? Please guide me towards the way in which i can proceed without doing the things you hate the most."

Layeba continued praying, oblivious to the fact that she was moving someone to tears.

What did you do, Lala? She will never bend the way you want her too. You did wrong, Lala. She didn't deserve this. This pure soul did nothing but save my life and this is what she gets? You did wrong, Lala.

Without waiting any further, she went back and before Bi Jaan could ask where her daughter-in-law was, she said,

"Woh namaz parh rahin theen." And sat back on her chair.

It was such a casual sentence. She was offering her prayer. Yet, it made everyone wonder: what kind of wife does Yazaan has? And it especially made someone burn in jealousy, thinking that Yazaan Ibraheem Khan already had a wife.

•~•

She woke up with a pain in her neck. She had fallen asleep on the floor and now her neck and shoulder were in pain. Massaging her neck, she stood up and went to the window. It was still dark but she didn't know what the time was.

It was the darkest of nights. No moon, no stars; there weren't even any lamps. She couldn't see anything outside, yet the cool wind was the reason she stood there for quite a while with her eyes closed.

Her throat was parched and her stomach was growling. The wheels in her brain began turning, thinking of all the possible ways she could do to quench her thirst.

I had put some money in my bag. I could go out and buy something....but no. I don't know my way around here and i don't even have my phone. And Allah knows how many guards that monster has placed in front of the main gate.

Idea number one failed. Which was the only idea she had and the only thought she could formulate with an empty stomach.

Thank God! The headache's gone. Now i know how my patients feel after a surgery. That anesthesic stuff, whatever that was, was heavy!

What else could she do? She turned abruptly and smiled on seeing her suitcases. Her mother had probably placed some eatables in them.

She opened the side pockets of one of the suitcases and looked into them. She felt relieved when she saw three sealed packets of nuts and one packet of dates. They could probably last her till the time she figures out a way to get out of here.

She ate a few of both and succumbed to tap water for her thirst. Yes, it's gross. And quite possibly haphazardous for a Filtered-Water drinker like her but drinking water with a few bacteria in it was acceptable for her; whereas drinking something which she no idea if it was halal or haram was not.

She drew out a watch from her bag and saw the time. There was about an hour till fajr, so she decided to pray tahajjud, pleading to her God the same things.

•~•

He opened the door with so much force that it banged with the wall making Layeba look up in surprise. The book in her hand fell on her lap. Her round eyes staring at him through big glasses looked adorable to him and he had to restrain the urge to do something which would scare her away.

Not that i have done anything less than that.

"Are you crazy?! What do you want?", she said picking her book again and searching for the page she was at. She was grateful that whoever had brought her bags was considerate enough to bring the one with her books in it; medical and others.

"You do not disregard Bi Jaan's orders! If she had sent someone to bring you down for breakfast, you follow that person, understood?", he seethed. His eyes were burning like green flames and it did scare her a little but she was not going to let go of the little bravado she had gained from God knows where.

"This is what you're here for? Why would i come for breakfast when i'm not going to eat anyway?"

"Because i said so!"

She threw her hands in the air, trying to make sense of what went in his head. "Didn't you say yesterday, 'no food for me' or something? Make up your mind already!", she knew she was angering him more by returning her attention back to her book but she didn't care.

He grabbed her by her elbow, his fingers sinking deep into her skin hurting her, and made her stand from her cross-legged position on the bed.

"What the hell? Leave me! You're hurting me", but he just gripped tighter.

"Don't test my patience, woman!" He threw her forward, making her lose her balance a bit. "If i say you're coming, then you're coming."

Anger flared inside her. How dare he behave with me this way! I didn't study so damn much and made my way to the top just so some man could walk all over me!

But she didn't work on her anger. Instead she calmly said, "See, i told you. Not even a day and your resolve has broken. Don't take up challenges you can't complete, Khan."

With that, she made her way downstairs with a furious Yazaan in row.

When she saw the number of people on the dining table, waiting to devour the delicacies placed on the table, the first thought that came in her mind was;

Is there some sort of get together going on?

Which is what maybe anyone will think when almost thirty people are sitting at the dining table staring at you. And especially since Layeba had always lived with only her mother and brother, the fact that this lot was Yazaan's direct family never crossed her mind.

Yazaan, as usual, sat on the head chair opposite to Bi Jaan and Layeba went to sit in the vacant seat between two middle aged women. But before she could sit, Bi Jaan said,

"Layeba beta, you go sit with Yazaan."

Whenever Bi Jaan spoke, disgust erupted in her body and she didn't even know why. She just couldn't bring herself to respect that woman and she was starting to hate herself for it. Because respecting elders was what her father had always taught her, no matter what they were like. But right now, her main concern was:

Sit where exactly?

Because beside Yazaan, on one side, sat Abeerah and on the other side, a girl she didn't recognize sat. She was about to point it out but Bi Jaan beat her to it, addressing to that girl, "Gul, you come and sit beside your mother."

The girl obeyed but Layeba could see her cheeks turning red as if she was humiliated. Why? She did not know, neither did she care. Trying not to roll her eyes, she occupied the seat that Gul had vacated.

Breakfast started, everyone began stuffing their mouths and Layeba could not help but wonder;

So many people, yet not even one realizes that all this stuff is haram. Are they even muslims? Verily, Allah guides whom He pleases but He also guides those who wish to be on the right path. Is there not a little bit of spark of the Right in any of these people's hearts?

Concluding that she didn't want to delve deeper into these people's beliefs, she muttered a soft 'Alhamdulillah' under her breath that Allah had made her sensible enough to know what's right and wrong.

"Arre, beta. Why aren't you eating anything?" This was asked by a woman she didn't know.

Analyzing about a suitable answer to give the woman without being disrespectful towards her elders, she opened her mouth but someone else beat her to it.

"Oh, Amma! Don't you know? Your daughter-in-law is allergic to all this stuff?"

Ozhan gave her a look which told her that he had apparently meant to insult her. Who the hell does he think he is?

"That, and your daughter-in-law thinks she's too good for all this." This time it was Yazaan. If looks could kill, Yazaan and Ozhan would be six feet under the ground by now.

Enough! They asked for this. Being respectful be damned!

She put on her sweetest smile and said, "Actually Auntie, i'm allegeric to haram things which i think every muslim should be allergic to, right? So don't mind me if i don't eat anything here."

To say everyone was mortified would be an understatement. Their faces all went red and it looked as if they were barely containing themselves from killing her. Their pale skins did nothing to hide their embarrassment

Thank God for Lahore's climate and my tanned skin!

When no one tried to justify the statement, another burden lessened from her shoulders:

Everything here is built of haram money, which was what was eating at her for quite a while now. She thought maybe she was wrong to judge them and stuff like that. But apparently she wasn't. And she was relieved.

But retorting like that, she didn't feel pleasure. She should have felt some sort of victory for not even Yazaan or Ozhan dared to say anything back to her. She should have been pleased to know that just with one sentence, she was able to prove to the people here that she was not to be messed with. But she didn't.

Why?!

And this was the reason she didn't give a damn about the glares practically everyone on the table except Abeerah and maybe Bi Jaan was giving her.

After breakfast, she was forced to sit with everyone in the louge so she could be "introduced" to everyone.

More like 'they' being introduced to 'me'.

Yazaan had quite a large family.

Saleem Chachu and Naheed Chachi were his eldest uncle and aunt. They had three children: Ozhan, Sarah who was married to Shoaib and then Gul. Sarah had an eight year old son, Omar.

Next were Javed Chachu and Aisha Chachi. They had four children: Kainaat who was married to Musa, Kalsoom who was married to Qasim and then twins, Sheheryar and Asfandyar. Kainat had twin daughters, Anaya and Anabiya, and was currently expecting. Kalsoom had a daugher Minahil and a son Faiz.

Then came Jamila Phopho who was a widow. She had three sons: Abdul-Wahab married to Sundus, Abdul-Jabbar married to Mawra and Abdul-Ba'ari.

Next in line were Aurangzeb Chachu and Shazia Chachi who had two daughters, Isha and Iman, and a son, Taimoor.

By the end of the intro, her head was swimming with many questions.

This is all his family? Why do the daughters still live here? Even after being married?

Where are his parents?

And...

In sab ke naam kaise yaad rakhne hain yaaar?

(How do i remember all these names?)

•~•

Sanem dialled Layeba's number again but it was out of reach.

Damn that Pathan bastard!

Doctor Yasir, ready for surgery in his scrubs, was stopped by Sanem when he was passing by her.

"Not again, Sanem!", he groaned.

"There's still time, Yasir. Please! She's Layeba's patient. Atleast consult with her."

"Dr. Layeba resigned! She. is. now. my. patient. Got it? Its my call now. I decide whether or not to perform the surgery. Besides, WHAT DO I DO, HUH? Despite knowing the risks and consequences, her family is still asking for a surgery and now the hospital's MD is involved and pushing for it. What do i do?"

Don't try to tell me that this is because of her family's persistence and not your own lust for increasing your numbers!

But she knew it was not a good idea to aggravate a surgeon right before a surgery, so she didn't say it.

"We can atleast wait for Layeba's opinion. Maybe she can help you devise a better plan for surgery. You KNOW she can give you a better insight."

"Just because her name got published in some article, doesn't mean i know anything less than her."

God! How jealous was he of Layeba?

"I'm not saying that! But you know with her condition, the surgery is a thousand times more complicated than it already is. God forbid, we might lose her in that operation theatre!"

"Don't you think i already know that?Her family knows it. She knows it!"

"And that's why Layeba didn't allow her to go under surgery! She knew she could help her better after she grows up a little more!"

"I'm not having this conversation again. The surgery is going to happen. Okay? You pray for her well-being instead of being a pessimist. Okay? Cool. Bye."

And he left. Leaving a frustrated Sanem behind.

Uuggghhhh!

She dialed Shiza's number who picked up on first ring.

"No success?", was the first thing Shiza asked.

"No. They're still going through it", worry for the girl apparent in her voice.

"Layeba is not going be happy about it."

"None of us are, Aunty. No one here is happy. I know this is not right. I just hope the one suffering is not Meerab."

"Allah khair kare ga, InshaAllah. We can only pray for her. Life and death are in His hands only."

"Beshak!"

She hung up the call, preparing to attend to her patients, barely holding the tears of desperation in.

Allah! Please have mercy on her.

I wish you were here, Layeba.

•~•

Hi there, Again!👋
How was it? Too long😵? Too boring😳? Fun😜? Exciting🎊? Or are you undecided about it🤔?
If you are, then answer this question: did you think it was a waste of time reading this and this was a bit dragging (cuz this is what lowkey i felt while writing it😅 but maybe its just because i'm too excited to write the future ones)?

Anyways, even if you felt that way, please vote and comment and share. You know, for the sake of your precious time😁

What do you think? Who is the patient i've mentioned in the last? Do you think i just wrote it to prolong the chapter? Write down in the comments of who she might be.

And, God! How big of a family does Yazaan has! I bet Layeba's praying extra Nafl because of the last condition she placed. Jk🙈😅

Also, i know there are a loottt of mistakes in my script, so if you find any, do point it out in the comments if you feel like or if you think its major. It'd mean alot. Thank you😘

That's all.
Stay blessed.
Stay safe.
Lots of love❤❤❤
Allah hafiz👋😊