Aayan Sees Maryam Slap Hayat.

Hayat's Pov

After what happened at school, thankfully the principal let me go home early but I didn't want to go knowing that they were there.

I didn't have anywhere to go and I couldn't ask Aayan to take me to see Azaan whom I miss very much. I knew that he saw the bruise on my cheek from the slaps that Maryam gave me a few days back.

"Thank you for the tour, I hope you will give me an answer as soon as possible", Aayan tells me.

My answer is yes but I needed to pray swalahtul isthtikhara. It's the prayer that I pray to make decisions in my life that are important.

"In shaa Allah", I answer him.

Every decision to make in anyone's life shouldn't be made in haste as one might regret it later on in the future.

We both walked away from each other but what I didn't know was that he followed until I reached home and that was a big mistake because he saw what I didn't want him or even Sameera to see.

Aayan's pov.

I enjoyed the tour of the school as it was very interesting not only because of the way it is but also because of the person who gave me the tour.

I wanted to give her a lift home but I found myself alone in the parking lot.

"Maybe she hasn't gone far. I might still catch up to her", I say as I opened the car door and got in.

While driving I looked for her figure everywhere my eyes could reach. I gave up and drove straight to her house because I knew she would have arrived by then.

I parked the car and got out before even knocking on the front door. I could hear someone abusing and cursing someone inside.

I didn't even think about anything when I opened the door without breaking it. I walked in to find Hayat on the floor being beaten up by a woman and another one who was sitting on the couch looking at the scene in front of her without caring about Hayat's health.

Before I could even make a sound, Hayat turned to see me and gasped making the women look at me in shock that I found out what they were doing.

"Aayan".

I heard her say making the two women open their eyes wide realizing who I am.

"Umm....."

One of the women on the couch started giving the other woman eye signals.

But all I could see was Hayat on the floor. Her face was swollen and she had a cut on her cheek.

I wanted to say something to them but Hayat shook her head telling me not to say anything to them.

This is what they do every day when no one is there to defend them.

"She came home with someone that's why she deserves to be beaten....."

I couldn't care less about what they were saying because all I could think of was her lying on the floor hurt.

Zahir told me a few things about Hayat when I called him a few days after they left for their honeymoon. The woman who was abusing her was her stepmother and the other one who sat down was her step-sister.

I moved to her side and held her in my arms as she started crying. I knew that it wasn't good for me to touch her but I had to help her.

They looked at me with regret in their eyes. Regret that they have been caught and not because they were abusing Hayat.

I led her to the car and drove to the hospital where she could get a proper check-up.

"Aayan....."

"Hayat why didn't you tell anyone about this? Does your father know?" I ask her.

All I got was her silence meaning that he or anyone else didn't know even Sameera or even Zahir.

I wondered why she had to endure all of this.

Why can't she tell her father?

We arrived at the hospital. I didn't care who was looking at us. I carried her in my arms.

I sat her down in the wheelchair that a nurse provided for us.

I waited outside as the doctor took a look at her. I wasn't her husband, I was a stranger to her but anyone who saw what happened who get angry at them.

I took my phone and decided to call Zahir because I needed his advice because I didn't know what to do. And if I returned her to that house would she be okay or would they hurt her more?

"Asalam Aleikum, brother. How are you doing?", he says as soon as he answers the call.

"Waleikum Salaam. Am okay Alhamdullilah. I called to ask you for advice", I then explained to him what happened to Hayat and her stepmother and stepsister.

He was beyond shocked and furious.

"I knew something was going on but knowing Hayat who hid anything from Sameera knowing that she would go ballistic. I suggest you go and talk to her father. Explain everything to her and most importantly get the medical repots from the doctor for proof. Sameera will be furious when she finds out about what happened to her. These two are very protective over each other", he says to me.

"Thank you. I will do that after getting everything checked. I hope that her father will believe me and not those two witches. How does she do this? Smile while she is breaking inside? She the most brave woman I have ever met. Even if she is broken she hasn't forgotten how to pray unlike me...."

"That's why you two are perfect for each other. Talk to her father and then ask him for her hand in marriage. I have to go before Sameera gets to know what's going on, Take care brother".

Zahir was right as usual. As I waited for the doctor to finish I wondered how can someone like her exist in this cruel world.

"Sir, the doctor has finished with your wife and will see you now", the nurse that wheeled Hayat to the room called me. I didn't even bother to correct her in saying Hayat is my wife.

I followed her to where the doctor was and then she left. I walked in to find Hayat had a bandage on her left hand.

"Asalam Aleikum please take a seat", the doctor told me as soon as I walked into the room.

"Waleikum salaam".

"I found old scars that were healing but the problem isn't that its how this happened. Do I need to contact the police?...."

"I didn't do it of that's what you are claiming to because I would never hit a woman. My parents didn't raise me to be that way". I interrupted the doctor.

"I am not accusing you of anything, sir. All I am saying is that this is a police matter. Seeing how much scars your wife has on her body let alone her entire back. She has refused to tell me who it is who did this to her....."

I looked at Hayat who was fidgeting with the ends of her hijab with tears falling down her face.

"I will personally take care of it. I would like her medical file please before we leave. Thank you", I tell the doctor who handed me the file without any objections.

I took Hayat's hand squeezing assuring her that everything would be okay.

"Thank you so much Doctor", I shook the doctor's hand and walked out of the office with Hayat.

We walked back to the car.

"Is this why you wont accept my proposal? Are they bullying you into not accepting it?", I asked her.

"They are my family, Aayan. She is the mother that I knew when my mamma died. I can't give my papa problems because....."

"That's not what I asked Hayat. I will have to do something about them because they don't deserve your kindness. The abuse they give you isn't something that any mother either step or even biological can do. Not everyone deserves your kindness", I explained to her but I knew that her tears told me that there was an entire story that I needed to know and I knew that she might not tell me.

Sameera would but the main question is how to ask her without raising suspicions.