Shaken awake in a vaguely familiar bedroom to the sound of someone recite the Quran with perfect tone, I slowly lifted my head off the pillow to find bemused eyes of Aahil on me.

Fully dressed, he was sitting on the couch opposite to the bed with the Quran in his hands, every vibrant battery recharged, energy sizzling from him in waves.

He looked phenomenal.

"What time is it?" I mumbled.

"It is time for you to get up or you might miss fajr." He replied as he closed the book and held it close to his chest.

"Why are you dressed so early in the morning?" I muttered around a sleepy yawn and stretched.

"A lot of unfinished business awaits me," Aahil told grimly.

"Will Isaac be punished? I don't think he is guilty," The words were out of my mouth even before I had time to register them.

"Isaac," Aahil savoured with seething satisfaction, "I will break him in two."

Ya Allah.

I hadn't meant to initiate an argument.

''Why try to show him in good light now? While you had so easily ditched him before?"

I gasped in horror appalled by the sight of Aahil's clenching fist and rampant aura of physical violence, "Does the fire still burn for both of you?"

I flinched, tears of strain stinging my eyes, "He was only a friend," I replied meekly.

Aahil lifted his palm gesturing me to stop, "I have no intention to spoil my morning discussing your past affairs."

"Where are you going?"

"You care?" he dealt me a dark, brooding appraisal, his mouth compressing.

"I wouldn't want the police to give him any harsh treatment, for all I know he might even be innocent so I want to be present when he confides as to why he tried to break in the safe."

He was more confusing than a jigsaw puzzle at one moment hard and unyielding like a stone statue and the very next moment soft and kind-hearted.

I might not return until late in the evening and I want you to be extra careful and don't go anywhere without Dilshad, "Have I made myself clear?"

I nodded my head, "I hope everything turns out good."

He raised his eyebrow as if my concern was fake and then left without another word.

--------------------
"You actually want me to believe that Haania confessed that she has feelings for Ali?" I uttered in disbelief over the deafening volume down the line.

"Well, it mightn't precisely be the way you put it just now, I just had my doubts and it is -----" Rushda hurriedly replied.

"If it is true then I would be glad to have her as a sister," I interrupted in incredulous joy.

"Aleena, actually I had to speak about something important."

"What is it?"

"Only you could help us. Please persuade Aahil not to involve the police and withdraw the case. I am sure Isaac is innocent."

What should I reply? Rushda already had enough to worry about. If it was in my power I would do anything to lessen her burden. Lately, her married life was at stake and now her brother was arrested.

"Please calm down. I'm sure that there won't be any injustice."

Somehow I had a firm conviction that Aahil was a very good person.

And what made me come to that conclusion?

Well, I didn't know.

"We hope so," I heard her reply uneasily.

She completely avoided speaking about her husband, Safwan, and as I had volumes of problems at the moment, letting go of the matter seemed like a more feasible approach.

---------------------
It was late in the evening and Aahil hadn't returned. I kept worrying about the outcome until my thoughts couldn't stay sane. I was tired of lazing around and Mariam would not allow me to help in the kitchen, so I planned on doing some gardening to distract myself.

As I entered the garden I was welcomed by the fresh smell of roses and lavenders. Ahmed was a long-standing gardener of this villa. He had created enchantment. It was filled with various coloured flowers and everything was done so uniformly that it just looked perfect!

Other than Mariam, he was the only one to whom I had found affection in this villa. He seemed to be in his fifties, lean built, with a little wrinkled skin but with the heart of a youth.

"Assalamu alaikum."

"Waalaikumsalam, Mrs Hussain. What brings a newlywed bride to my garden without her loving husband. It is a very pleasant evening for a newly married couple."

"He is busy," I replied hurriedly as I tried to mask the expression on my face which had dropped a mile at the prospect of me walking in the garden with Aahil beside me.

I should stop wasting my time thinking about him.

'I would love to do the watering," I said pointing towards the small delicate flowering plants, to which Mr Ahmed was sprinkling water with utmost care so as to not hurt them.

At first, he seemed hesitant to hand over the beaker, but after some persuasion, he agreed and walked towards the other wing.

I was so consumed in water that I did not pay much heed to the noises that I heard behind me. I felt eyes boring into my spine and shuddered involuntarily. I eyed my surroundings but no one seemed to be there.

Then I heard someone call out my name very clearly, "Aleeeeena."

I searched frantically for the source of that sound.

There was a high pitched laugh.

I was so scared to even move, let alone run from there.

"Don't worry honeybunch, you will soon be removed from this paradise and disposed into your real world," followed by another of that shrill laughter.

I dropped the water-jug on the ground and ran for my life. I was still not familiar with the villa and had no sense of the route to my wing. I felt lost in the long and endless corridors which were getting darker with every step I took.

The noise of footsteps got louder and I fastened my pace. Not seeing the pillar in front of me and in my haste to get into my room, I hit my head hard on it and then suddenly someone held my wrist.

A huge cry escaped my parched lips.

"Mrs Hussain, please calm down, the situation is under control."

I opened my eyes to see Dilshad standing in front of me, "Aahil made it clear that you needed to be accompanied, so I was worried when I couldn't find you. Then I spotted you in the garden but you seemed to be running in the opposite direction."

"Is everything fine Mrs.hussain?"

I quickly related everything that had taken place.

He took out his phone from his pocket, "I need you to order our men to thoroughly search the villa and the surrounding for any trespassers. I need the report within half an hour."

"I am not sure about the route to my room. Could you guide me? I feel lost."

He nodded his head.

We walked in silence but my heart was still pounding in my chest. I had hit my head really hard and bruised my temples and my head was throbbing unbearably.

"Aahil will be here within no time, I will send a doctor immediately, please rest until then," he left with that.

I was still trying to get an idea of what had happened.

Why did anyone need to threaten me?

Oh, my head! It throbbed like my skull was split into two.

I went to the washroom to change my dress as I was drenched in sweat. I changed into simple cotton pyjamas and lied down on the bed.

A female doctor was accompanied by Mariam, who examined me and put me on pills, "I was afraid that you might have developed a concussion but alhamdulillah you haven't. You will be fine if you take good rest and the pain relief on time, cold compression will lessen the swell," She left patting my shoulders and asking me to ring her if I couldn't manage the pain.

My eyes were feeling heavy as the pain killer began showing its effect. But was awaken by a tensed looking Aahil who thrust open the door with a thud and took long and quick strides towards me. I tried getting up from my bed but in vain.

The feeling of being crushed to the solid warmth of his chest brought me out of my reverie. Confused eyes scanned his face to find them laced with worry.

"Hadn't I commanded you to stay safe? Those people out there are dangerous, they could harm you and I just can't -------" he cut himself in mid-sentence.

Why did he care?

Why was I feeling happy?

"My dad has hopes on me that I would protect you, and I do not wish to be termed as irresponsible."

I laughed at my foolish hopes that he was genuinely worried.

Merely a responsibility.

He was still holding me and how I wished to hug him back and cry on his shoulders. How I wished that he would soothe me with kind words and say everything would be ok.

Seething with rejection, I let go of his arms which were wound around me.

In his eyes I was a gold digger, he had made up enough wrong assumptions about me. If he fondly imagined that I intended to hang around eating humble pie and imitating a wall fixture for the next couple of months, he had another thought coming!

"I need rest, so could you please leave?"

Aahil ignored me. I hated it when he did that. He closed me out like I did not exist in front of him.

I would not allow his attitude to affect me. I myself would go to some other room and rest. However, the villa had loads of vacant bedrooms.

I walked past him only to be held captive by his stronghold on my wrist.

"You are supposed to rest in our bedroom, I hope you haven't forgotten that you are my wife," Aahil reminded me with driven emphasis.

Our bedroom?

"Legally speaking I suppose," I conceded weakly.

"The fiction has to be maintained for a couple of months at least."

"I am a rotten actress. We don't even like each other. People aren't so stupid that they are not going to see that," I protested.

"You don't have to worry about that. When we are together, I will maintain the facade of a happy marriage."

"But I don't want to live with you for a single day, let alone a couple of months."

"Whom do you think you are kidding? You have just entered high society. I have no choice but to keep you in the lap of luxury. But the prospect of rewarding you for your treachery disgusts me."

This argument made my head pound with renewed vengeance.

"Lie down without further argument," Aahil commanded as if he had sensed that I was in pain.

I went and threw myself on the bed, covering the huge blanket on my slim frame.

He was beside me with a bowl of cold water and started dabbing my bruised temples with gentleness.

It felt so good!

When he applied balm to my bruise, our eyes met for a fraction of a second and I saw something in his eyes which could be called as care but he got up abruptly and left the room before I had time to comprehend it further.

I punched the side table. Ouch! that hurt.

I would never understand this man in a million years!

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I was so happy to see this book in the eleventh position even though we have just finished a few chapters.

All thanks to my voracious readers :)

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