ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sᴏɴɢ ᴅᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴊᴇᴇɴᴀ ᴊᴇᴇɴᴀ

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The dim hallway of the hospital's trauma floor was confined into a gloomy atmosphere. Doctors and nurses in royal blue scrubs and off-white lab coats were scattered in each corner, assisting and saving patients. On the other side, family members and visitors patiently awaited hopeful news.

A broken soul was seated on the cool metal chair, hoping and praying for the survival of her husband. Ruhbal was utterly broken; seeing Asfandyar battling between life and death, she had never expected any of this to happen.

Learning the truth about her brother's death was a bitter pill to swallow; she had never thought the man she called Baba all her life would be not only her uncle but also the murder of her brother.

The life she once knew had changed in a matter of minutes; nothing could've ever prepared her for the revelations she learned in the past forty-eight hours.

She had many questions running through her mind; questions about her birth-father, questions about why her mother hid the biggest truth of her life, but at that moment, none of that mattered; all she wanted was Asfandyar alive.

Ruhbal could never imagine her life without him; he was a breath of fresh air in her chaotic life and the sole reason she was breathing. Losing him was something she wasn't prepared nor ready for, but she knew in her heart that her prayers would be answered. Her Asfand will survive, and they will live the life they both truly deserve.

It had been five hours since the trauma surgeons had taken Asfandyar up for surgery; each hour was weighing in on Ruhbal's heart like a giant sword. She was constantly staring down at her hands, twisting and knotting them as if doing so would hold back the turmoil within her.

Involuntarily her right hand gently caressed the dainty white gold chain on her neck, which rested gracefully above her lavender-blue blouse. A tender smile appearing on her rosy lips, remembering the beautiful memories associated with this precious piece of jewelry she owned.

Flashback.....

At the earliest dawn of day, the London city airport was serene as ever; the usual hustle and bustle of the infamous airport surprisingly was moving with ease. The white porcelain floors were squeaky clean, reflecting the early morning rays.

Asfandyar was coming back home after graduating from the University of Cambridge. He had completed his higher education in Business administration and was all set to start up his own marketing company.

The past four years he was away were bittersweet for Ruhbal; although she truly missed him, she was nervous about him returning home due to the new profound feelings in her heart.

Ruhbal's innocent mind could not fathom the fact that she was quite possibly in love with her brother's best friend. So as she waited to pick Asfandyar from the baggage claim, her heart started racing at an abnormal speed.

Taking several deep breaths, Ruhbal calmed her anxious nerves. When suddenly, a gentle tap on her shoulder broke her reverence; as she slightly turned around, Ruhbal witnessed a much older and mature version of Asfandyar.

The man in front of Ruhbal was a sight for sore eyes; his midnight dark hair was complimenting his wheatish complexion while his black velvet iris shined with gleeful pride.

Ruhbal was mesmerized seeing the once teenage boy turn into the handsome man in front of her. All the emotions and feelings she tried so hard to ignore came rushing back.

"Hi"

Her soft voice spoke out. 

Asfandyar had the biggest smile on his face seeing the woman he has been craving to see for the past four years. He had truly missed her, and meeting her after so long brought immense joy within his heart.

"Hi Ruh"

He huskily said.

Even after he acknowledged her greeting, Ruhbal was constantly staring at Asfandyar for the past five minutes. Quickly realizing her surprising behavior, Ruhbal turned away and told Asfandyar to head to the car so they can head back home.

Upon reaching home, Ruhbal was the first to get out of the car; removing all of the luggage from the trunk, the two made their way into his and Razaan's apartment.

It had been a while since they arrived, and as Asfandyar was settling in, he pulled out the present he had bought specially for Ruhbal.

Making his way into the living room where Ruhbal was seated, Asfandyar gently grabbed her attention.

"Ruh, umm, I brought a present for you."

Asfandyar voiced out while nervously scratching the back of his neck. Quickly turning around with a huge grin, Ruhbal could not contain her excitement.

"Really? what is it?"

Ruhbal asked with excitement.

"Turn around"

Listening to his request, Ruhbal turned around and patiently waited to receive her gift. After a few minutes, Ruhbal felt a cool sensation around on the base of her neck; her fingers touched the dainty chain.

With an audible gasp, Ruhbal quickly ran towards the mirror to see her precious gift. The moment her eyes caught the dainty white gold chain on her neck, her heart was filled with so much love.

Asfandyar could see the utter joy in Ruhbal's eyes through the reflection of the living room mirror. His midnight-black orbs clashed with her mahogany brown iris, and at that moment, their eyes spoke more words than they could've ever said.

The two knew without uttering any words the depth of their love. Even though her gift wasn't extraordinary, the value and affection behind it made the dainty piece of jewelry priceless.

Ruhbal was still lost in her euphoric memories when one of Asfandyar's surgeons broke her trance.

"Mrs. Yasser? Hi, I'm Dr. Meredith Grey! I am one of your husband's surgeons. I just wanted to let you know that we have successfully removed the bullet and controlled the bleeding. He is doing much better now, and we will move him up to post-op soon.

At that moment, Ruhbal felt like she could finally breathe. Asfandyar was okay; her husband was alive, and she couldn't thank God enough for saving the man she was solely living for.

"Thank you, Thank you so much, Dr. Grey."

Ruhbal spoke, breathing a sigh of relief.

And then she asked Dr. Grey when she could meet Asfandyar. And so, with a gentle smile, she informed Ruhbal that once he is settled into the room, she could visit him.

Upon entering the post-op room, Ruhbal's eyes instantly scanned the unfamiliar room; in that hospital bed was the man whose soul had been woven into her own for as long as she could remember.

As she inched closer to the cold metal bed railings, Ruhbal busted out in tears, seeing Asfandyar's unconscious pale body hooked up to various machines.

All she wanted to do at that moment was blame herself for the position his in because despite loving him immensely, she had betrayed his trust by believing her uncle's words. But now, no matter what, she will seek his forgiveness and cherish their love forever.

Gently grabbing his right hand, Ruhbal intertwined their fingers together while her non-dominate fingers lightly pushed back his slightly curly hair.

Asfandyar's eyes fluttered open, slowly waking up from the sedative; the first sight he witnessed was the sobbing figure of Ruhbal.

"Ruh"

Asfandyar's parched throat voiced out.

Upon hearing his voice, Ruhbal lifted her head; her bloodshot eyes clashed with his tired ones.

"Asfand, I'm sorry all this happened because of me. But I promise you I didn't know anything, I swear."

The pain and agony Ruhbal had bottled up for the past six years were finally coming out. She did not even realize she was rambling out her pain. But all Asfandyar wanted to do at that moment was reassure her.

"Hey Ruh, look at me. I'm fine, please don't blame yourself; I know you didn't know the truth about your father or what happened to Razaan."

"No Asfand you don't understand I-I married you for revenge, I did whatever ba- I did whatever that man told me to do I-"

Before Ruhbal could ramble on any further, Asfandyar stopped her.

"I know why you married me; the day we went to go see Maa, I heard your and Mr. Nabeel's conversation. At first, I was hurt and utterly broken; it felt as if the sole reason I was breathing for didn't trust me. But then I remembered that my Ruh would never hurt me intentionally, so I gave you the benefit of the doubt and waited for you to tell me the truth yourself, but before you could, everything unexpectedly changed."

Ruhbal could not understand how she was blessed with such an amazing man in her life; even after learning the truth about their marriage and her revenge, Asfandyar trusted her blindly.

The love he had for her was indeed beyond worldly measures, and she would forever be thankful to God and her brother for blessing her with her life's most precious gift.

And so Ruhbal spoke the three magical words she has been dying to say for the past six years.

"I love you, Asfand; I truly do more than you could ever imagine. Jaan ho tum meri."
(You are my everything.)

"And I love you, more than my very own existence. Ruh ho tum meri."
(Your my soul)

And just like that, the two broken souls were finally one. Life had thrown many challenges their way, some filled with pain, some filled with betrayal, but even through it all, their love persevered everything. Because in the end, there truly could never be a Ruh without her Asfand.

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