I apologize. I have been juggling between Malal and MHHM for a while. And I can't complete one and move on to the other because they are connected, and I might lose the inspiration the right. This is causing delays, that's why I would suggest to binge read it when I have published a lot of chapters

Okay then, happy reading.

___

Life can teach you a lesson or two, one thing Maheen learnt as an eighteen year old was financial stability was important and second that she needed a support. She had always been this way, as a young girl it was Abdullah and her father who played the role, shielding her from the real world, then later... a man who gave up his life, she knew she owed him a lot, he was the only man in the family, without him she couldn't fathom how they were meeting their daily needs.

"Tum aur tumhare khayalat kabhi khatam nahi hotey..." Naeema said as she sat down beside her, having banana chips.

"Want some?" Maheen looked at the packet, "Isn't that mine?"

Naeema shrugged, "Itne din se bahar padey huey they maine socha khaalu..."

"You should have asked me first, maine mana nhi karna tha tumhe, ab kholdiya toh majburan khaana hi padega...", she said those words, and sighed.

"Ohh I am sorry, I will buy you a new one-"

Maheen covered her face, "No... it's misdirected anger."

"Kya matlab?"

She looked at the bird outside, "Chidya ke ande ko koi haath lagade toh uski Maa khud hi usse tod deti hai... magar maine zinah nhi kiya tha. Haan bhaagne ki koshish ki thi, bas wahi, theek hai socha tha shaadi karungi, but is that a sin?"

Naeema sighed, "Beta agar baat gunnah ki karey toh Afshan ka gareeb hona uska gunnah hai tumhara ladki hona."

"I was greedy... I wanted to live this life, be independent, be free. I am free, yet sometimes it's suffocating when I think back, at what cost? I have blamed everyone, but myself", Naeema placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don’t take some pressure, Maheen stop hating yourself... and I know I shouldn't say this, but try to put yourself in your father's shoes".

"What about Afshan's father? I can forgive everyone but my father-"

"Your father did it save you, I am not asking you to forgive him, just let go of this hate-"

Maheen stood up, "I can't do that, if I don't hate them, I end up hating myself. I have done nothing for Afshan"

Her eyes went to the letters on her desk...

"Maybe study to distract yourself-"

"Revenge".

Naeema almost laughed, "You are suicidal Maheen," her tone turning serious, "You father had shielded you from the horrors of the village, but I have seen it. There are consequences to our action, why is it so hard to realize, beta please don't sabotage your life."

"If Seher can do it-"

"Seher's father will not KILL her. But he can kill you in a second. She knows that, and that's why she is helping us."

"I know... that I don't know much about the real world. What I know is that Saad isn't safe for Seher... what if he harms her? I can't carry that guilt... I think right now Seher needs protection more than us."

Naeema agreed, "You scared me by saying revenge".

Maheen smiled hiding her thoughts, she knew what she had to do.

___

There was a knock at their door, "Run! Your husband is at the door".

Saahil said, and Naeema panicked, he helped them get out of the house as they ran to the school in their sleeping attire covering their body with the chaddar (unstiched burqah).

After an hour Saahil was at the school, "General Sahib broke his promise, he revealed your location."

The guilt preyed on Maheen as she looked at Sahil, he had been nothing but a support system to them when they needed it the most.

"Seher should know."

When they were back at the room, Maheen sat by the window, "It will happen again."

"What will happen again?"

"One of them will die... and the other will carry the guilt for life."

"Seher?"

"I am scared for her... Naeema we need to reassure him that we will be safe".

"How?"

"...I will talk to Abdullah."

___

Sahil agreed on a condition that they would live in the military just to be safe, at this point, the entire neighbourhood could protect them. As well as Saahil's friends, who lived around.

She had delivered a letter to Abdullah, a week ago.

And now that he was here, she felt like she could talk to him, Maheen was scared of the confrontation, she expected him to scream at her, or get upset like Naeema's husband.

But instead he breathed a sigh of relief, "Kaisi ho?"

"Acchi hu, tum batao kaise ho?"

He nodded his head, not answering the question because he wasn't fine. He removed some money from his pocket, "Ye kya hai?"

"This money is your right", Maheen was doubtful. "I don’t need your money-"

"Take it", he pushed it towards her, Maheen eyed the cash, "Is this your yearly savings?"

Abdullah nodded, "Abdullah listen to me."

He finally looked into her eyes, thinking there would be disgust, yet her brown eyes were clear, "It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong."

"I did nothing right too... I didn't stand up for you."

Maheen agreed, "You didn’t, I was vulnerable and I needed you but... I guess I expected a lot from you, you weren't ready for a wife. I was forced upon you, I understand it, and you felt cheated. Kaafi waqt mila akele mai toh tumhare taraf se bhi sochne ki koshish ki. This marriage was doomed to fail, because neither of us wanted it."

Abdullah felt a foreboding feeling in his heart, "To tell you the truth, I never disliked you, I just felt guilty whenever I looked at you and to be honest I am not powerful enough to protect you from General Sahib, that's why I thought I should stop you."

"I needed a friend but you would shut me up. But... we were both victims of circumstance. I can't blame you entirely, just like I can't hate myself forever."

"Will you ever forgive me?"

"I... I don't trust you. We both are weak. We won't last long..."

"I am not weak.. you can count on me."

"Can I?"

"You are right, I have been a bystander all along."

"Stop... listen, I don't want anyone to harm you because of me."

Abdullah gazed at her, his feelings conflicted, "Nobody will harm me, and I will make sure nobody harms you as well."

His gaze lingered on her, trying to read her, taking in her expressions and the way she spoke, "Are you safe here?"

"Yes, I am."

He bit his lip, "Do you like the city?"

"Yes, my school has this basket ball stadium, I am learning how to play the game. It's so fun and you know I made so many friends, after classes sometimes we go to the sea side with them."

Abdullah listened intently, noticing how her face lit up as she spoke about her new life. He had never seen her this way before, so free and content. A part of him envied that peace, but another part of him felt relieved. She was recovering finally.

Maheen stopped realising how excited she sounded, and saw the gentle smile on his face, "What about you? How are you? How is your mother?"

"She is doing well. She asked me to bring you back. Apologize to you..."

"I am not coming back to that village," she turned to Abdullah, "I don't think I am ready to take on the role."

Maheen stared at Abdullah, her words hanging between them like a heavy cloud. She had expected resistance, maybe even anger, but the silence in the room was unnerving. Abdullah's eyes were fixed on her, sharp and calculating, as if weighing every word she had said.

He straightened up, taking a deep breath as he stared out of the window, gathering his thoughts. His voice was measured when he finally spoke."I can’t let you stay here, Maheen. You know how people will talk. They’ll say I abandoned you. That I didn’t take care of my responsibility. My mother... she’s already hearing whispers."Maheen shook her head, her expression calm but firm. "I’m not your responsibility, Abdullah. I never was. This marriage... it wasn’t real, not for us. You know that."A

bdullah turned to face her, his face tightened with frustration. "That’s not how it works! Do you think I can just walk away and say, ‘It wasn’t real’? We’re bound, Maheen. Even if you ran away, you’re still my wife." His words were forceful, but there was a quiet desperation behind them, as though he was trying to convince himself as much as her.

Abdullah stopped in front of her, his presence imposing, as if he were trying to remind her of the power he still held. "Call me selfish but I’m not letting you go. Not yet."

Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a step back, her eyes widening. "What are you talking about?"

He gave her a slow, deliberate look, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You want your freedom, fine. But we’re not done here. We’ll live as husband and wife, for a while. You’ll give this marriage a chance—*my* way."

Maheen’s breath caught in her throat. "Abdullah—"

"I’m not asking," he interrupted, his voice firm. "You want out, but you’ll have to earn it. Give me a few months. We live together, like husband and wife. If after that, you still want to leave, I’ll let you go." His eyes darkened, filled with an intensity that left no room for argument. "But you have to try."

Maheen shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. "You can’t force me into this."

Abdullah leaned in closer, his expression unreadable, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I’m not forcing you. I’m giving you a choice. You want freedom? Prove to me that this marriage can’t work. Stay with me—be my wife. If you still want to leave, I won’t stop you."

Maheen stared at him, her mind racing. This wasn’t what she had expected. She had thought he would fight her or let her go, but this... this was something different. A challenge. A trap. His nature was showing—he wasn’t the hero who would selflessly let her go, nor was he the villain who would keep her against her will. He was somewhere in between, determined to bend the situation to his will without outright controlling her.

"And if I say no?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Abdullah’s gaze hardened, his smile fading. "Then you leave here with nothing. No home, no name, no dignity. You know how the village will see you if you walk out now. You’ll be the woman who ran from her husband, the disgrace. Is that what you want?"

Maheen’s heart pounded in her chest. She hated that he was right. The village wouldn’t care about her reasons, wouldn’t see the suffocating truth of their marriage. They would only see her as the woman who abandoned her duty, and the weight of that judgment would crush her. But staying... staying meant playing his game.

She clenched her fists, swallowing her fear. "You’re trying to control me."

Abdullah shook his head, his voice soft but chilling. "No. I’m offering you a deal. You’re the one who wanted choices, remember? Well, here’s your choice. Stay with me, try to make this work, and if you still want to leave after a few months, I’ll let you go—without any of the consequences."

Maheen bit her lip, feeling trapped. He wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t being fair either. This was his way of keeping her close, of bending the situation to his advantage without losing control.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "Why can’t you just let me go?"

Abdullah’s face softened slightly, but his eyes remained unreadable. "Because I’m not ready to give up on us. You think this marriage is a prison, but maybe... maybe you just haven’t seen what it could be."

Maheen’s chest tightened, frustration and fear battling inside her. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him he was wrong, but the truth was more complicated. Deep down, she had always wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was a part of him she didn’t understand, a part that could have made this marriage work. But his condition felt like manipulation, even if it was wrapped in a choice.

"I don’t trust you," she said, her voice barely audible.

"If I let you go... what will you do?"

Maheen stood up and walked toward the window, looking out at the life she had begun to build for herself. "I’ll keep living. I’ll keep learning. I’ll keep growing."

Abdullah shrugged, unbothered. "You can do all of that, and even better. I can help you with your studies. If I can’t make this work, then fine—you’re free to go."

Maheen closed her eyes, the weight of his words pressing down on her. It was a gamble. A dangerous one. But what choice did she really have? The consequences of leaving now were too heavy, and she knew it.

"Fine," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I’ll stay."

Abdullah’s smile returned, softer this time. "Good. We’ll see where this takes us."

As he left the room, Maheen stood there, her mind swirling with uncertainty and anger. She had made a choice, but it didn’t feel like freedom. It felt like she had just walked into a cage of his making, where the bars were invisible, but real all the same.

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