"How shameless you are. Everything is in front of our eyes and yet you are trying to portray yourself as innocent." Aqia snarled furiously.

"Aqia, stop right now. First, listen to Ishmal. Maybe she is right. Why would she do that?" Tashfeen commented.

"Isn't it very clear? She wants to bring defamation upon Haider and our family. Tell me, how in the world would that guy know her name and the fact that she ran away from her house?" Aqia clapped back.

"I swear I don't have such intention. I don't even know..."

"Shut your mouth!" Aqia shouted loudly as Ishmal stopped whatever she was saying and stared at her in horror.

Haider remained quiet all this time. Though the way his eyes were red, he had his jaw clenched and hands curled in a fists, it was obvious he wasn't as calm inside as he was appearing outside. Ishmal turned towards him and held his hand tightly.

"Haider...Haider, please hear me out. I am not lying. I...I was in the room. You know this. Then...then suddenly I felt thirsty. There was no water in the bedroom. I came into the kitchen and then I heard the sound of someone jumping in the garden. I got scared and within a split second, that guy came into the kitchen through the open window. I seriously don't know him. I never saw him before. I don't know who planned everything against me. Believe me, please Haider," Ishmal was sobbing as she spoke.

Aqia glared at her and then pushed her away from Haider. She wasn't in anticipation of such an attack hence she lost her balance. If it wasn't for Haider's hand over her arm, she might have fallen.

"Don't you pull this drama of fake victim once again?" Aqia raised her hand to slap her again.

"Stop, Mom!" Haider said sternly.

Aqia's eyes widened as she looked at him while her hand remained in the middle.

"No one will touch my wife now. And stop with these sick accusations," he asserted at the top of his lungs.

Haider glanced at Ishmal. Her eyes were wet and swollen and her whole face was filled with tears. There was a bruise over her left temple, now the blood around it was clotted. Her hair had come out of the loose bun while the dupatta she mostly wore over her head usually in front of his family was resting aimlessly on her shoulders. A blaze of resentment shot through his body.

"Go back to the room, Ishmal," he told her.

"Haider!" Aqia snapped quietly. "What are you saying? You should be telling her to get out of this house and your life."

Haider twisted his nose in irritation. "Mom, I know what I have to do." He again looked at Ishmal. "Haven't you heard, Ishmal?"

She whimpered but seeing his anger-filled expressions, she obeyed what he said. Haider's gaze silently followed her as she ran towards their bedroom.

"What did you just do, Haider? Everything was in front of you with proofs and yet you are being oblivious to choice?" Aqia reasoned.

"Haider, who was that guy? You should be asking this from Ishmal. Yes, she must be right that she doesn't know him but who exactly was he?" Tashfeen murmured, talking more logically than his wife.

"Why the talk? Just divorce her, Haider. She is a characterless girl and I won't tolerate someone like her as my daughter-in-law," Aqia yelled.

"Ishmal is right. She can never do that. Someone has plotted all this against her. I'll find out eventually who that bastard was. And Mom please, I am asking you for one last time; stop using such language for my wife. And I don't want any discussion on this matter anymore," Haider announced with a straight face.

"Why shouldn't I, Haider?" Aqia raised a brow. "Now I am seriously thinking she might be blackmailing you with something. Where did my son go? All I see is right now is a guy who can't see anything against that cunning girl. For you, I tried to make peace with the fact that am your wife. I even corrected my behavior with her and again considered her a daughter but not anymore, Haider. That girl who has such an ill character won't remain in my house. And that's my last decision."

Haider plopped his hands in his pockets. "Fine then. A place where my wife won't have the respect she deserves, I won't live there. In the morning, I'll take Ishmal with me, and believe me, Mom. I will never come back."

Haider was about to leave when Aqia placed her hand over his elbow. "For a girl, are you going to leave your family and house?"

"She is my wife. I promised her to always make sure she will get respect. And it isn't possible in this house where she will always get to hear indictments about her character," Haider replied, firmly.

"How do you know she is not lying?" Aqia challenged him. She even couldn't understand that how came Haider to believe so much about a woman. A woman who was caught cheating on him. Wasn't that the same way he had seen Nisha too? But at that time, he was so fierce and broke his engagement; right now, he was not even willing to hear one word against her.

"That girl literally sacrificed her life for me. She didn't care for her own well-being when she heard that my life was in danger. That girl can be anything but not a cheater," Haider retorted.

"Aqia, let this matter rest for the time being. Let's talk tomorrow. We first need to know who was that guy and how did he came here," Tashfeen declared in between.

"No," Aqia whispered, her eyes never leaving Ishmal. "The decision should be made right at this moment. Haider, you are going to divorce her because I can't live under the same roof with such a girl. She is making you a fool and very soon you will face consequences of it. So get rid of her. That's what she deserves."

"Done then. You won't have to live under the same roof as hers because I am going to take Ishmal away from her. We will live separately now. End of discussion " Haider ended whatever he had to say with a calm breath.

"Are you again going to hurt us because of a woman?" Aqia suddenly became emotional.

"This woman is my wife, Mom. I brought her here as my dignity, not to get her humiliated every other time. And about that woman; then it's you always Mom" Haider pulled his finger at her."It's always you who has been keeping her above me since forever. It was your and Tabinda Khala's mistake that you both forced your decision on me since I didn't even have any decision-making sense. But you always prioritized her over me. So you might have lost that right to question me when you actually sided with her, leaving me all alone to rot in the fire of my ego."

Haider had left after that. Tashfeen's face palmed while a tear really fell from Aqia's eye.

"What do you do, Aqia? Impulse is always not good in every situation. What if he actually leaves the house?" Tashfeen sighed.

"Everything is clear. I don't know what blindfold that girl had put on his eyes that he isn't able to see anything," Aqia mumbled, clenching her teeth.

"Maybe she is right. It would have been better if we had left this to Haider to decide. He is a policeman. He will figure it out. Why did you become bad in his eyes?" He argued.

"I am not a hypocrite, Tashfeen. She is not a good girl and that's the truth which all of us know," Aqia cried out.

"Aqia Mama, Ishmal Bhabi isn't like this. That's for sure. I am sure someone is behind it to disregard her," Unaiza let out, after remaining quiet for a long time.  

Tashfeen narrowed his eyes at her "You even slapped her even. What if she actually proves to be innocent? Haider will never forgive us. If he actually leaves, it will be only because of you, Aqia."

"Mom, to be honest, Bhabi isn't like this. You read this whole situation erroneously. Why would she come back to Bhai if she already had a boyfriend? That's true; Haider Bhai will never forget this. She is his wife. You should have waited at least till the truth gets cleared," Huzaifa discussed firmly.

Aqia ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "He will learn when he will get to know that I wasn't wrong when I said this girl isn't sincere with him. You guys keep on living in fool's paradise."

"Aqia, you are unbelievable. The truth will be revealed ultimately. Ishmal is involved in it or not, will get out. If you had remained quiet, Haider wouldn't have gotten mad at us. Now if Ishmal is proven to be right, you will lose your son forever," Tashfeen told her in remorse.

Aqia didn't say anything but did settle on the chair in a plummeting manner. Every time Haider said she had preferred Nisha over him in all this matter, it slashed her heart. She did everything it required for the betterment of her son and yet he had a bad image of her in his mind.

                       _______________

Ishmal after coming into the room couldn't get peace. She didn't know what would happen. Did Haider believe her? Or was he going to punish her in the seclusion of his room? But why would he do that? He claimed to love her. Whatever good behavior he had shown to her, it was true; he hated cheating.

The knob of the door twisted and Ishmal's heart almost came into her mouth. Haider entered and regarded her with red, indignant eyes which made her breath get stuck in her throat. She crumpled the bed sheet tightly under her hands.

                 ___________________

AssalamoAlaikum/ Hi guys!

How are you?

Here's a new chapter.

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Till next one, Allah Hafiz/ Bye. 💞