Afni's heart felt like it was torn out of her chest as Almir pulled her hand towards his car. She looked up at the looming building and wished that she was just having a terrible nightmare.

She pinched herself just to make sure but it was indeed reality. Her parents had just kicked her out of her home. She felt so numb and devastated beyond comprehension.

As Almir helped her into the car, the tears stopped and she went deadly silent in thought of her situation. She didn't even know when the car started moving.

"-Afni? I've been calling your name for the past five minutes."

Almir pointed out and she just hummed and nodded not really listening to him.

"Wipe your tears and make yourself look presentable. We wouldn't want my family to think something was up, now would we?"

Almir asked with a quirked eyebrow and she just sighed, with no words to offer.

She took out a face wipe from her bag and rid her face of the mascara and eyeliner smudges. She took out some concealer and used it to cover the bags beneath her eyes and made her face look fresh.

She reapplied the mascara and eyeliner again, not in the mood to argue with him. She practiced putting up a fake smile on her face which she never had to do before.

Minutes later though she wasn't sure when, they pulled up in front of huge black iron gates and her eyes widened in astonishment, not bothering to stop the gasp from escaping.

'Woah'

She saw Almir roll down the window and he pressed his palm against a black panel that was next to him and it looked like it was scanning it, a green line going from top to bottom of the panel.

Suddenly, the gate pulled open and her eyes nearly fell out of their socket. Her jaw went slack and she felt like raising her hands to her head in disbelief.

Past the gate, a magnificent mansion loomed so huge and breathtaking. There was a water fountain smack in the middle with beautiful flowers littering the area.

Every kind of flower you could imagine was there. From lilies to roses to jasmine to hibiscus to sun flowers, everything!

She was beyond amazed and intimidated. The mansion was 10 times bigger than her house, she was sure. In fact way more than that.

She bet you could put their entire neighbourhood in the mansion and there will still be so much space.

She could hear Almir snicker at her but she payed him no attention, her gaze solely focused on the beauty before her.

The car rounded around the fountain and stopped right in front of the front doors. The land spread around vastly and the car tracks lead down to a huge warehouse like area, presumably their own parking lot.

The garden stretched father till the wall protecting the compound, round to the back of the mansion. At this, she was certain it wasn't a mansion but a castle.

The pair stepped out of the car and Afni stood there, feeling so out of place in the atmosphere. A man in a valet uniform appeared and bowed at Almir.

"Have one of the butlers bring in the luggage that's in the trunk of the car. Park my car in its rightful place and store the keys in the glass panel. You know where the red cars are located."

Almir commanded the man and he nodded his head furiously. He entered the car and drove towards the huge warehouse.

She looked back at the huge double brown mahogany doors and admired the designs carved onto them. They were so large!

"Let's go in shall we?"

Almir snapped his eyes away from observing her and asked and she nodded while smiling sheepishly at being caught staring.

They walked up the small flight of stairs and a similar panel as the one outside was on the right side. He placed his palm and it scanned it as it confirmed his identity and the doors pulled open slowly.

A woman probably in her late 50s stood beside the doors and bowed her head. She was wearing grey and white clothes, the typical maid uniform that were seen in movies except that one reached her ankles.

"Hello,"

Afni greeted her and the old woman smiled but did not look up at her but Almir just walked past without saying anything.

He was such an arrogant jerk with no respect. She glared at his back and raised her head up and was greeted with something incredible.

Her anger at him faded to shock. It was huge! Two giant set of marble stairs stood on each side of the room leading upstairs.

Huge cream doors lined the two walls. The theme was cream and brown and let's just say, it was even prettier than the outdoor designs.

Expensive paintings and antiques were placed everywhere and she felt afraid to touch anything to avoid damaging it.

Several chandeliers hung from the beautiful plaster of paris ceilings and lamps were placed everywhere that emitted a golden glow.

It looked like something you'd see in a fairytale except that was reality. Straight ahead, under the stairs was something that deeply resembled a waiting room. With several chairs lined around the room.

Almir walked towards the waiting area and took a door at the end of the room. The next thing she saw were lots of people and what was a way larger version of a living room. The room had the space capacity to fit a ballroom or two in there.

There were like ten people in the room, women only. About four were wearing the same maids uniform as the woman she saw earlier and the rest were wearing expensive clothing.

A woman she saw was wearing a gold and red saree with huge golden jewelry on her body and she wondered how she stood straight from all that weight. She looked to be in her late thirties and was really beautiful looking.

Beside her was a younger woman who looked seventeen also wearing a saree. Hers was a beautiful chocolate color and was so simple but the fabric screamed expensive.

She had less jewelry on and she had a striking resemblance to the other woman so Afni assumed they were related.

On a couch opposite from the one the two were sitting on was an older looking woman. She was wearing a burgundy flare dress and a white hijab with a golden head piece situated on top of it neatly.

She had a warm but wrinkled face and her aura screamed rich. She did not know who she was at all but she knew she commanded authority in the room, sitting on a throne like seat.

On the couch parallel to hers was a woman that looked 20 but Afni couldn't be sure. She could be younger or older than that. She was wearing a black and white floral dress with a black hijab and when she smiled, two deep dimples formed on her cheeks.

There were two identical looking girls probably 3 years old sitting on the love seat opposite the girl in white and black. They were pouting and slouching but they weren't the cutest babies but they were indeed adorable.

Almir walked in and uttered a salaam and all chatter stopped and everybody looked up to see who was it that interrupted their female talk as the maids stood idly by.

"Ah, see my child is here. Where did you run off to? You knew we were going to Mariya Salem's brunch party and that's why you ran off right? And who's that young lady behind you?"

The older woman spoke and she instantly understood she was almir's mother because of the way she was speaking to him, so lovingly.

They actually looked so much alike now that Afni looked properly at her with the exception of their eyes and face shape.

"Well, maami, I had somewhere to be. And get ready for this-"

He paused and turned towards Afni, pointing out his arms towards her.

"-This is my wife Afni!"

He said it so casually as if it wasn't a serious thing and gasps echoed around the room before turning into giggles.

His mother looked at him with a confused look so as the other females in the room, when they finally stopped laughing upon seeing his serious eyes.

"Your what? But you are not married yet. Do you mean that you want to get married to her or what, son?"

His mother asked with wrinkles forming between her eyebrows because of the smile she was wearing on her heart shaped face.

"No mom, she really is my wife. This woman here is the love of my life. We eloped because we knew her parents would never approve of us getting married. Adnan we'd us!"

He announced feigning excitement but Afni could see right through his act and resisted a scowl from reaching her face. His mother's eyes went round before she fainted.

Afni was panicked and surprised at what he did and a gasp escaped her mouth when his mother's eyes rolled to the back of her head.

The maids, she realized had left after a while. The lady with the brown saree ran to almir's mother to check up on her.

"Abeer get water quickly!"

She told the lady with the black and white floral dress and she ran off somewhere only to come back with water.

Afni looked around and noticed that everybody had gathered around the woman except her and that was because she was in shock and didn't want to intrude.

They sprinkled the water on her face a few times before she woke up and everybody sighed in relief.

"But son didn't at least we deserve to know? We would have approved of your decision no matter what!"

The conversation continued when she was back to her senses. Her son just looked at her unblinking.

"I know mom but just accept it and let bygones be bygones. It's in the past already so let it go."

He said with a small smile and she was about to speak but a look in his eyes made her nod and smiled back too but everybody could see that it didn't reach her eyes but let it go.

Huh that was so fast and she's already accepted it. Wow! She must really love her son to just dismiss a matter as huge as that.

All eyes turned to her and she was beckoned over as everybody took a seat.

"Come dear, seat, I want to know at least a thing about my new daughter in law."

She said and Afni ducked her head shyly.

"Yes, mom, me too! I want to know my new sister."

The Abeer girl replied and Afni walked over to them, almost puking at all the attention on her. She wasn't used to strangers.

So that's how Afni told them bits nd pieces about herself, carefully not mentioning anything about her family.

She later found out those two little kids were in fact twins, Zara and safeeya. The two ladies with sarees are mother and daughter, Hamishah and Sumayyah and the twins were Summayah's little sisters.

She also got to know that they were family friends of the Akhdans and they lived in the same neighbourhood though it was just three residences around there.

She didn't meet the rest of the family because she was told to go freshen up a bit, when she yawned.

Her luggage had been brought and dropped next to her and she stood up along with Almir to go find the new room where she was going to be staying in the giant new home she had.

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What do you think of this new life she has? How do you think she'll live as from now, luxoriously or poorly? Share, vote and comment if you liked it.