Three days passed then, he didn't come to her. Three nights she had burned herself in the fire of his love, in the fire of the heartbreak that he was with another woman. It didn't matter that she was the second woman, it didn't matter that he was supposed to be with his first wife always, it didn't matter that he had spent countless like that with her already before she even came into his life. He was the first for her, he was his only forever.

When she came to know that Neha was leaving the haveli, she had said that only one of them could stay here and Bibi had not let her go, Neha had decided to leave. Yahya had taken her to his other house in Rawalpindi.

She had heard her fighting with Yahya one day. She had said,
" Tum mjhey haath mat lagao. Doosri aurat k saath raat guzaar kar arahay ho Yahya, tum meray kareeb bhi mat aana."

It had broken her heart. Doosri aurat? She was his wife too. She was the second one, but still, she had married him. Not ran away with him nor was she a bazaari aurat.

Then he left with Neha for a week. Another whole week without him, she was burning. Bibi, other women in the house, everyone was good with her. Some even asked how Yahya was with her discreetly. Two days ago, Bibi and some other women had left to their village where they had to meet some people from Bibi's family.

Alone in the vast haveli, she could only think about him. Compare the only thing she had of him, two nights, with what that woman had. His heart. Depressing thoughts made her sick with fever. Today she was burning in the fever, the cold night nipping at her skin. She got up from the bed. she didn't know how she got the energy to. But her heart was sinking in her chest and she felt like she would vomit if she stayed in bed a little more so without caring for wearing slippers, she walked to the hallway.

Cold nipped at her feet, the while marble of the floors reflective in the golden light. She looked around, there was no one there. Maybe all the servants and had gone to the quarter. She felt scared in the darkness of the night and how the shadows lingered in the corners. Suddenly, she collided with the table in the way, the glass vase falling down and she tried to catch in a mini second but it broke into a million small piece, shattering on her left foot. A cry left her lips as she bent down. There was broken glass all around her and she knew it would injure her if she tried to step away. She panted, her body too weak to stand upright. She heard some noise outside and her heart jumped in her chest.

Yahya?

The main doors opened and Yahya emerged from the fog outside and everything she held in her heart broke free. She started running hysterically, crossing the long hallway to him, not caring about the pain of glass piercing her skin or the blood she left behind with her every step. She collided against his chest and his arms wound themselves around her waist to stop both of them from staggering.

" Khan! Khan aap aagaye?"

Yahya looked at her in shock, the pale tint of her face, the while of her dress, rough hair and wild eyes. The white frock she wore made her look angelic in the dim light but he was scared of the wild emotions in her eyes.

" Hemayal? Kya hua? Theek ho tum?"
( Hemayal? What happened? Are you okay?)

Hemayal nodded quickly but Yahya's eyes came across the footprints of blood on the white marble. His eyes quickly migrated to her feet which were red with blood.
" Yey kesay hogya?"
( How did it happen?)

He picked her up quickly, one arm under her legs and the other holding her back in bridal style and she rested her head on his chest. He was shocked at her condition. Taking her to an armchair, he seated her before sitting down on his knees to look at her feet.

"Sab kahan hain? Aur tumney apna kya haal banaya hua hai?"
( Where is everyone?)

He asked as he winced at the glass embedded in her skin. He got up to run to the kitchen to get the medical box.

" Bibi gaun gayi hain. Baaki sab soa rahay hain shayad."
( Bibi has gone to the village. Everyone else is sleeping i guess.)

He pressed the alcohol pad to her wounded foot and she inhaled sharply.

" Chubha?"
( Hurts?)

She shook her head but inhaled sharply again as he took a piece of glass out.

" Agar tabiyat khraab thi tau akelay rehnay ki kya zaroorat thi?"
His voice was scolding her and she could only stare at him hands on her feet, the blood lining her soles like mehndi.

" Akeli hun tau akeli hi rahun gi nah."

She looked him in the eyes as a sharp emotion emerged in them and then drowned. He worked in silence while she could only take him in, watching him felt like it had been ages.

He stood up after doing everything and held her again, effortlessly picking her up with fluidity and she fit in his arms just like it was her real place. He walked to the end of the hallway to the entrance of her room and then placed on her bed. She mentally so exhausted that she could not even think rationally, the questions like why he was here, why did he come back suddenly were far from her mind. She was not thinking at all but there was something wild, something she was not, in her eyes.

When he came to bed after handing her a tablet with a glass of water, she took it.

" Chalo soa jao ab."

He was already laying down when she said,
"Aap wapis tau nahi chalay jayein gay?"

Yahya looked at her, the way the lone strands of hair circles around her neck, vining around her face. He took in a deep breath before pulling the covers on and laying down without answering her. Disappointed flooded her body but she laid down, watching the epitome of ice hearted man sleep. A few tears slipped her eyes which turned into sobs gradually and he finally removed the arm over his eyes to look at her.

Yahya was shocked to see her swollen eyes with red looping inside them, filled with khumar of  the whole world. Involuntarily he raised his hand to hold hers.

" Kya hua? Tabiyat zyada khraab hai tau Bua ko utha dun?"

She shook her head.

" Mey apsey kuch poochun?"

" Hm?"

" A-Aap mjhe sey nafrat kartay hain?"

Yahya averted his eyes from her red ones.
" Mey kyun tumsey nafrat karun ga? Tumhari tau koi galti nahi hai."

He was suddenly ashamed of his behaviour with her on the first night.
" Aap un sey boht m-mohabbat kartay hain?"
Her voice was heavy like she had just cried or will soon. He looked back into her eyes.

" Haan."

She took some time to form words.

" Lekin aap yey nahi jaantay k aap unsey mohabbat kartay hain aur koi aur apsey."

Silence stretched between them and Yahya left her hand, turning around as he said,
" Tumhari tabiyat khraab hai. So jao."

Hemayal closed her eyes, another wave of grief over being alone, rejected and unloved making a few hot tears leak from behind her closed eyes.

                 /////////////

Yahya opened his eyes at the crack of dawn, sleepily changing his side when his arm fell on her. With still half closed eyes, he observed her. Still in last night's state, she sleeping on her side  with her legs pulled up to her stomach, both hands under her head. Wavy brown hair half spread on the bed and half snaking around the curve of her neck. Pouted lips swollen, eyes swollen and shut close, nose red. A few streaks of tears were visible on her rosy cheeks. She moved a little, pulling her legs closer to her and wrapping her arms around them when he noticed she was trembling. She was sleeping without any cover and it was very cold. Yahya instinctively pulled her closer carefully before spreading his cover on her too. She moved a little, probably disturbed and snuggled into him, placing her head on his arm and wrapping her arms around him in the search of warmth. Her body was burning though, probably because of the fever. Yahya removed the strands of hair that were sticking to his lips and slowly his hands went to her hair involuntarily, touching and grasping, brushing.

He did not have a heart of a stone. He was not that hard, that heartless to not to melt in front of the emotions she showed. The way her eyes were always on him, hopeful like she was wishing for something with all her heart. She had said it today. He felt bad for her, he knew what love was and how hard it was to survive unreciprocated love. But there was a sense of betrayal if he even glanced at her. He loved Neha, it was heartbreaking what she was going through. She couldn't be a mother ever and now she had to share her husband too.

And Hemayal. This girl was probably ten years younger than him, her mother had been the one he used to call " amaa" growing up. He knew he was hurting her but he could not find it in his heart to give her the same spot he had secluded for Neha only. There must be ability in a man to love more than one women, that's why Allah allowed him to marry four. But he had always considered Neha the one and only since he was in college. And now, to let another woman in felt impossible. And this Hemayal was clouding herself over him, heavy clouds that would soon rain and he will be left shelterless.

He tried to separate her from himself to get up but she tightened her hold on him so that he had no choice but to stay as he brushed her hair away from her face.

                        ///////////