~Barish se zyada asar hota hai yaadon mein, aksar band kamron mein loag zyada bheeg jate hain.~

Her heart was weeping just like that dark sky that drenched her from head to toe. The night was gloomy and Raaya was sure her life was becoming the same.

When she left Usman mansion, it was 3 o' clock but she didn't stop. Too many thoughts encircled her mind but the thing that remained intact was the fear. Fear of her own safety. Just when she started thinking that her life was getting to normal.

She left the house with Idris apologizing to her many times, begging to stay but her trust broke into million pieces and Raaya felt an unusual fear now in his vicinity. He followed her to the main gate, even held her wrist to stop her but she didn't. She left the house with a warning, if he followed her, she would kill herself.

On three knocks, Hamida opened the door and Raaya couldn't stop her tears from flowing. That hug with her sister made her realize how lonely she was! At that moment she desperately wanted her mother, who could console her like nobody could.

"Raaya, tell me what happened? You're making me anxious."

What would she tell her little sister? Her husband wanted his rights, or was she in fault for rejecting him?

"Nothing. I just wanted to stay at our house."

She stepped aside for their room, glad that Nani was not awake.

"At this hour, Raaya? Be sensible, tell me what happened? What did Idris do? He did something, did he said-"

Raaya shook her head and went to her room. That room was still welcoming, and held the same warmth as earlier. Removing her niqab, she turned off the light, lying down on her bed, without bothering to change her wet clothes.

She only wanted to remove every kind of hurt and fear from this night, anyhow. Not wanting to think that she got hurt from the person whom she started trusting a little bit. Or started liking a little bit.

***

"What did you do to her?"

Idris tried to grasp his surroundings as nothing made sense. No idea where he had slept and of the caller who woke him up from his sleep.

"Who's this?"

He sat up on his bed, his head feeling heavy with a headache. He barely slept last night, maybe half an hour.

"Hamida. Sister of your wife, whom you forget, I assume."

As his brain connected the dots, Idris remembered the yesternight. When he ruined everything. For him and for Raaya.

"Look, I'm sorry. I-"

"Keep that sorry to yourself. I swear on my life if something happens to her, I'll put you in your grave alive."

The line went dead so did his heart. His stomach dropped as if he lost something.

If something happens to her…

Did she do something to herself? Was she alright? He regretted everything he did the day before. Where was his control? Wasn't he the monster his mother reprimanded him about on his wedding night.

The moment he left his house, his brown wrist watch showed 7 o'clock, and the sun was dull and pale under the heavy gray clouds. He didn't pay any heed to guests staying at his house or to tell his whereabouts to his parents. He forced Raaya to leave this house, he was doing the same.

His first instinct was to reach Raaya's house only to be welcomed by that annoying jolly man, Zahir Mirza. He looked at him with a dead expression, stopping him at the threshold of the main gate.

"What happened?" Where's Raaya?"

"Aren't you a little late to ask this? She left your house on that dark rainy night." He stepped forward forcing him to exit the gate, as he locked the gate, "No concern for your wife, where she was going, what happened to her?

"Look, I don't need to explain myself to you."

Idris' voice held the edge of his anger. He was helpless and frustrated. "Tell me where she is."

"At the hospital. Case of hypothermia."

***

He spotted Hamida just when he entered the corridor. Her eyes closed, the back of her head on the wall. Her lips slowly moved in a prayer that Zahir witnessed when he came closer.

"Hamida."

His voice was low as a whisper. Her eyes went through many emotions at once. Helplessness and resemblance for him, and hate and ignorance for the man with him. Idris Usman.

Nani was inside with Raaya who was still unconscious. After some adamant pleas from Idris, Zahir decided to take him to the hospital. Confusion and a faint hate resided in his heart for this man. Raaya would always be his elder sister and he couldn't tolerate anything bad against these three ladies.

Whatever they went through, Raaya didn't deserve this. And he didn't know what Idris did with her. All he could picture was Raaya, entering the house in that cold, dangerous rain, helpless and lost. Seeing her husband this morning, Zahir wanted to punch his face so badly but he stopped, or tried to.

"Why are you here?" Hamida came between Idris and the door to Raaya's room, "You brought him here? Who gave you the right?"

"I came on my own. Raaya is my wife, I'm worried-"

"Don't! Don't pretend to be concerned. You're the reason that she is in this condition."

She tried to maintain her voice low, but failed. Maybe Zahir knew, punch wouldn't do justice like Hamida's words.

"Look Hamida, I know I didn't do good with her but I want to seek forgiveness from her."

Hamida's face softened for a while, which made Zahir a little surprised.

"She's unconscious."

Her voice defeated as Hamida looked at Zahir, with hope, as if he would do something and everything would be alright. He noticed Idris shifting his weight on the other leg, rubbing his hands together, looking from the glass window at Raaya.

***

Raaya dabbed the cotton ball in Dettol and heard a little hiss as she put it on her mother's forehead. The wound looked not too deep but that blood made her wince.

She might be nine. But learnt how to do first aid just for her mother. Hamida was quite little, seven years of age was very young for her so Raaya didn't want to burden her with anything.

She could already see changes in her sister's behavior, after seeing her father's doings. Her bubbly and gullible sister, Hamida was slowly turning into an annoyed and rude girl.

"That's alright, Raaya." Her mother patted her cheek, "I told you it's nothing."

Her mother's famous words after every hit. After every wound.

"Why don't you just leave him, Amma?"

She stopped speaking, seeing her mother's surprised expressions. She didn't expect Raaya to say something like that.

"What will we do then, Raaya? Become a burden on Nani?"

"We'll do something, earn money. But it'll be far better than this hell we're living in." She tried hard to put the tears away but failed.

Nani already helped with some expenses of their school. Because according to their father, her mother sinned birthing two daughters. Put a burden on his life.

"Your father will come along one day. Men have a habit of showing aggression, it's nothing new. That's what women are trained for."

Even at that tender age, Raaya felt sick to her stomach hearing that rubbish. What were women? Slaves; who were only born for men so that they become their punching bags. If every men had so much aggression, there was nothing unique about them.

Unique would be the man, who would love, care and remain soft even in the difficult times.