When someone you love dies, and you're not expecting it, you don't lose them all at once; you lose them in pieces over a long time - Maheer glanced at the tickets that lay on the bed, the flight was gone. She threw it in the dustbin. Her face pale, there was a knock at her door.

She didn't have the energy to reply. She was so drained. Restless, tired, and disoriented. 

Her world collapsed in just a few moments. She was replaying each second in her mind, wondering what she could have done to stop all of this. To save her husband. Things were going to be finally right, Usama was changing.

But... fate played a cruel joke on her and snatched the person she had loved with all her heart.

Her hands trembled, holding onto the bedpost as the door creaked open, Mahjabeen stood there with a plate in her hand.

"Bhook nahi hai mujhe."

She was feeling nauseous, the sight of blood, Usama's death, and trauma made her lose her appetite. She clutched at her abdomen, feeling acid reflux when she saw smelled the food.

"Paani dedo," Mahjabeen quickly brought her a glass of water, Maheer drinked it.

Mahjabeen held her hand as Maheer looked at her legs and started crying again. It was a soft, broken cry of a person who had lost someone.

Her eyes shed tears as she backtracked, "I shouldn't have let him leave," Maheer cried her eyes out, feeling her chest ache.

"Woh bachjaata Mahjabeen, he would have been alive by my side. Kyun jaaney diya usse", her hands covered her face, the tears dropped. Her body was getting warm, while Usama's laid cold in the hospital.

"Police kya bolrahey?" Maheer asked, "Murtasim gaya hai policestation. "

Her hands fisted by her side, as she laid her head on Mahjabeen's shoulder, "Usama ne kya bigada tha kisika? Usse kyun maara? Why would anyone shoot him?"

She was holding Mahjabeen's elbow, clutching it tightly, Mahjabeen looked at her and started crying herself.

Maheer didn't deserve any of this, she was such a kind and patient woman, "Khuda behtar karega", Mahjabeen consoled her wiping the tears away, but Maheer wasn't having it, "Behtar karega matlab? Kya behtar karega? Meri zindagi mai aajtak kuch behtar kiya hai usnee...  ek hi shakhs tha dunya mai jisse maine sacche dil se chaha tha, woh wapas karsakta, tum wapas karsakti ho".

Maheer was losing it, as she looked at Mahjabeen, "Kitni lucky ho, tumhe uski mohabbat toh naseeb huyi. How could he die when he had promised he would love me? Maine sabar kiya tha, kuch nhi bola tha usko."

Mahjabeen had never consoled a crying person. She wiped her tears softly, holding her face, "Tumhe takleef mai dekh kar usse dukh hoga, please don't cry."

Maheer's phone rang, "Abba... where are you?"

"Pakistan mai"

She cut the call and sighed, holding her aching head.

"Mahjabeen.."

"Haan?"

"Sweets ladona, kuch thanda. Mai namaaz padhleti hu".

Mahjabeen left the room and went to the canteen to purchase some sweets. She had seen the incident happen, but she couldn't react. Maheer's tears echoed in her mind. Each tear that fell from Maheer's eyes seemed to make her guilty.

As Mahjabeen returned to the room with the sweets and a cold drink, she found Maheer sitting on the prayer mat, her hands raised in supplication. The sight was heart-wrenching; Maheer's faith was the only thing keeping her from completely breaking down.

After finishing her prayer, Maheer looked at the sweets and took a small bite, but it felt like ash in her mouth. She forced herself to swallow, knowing that she needed to keep up her strength, no matter how futile it seemed.

"Yeh lo, thanda," Mahjabeen said, handing her the cold drink. Maheer took a sip, the coolness providing a brief respite from the burning pain in her chest.

"Usama ki yaad aa rahi hai, Mahjabeen," Maheer whispered, her voice breaking.

Mahjabeen sat down beside her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Nothing could fill the void Usama's death had left. Maheer's mind kept circling back to the moment she last saw him, wishing she could turn back time.

Just then, Murtasim entered the room, his face grim. He looked at the two women, his heart heavy with grief. "Maheer, police ne kaha hai... yeh ek planned attack tha," he said quietly. "Unhone kuch suspects ko pakda hai. Investigation chal rahi hai."

Maheer's eyes widened in disbelief. "Planned attack? Kya Usama ko jaan boojh kar maara gaya? Par kyun? Usne kisika kya bigada tha?"

Murtasim shook his head, his eyes reflecting his own pain and confusion. "Abhi tak kuch pata nahi chala. Lekin sab pata lagjayega... Main wada karta hoon. Sab theek hojayega"

Maheer's tears flowed again, her body shaking with sobs. "Usama ko wapas laa sakte ho, Murtasim?"

Murtasim's own eyes moistened. "Mere bas mein nahi hai."

Mahjabeen hugged Maheer tightly, both of them seeking comfort in each other's presence. "Tum akeli nahi ho."

But despite their words and promises, Maheer felt an emptiness that no one could fill. Her heart was shattered, and the pieces seemed lost forever.

____

"Abbey shaqal dekhkar shoot karna tha!! Jaanta hai kisse maara!" Bashar screamed through his phone. The murderer looked at the picture Bashar had sent, Murtasim wearing the black jacket, his eyes covered with black shades standing alongside Mahjabeen.

Bashar had asked for their pictures from Usama a while ago, he wanted to arrange a postwedding ceremony (not inspired by Ambani) for all of them.

"Woh jacket pehna tha isliye mujhe laga-"

"Be aqal, kamina kuttey tu saamne aa wahi pistol se tujhe maardaalunga mai!" Bashar screamed, his plan backfired, his daughter was a widow, "I am sorry sir, ek aur mauqa dijiye, iss baar Murtasim Khan ko goli maarunga".

"Andhe tujhe durr se meri beti Murtasim Khan lag gayi toh? Watch your back, iss ka badla mai lunga tujhse! Meri beti bewa hogayi, mera damad margaya teri galti ki wajeh se".

Murtasim Khan was supposed to die, he had given the proper instruction everything went according to the plan, then what went wrong?

The one crore rupees was a compensation, Bashar's revenge was far from over and his greed. He knew if Murtasim died, the shares could be easily transferred to Murtasim, Mahjabeen and her family were easy to deal.  Usama would get the wealth, and Bashar would get his revenge.

Now it was a mess, the plan had taken a turn for the worse, and Bashar's rage was uncontrollable. His meticulously crafted scheme had resulted in his daughter's heartbreak and his son-in-law's death. The guilt of his involvement gnawed at him, if Maheer realised he was behind all of this she would never forgive him...

___

a/n (IMPORTANT!)

Some foreshadowing of the incidents: Murtasim and Mahjabeen were discussing about the 1 crore rupees, why Bashar gave them such a huge amount of money, along with sending them on a paid trip. This trip was planned to kill Murtasim.

Second, in chapter 19, Usama had promised to not let her down, and Maheer had said, "I hope not Usama. Because if you did, Baba would kill you."

Third, I mentioned the stages of love, Usama was at Junoon (he went crazy in love)

Fourth: Usama giving away his amulet to Murtasim.

Most of my stories work on foreshadowing, I thought readers had picked on that.

I never thought I would get attached to Usama and Maheer's character to this extent. I know his death seemed sudden, but it was planned since the beginning. This story is going to go a sad, sad, angsty part further. But it's a happy ending.