" What?"

Afzal Siddiqui spat in distaste.

Altamash pulled in a calm deep breath as he fixed the clothes in his wardrobe. He waited a moment or two behind the expensively polished doors of the walk in closet before giving up and facing his father.

" Yes I've broken my engagement with Meerub because I cannot marry her."

" You cannot marry her?"

His father said in exasperation as he stepped further into the room.

" What can you do? Tell me what can you do except for disappointing us? You refused to join the business. You refused to join my political party. And now when I get you engaged to my business partner's only daughter, you reject her."

Altamash felt the knots tightening in his stomach in a bad way. He clenched his fists behind his back.

" You got me engaged to her for all your advantages. You used me as a bait."

Afzal Siddiqui chuckled darkly.

" You charmed your way to her at that party last year-"

" You forced me to do it."

Altamash hissed as he stepped closer to his father.

" Don't talk nonsense to me, Altamash.  Breaking this engagement will bring disgrace to this family as well as to our business."

" Your business, baba."

Altamash lowered his head as Afzal glared at him sharply. The older man took a slow step around Altamash until he was standing right before his son. His pepper gray eyebrows furrowing as he looked at him.

" And what will you do, Altamash? You'll marry the widow of the man you called brother?"

He taunted sharply and Altamash snapped his eyes to his father. And the man smirked.

" Don't forget the power I hold over you and over the ground you walk on. If it weren't for me you wouldn't have ever made it to that Kashana house when you escaped and found solace there."

The lump tightened Altamash's throat as his father turned around and walked away. His expensive shiny shoes tapping against the floors.

Altamash dug his nails in his skin as his father's words repeated in his ears again and again.

He remembered every moment of that eventful night when he escaped with a little Manum. The police had arrested his father early morning from their residence. The troops of armed men that had entered his house and hauled his father out. He was frightened as he hid behind the pillar and saw the scene unfold. By afternoon his mother had flown out of the country and he was left with a crying Manum. He had to save her. So he ran to his aunt's house with a small backpack filled with some clothes, cash, chocolates and water bottle.

His father was corrupt.

He heard that everyday in school for the next four years.

" I hate coming to this house."

Altamash groaned as he slid on his bed, his head buried between his hands.

-

" I just got off the phone with my mother."

Khuraisa raised her brows waiting for Silah to finish her sentence.

" And-"

Khuraisa encouraged.

" And she seemed happy. She said for the first time in life I haven't acted stupidly."

She twisted her dupatta between her fingers anxiously. As embarrassment flamed her neck. Khuraisa shook her head immediately as she threw her arm around Silah's shoulder.

" Oh no. You're not stupid Silah. Infact-"

Khuraisa smiled wide.

" I think you're a very strong woman. The strongest woman I know because you chose you. I see so many women in the court and I pray that they could be as courageous as you."

Silah gratefully smiled at Khuraisa.

" I'll let you be and go annoy my husband now. And I can't wait for all shopping we'll do for the wedding."

Silah chuckled as the other woman skidded away.

Going back to writing a recipe in her diary, she ignored the growing voices that came from downstairs. Tapping her pen against the smooth pages of the diary, she chewed on her bottom lip.

" Yeast, cheese, oregano- ah!"

She jumped on the chair she was sitting on as the her bedroom door slammed open. With erratic heartbeats, Silah watched the woman that now occupied the doorway.

The tall woman's figure sported a sea green trendy kaftan that had bunches of embroidery on the long of it. Her stunning features were adored with minimal makeup. Her fresh blowdry made her hair voluminous and shiny as they framed around her face. Her red stilletos clinked as she took careful steps inside the room.

Meerub

" Oh hi!"

The woman began all too sweetly and Silah cautiously stood up from her place.

" Hi!"

Silah greeted back seeing as Meerub took in her room. Her large eyes roaming around.

" Candles- oh wow."

Silah stood clueless as the model picked on the candles on her vanity and smelled them.

" I love candles!"

Meerub regarded as she turned towards Silah.

" Yeah me too."

Silah folded her hands across her chest just when Mimi came in the room with a glass of water. A young girl following behind her that had files, an oversized bag and phones propped around her arms.

" You asked for water."

Meerub nodded as she took the glass and gulped a sip. She then looked at Mimi carefully before tilting her head to the side.

" Can you please excuse us. I want to talk to Silah alone."

Mimi nodded her head and turned around to leave. The young girl heaved for a breath and Meerub dismissed her with a flick of her hand.

" Ma'am your photoshoot-"

" Out!"

She coldly said making the girl scurry away.

" Excuse my assistant but you must be thinking why I decided to suddenly visit you."

Her eyes shined when she spoke. Silah  felt intimidated by her as the tall woman stood before her.

" Well I came to see the woman that Altamash rejected me for."

She smiled. And it was anything but warm. Silah froze on her place as Meerub circled around her and it reminded Silah of Bollywood movies.

" And it's you. Out of all the girls in the world. It's you. I am surprised. He rejected Meerub Jamshed for Silah."

She giggled and it gave Silah chills. The disregard to her existence made her feel like dirt on Meerub's expensive stilletos.

" And you know what's funny. I am not the first woman he's not committed to. There's been seven other girls too and I wondered if he didn't commit to them for the same reason as well. You!"

She pointed a manicured fingers towards Silah and she internally flinched. Meerub shook her head.

" I can't believe how cleverly you've paved your way into his life at the wrong time, honey. I gave him the support he needed, the attention he wanted Silah-"

Her voice dropped octaves and then she was crying softly.

" I gave him my heart and see- he chooses you over me. Tell me what to do? What wrong did I do? Did I not make enough efforts? And look he loves you. A broken, soft and helpless girl. A man like Altamash loving a woman like you. Cute love story."

Silah swallowed down her throat as the woman wiped her tears.

" I am hurt."

Meerub straightened her posture.

" I am sorry-"

She splashed the water from her glass over Silah, cutting her off. Drenched in water, she looked at Meerub incredulously.

" You don't get to pity me."

The woman said sharply before storming her way out of the room. Silah stood in shock before wiping her  hand down her face.

" What the hell."

She murmured to herself.

She had said yes to Altamash's proposal but had she thought her decision through. He said he loved her and she believed him. Why would anyone love her? Sarfaraz never fell in love with her while she was married to him and Altamash would love her? How silly was she to believe this.

He was the one to send Abdul Razzaq even when he did not like his presence. And then he confessed his love to her. Was he not sure about her before or did he not believe in himself.

But she believed him.

She did.

And her heart couldn't now not believe him.

Why?

-

The knock on her bedroom distracted her and she hissed before going up to open the door.

" Aafton ke dour mein chein ki ghari hai tu."

In the era of calamities, you are a moment of peace.

Silah narrowed her sharp eyes at the man as he stood leaning against her doorway.

" What are you doing here?"

Altamash smiled, no he grinned.

" Breathing in my peace."

The man smirked as he leaned down to her and breathed. Silah clenched her teeth and moved away.

" Leave, I do not wish to see you."

She crossed her arms against her chest whilst Altamash frowned. Mimi had told about Meerub to him downstairs.

" Let's talk come on."

He moved inside the room leaving Silah to glare at his back. She marched behind him.

" I don't want to talk right now so kindly leave me alone."

She pointed to the door and Altamash watched her hand before he held on to it and pulled her closer.

" Shsh!"

He placed a finger against her lips as she protested. And then she felt it. The ring. She snatched her hand away seeing the ring he has slid on her finger. It shined in the darkness of the room and Silah stomach churned.

" I told you I'll get you your ring."

He smiled warmly at her.

" I don't deserve this."

She attempted to take it off but the man interlaced their fingers forcefully.

" Altamash."

She groaned.

" I don't deserve you Silah. Stop fighting me because my existence is from your presence. You matter to me. Your the most important part of my life. I don't deserve you, you're too precious for me but I'll fight the world for you. Just stop fighting me."

He whispered the words over her and Silah felt her heart going into a frenzy. Seeing the storm calming in her eyes, Altamash loosened his hold on her.

" I bought you anklets because you stopped wearing yours."

It was long before she stopped wearing anklets because Sheratoon hated them on her feet.

" I don't wear them anymore and you can go."

She moved away from him and sat on her bed. Altamash swiped his tongue over his lips before biting on his lower lip. His dark eyes watching her moves carefully before he started to move towards her.

She slid further away on the bed as his manly figure moved closer to her. The grey curtains in her room danced before the windows and the darkened clouds outside made the room dip further into darkness. Yet the candles that dotted her room flickered to every swing of the wind.

Her fervent eyes looked with flare at him and she took a sharp intake of breath. And pointed to the plastic bag that reflected the silver anklets in them.

" I don't want these."

" They are a gift."

His voice was husky but maybe she was just feeling too much.

" I don't want them. Take them and leave."

She might have just pushed his last button as he breathed through his nostrils before pushing himself further towards her. She looked with large fearful eyes as he pulled off the plastic from the jewellery pieces and grabbed her feet. Her heart sky rocketed as his fingers delicately traced around her ankle joint and she tried pulling her leg back.

" Stop!"

He gave a brief glare and tightened the anklets around her feet. The intricately designed heavy chandi anklets sat looking beautiful around her feet.  She pulled her leg instantly back and folded them under her. Her anklets jingling in the silent room. Heat flushed all over her body. He closed the distance between them and grabbed her hands in one fist. She gasped as he pulled her closer to himself.

His finger traced her temple before pushing a rouge strand of her hair behind her ear. They stared deeply into each other's eyes.

" For once stop being so stubborn with me."

With his ever so soft voice ringing in her ears, she thought she'd almost faint right there in his embrace.

" Because we're equally stubborn Silah. You're stubborn for me and I am for you."