•𝐑𝐮𝐛𝐚𝐚𝐛| ✓

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒘𝒐|| 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚

When you want time to move fast, it moves at its slowest, and when you want time to move slower, it runs! When you want to capture the moments before they fade, time moves like a swift force. Time passes like a fleeting moment. Weeks pass, months have passed, and now a year. It has been a year since the time the once-happy family shattered, leaving nothing but suffering.

For Rubaab, every second that passed feels like a dagger piercing across her chest. Her husband, the man who was her savior, the strong man, lies weakly on the bed. The horrific accident Arsalan and Karim Shah had gone through was a drastic change in their lives.

Nothing feels good, and nobody tries to make any effort. Karim Shah woke up after a week of staying at the hospital, and his first words were to ask for his son. He was devastated that his son was in a state that no one can tell if he's even going to wake up again.

After waking up, Karim Shah narrated the whole scenario that happened on the most unfortunate day. He told them that during the flip of the car, he assumed Arsalan's hands were around him in a manner that his head and shoulder were covered. He cried that day, telling them that maybe if Arsalan had taken care of himself, then maybe he wouldn't be in this state.

Haseena was in a state of denial for two months until the hospital started pestering them about moving Arsalan, as it had been months and he was showing no movement. It was heartbreaking to hear them talk about turning off the ventilator. Faizan and Karim Shah had a major argument with the chief of the hospital about the matter. The only solution to the problem was money, a fortune, which they didn't hesitate to throw at the faces of the doctors.

After more than six months, it was the time Arsalan started breathing without the use of a ventilator. His heart was beating at a normal state once again, but there was no improvement in his movement. He was nothing but an almost lifeless body lying on the bed. After his session with the ventilator, the Shahs transferred Arsalan back home with a full-time appointed male nanny, male nurse, and male doctor. He had returned home but still under the supervision of doctors.

After Arsalan, Rubaab was left with nothing but the broken support of a shattered family. She felt alone once again. All of them loved Arsalan to the core, and seeing him like this broke their hearts, causing them to get lost in their sadness, forgetting about Rubaab. It has been a year, a year since she had isolated herself along with Arsalan. She would sit beside him on the bed and stare at him.

They say when you are in deep trouble, you remember no one other than Allah, and that happened with Rubaab. While she had no one, she had Allah. She relied on Him, got closer to Him. With her constant namaz and dua, she was left with Him only. She cried while praying for Arsalan every time. She would break down and cry until her heart wanted.
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She was in the kitchen; it was almost midnight, and she was sitting beside Arsalan before getting hungry. She hadn't eaten anything till now, and her stomach didn't give her more permission to stay hungry, so she was in the kitchen.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She quickly fixed her dupatta and turned around to see Rizwan standing at the kitchen entrance, leaning against the door. His face was filled with amusement. Rubaab hated his gaze; it was something that Arsalan never saw her with. It made the skin on her neck crawl. He straightened up and went towards her, making her take a step or two back.

"G-g?" she asked in a manner filled with questions. "Arey bhabhi... Kitne time bad dekha hai apka norani chehra... Kahan gayab hoti hain?" he asked in a sloppy tone, making her cringe. In the almost absence of Arsalan, she had learned to study people. She wasn't a dumb seventeen-year-old but a conscious nineteen-year-old young lady.

(Yes?)
(I've seen you after so long bhabhi, where do you stay)

"K-kya c-chahiye t-tha...ap-apko?" her hesitation and fear were still present in herself, exciting the man before her. She may have gotten conscious, but she still feared the truth. "Arey chachiye to bhot kuch... Kya ap de paengi hamen?" he started taking more steps towards her. She stepped back too until her back met the kitchen slab. She was trapped in the den of a lion. She feared what would happen now.