Jaana : The Girl He Loved Too Much

Chapter 44

Combing her hair, Sitara was thinking about how to control his emotions. She is always trying to figure out how to keep his love controlled a bit.

Going through all the events they have been through all these months, she was pondering on how she never understood the way he loved her. He takes care of her, he takes care of everything she needs, yet she does not even have a shred of freedom. He decides what she does, what she wears, and what she eats. It's been almost a year, and she had never eaten or wore anything chosen by herself.

Today, she was waiting for him to come home and praying to Allah to keep his mood good. She has tried and rehearsed for three days to ask him to allow her to cook. She needs to do something before she loses her mind. Now with Bahar gone, she has no one to talk also not that it was too much but atleast it was something, a bond that could or could not be called as friendship but now even that is not there. All she could hope was that the girl was safe.

She was standing at the full-length mirror. Setting her lacey blue saree properly, she checked her makeup. She brushed her hair, straightening them. She knows that he likes her hair more when she let them open. He never said. Instead, he always praised her beauty, but she could feel that he likes them when he can play with them rather than when she tie them up.

She turned, hearing his voice. He is home. He asked the new house help to send him coffee in his study. Allah, why did he go to the study first? He always came to see me as soon as he came. Is he not in a good mood? She thought. But his tone wasn't angry. Maybe he just has some work. Thinking and wishing herself luck, she walked towards his study. She was praying continuously that he gave her permission to cook. Hoping to not aggravate him, she took care of everything, though. She wore what he kept out for her. She didn't skip any meal. Obviously, she didn't speak to anyone. She dressed up too like he likes. She even used the blush rose lip color he likes. She was hopeful since they had come across a long way. She is still afraid of him somewhere, but she has achieved the courage to talk to him freely.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked. "Come in." his crisp voice came, and she stepped inside the room.

Thinking it must be the new housekeeper with the coffee, he asked the person to come in, however, as the door opened it made Sitara wishing to be swallowed by the ground and Shahzain to burn everything to the ground.

Her eyes widened, and she froze at the spot on what she saw or rather whom she saw. She turned back almost instantly towards the door, but before she could fully, a familiar voice came to her ears. "As-Salaam-Alaikum Bhabhijaan," Faizan said, and she cursed herself, gripping the door knob tightly. She looked at Shahzain, and his eyes were burning with rage. His hand gripped the paper weight too tightly, turning his knuckles white. She lifted her palm a bit to reply to his greeting without replying verbally. "Go to our room, Sitara." She didn't wait to even let out another breath. She opened the door immediately and literally ran outside.

"Ouch!" Guess her luck was worse today. She busted into a woman, their coffee fell on the floor and on her saree. She covered her mouth, realizing she screamed. Again. The coffee, the terror of her first punishment, came back to her. "Ma'am go" the girl she recognized as the one who came as the substitute the day Shahzain punished Bahar for not giving her lunch in the room, whispered as they heard the door knob fumbling. Sitara literally ran from there before they could come out. She hid behind a marble pillar because her room was too far.

"What happened here, Afsana Bibi?" She heard Faizan asking the girl. She peeped from behind "Nothing Sir, the tray slipped from my hand, and the mugs fell on the floor. I am so sorry, Sir, for being clumsy. I will get you both another coffee," she said, standing up with the broken pieces in the tray. "We heard a scream," Shahzain asked her. "Yeah, Khan Saheb, it was me. I screamed as I trampled, and the tray slipped from my hand." she lied to him. For me? She did this for me. But why? She hardly knows me, and everyone over here has suffered enough because of me. One of them has literally lost his life, and only god knows what happened to Bahar. She shouldn't have done that.