Forgetting Love (Dublin Sisters #2.5)

Chapter 23

He was at a loss of words.

Why did she leave him?

What could he tell his mother?

His eyes roved around the room aimlessly, his mind racing hard to come up with a reason.

"Faraz?" Ghazala impatiently called out his name.

"Ummm...she is gone to stay with Nouman for a few days. She was missing her parents so I told her why not stay with Nouman." That was the safest excuse he could come up with.

"You know Mrs. Firdous? She lives on the same lane as Nouman and she told me that Samreen has been at Nouman's place for more than a month." There was a long pause. His heart thudding loudly that he could even hear the beats in his ear, "What is going on Faraz?"

He wasn't able to evade the question any longer. He sighed, "It's complicated."

"Do you plan to bring her back? What about her? Does she plan to come back home?"

"I am working on it." he mumbled and before Ghazala could reprimand him further, he hastily added, "Mom I am getting another call. I will call you back later."

Ending the call, he took a long breath of relief. He had temporarily escaped his mother's vicious probing. But what about next time? Rubbing his face with his palms, he decided to take a nap. But even sleeping in a quiet house was a torture. He was so used to sleeping in the noise of children shouting and crying that even in his sleep, he was lonely.

His children's faces roamed in front of his eyes as he lay down on the bed. But most of all his wife's smiling face didn't leave his mind. The smile he had turned into tears. Every day the haunting memory of how broken she had looked when he had seen her after he had approached Aileen rushed back to him. Tormenting him and putting him in agony with it escalating his regret and guilt. But she was the fuel for him to change. He was determined to do it for her. He was desperate to bring her back in his life along with his children.

He was aware of one thing ...

He wasn't able to survive like this anymore.

He wanted his family back.

****
"So does anyone remember how they were exposed to pornography?" Claire asked gently. Her eyes scanning the mortified faces until her eyes held Faraz's gaze, "Faraz why don't you tell us."

He swallowed hard and then cleared his throat. His eyes had a faraway look. It had been decades...

He was merely a 14 years old boy studying in high school. He wasn't much into girls or anything. Instead, he loved playing football. He was crazy after the ball. All his free time was dedicated to playing football whether it was rain or shine he would be seen with a ball outdoors, kicking all the time.

One autumn morning, a group of boys was sitting on the stairs of the school building, their heads down all gazing at something that was on one of the boys' lap. Curious Faraz sauntered over to them with the ball in his hand.

"What's the crack?" Faraz questioned.

Paul murmured without a glance at Faraz, "Cool. Check this out."

Faraz peeked over Paul's shoulder and was shocked. There was a magazine with nude women pictures.

"She is hot!!!" David whistled.

"Look 'em those tits," drooled Sean.

Faraz evaded his eyes quickly and stepped back. His heartbeat speeding. He had never seen such explicit pictures before. Sure he had a glimpse here and there in movies of nude women but not like this.