Elysian

The One Where She Decides

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Scars on her arms, her fingers bleeding. Where were her clothes? What was she wearing? God. Pain. Where was it? She slowly trailed her hand towards her abdomen. Naked. Her breathing quickened. Her hand trailed downwards. Her inner thigh was hurting. Blood. Wet. Why? 
Her confused eyes looked above, white and then down. She gasped and sat up straight.

Red marks along her neck and her chest. The red piece of cloth covering breast which was as dark as a her blood, was torn from one side. 
She looked straight ahead in the mirror and watched as a drop of blood fell from her eye, carving a path on her cheek.

Suddenly, a knife was thrown towards the mirror and it shattered.

Jannat woke up. Her breathing heavy, sweat sticking to her neck.
A large comforter was covering her she peeled it off her.

Seeing the state of undress her body was in, she was shocked. Broken images flashed through her brain. She felt like she was suffocating, her throat was parched. She wanted to puke.

Bile rose up her throat as she ran towards the bathroom,Ibraheem's bathroom.

Pending towards the sink, she vomited. Her stomach heaving, tears trailing down her cheeks.

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When she came out of the bathroom, she was feeling but still dizzy.

Her swollen eyes trailed the room to find something to cover herself. She would die of embarrassment of someone, or him saw her like this.

On the bedside table, she a bottle of tablets and a glass of water. Besides that, there was her overnight bag. Sighing with relief, she picked it up and went to get dressed again. She wanted to be out of this house as soon as
possible. It was suffocating her.

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Ibraheem stood outside his room,wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He heard the shower running. She will come out soon.

When the door opened, he was sitting on the sofa. Putting the newspaper aside he stood up. He watched as Jannat, now dressed in a black shirt embroidered with teal five- petalled flowers and black silk trousers, stomped towards the door. Her strides were fast, her dupatta floating the air she escaped. Escaped him.

"Janna-", his lips whispered as his hand enclosed around her wrist like a bangle that was soon going to break and leave her wounded.

She turned, brown met black.

Wood versus steel.

Her eyes were sorrowful. They were brown as always, but this time the golden flecks in her eyes were not like sunlight on a June afternoon. They didn't light up his heart. Instead they were the rust that slowly ate away the iron walls he cherished.
And now the iron which had suffered corrosion was weak,flaky and giving up.

With a sudden force, she tugged her hand away. Eyes dismissing him like he was not there anymore.

In a second she was out of the door and he watched as the driver opened the door of the car of her.

Why did explosions always occur in his house? It was cursed.

He was cursed.

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Jannat could not believe what had happened. But she cajoled her stupid heart into believing that it was for the better.

It was nothing, she thought.
Men are heartless. She always knew that ,didn't she? She had witnessed him talking about girls, him talking to girls.

When she was thirteen, he had reluctantly agreed to send her a picture of his girlfriend. She knew he had several. She knew how he was in America. She had heard about the parties, the booze and the girls. Not from him, but form Hoorain as her own brother was like him.

What was wrong with her? She obviously knew it could never happen. She cursed her own naivety. Young age was stupid. She was just eighteen. Why would she get married so early? Why would he like a kid? He was her brother. She should've confronted him the first time he did something.

A scornful smile appeared on her lips as she thought how he had called her beta last night.

Why did her heart feel like it was breaking when she knew that she was just a little stupid girl who fell in love with a wrong man. It happened in the books and it happened to her too.

She would become normal soon. She'd show him that he hadn't affected her. It was her life. Not his.

With a single thought in her mind, she strode towards her mother's room.

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One month later

Adina baji, her elder cousin, placed the teal coloured dupatta with golden embroidery on the border on her head. Letting a few pieces of her brown hair frame her face, Adina said, " You look absolutely beautiful."

Jannat smiled shyly. Her heart was thumping loudly.

"Don't be nervous. I was nervous too when Ahmed came to see me the first time but look now, we both love each other. Everything will be good. He will be good. It's not like he is a stranger. Just trust us. Okay?"

Jannat nodded. She felt like her breath was stuck in her throat.

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I am backkkkk!!

I had some really important exams. They are over now. Please pray for me.

So what do you think will happen now?

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