Chapter 87: Chapter 87

His proximity had made her queasy as she immediately left him, hurrying out of the the study. She must have taken a step out when she came across, Haroon, Asma's husband.

"How are you daughter?" he asked with a smile. He was wearing white shalwaar kameez.

"I'm fine, uncle. How are you?" Sheharzaad asked politely.

"I'm good. Can... we talk?"

A frown came over her brows. "About what?"

"I'll tell you. Do you've some time for me?"

"Sure. Sure, uncle,"

And he led her to the terrace on the second floor. They both occupied the settee and sat across each other.

"What is that you want to talk about?" She asked. Confusion evident on her face.

"You're special, Sheharzaad. I feel you've a healing power," Haroon began.

"What makes you think so?"

"My heart. My heart," he tapped at his chest, "it believes maybe you'll help in getting justice to someone.... who might be waiting for it... for decades,"

"Who?"

"Jaha Ara,"

Her eyes widened for a second. And she realized in that moment that he overheard all her conversation with Haider.

"You heard it? Right, uncle?" She asked, referring to the conversation.

"I did," he nodded, admitting.

The reason he said, Sheharzaad had healing power was because of that conversation he overheard with Haider. After Jaha Ara's death, for twenty five years, Haider never expressed the grief he felt after Jaha Ara's sad demise. He never told anyone what he felt, what he went through. He never expressed his side of story to anyone. No one came this close to his heart as to make him utter the condition of his heart to anyone. But Sheharzaad.

He did not even confide in with his mother or his siblings about the emotions he felt after Jaha Ara's death. He just distanced himself with everybody. Haider never gave a chance to anyone to let them open the shielded and locked wounds of his heart. He kept it within him. And haroon knew  it was slowly eating him from inside. It was slowly killing him like a poison for past twenty five years.

But listening to Sheharzaad's conversation with Haider, it just ignited the fire in Haroon to utter that he had been carrying within him. For past twenty five years. Something he saw at the day of Jaha Ara's death. He kept it within him to keep the sanctity of family. To keep the family together. He did not want the family to turn against each other He did not want to create dispute so he remained quiet. But Haider's broken heart and Jaha Ara's painful past made him want to utter the truth to a person whom he knew could make the best use of it. Whom he knew might bring the light of justice in this house.

"Was it a... suicide?" Sheharzaad asked.

His question brought more confidence in him that justice will be served. She was an intellectual lady. She knew what questions to ask.

Haroon slowly nodded his head.... but ended up shaking left and right.

And her grey eyes expanded to the fullest.

"It was a murder," Haroon told.

The secret he had been carrying within him for years.

And it wasn't hard for Sheharzaad to put two and two together to gauge who was the killer.

"Shabbir Haider Syed," she uttered the name of the real culprit.

Haroon nodded.

...

Flashback

Passing her children a little smile, she entered in the room. Tears after tears slipped down her eyes. She waited for this day. Day when she would get caught. But she did not want it to be this way. Her sons catching her red-handed.

The reason she rejected Haider's proposal was Omer. She loved Omer. So much. And that forced marriage woke up the rebel in her. The day she got married, she decided, the pride which was tarnished by her 'no' to Shabbir Haider Syed's son proposal, she will blow away that fake ego, that arrogance he carried and that spotless pride of his.

The same pride which made him rape her by one of his men.

The incident brought more tears to her eyes.

She had run away after realizing that Shabbir will force this marriage on him. But his men kidnapped her and shifted her to a bleak motel away from the area of residents. She was being supervised by one of his men and taking advantage of her vulnerability, he raped her.

She cried and cried. Complained about what one of his most trusted men did to her but Shabbir did nothing. Absolutely nothing. He just told her, it was the penance she received for rejecting his son's proposal and running away from the haveli.

His coldness towards one of the most havocal incident in her life, made her cold. Born within her was the desire of revenge.

And she took the easiest yet the toughest route.

An extra-marital affair.

Shabbir Haider will never be able to show his face in his community once the world would know that his daughter-in-law was involved with someone.

That revenge made her so blind that love of every other emotion died within her. And even her motherhood. Her motherhood, her ability to love, everything diminished the day she was heartlessly raped was not even served justice by the one who had the power to give her justice.

But now, today, when she got caught, she couldn't stop her tears.

If she'd have been caught red-handed by anyone, her heart wouldn't bein so much pain as it was now.

The irony was, her sons caught her.

And it alleviated the haze of intense revenge around her, making the light of motherhood protrude its head from the darkness she had been bearing in her heart.

She stood up.

She knew she couldn't give up now. Not now. When she wanted her family to give her the chance she wanted.

The revenge had been served to Shabbir. Everyone knew of Jaha Ara's affair now. The blow she had ought to give him, was given now.

And now she had to start anew. For the sins she committed, for the emotions, and the hearts she crushed on her route to revenge. She wanted to remedy now. She wanted to be with her children. And wanted to give them the love they always deserved.

Taking a pen and paper, she wrote everything. Everything she felt. Everything she has been through. She committed that she wasn't a victim here. Rather she was their culprit. Culprit of many. But... all she wanted was that once chance. Just one chance. To remedy everything. To give her children what they always deserved but that urge, strong urge to get revenge always came in her way. She told them about her broken heart which was crushed into pieces the day she was raped. And the poison that she had been injecting within herself by being with Omer, by being involved in an extra-marital affair and ignoring all Haider's efforts to make them a complete family.

When she was crushed and broken then how could she complete anyone?

She didn't want to be involved with Omer. It was complex. Everything was complex.

She went for her route of revenge with a heavy heart. By fighting against all odds. By ignoring all the signals which nature gave her. And just by blindly following revenge. Her respect had been tarnished and that pain, only she could understand.

She wrote everything in that letter.

The story of Jaha Ara.

Folded it.

Placed it nearby.

And on the cue, received a call that she had been awaiting from a hidden mobile phone.

"I'm coming," she responded and through the route of window, she fled with one of the servants of haveli who promised her to take to a safe destination. She was aware after what she did, Shabbir Haider Syed would kill her.

But this time, her plan failed. It wasn't brought to accomplishment. As she was caught before the plan could be completely executed and was brought to the basement of haveli that too before Shabbir Haider.

"I read your letter," Was all he said, before pocketing it. And beside him, stood, his best friend, Agha Hassan Bugti.

"I will tell my family of what you did with me," Jaha Ara threatened.

"Do you've proofs?" Agha asked. And she remained quiet, putting them both in suspicion.

"And you think they will believe you?" he asked, again.

"I do have proofs, Agha. I do have proofs. But you'll never find them,"

And Agha chortled.

"Medical reports, Jaha Ara?" he asked and her eyes widened with surprise. Those medical reports contained that she was raped and the DNA matched with the guy of Shabbir Haider Syed, who was still beside him. Neither killed nor expelled. His name was, Jamal. Jamal Chandio.

"That stupid servant told us with whom you fled,"

Helpless tears strolled down her eyes.

"I'll still tell everyone. I'll never stop. I'll never stop telling the truth and your family will believe me. A point will come that they will believe me,"

"What do you suggest, Agha? What should be done with her?" Shabbir directed his attention to his friend.

His eyes narrowed at Jaha Ara. "Since, she decided that she won't stop. We will have to stop her, Shabbir," Was all he said.

And he understood the underlying meaning of his words.

"Bring a rope," he ordered Jamal who also stood there.

....

It was 2 in the night. Haroon was coming back home late. The situation at the house was closing in on him and he needed to relax so he went somewhere. After coming to know what Jaha Ara did, he was speechless. Because she was really nice to him. She often cooked him food when he was hungry. They both really had a good equation. Sometimes Jaha Ara would sit with Haroon and she will express bits and pieces of her heart. All he had gauged from her conversations was, something had deeply hurt her. Something had killed her. Because her eyes once held a spark, which was no more there.

She always had a distance with everyone in this family. She spent her time planting and gardening. She preferred remaining quiet and alone then mingling with the family.

Sometimes it constricted Haroon's heart that what must have happened to this once lively girl that she became lifeless. So lifeless that he saw cut marks on her wrist as if she was trying hurt herself. Trying to kill herself. But those marks weren't too deep to take her life. As if she was saving her life for something. As if she was dead but was holding onto something so she could not completely die.

Haroon thought it might be the hope her children gave her.

Yet actually the urge of revenge had never let her deeply slit her wrists. The revenge stopped her.

It wasn't the love for her children. Or the desire to make a complete family. But it was revenge.

Everyone in the haveli was bothered by whatever was going on. Shehryaar was awfully quiet and so was Irtaza. Dua was too young to understand anything. Jaha Ara had not come out her room and had herself locked. A silence had completely encompassed haveli. As if the silence before a storm.

He had just entered the haveli when his eyes fell on Jamal who was holding a rope and going towards basement. He thought there must be one of his father's victims there as he might be investigating about the persons who helped Jaha Ara in keeping the extra-marital affair. The rope was red and thin, and Haroon was aware it was often used to wrap it around one's throat and kill them with it.

And he entered inside the haveli.

Everything was dark and eerie. And the haveli was quiet. The lights were turned off. He went upstairs in the terrace. His heart was still heavy. He didn't know what would be happening now.

Retrieving cigarette from his pocket, he lit it up and began smoking standing under the moon. And soon he sat down on the chair. He threw the cigaratte underneath his shoe and crushed it. before resting his back against the back of the terrace couch.

He heard heavy footsteps of men. He thought his father now must be transporting the dead body of that since they came near the basement.

And soon the footsteps trailed off. He didn't realize it since his mind was again thrown back in re-evaluating the current situation. Coming back from his thoughts, he stood up to see what happened and went to the terrace rail again.

He saw his father along with Agha. Agha was always with his father and was his confidant. He was his partner in the underworld activities.

Suddenly, he saw a neatly folded paper falling from his father's pocket. His father didn't realize it and went back inside.

He frowned and went downstairs so he could give the paper back to his father. He picked it up from the dusted ground. And curiosity got over him as he opened and found it to be a letter. He frowned and began reading the content of it.

And what he read.... his eyes couldn't believe it.

And a tear escaped from his eye.

....

It took him time to recover from the information that was put into his mind. As slowly gathering courage an giving energy to his weak legs, he stood up and with heavy steps he went to his father's room. Knocking on his study, he was permitted to enter, and saw his father working on something.

He greeted him.

And he replied without looking up at him.

"This fell from your pocket,"

It was then his head shot up at him and his eyes rested on the letter in Haroon's hand. Slowly, he left his chair and stood up, approaching Haroon. With his eyes, boring in Haroon's, he took the letter from his hand before folding it and placing it on his table. He placed his hand on Haroon's shoulder and looked straight in his eyes.

"How could you ba-"

"Haroon, be quiet. If you don't want the family to break, this mafia to segregate, this business to drown.... be quiet," he told.

"Will you?" he asked on Haroon's silence.

Haroon found himself cornered. It was never taught to him to say a 'no' to his father so he slowly nodded his head.

"Keep it a secret, Haroon. Atleast.... until I die," Shabbir said and retrieved his hand back from his son's shoulder.

"Do you promise?"

"I... I promise,"

He couldn't understand whether it was an emotional blackmail or how his father brought him up with the vision of never saying a 'no' to him. He wasn't just his father but the mafia don and the haveli's head. Haroon simply couldn't utter a no.

He wasn't  brought up that way.

....

The next day, the haveli grieved and a dead Jaha Ara was recovered from the room.

She had committed suicide.

They thought that she just had locked herself up but when the door was unlocked after being her unresponsive to the questions directed at her by little Shehryaar, it was found she had taken her life.

But what Haroon found surprising in all of this was.... she hung herself with the same red rope, the one which Haroon saw in Jamal's hand last night that he carried towards the basement.

But he couldn't say anything.

He had promised...

He couldn't break it.

Until Shabbir Haider died...