Inaaya slept peacefully that night, convinced that she had finally solved the storm that had been threatening to destroy her life.
Little did she know...
Sometimes, silence wasn't peace.
Sometimes, it was simply the terrifying calm before a dark and devastating storm.
She woke up late the next morning, exhaustion still lingering in her body after staying awake until late at night. But despite the lack of sleep, there was an unusual glow on her face.
A glow of happiness.
Of victory.
Of excitement.
For the first time in weeks, Inaaya felt like she had won.
A small smile played on her lips as she quietly whispered a prayer of gratitude to Allah.
Finally...
She quickly got out of bed, freshened up, and made her way downstairs.
The moment she entered the kitchen, she found her mother busy with the morning routine.
"Assalamualaikum, mumma."
She greeted her with a bright smile.
"Walikum assalam, betu."
Her mother replied warmly before turning to look at her properly.
A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her face.
"Badi khush lag rahi lagta hai ladka pasand aagya tumhe bhi, mujhe pata tha meri beti bhut samjhdar hai."
Inaaya froze.
The smile on her face faded slightly as confusion filled her mind.
Wait... what?
For a brief moment, panic rushed through her veins.
Shayad... shayad abhi tak ghar walo ko pata nahi hoga.
The thought immediately gave her a small sense of relief.
Maybe they still didn't know about what she had done.
Maybe everything was still under control.
She stood there silently, completely lost in her thoughts.
"Kya sounch rahi ho?"
Her mother's voice suddenly pulled her out of her trance.
Inaaya blinked rapidly before looking at her.
"Kya bola mumma apne??"
Her mother laughed, clearly amused by her daughter's distracted expression.
"Han ab koi kyu dikhega ya sunaye dega siwaye ayaan ke."
And just like that...
The little smile on Inaaya's face disappeared.
The little happiness Inaaya had woken up with that morning didn't survive for long.
Her entire mood had been ruined after the conversation with her mother.
The excitement she had felt only a few hours ago was now replaced with an uncomfortable heaviness sitting deep inside her chest.
She forced herself to finish her breakfast, even though she had completely lost her appetite.
Afterwards, she grabbed her bag and was about to leave for the office when her mother's voice stopped her from behind.
"Kaha Jaa Rahi hai??"
Inaaya turned around, already irritated.
"Aur kaha jaungi?! Office jaa rahi hun!!"
Her mother's expression immediately hardened.
"Ab kya zarurat hai office Jane ki?! Tujhe baba ne kaha tha na resign karne ko?!"
Inaaya took a deep breath.
She could already feel her patience slipping away, but she tried her best to control herself.
"Baba ne toh engagement ke baad karne ko kaha tha na?!"
Her mother stared at her in disbelief.
"Haan toh tujhe nahi pata engagement next week hai??"
Inaaya's eyebrows furrowed.
"Haan, toh next week hai na?! Kal thodi??"
That was it.
Her mother's voice suddenly rose.
"Toh tu engagement ke din bhi baher awara phirti rahegi??"
Inaaya went completely still.
For a second...
She couldn't even process what she had just heard.
Her eyes widened as the words hit her.
Awara?
She slowly turned towards her mother, her voice shaking with disbelief.
"Mai?? Awara?? Mai Awara phirti hun??"
"Haan yeh awaragardi nahi toh kya hai??"
Her mother snapped back in rage.
Inaaya felt something inside her chest tighten.
"Mumma apko samjh bhi aa raha hai ap kya kahe rahi hai??"
Her throat was beginning to close up.
Every word was becoming harder to say.
But her mother didn't stop.
"Haan, tujhe kya zarurat hai yeh sab karne ki jab ham tujhe sab kuch provide karte hai toh?? Kisi cheez ki kami hui hai tujhe ajtak??"
Inaaya opened her mouth.
"Per mumma..."
But she wasn't even allowed to finish.
Her mother immediately cut her off, mockingly imitating her.
"Per mumma mujhe toh independent rahena hai, yeh hai woh hai!! Yeh sab abtak bhut jhel liya hamne!!"
Silence.
Inaaya couldn't reply anymore.
Her throat felt painfully tight.
Her breathing was becoming uneven, and her hands slowly began to tremble.
She could feel panic building inside her, but she stood there silently.
Because what was the point of explaining herself...
When nobody was even willing to listen?
But her mother wasn't done.
"Ab bass khatam tameez se shaadi ki taiyariyan kar aur jaldi ruksat ho jaa hamre ghar se ab aur manhusiyat nahi jhel sakte hamlog."
That was it.
Something inside Inaaya shattered.
She stared at her mother for one long second.
Her eyes were filled with anger.
Pain.
And a heartbreak so deep that she couldn't even find the words to respond.
Then suddenly, she turned around and ran upstairs.
Her footsteps echoed through the house as she rushed towards her bedroom.
She slammed the door shut behind her and immediately locked it.
Outside, her mother's voice continued.
More taunts.
More angry words.
Words Inaaya could still hear even through the closed door.
She pressed her back against the door for a moment, trying desperately to breathe.
But she couldn't.
Her chest felt unbearably heavy.
Her throat was burning.
With trembling legs, she stumbled towards her bed and collapsed onto it.
And then...
She finally broke.
Inaaya buried her face into her pillow and cried.
Not silently.
Not this time.
She cried as if every painful word she had been holding inside herself for years had finally found a way out.
Her body shook with uncontrollable sobs.
Because sometimes...
The people you wanted love from the most...
Were the same people who knew exactly how to break your heart.
With a heart full of pain and a body exhausted from crying, sleep eventually took over Inaaya.
She didn't remember exactly when her eyes had finally closed.
After hours of crying, her body had simply given up.
And soon, she drifted into a deep, restless sleep.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Inaaya suddenly jerked awake.
Her eyes flew open.
For a few seconds, she just lay there, completely confused.
Her mind was still foggy from sleep.
What was that...?
BANG! BANG!
The sound came again.
This time, louder.
Inaaya immediately sat up.
Her eyes slowly moved towards the bedroom door.
Someone was knocking.
No...
It sounded more like someone was trying to break the damn door down.
She quickly got out of bed and walked towards it.
The moment she unlocked the door, she found her brother standing outside.
His face was filled with irritation.
"Maar gayi thi kya??"
Inaaya's already ruined mood became worse.
She glared at him.
"Tujhse matlab?? Aur darwaza kyu thodh raha tha pagal ho gaya hai kya??"
Her brother rolled his eyes.
"Mumma bula rahi hai baba aaye hai neeche tameez se ane bola hai."
Inaaya didn't reply.
She simply nodded before rolling her eyes and walking back inside her room.
She grabbed a few things and headed straight towards the washroom.
The moment she stood in front of the mirror...
She froze.
Her eyes were swollen.
Painfully swollen.
As if someone had punched them repeatedly.
The skin around them looked puffy, and her eyes had become so swollen that they barely looked like her own anymore.
The sight of herself almost brought fresh tears to her eyes.
Great...
She quickly splashed cold water onto her face.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
She rubbed her face gently, trying desperately to make herself look normal.
Trying to hide every sign of what had happened.
Trying to hide the fact that she had spent hours crying alone.
After nearly thirty minutes in the washroom, Inaaya finally gathered enough courage to go downstairs.
The moment she reached the lounge, she found her parents sitting there.
She didn't look at anyone specifically.
"Assalamualaikum."
"Walikum assalam."
Her father replied.
Her mother followed shortly after.
But both replies felt more like formalities than warmth.
Her father looked towards her.
"Khairiyat se beta??"
"Alhamdulillah baba."
She replied with the same formality.
For a few moments, everything remained silent.
Then her father's eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully observed her face.
"Inaaya tumhari ankhon ko kya hua hai beta??"
Inaaya immediately froze.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She hadn't prepared an answer.
Her lips parted as she tried to think of something to say.
But before she could speak, her mother interrupted.
"Areh dekho toh Rasheed sahab, ice creams kha kha kar yeh haal kar liya hai yeh ladki ne."
Inaaya slowly looked towards her mother.
She wasn't shocked.
Not even surprised.
Because somehow...
Her mother always had an answer ready.
An answer that prevented anyone from seeing the truth.
Her father sighed before speaking strictly.
"Apna dhyan rakha karo beta, ek week mein engagement hai tumhari phir uske baad shaadi. Aise karogi toh kaise chalega?"
"Ji baba, abse nahi dahoraungi!!"
And just like that...
The topic ended.
Her parents soon started discussing preparations for the upcoming functions.
Shopping.
Guests.
Clothes.
Decorations.
Everything.
Inaaya sat there quietly, but her mind wasn't present anymore.
She slowly began zoning out.
The voices around her became distant.
Almost meaningless.
Her father suddenly noticed.
"Beta kaha khoyi huwi ho??"
Inaaya blinked and was about to answer.
But once again...
Her mother spoke before she could.
"Areh apko pata hai hamari beti ko bhi Mirza sahab ka beta pasand aa gaya hai din raat ussi ke khayalo mein rahti hai."
Inaaya shot her mother an irritated look.
Then immediately turned towards her father with a fake smile.
Her father chuckled.
"Chalo khair, alhamdulillah ab sab set hai..."
He smiled warmly.
"Mashallah, mashallah... dono sath mein bhut ache lagenge."
Inaaya had heard enough.
She slowly stood up, ready to leave.
But her mother stopped her.
"Sunein na..."
Her father turned towards her with a small smile.
"Hukum kijiye."
Her mother looked towards Inaaya.
"Yeh ladki ko apne kya kaha tha??"
Her father raised his eyebrows.
"Kya kaha tha??"
"Areh baba, resign ki baat kar rahi hun, resign lene kaha tha na??"
"Achaa achaa, haan kaha tha."
Her mother immediately continued.
"Wohi toh yeh nahi le Rahi kyu??"
Inaaya's eyes widened.
She slowly turned towards her mother.
Seriously...?
Her father now looked directly at her.
"Kya hua Inaaya? Kyu nahi le rahi??"
His tone had suddenly turned serious.
Inaaya swallowed nervously.
"Wo... woh... baba apne toh engagement ke jab lene kaha tha na?!"
Her father turned towards his wife.
"Hanji begum, maine hi kaha tha engagement ke jab lene ko."
Her mother immediately jumped in.
"Wohi toh engagement kya ek arse baad hai?? Ek hafte mein engagement hai, saari taiyariyan karni hai, shopping karni hai aur yeh ladki office Jaa Rahi hai. Aise laise chalega?!"
Her father slowly nodded.
"Haan, sahi baat hai na Inaaya. Ek hafte mein hi saari taiyariyan karni hai tum abhi resign lelo. Aur waise bhi ab ho ya 4 din baad, sab khatam hi karna hai."
Inaaya's heart sank.
She gathered every ounce of courage she had left.
"Per baba mujhe nahi karna resign mujhe shaadi ke baad bhi work karna hai"
But she didn't get the chance to finish.
"Pagal ladki!!"
Her father's voice echoed through the room.
Inaaya immediately went silent.
"Tumhe pata bhi hai tum konse ghar ki Bahu bane jaa rahi?? Ager yeh baat Mirza sahab ke kano mein bhi padh gayi tumhe pata bhi kya hoga?!"
Something inside her broke.
But this time...
She didn't stay silent.
Her fingers trembled as she gathered the courage to speak.
"Han toh Mirza sahab ki ho kisi ki bhi ho bahu, bahu ke kaam karne se kya hoga??"
Silence.
A dangerous silence.
Her father's expression changed instantly.
And before Inaaya could even realise what was happening...
He raised his hand.
Inaaya instinctively shut her eyes and turned her face away.
Her entire body tensed.
But the expected slap never came.
"Areh areh mat maraye usse! Usse nahi pata yeh sab, mai samjhaungi usse. App gussa mat ho."
Her mother's voice echoed through the room.
Inaaya slowly opened her eyes.
Her mother had gr
abbed her father's hand, stopping him.
But before Inaaya could process anything else...
Her mother's fingers suddenly wrapped tightly around her wrist.
"Chalo."
And with that...
She forcefully dragged Inaaya towards her bedroom.
Inaaya stumbled behind her, trying to keep up.
Her heart was pounding.
Her wrist hurt under her mother's grip.
And as they reached the room...
Inaaya had absolutely no idea that whatever her mother was about to say next...
Would change everything she thought she knew about her own life.