Must Read: The Silent Lover - Season 1 - Episode 48

Episode 7 years ago

Must Read: The Silent Lover - Season 1 - Episode 48

The next few days passed in a blur.
But something had changed. Until now, only Aariz used to avoid her, but now Zeest too, tried not to come into his way, avoiding the possibility of meeting him day and night.
They were typical husband and wife in front of the world but inside, in their privacy, they were completely strangers.

Life had become a bit more complicated.
Combing her fingers through her hair, Zeest looked out of the window and sighed coldly.

She felt the sting of tears burning her eyes and blinked to them at bay.

Today, like the other days, was probably going to be the same. Perhaps, there was nothing new for her which life could offer, same typical daily routine, nothing else.

Enclosing her body in a navy blue Abaaya and a sky blue scarf, she decided and forced herself to walk around the house to view the entire, big mansion which belong to her ‘so-called’ husband’s parents.

As she rounded the corner and stood near the house looking into the back yard, she stopped, her breath caught and the look in her eyes was indescribable. The trees, the flowers, and just at the end a pond…..the ducks swimming.

This is the life…..my life….this is want I want.
She thought then smiled at her own foolish thoughts.
Yes, it was like a dreamland, a fantastic wonderland. But all this beauty, all this charming dreamland looked so incomplete without the ‘prince’ of her dreams.

She walked to the outskirts of the property and noticed some wild roses growing there.
She picked a few red ones, and a yellow one because, at heart, she was a hopeless romantic…..
Did he really deserve to be called her ‘dream prince’? She asked herself, when the only thing he seemed to do was to hurt her. In this beautiful but powerful house, she had been that tiny bird which has been trapped in a strong cage.

Without a doubt, she now knew this man’s nature. He was a snobish, stubborn, shiftless, self-absorbed male. Would she ever know him?
No, she didn’t know him, afterall. He was tough, self-possessed and she could never see beyond the barrier of those crystal-clear eyes.

She then headed towards the front of the house to get an idea of the house’s anterior facing the huge, big Arabian Sea.

It was nearly 5 p.m now, and cloudy. A fog was rolling in from the sea, and Zeest, out for a walk, hugged herself tightly in her Abaaya.

“She and Aariz are as different as Love and hate, aren’t they?” She thought, staring into the infinite dept of the sea.

“Hi.”
She nearly jumped, whirling to see the very same man standing before her.

“Everything okay?” He asked as though they were old friends and he had never cursed her in his life.

Speechlessly, she stared at him. He looked fresh and immacutely handsome in short-sleeved navy blue shirt and cream-colored trousers.

When he turned back to regard her, she noticed that the breeze had brushed a strand of wavy hair across hia brow. She had a mad impulse to smooth it back or muss it further.

Zeest was horrified at herself. Had she gone insane? She couldn’t believe she was having such inappropriate thoughts about a man who was so strange and hard. The man was firmly lodged in her heart and in her mind, no matter how hard she might wish he wasn’t.

To her suprised, he stood beside her. It took all her willpower not to glance in his direction.
She tried to concentrate on what he was about to say soon.

“So….” He began conversationally.
She stared straight, keeping her breathing very slowly, very calm—atleast outwardly. His arm had brushed hers when they sat down.
The tingling rush brought on by that contact was still playing havoc with her equilibrium.

“I was pretty short with you earlier.” He said quietly.

It was hard not to look at him, hard not to comment, especially since he seemed to be willing to talk—-really talk.
Cautiously, she peeked in his direction.
A slow smile curved his lips. “What if I apologize?”
“No need for that.” She said, keeping her eyes fixed at the sea waves.

“I hope, now you know why and how I’ve suffered. The intense pain, the burden has been so much…..” He didn’t finish his sentence intentionally.

“If possible, you can share your burden with me.” She said thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?”
“Tell me about her.” Zeest asked, turning her gaze at the sea. “Who’s she?’
His gaze veered back toward the sea, and he curled his hands into fists.

A stab of regret slashed her heart. She’d opened a painful wound of his past.
“It’s not that interesting story, Miss.
Zeest.” He said expressionly. His scent mingled with that of the sea, and even in her frustration at never getting straight answer from him, she found herself inhaling deeply, savoring his unique essence.

“I’m interested.” She whispered, speaking not with thought, but with feeling.

“You sure you don’t mind?’ He asked at last as he turned toward the sea, strecthing out his long legs before him.

Her insides uncoiled. “I asked, didn’t I?”
“You never asked before.”
She looked back at him doubtfully. “I didn’t think you cared about my opinion.”
His compelling eyes narrowed, holding her gaze for a moment before he broke the contact and squinted out to the sea.

“I’m trying not to.” His lips twicthed and a reluctant smile spread across his lips.
Zeest watched his profile and waited for a long time, but the continued silence began to wear on her nerves. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him why he didn’t care about her opinion.

And she couldn’t understand his hesistancy.

“Well…. I’m sorry. I can’t tell you much about that.”
Hardly able to coax her voice above a whisper, she asked, “May I ask, why?”
He surveyed the vastness of the restless water, but seemed to notice nothing in particular. “I have my reasons.” He said in an odd tone.
The set of his wide shoulders had always spoken loudly of confidence.

“Would you like to walk on the beach?” Aariz asked in a casual tone.

A small involuntary whimper escaped her lips.
Surely this wasn’t happening. Surely, in just a few seconds, she’d wake up and find out she was dreaming.

A tremor of nervous anticipation shot down her spine. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was to take a walk with this man. She wanted—-no, needed—to get away, far away.

We might walk right into the ocean and drown.” She managed to say.

His chuckle was strangle warm within the chilly cocoon of the fog.

“Your enthusiasm is inspirational, Miss.
Wife.” He smiled roughly. “We shall be able to see well enough, trust me.”
Their eyes held briefly before he dragged his gaze away.

She eyed him critically, studying his face and then gave a disheartened nod.

As she walked beside him, his shoulder brushed her arm and the effect was electrifying. Startled, she moved quickly away—too quickly—stumbled and would have fallen had he not grabbed and steadied her, his face a study in patience.

“Thank you.” Zeest mumbled, her face a fiery red. “I….. I’m usually not so clumsy.”
“No problem.” He flashed her a quick smile. “I understand.”
There was a brief silence and, for a moment, all they heard was the mysterious noise of sea waves crushing with rocks.

“I’m sorry about…..you know…
.everything.” He murmured softly. “It isn’t my business how you live your life.”
She examined him closely. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I am sorry.”
She sensed a softening in his attitude and decided to try for a compromise.

With a gentleness that seemed totally contradictory to this man’s iron strength, he said, “I want something.”
“I give you one!” She shifted her gaze ahead.
“What?”
“Permission.” She said, keeping herself very quiet. “For your second marriage.”
“Well.” He took a long breath so faintly; she felt it more than heard it. “It’s something else. I want your agreement, your permission for divorce.” He took a brief pause then announced his decision.

“I want to divorce you.”
She stopped and half turned. They both fell silent, gazing at each other.

“You’ll be free to go anywhere you want.” He assured her.

His tone suddenly edged with steel. “And, I’d appreciate it if you’d allow me to handle my own life in my own way.”
She was listening to his voice, a compelling voice, darkly seductive in spite of disparagement, like black velvet over steel.
She heaved a sigh.
“So that’s what all this is about!’ She thought. “Would she ever understand this man?” She feared not.

She was supposed to get happy. Wasn’t she? He was at last breaking her prison, freeing her.

But the whole thought of it felt very painful somehow and she couldn’t understand why.
Bodly handsome, he continued to gaze at her. “So, what do you say?”
“I have no right to ask you for something.” As she spoke, he could see her eyes glistening with fresh tears.

“But…. I can convince your mother for your second marriage. Believe me, I can.” She told him in an assuring tone.

“In return, I just need one thing.” She added, now looking very seriously at him.
“And what’s that?”
“Please don’t divorce me.”
He glared at her, not believing what she was saying.

“I don’t want to disengage my name from yours. All I need, all I want…..is your name, attached to mine.” She said in a strange tone. “I’d leave your home and I assure you that I will never come back again into your happy life. Infact, you and your wife will never see me again. But just don’t divorce me.
Please!”
“Are you crazy or something?” He knew she was just getting emotional. It was impossible for a twenty first century woman to spend her life alone without a home, husband and children of her own.

But nothing is impossible.
After all, he thought, she was one one of those typical middle class conservative eastern women; who are strictly taught to spend their whole lives with the names of their husbands who are supposed to be everything for them.

It was not a big deal, no bad business at all.
There was no loss for him. Infact, according to her suggestion, he was going to get double advantage. First was his mother’s agreement, so he could not lose his parents and home, and the second was Komal…….he was going to get her, without any obstacle or problem.

He then shrugged his shoulders care-freely.
“You’re going to regret this.” He said thickly.

She looked up at the sound of his voice, so quient, his eyes faintly amuse. Maybe he was fuming inside.

They climbed the rest of the way in silence.
“Enjoy yourself.” He stated softly as they parted, a great suprise for her.

“Thank you.” Her smile was relieved.
His eyes hardened.

“Just don’t get too comfortable.” He added with a warming growl.

Her smile vanished.
As she watched him disappear into the fog, she mumbled under her breath. “You’re stubborn, rude and proud, Aariz Ali.”
Inwardly her little voice said, “He may be rude, stubborn and proud, but unfortunately that doesn’t stop him from being heart-stopping attractive.”
As she returned to her room after he had left, his remark came back to her mind forcefully—“It’s not that interesting story, Miss.
Zeest!”
He was wrong. He was a mystery she wanted badly to solve, and it disturbed her to realize she found him so intriguing. She was even attracted to his infuriating la!d-back attitude
Why couldn’t she seem to keep in the forefront of her mind the fact that she was bound to be hurt if she let herself care for him deeply? She thought as she brushed the dust away from the cupboards of her bedroom, the next morning. These cabinets belonged to Aariz and deep glass shelves held the items of his interest. There were books, CDs, albums and some old files.

The cabinet doors were wide open; probably he’d forgot to close them. When she lifted the cloth away from the shelf, Zeest could see that it had been covering the photograph of a woman. Absently she picked up the golden frame and walked with it to the window that faced the open sea.

The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties but her modern hairstyle was something really attractive. Her hair was dark brown, her eyes brown. She thought she was lovely in a full-figured way. She had generous lips and soft-featured oval face.

Zeest knew at one that she was Aariz’s beloved, Komal!
Suprisingly, she didn’t feel any jealousy for this woman, only regret and grief.

Perhaps it was the loss of this woman that had done so much to him and had made him ‘this’ way.

“What are you doing?” Zeest was so startled by the harsh male voice behind her she dropped the framed photograph. The glass shattered and mortified, she sank to the floor to gather up the shards.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Came another deep demand from behind.

He caught hold of her arm and she jumped what felt like six feet into the air, her whole body tensing as if she had an electric shock.

She looked at the hand on her sleeve and then up to his frowning face.

Aariz said flatly, trying to control his temper. “I won’t warn you again. Leave my room and things alone.”
She glared at him, totally frustrated.

He talked on coldly, staring down at her out of those night-black eyes.

“Get away from here.” He ordered, pulling her upright. Annoyance sparked in his gaze.

“I….. I’m sorry. I’ll replace the…..” Her voice faltered and she blushed.

Tossing the broken pieces on top of the scattered remnants still in the frame, he eyed her for a heartbeat, his glance made enigmatic by the expansive fringe of his lashes.

She backed irritable away from him, so hot with the impotent feelings Aariz always aroused in her that she had no need of extra warmth.

She gulped spasmodically, ashamed of her fumbleness. His pain at the loss of his beloved’s picture was starkly eveident in the coarse emotions she’d witnessed on his face.

Aariz grapped his navy blue jacket from the sofa and swung it over his broad shoulder. His fresh, crisp white shirt, maroon tie and gray trousers looked superb.

He edged closer to her. She held her breath, not wishing to absorb the scent of him, admitting with dismay that if he and then other men were alone with her in an unlighted room, she would know instantly which one is Aariz.

“Get out.” With a twisted contemptuous flash of teeth, he called.

“Get out!” He shouted this time. “Go, before I do something I’ll regret.”
Dejected, she retrieved the crumpled cloth from the floor where she’d dropped it, deciding the safest course would be to stay out of Aariz’s way for the next few days—days Zeest feared would be the most difficult days of her life.

She felt as if she’d been sealed up in a cold dark tomb, never allowed to savor life to its fullest.

As he left for his office that morning, she wanted to run behind him, to ask him what she had done that was so unforgivable, putting up such a harsh, imperceptible wall between them. Her only sin had been to listen and care—and……love?
As she entered her bedroom, both her mind and body chunned. He smelled as good as he looked. She reached down and took a pillow from the floor and held it to her face. Its scent was Aariz’s scent, a mingling of his perfume, shampoo and something else that was indefinably his own.

Pearls of tears appeared in her eyes and ultimately rolled down her beautiful cheeks.
Being in love was a dismal, painful business.
She didn’t intend to allow it to happen to her.
Only it was too late. She had done what she promised herself she wouldn’t do—she had fallen in love with him, impulsively and thoroughly. Her heart told her it was the real thing and would last forever.

This man had tapped emotions deep inside her that no one ever had.

That didn’t make her feel better, though, Nor did it solve anything. She still faced pain and disillusionment. She knew better. A woman didn’t get that suffocating feeling in her chest or the twist in her gut if she wasn’t in love.

She should have known better than to get involved. She’d known what would happen.

People who dabbled in unnecassary emotions deserved to get hurt.

She couldn’t see anything, the tears wouldn’t let her. She then decided something and carried The Holy Quran to the living room where she sat down to recite it in her musical tone.

The best weapon against the onset of depression was in action. So what if she was alone at this moment. So what if everybody had left her. Her Allah was there, like always, to listen to her, to ask her what she wanted, to share her pains and sorrows. As her eyes touched the beautiful words, she felt a glorious wave of satisfaction and contentment going through her whole body, making her feel much better, much better than before.