Chapter 14: Khirad Ehsan

5 whole years had passed since that terrible night; my husband who told me he loved me every single day right after I had become orphaned had turned his back on me, I finally felt the wrath of my mother-in-law who left me for dead on the streets of a city I still wasn't familiar with and I had to support my own pregnancy and baby who was born with a heart defect. Struggling for survival was one thing, but trying to afford her medicines was another disaster. Thank goodness I had become a mathematics teacher like my father or we would have been homeless a long time ago. But now it was time for my baby to have her operation, who else could I turn to but her biological father for help? 

 It took a bit of time but after 5 years he eventually came around; he arranged our daughter's medical treatments, he consulted other doctors that he could contact far more easily than myself…but by the time he had returned into my life my heart had already turned into pure stone. I had no enjoyment in my life, no free time; I just had to support the unstable roof over our heads before Ashar made us move back into the home I had been cast out of until the operation. I had already made a vow to my baby girl to leave her by her father's side who was wealthy enough to support our entire neighbourhood. But he brought me back to the home once again, confronted his mother out of nowhere and made me stay to raise our daughter…but it was already too late between us. They had all shattered my self-respect, they had all given me false narratives about my life for the rest of my life in this city and no amount of fortune was going to make everything I had experienced when I was abandoned over lies and betrayal. I had even called his office every single day until I gave birth, so what more could I have done? I had to physically scrub the 'dirt' off of my name that i found everywhere; in my home, on my clothes even on my naked body when I showered. Even then I thought if I could reach out to him he will get me justice. I had even apologised to my daughter from the moment she was born for her father's absence. He made her very existence shameful, so i had just stopped waiting for him from then on. So now I was back in this mansion, I stayed for my daughter's sake nobody else's. 

 Ashar Hussain seemed to have a different idea though. He begged me for forgiveness every single day when he should have known my character was strong enough not to give into temptation like that. He begged for my forgiveness as if that would erase the humiliation, degradation and hell I had to endure by myself. I finally saw Asher for who he really was; insecure, spoilt and he didn't even know how to function without his mother pulling his strings for him. I had even written him a letter that night explaining everything and revealing my pregnancy but I guess he didn't read it until he confronted his mother. But then he had 5 years to look into the truth, but he couldn't do that much. Even if I came face to face with him and showed him my pregnant belly then he would have thrown me out of his sight before could say I anything I knew that much. So why bother anymore? He picked me up when he wanted to and put me down with no thought or common sense at all.