CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 33 : Strings of Love

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"Mom stop with your words" Fawad said while raising his voice to make his mother know how serious he was. Safia almost flinched at the loud and dangerous tone and stared at Fawad in shock. He had circled his arm around and shoulder , and feeling her stressed , he stared at her and passed her a gentle smile .

"You are so naive my son ! Women like her , are trained by their mothers to do such stuff" His mother spat, and Fawad just gently squeezed her shoulder as a sign for Safia to take her own stand , he knew if she let it pass , then her boundaries will keep getting stepped over .

She stared at him, and his eyes gaze clearly felt like , he was saying 'Take your stand , I am with you at all cost'

Safia got slightly confident, and Fawad was proud of that .

"Please don't mistake my mother for yours ! And you are calling me street rat when I overworked my self off to meet the ends , while you just married off in a rich family when your father's company went into shambles and got bankrupt!" Safia scoffed , and Fawad's mother was taken aback by the answer .

She never expected anyone to reveal her past stuffs like this.

"YOU—Fawad watch her mouth before I call my husband" She shouted .

"You can do whatever you wish , but it was you who provoked Safia first" Fawad's words surprised everyone in the room , because it was the first time he ever did something like this.

"Let's go and eat lunch , I don't want all the learning you did to go to waste"Fawad leaned towards her and whispered in her ear making Safia nod . He removed the hand from her shoulder and extended it on the side , so that Safia can clung onto it , as they reach the table , and she did so too.

They both reached the table , and Fawad pulled the chair for her . Everyone just stared at the unbothered couple .

"Let's sit down too ! I am hungry ! These mice have been running in my stomach the whole day" Maira jokingly said to remove the awkwardness and sat on the table .

They had the lunch , except Fawad's mother who walked away angrily .

Fawad just stared at her mother departuring , and he knew that he was in a treat of beating but he decided to forget about the worries if future and enjoy the present moment with his wife .

~~~

It was late at night and Safia was laying on the bed while watching the television.

They were in the room of a hotel and she was covered with duvets , to warm herself up .

Fawad finally came from the balcony after attending the call and sat on the edge of the bed.

He was looking relieved.

"What happened Mr Siddiqui, you look happy" Safia asked him while her eyes were fixed on the movie .

"It's just , Sabrie is finally back . She contacted me " Fawad told Safia , and she tore the gaze off from television and looked at Fawad.

"That is so great ! Where was she?" Safia asked.

"She didn't told me that much . We had a short convo , maybe tomorrow I will go to meet her in some cafe to know the full details" Fawad told she and sat.

"You will be able to recognise her? I have heard that nobody have seen her" Safia asked curiously.

"I have . She was my junior in school. You know , one of those sweet little girls who always have a habit of checking up on others ? Growing up she became like a sister to me and she revealed her intrest in coding , so I arranged some mentors for her . And with time , she became better than all of them" Fawad told her .

"Junior, so she's still in college?" Safia asked and Fawad gave a slight nod.

"You both must be around the same age only , coming to think of it , why aren't you in the college?" Fawad asked her and Safia gave him a little smile.

"After abbu got ill , I had to take up the responsibility of the bills . I was struggling with medical bills only , how could I afford my college too?" She asked him. She was one of those few people who didn't liked to talk about their struggles and almost brush them off with a smile , but she was tired carrying it on her shoulder .

Fawad looked at her.

"Then why don't you join the college now ? Just tell me the year and semester you left in , I will get you enroll in that . I remember investing in a few universities too" Fawad told her and Safia shook her head.

"You are already doing a lot for me . I will look into my education later" Safia told him , although the offer was tempting , she didn't wanted to seem like she was taking advantage of Fawad's wealth.

"You shouldn't delay it . On top of that , I have already taken a long break from work . I need to look into the Z matter too , and find Firdaus . You would be alone at home , and as said , an idle mind is a devil's workshop , thus , I don't want your pretty head to be idle" Fawad told her while tugging her hair behind her ear.

"But Mr Siddiqui, what if I get a child? It will be difficult for me to manage both in that case. I know from Niya , that this isn't just a marriage to push away the pressure of your father for you to marry, but to have a heir too" Safia honestly said . She didn't knew well how to conceal her thoughts in front of Fawad , and she didn't even tried to do it.

"You are more than a contract wife to me , and my dad can wait till eternity for a child, but it won't happen till you actually get over with your education and achieve all your dreams" Fawad promised her .

"So, don't refuse it any further okay?" He asked and not knowing how to thank him for all this understanding, Safia jumped into his arms , taking him aback . She felt herself getting emotional , that someone was ready to do so much for her , without expecting anything in return.

"You are the best person Mr Siddiqui!" She exclaimed and hugged him even more firmly and he hugged her back , while resting his nose bright on her neck , letting in the fading scent of the perfume she wore .

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Rudhra reached the hospital and looked at Augustus. Augustus's dusky skin was painted red , due to excess crying and the corner of his eyes were still red as he held the hands of his wife caressing it , and pecking her temple occasionally, but still he was careful enough to be gentle with even the pecks to not hurt her more than she already was.

Rudhra silently came from behind , and sat on the chair beside.

"So-what are doctors saying about her waking up?" Rudhra asked Seth nervously.

"It's around 10 percent . But Augustus is adamant , and is talking about taking her to the USA for better medical treatment" Seth informed.

"She has been ill for a month with a severe stomach infection . On top of that maybe she was expecting twins , so one had a pass and the other is still there. So her condition is even more critical putting it in account" Seth added . Rudhra looked at him .

"She isn't pregnant " Rudhra mumbled .

"She is-what made you say otherwise?" Seth asked.

"I just saw her without the small baby bump" Rudhra shrugged .

"It happens , it depends on clothes too . Some are fitted so the small bump seems more evident , while in others it doesn't, afterall it wasn't an 8 month pregnancy for the bump to be as clear as the sky right?" Seth asked and Rudhra's face went pale realising that he was the reason for his friend's child to die . He walked outside of the room to take fresh air . He has taken so many lives , but taking one of his friend's child was too much for him to bear.

"Let me get you some food Augustus" Seth told and Augustus just shook his head.

"I don't want anything" he said , while still feeling a heavy lump in his throat.

"Have it , just remember that Zeheb won't like if you don't eat anything. She called you so many times to ensure you are eating well right ? How would she feel now ?" Seth asked and Augustus just looked at the other .

"Fine , grab me anything light " Augustus said and Seth gave a light smile and walked away.

Augustus stared at his wife's face and caressed her cheekbone gently with his finger tips .

"Wake up sweet darling , I will get you all the riches in the world , all the most coziest plushies you ever wanted . Everything" he whispered against her ears and pecked her temple again .

"Augustus—here have these" Seth passed him the orange juice , with a chicken sandwich .

"Seth , can you take baba away to another country for his medical treatment . If he is here , he will be worried about not being able to see Zeheb, but in another country we can avoid the calls" Augustus uttered . He didn't wanted Zeheb's father to deal with the condition of his daughter.

"I will go to Istanbul and personally take care of him there. Don't worry okay?" Seth said to assure Augustus and the other gave a slight nod .

Seth was afraid that if she's truely gone , then he will become the cold Augustus again. She was the only straw which hold him to sanity . He didn't know how to help him completely, so he kept grabbing each and every opportunity. On top of that , he needed to take a break from Safia and Fawad's relationship too.

"By the way , Augustus-" Seth started before going and Augustus stared at Seth.

"Zeheb is Mrs Z —"

To be continued.....

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Next chapters will be dedicated to Fawad & Safia only 😌 ab side leads ko side krke author ko main lead mein problems dalni hai ♥️ and I get it y'all might be hating Rudhra , but just know he's a criminal . In his intro it was cleared that he kills people mercilessly, so there was no actual reason he will leave Zeheb . He and Fawad don't care about good or bad , they just kill those who are against them .

But praishchit hoga , obviously, so hang onto it ! It will leave your souls satisfied + I ain't guaranteeing the happy ending of Rudhra either , so please don't assume anything ♥️ (Trust the process)

Lots of Love

-Batta