CHAPTER 50

CHAPTER 50 : Breaking Apart

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It was Khalid.

He looked at her with a surpressed smile , seeming as if he was controlling his laugher.

"It's always a treat to watch people like you suffer" He told her and walked inside .

Tears fell down her eyes as she silently held her stuffs and quickly rushed outside . She didn't know where she could find a place to go or hide . She suddenly remembered her own home where she used to stay . She earlier felt like it was a home , but after actually spending time with Fawad , she wondered could she actually call that a home ?

Holding the heavy polythene she started to go . The sky turned from blueish to orange hue . She looked at the sky which looked ready as if it will change its colours again, similar to the people in her life . She had finally reached her house by this time .

Twisting the knob she got inside . The house was just like it had been left . She got inside tiredly and sat on the couch letting her body fall limp on it .

Her eyes wandered not looking at anything in particular. She didn't knew what to do or say , or even how to proceed with her life . Tears started to fall down her eyes , still not being able to believe that they were separated now .

At night, she silently started to just fold her clothes to fit them in the almirah , when her eyes fell on the couple's shirt Fawad brought for her . Memories rushed in her mind of the beautiful time they spent together. The rabbit hoped on the shirt , unwillingly acting as a taunt for their broken relationship.

She pushed the clothes aside as fresh tears started to form in her eyes and she hugged herself and started to sob while clenching the sides of her head sobbing her heart out .

Fawad who had came to just check on her , to see how she was doing just stood outside . His heart shattering into millions of pieces as he heard her crying and sobbing .

He clenched his own eyes shut as tears formed in them as he stood outside , seeing her bear the weights of his own sin . He kept standing outside until the sobs died down . His hands fell on the handle as he slowly twisted it , only to find it open .

He slowly walked inside to see , what she was upto , and found her sleeping silently on the bed with the clothes crinkled. Her knees were close to her stomach and her neck was dropping down the side of the bed. The position was uncomfortable and enough to make her body ache once she opens her eyes.

He snaked his arm under her waist and pulled her up, making her lay down carefully. He pulled the duvet from the side and tugged her in .

"I am sorry Safia , I really am" He whispered as he neared his face to her body and snuggled his face in her neck letting his body fall on top of her. He closed his eyes taking in perhaps the last moments he have with her.

"It will forever pain me that meeting you was my best decision, but you meeting me was yours worst." He whispered closing his eyes . After sometime he finally got up, and slowly went outside , although his heart was protesting.

The month passed undoubtedly very hardly for both of them .  The heartbreak was fresh and the feeling of loneliness was nowhere near gone. That night was the last time that Fawad had actually went to see Safia . Her cries echoed in his heart and he prayed that her heart gets healed way before his own does.

Fawad was now wearing his shirt staring at the mirror .

"It's crinkled" Seth pointed but his words fell deaf on Fawad's ears as he just tried to focus on buttoning up the shirt as if it was the most difficult task of the century.

His previous shirt had coffee stain because of him accidentally spilling coffee on his own self . So the only shirt in the side of his office room was this one . The brown clinkled one .

Seth had offered him to get a new shirt which will arrive just in time but Fawad didn't cared much about what he wore or eat . Or even anything for a matter of fact nowadays.

"Why don't you contact her?" Seth asked and Fawad just ignored his words . Seth turned him around harshly with his shoulders making Fawad face him. He didn't knew what to say , it was clear that Fawad couldn't manage without Safia , yet he was resilient to not contact or talk with her.

"WHY DON'T YOU TALK WITH HER?" Seth shouted in frustration almost loosing his calm for the first time ever . It wasn't easy on his heart to pursue his brother to go after his crush but he couldn't see him like this either.

"I can't" Fawad's voice broke down .

Her cries again echoing in his head.

"She-she must be hating me . I can't see her," Fawad said with guilt "what, what if she moved on ?..like I want her to move on but I can't see her with anyone else . It's hard to-"

"you are rambling Fawad" Seth cut him off in middle.

"Here have some water , today is the day of the meeting afterall. You need to get your thoughts together" Seth passed Fawad a glass of water and Fawad closed his eyes almost chugging it all at once .

"Relax " Seth sat beside Fawad . But suddenly Fawad clenched the side of his own head as his head started to hurt.

"Let me call Eliza" Seth walked outside in urgency coming back inside with a girl around their age . She was the doctor who was here today to monitor Fawad's condition.

Day by day , his condition grew worse. The blurry vision was accompanied with random headaches for no particular reason. Yesterday he collapsed and it has worried Seth more than anything.

~

Safia sat silently, her eyes fixed on the floor as her friends, Aditi and Kashaf, tried to coax her into talking. They were sitting in a cozy café, surrounded by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the soft hum of conversation.

"Hey, Safia, we're here for you," Aditi said, her voice laced with concern. "You can tell us what's going on. Is it because of the separation?"

Safia nodded slightly, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Ah, sweetie, it's okay," Kashaf said, her voice soothing. "We're here to listen. You don't have to say anything if you're not ready."

Aditi chimed in, "Yeah, and we're not going anywhere until you spill the beans. Or at least, until we finish these delicious-looking pastries."

Safia managed a small smile, her friends' antics slowly breaking down her defenses.

"I just feel so lost, guys," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought everything was fine, and then...it wasn't."

Kashaf reached out and took Safia's hand in hers. "You're not alone, Safia. We're here for you, no matter what. And we'll get through this together, okay?"

Aditi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and we won't take no for an answer. We'll be your therapy sessions, your support group, and your partners in crime all rolled into one."

Safia's smile grew a little wider, her friends' words of encouragement slowly lifting the weight off her shoulders.

"Thanks, guys," she said, her voice a little stronger now. "Just being here with you both makes me feel a little better."

After sometime , Safia took a deep breath , "But I wonder how he is doing too" she couldn't help but think about how's he doing . She don't know why even after trying, she can't bring herself to hate him . She grew up cursing women behaving like the way she was doing .

Aditi grinned mischievously hearing this "I mean, if you're really that worried about Fawad, Safia, you could always just stalk him. I'm sure he'd love to have a dedicated fan following him around everywhere."

Safia rolled her eyes, a small laugh escaping her lips despite herself. "Aditi, that's not funny."

Kashaf chuckled. "Actually, Aditi has a point, Safia. If you're still worried about him, maybe it's because you still have feelings for him."

Safia shook her head, her eyes dropping. "No, it's not that. I just...I don't know, I feel guilty, I guess. Like I failed or something." She knew it wasn't her fault being barren , but her guilt was nowhere near going .

Aditi snorted. "Failed? Girl, you're not a failed experiment just because your marriage didn't work out. You're a strong, independent woman who deserves so much better than a guy who couldn't appreciate you."

Kashaf nodded in agreement. "Aditi's right, Safia. You deserve someone who loves and supports you, not someone who makes you feel guilty or unhappy."

Safia smiled, her friends' words of encouragement slowly lifting her spirits. "Thanks, guys. You always know just what to say to make me feel better."

Aditi grinned. "That's what friends are for! Now, let's get out of here and do something fun. Like go shopping or get ice cream. Or both!"

Safia gave a slight nod . She knew she will always be thankful for them to be there for her .

Later that day , Safia cursed herself for taking the joke of Aditi so seriously . After coming home , she couldn't help but think that maybe stalking Fawad won't be that bad .

Safia's heart raced as she hired a rickshaw and gave the driver Fawad's office address. She was nervous about following him, fearing he might spot her or worse, thinking she was stalking him. But her longing to see him, even from afar, overpowered her doubts.

As they approached the office building, she felt her anxiety spike. "Stop here," she told the driver, a few blocks away. She paid him and got out, her eyes fixed on the building entrance.

She hesitated, wondering if she should turn back. What if Fawad saw her? What if he thought she was desperate? But her desire to catch a glimpse of him won out. She took a deep breath and walked towards the building, her eyes scanning the area to ensure she wasn't noticed.

She slipped into the lobby, trying to blend in with the other people. Her heart pounded as she made her way to the stairs, avoiding the elevator in case she ran into him. She climbed the stairs quietly, her eyes fixed on the door to his office.

Safia peeked through the glass door, her eyes locking onto Fawad's familiar figure. He was engrossed in a meeting with a girl who was holding his wrist . She felt tears prick at her eyes as she took in the sight of him, her heart aching with longing.

She knew she had to leave before she was spotted, but her feet felt rooted to the spot. Just one more glance, she told herself, before she forced herself to turn away and make her way back down the stairs, her heart heavy with emotion.

To be continued...

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Everything is fine bcz it's fiction, but if a man dumps you , girlies y'all better paint your houses with nailpolish before going back to him (⁠个⁠_⁠个⁠)

But yeah , Fawad got this own reasons .