Regret

His last words unleash the multitude of guilt and repent she was holding till now making her mind blank.

He loosens her wrist and slapped her, causing her to fall heavily on the floor.

Asmaira, wake up, it's not the time to be lost. Her mind was constantly warning her, however, she was lost in the memory of the day when Raina died.

Though her body was reacting to Amaan's proximity and the threats, she could not bring back her senses as her guilt was eating up her conscience.

Making her face him by her fisting her hair, he growled, "Should I remind you about that day?"

Slap

"How badly does she want to talk to you?".

Slap.

"How much agony she was in?"

Slap.

"Should I remind you what you said to her?"

Slap.

This time the slap was so brutal she tasted blood in her mouth, but she did not defend herself.

Tearing her saree completely, he said, "You said I wish you never get peace, I wish you die a painful death", pulling her hair vigorously, he tore her skirt till her thigh was completely visible.

He pushed her roughly to the floor and walked away running his hand in his hair in frustration. Clearly he was in the same agony as he was on the day Raina died. His eyes were moist but he didn't want to cry, not in front of the person who was responsible for it.

On the other hand, Asmaira guilt reached its peak and she was ready to face her punishment. She no longer had the strength to live with the guilt. Yes, it was her fault that Kabir lost his mother. If she had just talked to her. She was lying on her stomach semi naked. Her blouse and skirt were on the verge of falling and was merely covering her modesty.

While she was waiting for her punishment, he pulled her from the floor and threw her on the bed. He mounted her, roughly pulling her to face him and was biting her neck.

As if lost in another world, Asmaira did not respond to his attack and whispered, "Raina" while a lone tear fell from her eyes.

When Amaan was about to tear her remaining clothes to enter her forcefully, he heard Raina's scream, "AMAAAAAAAN".

Stunned, he stopped and then reality hit him when he saw motionless Asmaira beneath him, with bruises all over her neck and a swollen face.

With his feeble legs, he moved away, clearly shocked at his own behavior. He was sure he heard Raina's scream and was angry at himself.

Pulling Asmaira by her arms, he jerked her to wake her up as she was staring at him blankly.

"I told you DON'T PROVOKE ME TO DO ANYTHING TO YOU", he screamed the last part and threw her out on the balcony, himself falling on the floor the next moment.

Asmaira was in her college cafeteria crying like always. These days it was usual for her to cry at least once a day. She was not able to cope up with her father's overbearing attitude since the day Raina left and at college her seniors were harassing her as she was a weak person. This was the time when she needed Raina the most but she could not do anything. While lost in her thoughts, she received a call from an unknown number. Initially she didn't answer, however, seeing that the caller was persistent she got annoyed and answered in finally.

"Aashi.."

Asmaira froze.

Wait, Raina called. Asmaira was overwhelmed. After so many years, her sister called her and she called when she needed her the most.

Not hearing her response Raina hesitated, but again called her out, "Aashi baby, how are you?".

Raina's voice was sounding hoarse and she was taking a long breath to talk.

"Aashi, please talk to me, I need you", Raina cried out.

Hearing her sister Asmaira was lost how to react and she did what she never did, she hurt her with her words.

"What? You need me? I am sorry, you are calling the wrong person", Asmaira squawked.

"Please I am really sorry, sorry my baby sister", Raina was crying but there was something different about her voice as if she was in pain.

"I am sorry, but my sister died 5 years ago and even if she was alive, I wish she would die in pain. I wish she would never be at peace", with that she disconnected the call and slumped on the floor clutching her chest tightly as if someone was stabbing her.

Next afternoon Amaan woke up with the continuous ring of his phone. Cursing, he answered the call and abruptly got up when he heard his father's voice on the other side. However, the next moment when he saw the condition of the room he was shocked. He didn't even listen to what his father spoke and observed the room.

He saw himself lying on the floor only in his boxers and Asmaira's torn clothes were shattered everywhere. He ignored his throbbing headache and started recollecting the previous night event. Clutching his head, he stood up.

No....no.....no, his mind started rushing.

He immediately opened the balcony door and the scene in front of him made him shudder. Asmaira was lying on her stomach semi naked with a scarce piece of cloth covering her modesty. There were bruises all over her body and when he staggered towards her he saw bite marks on her neck. Her face was swollen and looks unrecognizable.

"No...no...I didn't... I didn't, right?", he murmured while running his hand in his hair.

With his shaky hands, he pulled Asmaira in his arms and tried to wake her up.

"Asmaira, Asmaira, please wake up".

He could clearly see her tear stained face and bloodied lips. Her pale face was covered with hand prints. If not for her shallow breathing, he thought she looked like a corpse.

"Please just wake up, please tell me I didn't......I didn't force you", he was patting her cold cheeks and begging.

He almost lost his hope and was about to call someone for help when her eyelashes fluttered making him hold her firmly. However, the next moment Asmaira's reaction broke his heart.

"AHH", she screamed when she saw herself in Amaan's embrace and pushed him, making him fall out of balance.

She started crawling back, but this time she was not crying, she was begging him. Her frightened face and torn clothes were enough for him to realize his sin. The more he went near her, the more she retreated, folding her hands and begging.

"Please, please, I didn't know anything, I swear I didn't know".

"Please don't hurt me, please don't touch me".

He didn't know what he should do or how he should calm her down because she was acting like a crazy, hitting and punching in the air as if fighting with something. She was not opening her eyes and was covering herself behind the leg rest.

Unable to see her condition, he picked up his clothes and left.

He drove around the street not knowing where to go, he was cursing himself for losing his sanity and committing a crime.

"Raina please don't hate me for what I did to your sister, please", he cried banging his fist on his car window.

Suddenly something occurred to him and he drove towards his penthouse. The first thing he did when he entered his house was to smash all the liquor bottles with his cricket bat. When he entered the house he was calm, however, with each breaking of a bottle, his frustration was increasing.

"If I was not drunk", he kept shouting the same sentences.

Once there were no more bottles left to break, he crouched down, letting his tears of repentance fall.

Meanwhile, at the mansion, Asmaira who was sitting at the same place leaning against the balcony door came to her senses when she heard a constant knock on the door. Amaan's warning rings in her mind,"even a single word out of the room you will face dire consequences".

Without further ado, she staggered towards the door and asked from the closed door, "Who...who is it?".

"Maam, Maya here. Fariya madam was asking about you".

"W..Why?" She tried to sound convincing and as usual, however, she can't help but reply in a shaky voice.

"Maam was worried, she didn't see you at breakfast and also when she came for lunch you weren't there". Maya said with concern.

"I..I have a headache, I will come down for dinner. I am..I am sleeping, please...tell her". When she heard about Fariya, she wanted to run to her and cry out. She missed her mother, she missed Raina, she wanted someone to save her.

After Maya left, Asmaira slouched down on the floor to regain herself before starting cleaning the room. She didn't want to take the risk of Fariya coming into the room. She was shivering, her body was aching but she didn't dare to relax.

What if someone knows and he will again blame me, she quivers thinking how he will punish her.

Amaan didn't go to the office nor he was at home and Asmaira also did not come out of the room, did something happen? , Fariya was thinking.

However, Mehwish was the one who could guess about Amaan and Asmaira's strange behavior.

Due to her slow movement, by the time Asmaira cleaned the room and took a shower it was already dinner time. She didn't want Fariya to be suspicious. That's why she had to go for the dinner, however, before stepping out she wore a high neck dress to cover her entire body and the neck. She covered her face with a concealer to hide the hand print mark and for her bloody lips she applied red lipstick. On any given day she never wore red lipstick even when she went to the office. She checked herself in the mirror to make sure her bruises were not visible, although she looked sick which was ok. At Least she can make an excuse for the next day.

"You don't look good and why is your face swollen?", Fariya was concerned looking at Asmaira's pale face.

Asmaira smiled weakly and said, "I am allergic to prawn", seeing Fariya's face growing suspicious Asmaria added, "I already took medicine, it will be there for a day or two".

"No, just go to your room and Maya, call the doctor, you look serious".

"But...."Asmaira was interrupted.

"No, just go or I will ask Maya to take you". Fariya said strongly.

Seeing Fariya was firm, Asmaira sighed and walked out of the dining hall.

When she started climbing the stairs, Amaan happened to reach the mansion unknown to Asmaira. He noticed her slow walk and she was tightly holding on to the handrail while taking each step.

It happened in those few seconds, in those few seconds a maid was carrying the food trolley crossing the stairs towards the dining hall, in those few seconds Asmaira felt her head spinning and her grip on the handrail loosen, in that few seconds Amaan ran towards Asmaira kicking the trolley in his way. In those few seconds he jumped over the handrail and caught unconscious Asmaira in his arms from falling.

Bang!

Hearing the trolley sound, the entire family came out of the dining hall and saw Amaan was holding Asmaira in the middle of the stair and from the look of it, everybody can guess if he had not caught her in time, she would have fallen from the stairs.

"What happened to her", Fariya shrieked in fear.