Let me Hate you by Anjaani (the reading list .TXT) 📗

Asmaira's wish

To Fariya, Amaan was giving one surprise after another. With the afternoon incident with him at that penthouse, she was still dazed when again he surprised her with his presence at the dinner table, much to the family's amazement. It was a complete family dinner with Amaan and Mehwish sitting beside each other, talking happily. However, Fariya noticed Asmaira's absence, and when Ishaal inquired, Amaan replied that she was not well and would skip the dinner.

Except for Fariya rest, all believed him, and why not seeing him in a happy mood after a long time didn't create any doubt. She wasn't sure what her son was up to and hence asked Maya about Asmaira's whereabouts. It turned out that since the evening, she was sitting in the garden area or rather hiding. First Mehwish and now Amaan, how will she take care of Kabir? So far, everybody in the family was good to her, and she didn't find it difficult to fulfill her duty, but now she was helpless. 

After dinner, Fariya went to meet Asmaira, who was lost in her thoughts. When Fariya noticed her swollen face and handprint mark on her face, she understood what happened the previous night. However, she didn't ask Asmaira not to embarrass her. She couldn't believe her kind son would raise his hand on a woman. This is it!.

I have to talk to Salar. She thought.

“This is great. The presentation you prepared is exceptional, with this strategy, the Singhania's will agree for the contract”, Salar said, beaming at Amaan and could not be more proud.

My son is back! Salar thought proudly.

When Fariya went to Salar to talk about Amaan's behavior, he was already cheerful. However, when she tried to raise concern over Amaan's marital life, Salar quickly retorted.

“It's between them. We can force them to marry, but we can't dictate to them how to live their marriage.”

Seeing his wife's dissent, he added, “he is doing well at the office now. Give him some time to adjust to his marriage too. Didn't you notice he was happy at the dinner?”

“But Salar his behavior towards Asmaira is not good, he tried—” before she could talk about Amaan slapping Asmaira, Salar interrupted her, irritated, “She is nowhere like Raina, do you think he will adjust to her so easily? If it were not for Kabir, I wouldn't have agreed for her in the first place.”

Fariya was disheartened to see Salar's disdain towards Asmaira. She felt helpless for her. Amaan had already taken his father on his side, and it won't be easy to persuade him either.

When everybody retorted to their room, Maya helped Asmaira with her dinner. She ate and cried silently. She always felt like an outsider, and today it proved her right. 

Poor soul, Maya sighed. Even though Fariya wants to accompany her for dinner, she knew Asmaira would feel more embarrassed or would find her concern as pity.

Asmaira again loiters around the garden as Amaan was in the mansion, and she didn't want another encounter with him. She waited till midnight and reluctantly went to the room, assuming Amaan would have slept. She cautiously stepped into the room, tiptoeing in the darkness, and she saw the silhouette of someone sleeping on the bed. She sighed and moved to the closet for her mattress. The moment she stepped into the closet, the light flickered, startling her. She turned towards the light and froze when she saw Amaan sitting on the bed staring at her. Her breathing stopped, and she went numb.

Why does this devil not sleep yet? What did I do now to make him angry? She shivered with his heated gaze. 

“Where were you?”. He said indifferently. The silence of the room made her even more frightened. She wanted to speak, but the lump in her throat was making it difficult for her.

Not hearing her response again, he stood up, making her take a step back.

“G... Garden,” was all she could manage, looking at the flooring fidgeting with her fingers. Her heart almost reached her throat.

“Do you remember what I told you before?" he asked; his scrutinizing gaze didn't miss her trembling hand before adding,  "one word goes out of this room; the consequences will be dire.”

Asmaira's breath caught in her throat when she saw him walking towards her, making Asmaira starts walking backward, stammering, “ye…….yes.”

“What were you doing in the garden then?” His cold voice gave her a new reason to dread while he kept walking towards her.

She didn't know how to answer him, he was the reason she was hiding the entire evening, and he was the one asking her the question. What an irony!

She violently shook her head, trying to say something, but as if her tongue was paralyzed, she could not manage to utter any words. The moment her back hit the wall, she abruptly looked at the wall and then at approaching Amaan. With no place to retreat further, she stood there trembling, looking at him with frightened eyes.

The fear in her eyes, for a second, made him halt in his step; however, Mehwish words were ringing his mind; she is conniving, don't go by her simple looks.

With that thought, he became furious, banging his hand on the wall just beside her, making her jump in fear. She closed her eyes while a lone tear fell from her eye, reaching her trembling lips.

Amaan felt something strange when he looked at her pitiful appearance, which he felt the other day. Unable to understand the new wave of emotion in him, he immediately moved back and snarled, “Get out.” 

With that, she ran towards her haven, shutting the balcony door tight.

“Why do you always have to ruin everything for me? Why do you always take away my happiness? You took Raina away from me, and now you want to take Kabir too?” she was cursing him.

“I finally got my peace, and like always, you took that away too,” she whimpered, holding her knees to her chest.

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