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

“Amaan, she loved you and always thought about you. That was her only chance of having a baby, and she went ahead, knowing her complications only for you. She knew how much you wanted to have a baby,” Fariya couldn't see her son crying and tried to console him.

Their emotional interaction was interrupted by an urgent knock on the door by Maya.

“Madam, Asmaira ma'am, woke, but she is not well, she...she is screaming, and we can't control her,” Maya said hastily.

When Amaan reached the room, he saw Ishaal and Hania along with the maids trying to get near Asmaira, who crawled to the corner and was screaming, “Don't touch me!” with closed eyes.

Seeing her desperation, Amaan ran and crouched in front of her.

“Asmaira, open your eyes, see it's me,” Amaan was cooing her.

“Don't touch me; please don't come near me,” Asmaira was still not listening and was hitting him. Her hiccups were evident of her fear, and only Amaan knew about it.

“What happened here, Hania?” Fariya asked.

“Ma, when she woke up, she was scared, and we just wanted to comfort her, but I don't know, she started screaming at us,” Hania herself was stunned by Asmaira's response.

“Enough!” Amaan roared, holding struggling Asmaira in his arms, making her flinch at his raised voice.

"Enough now, you are safe," he said, pulling her closer to him while she kept looking at him with fearful eyes.

"you won't hurt me?" Asmaira whispered, to which he shook his head.

That moment froze for Amaan and Asmaira. Emerald eyes were locked with brown as if telling her she was safe with him, to which she responded by her silence. 

Amaan sat beside Asmaira without breaking the stare and pulled her in his arms, holding her firmly, and said while caressing her back, “It's Ok. They will not touch you. I AM HERE with you.”

Seeing her son's gentle side, Fariya gestures for everyone to leave the room.

“Amaan, he...he was a bad guy, I...I told him I  don't want to go with him, he forced me, he tried to—” before she could continue, Amaan stopped her, “shh! It's ok. He wouldn't be able to do anything now. I am there with you. Ok?”

Suddenly Asmaira asked, “Kabir, Kabir…”

“He is sleeping, don't worry, he is safe,” Amaan was astonished. Even in her despair, she was thinking about Kabir.

Asmaira abruptly puts her arms around his neck for the fear that he would leave her. Knowing the reason for her action, Amaan pulled her closer to him and hugged her firmly as if comforting her. Her head rested on his shoulder while Amaan pulled her onto his lap.

“He tried to touch me, Amaan, that dirty man and his friends. I was begging them, but they were laughing at me. If...If the police had not come, they would have…... How would I have faced anyone after that?” she cried hysterically while fisting his shirt and nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck.

“I am sorry, Asmaira, it was my fault. But I promise I will protect you. I won't let anybody hurt you, even me,” Amaan confessed while a tear fell from his eyes.

They stayed like that for a very long time, while Asmaira was crying and telling what all happened with her. Amaan silently listened, letting her vent out her desperation and didn't pull her away. When he noticed she stopped crying, he carried her in his arms and lay on the bed.  Asmaira was still fisting his shirt tightly, and no matter what Amaan did, her grip didn't loosen. He sighed and slept beside her again, embracing her.

Her reddened cheek and nose stirred his heart. She was not wearing her glasses, or she might have lost while running. Unknown to him, his hand raised on itself and cupped her face while he kept staring at her. It was as though he never slept for a long time that he felt relaxed and immediately went into a deep sleep. The next day his sleep was interrupted when someone moved closer to him, and he felt a hot breath near his neck. When he opened his eyes, he saw Asmaira sleeping, still holding his shirt, which made him smile.