Married Without Love novel Chapter 20

||Mishal's POV||

Finally, we were back home and I was very tired and my back was also hurting. Amma bi sent me to my room and told me that she would send a glass of milk to me. I laid on my bed and looked at the ceiling.

"Are you fine, dear?" Amma bi knocked on my door and asked me.

"Yes, I am. Just a pain in my back," I said and tried to sit up but yelp in pain.

"Oh my! Don't move, Mishal," Amma bi said and laid me back on the bed.

"I should call Izzah," Amma bi mumbled but I held her hand to stop her.

"No, amma bi. It's not needed. It must be because of lack of sleep from last night," I reasoned with her and tried to smile but failed.

Amma bi nodded her head reluctantly and went out my room with the glass of milk. Few minutes later, she came back with glass and handed it to me.

"I mix a pinch of turmeric powder in it. It will be good for pain," She told me, softly and sat beside me.

Amma bi adjusted the pillows behind me and made me sit. I leaned against them and drank it slowly.

"I can't wait to hold your baby! The first great grandchild of mine! A part of you and my Zayaan!" Amma bi said, excitedly.

I felt bad hiding the truth from her. As she was telling me her plans about how she would spoil my baby, I was feeling more and more guilty and this guilt was eating me inside.

"Amma bi, this is not mine and Zayaan's baby!" I finally confessed it in a whisper, hesitantly.

My heart stopped beating for a second then beat quick. I could hear my own heartbeat. Amma bi stopped whatever she was saying and looked at me in confusion and disbelief.

"What?" Amma bi asked me in disbelief then her expression turned into serious and firm.

I looked down at the glass in my hands because I was so scared of looking at her. I didn't have any power to meet her gaze. I broke the silence and confessed everything to her from start to till my and Zayaan's meeting and how we married.

After I was done, I was mentally ready for the shouts or maybe for my death. I waited for her to yell at me or order me to get out of this house and never enter Zayaan's life.

But I didn't get any yells which confused me. I slowly looked up at her and saw her looking at me with a small smile and eyes shining with tears.

"You are very strong, dear," Amma bi whispered and hugged me.

"I am happy to know you told me everything and didn't keep me in darkness," Amma said, softly and kissed my forehead.

"And don't worry your secret is save with me. I am happy Zayaan and you don't live with his parents. Because his mother has a bad habit of prey in other's business and she would suspect anything or would do something," Amma bi mumbled.

"Today, my grandson makes me feel more proud and I am happy he has you and you have him," Amma bi said with a smile and patted my shoulder.

"Amma bi, Zayaan will not be angry because I told you the truth? Right?" I asked her, hesitantly and nervously.

"Of course not. He will not. If he will then tell me and I will make sure to pull his ears," Amma bi said with a wink.

I smiled at her and felt a little relieved and light after confessing everything to her. After I finished the milk, she made me lay on the bed and put the duvet on me.

"Sleep!" She said and turned off the lights before going out of my room.

• • •

It had been two weeks and no news about Zayaan. I was feeling scared about him and was stressing out. Amma bi had enquired Hashim about Zayaan, all he said was Zayaan was stuck in some business in Multan.

"Mishal dear, please sit down and calm down," Amma bi said and made me sit on the couch.

"Stressing is not good for you and baby, Mishal. And you haven't eaten anything properly," Mom said with a tray in her hands.

Mom had come here two days before and lived with us. She and amma bi were united and teamed up to calm me and to make me eat properly.

"But, mom and amma bi, it's two weeks and he doesn't even call or inform any of us. No one of us know how is he?" I cried in fear and frustration because he was in Multan, a place from where my nightmares started.

"You are just over thinking, Mishal dear. He must be very busy and it's normal for him to vanish like for weeks and months," Mom said, softly and tried to make me eat.

"Mishal, eat something. I promise when he comes back, I will scold him for not informing you his whereabouts. But please for now eat something," Amma bi said and wiped my tears which were flowing without my knowledge.

Amma bi and mom made me eat forcefully but after eating half, I couldn't eat more so I stopped them. They both stopped and hugged me.

"Is everything alright?"

I quickly stood up in shock which made amma bi to scold me but she was also stopped halfway when she noticed who asked that question.

I quickly ran to him and cried on his chest. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back.

"Why is she crying, amma bi? Mom?" He asked from both.

"Where were you, Zayaan? Do you know how much everyone was tensed about you especially Mishal! You are married now and have a wife who is expecting your baby. No calls and no messages of your whereabouts. Next time don't do anything like this with your wife," I heard mom scolding him and his grip tightened on me.

He slowly pulled away and looked at me with his rare smile while I was blinking at him rapidly in shock and with heated cheeks.

He left me in shock and disappeared in the wardrobe while I was trying to recover from the shock. I waited for him to come out of the wardrobe, once I recovered from the shock.

When he came out, he approached me and pulled me up with him. He took me down in dining hall and told Rauza to put dinner on the table. He sat me down on the chair and sat beside me.

"God bless you both! Look at my daughter! I pray that your smile never vanish from this beautiful face of yours," Amma bi said to me as she entered in the dining hall.

I smiled at her and looked at Zayaan who was already looking at me with a smile. Zayaan stood up and pulled the head chair out for amma bi and helped her to walk till the chair.

"Now, I am becoming old. I don't know when my time will up and Allah calls me back," Amma bi said with a smile.

"Amma bi, please don't talk like that," I told her and felt tears back in my eyes.

"Oh silly, girl! We belong to Him and one day we all have to return back to Him. And also I have to return because my husband is waiting for me," Amma bi said with a laugh.

Amma bi was one of those persons who was very dear to me and I couldn't afford to lose her, not now when I knew I needed her most.

Rauza came with the dishes and put them on the table and the other two maids, Faiza and Fozia, came behind her with dinner. They served us dinner and went back inside the kitchen.

"Where is mom and Aabro?" Zayaan asked amma bi as he put the spoon in my mouth, feeding me with his hand and it made amma bi smile.

"Aabro was tired so your mother took her in guest room and both are having dinner there. She is making sure her Rayaan's Aabro must not be hungry," Amma bi said.

Zayaan nodded his head and ate his dinner and also fed me with his own hands. This little or big act of him was making me happy from inside and my feelings for him were slowly growing.

After dinner, amma bi ordered Zayaan to take me back to the room and made sure I took complete rest.

We both were laying on our bed and this time without pillow walls between us. We were not laying in each other's arms but were laying on our sides and held each other's hand. Our intertwined hands were between us instead of pillows and we both were staring at the ceiling.

"I want to tell you something," I whispered and moved my head to look at him.

"What is it?" He asked me, softly.

I took a deep breath and was ready to make myself more light and took it off from my chest. My heart was starting to pound as fast as it could and my hands become sweaty. I opened my mouth and confessed him about something,

"I was married before you!"

. . . . . . . . . .