Your Imperfections

Chapter 14

This can’t be true.

I didn’t—I didn’t marry a monsters son! NO!

“Aaleyah, damn it! What are you doing?”

I throw away the sheets, slipping my feet into the shoes as fast as possible and hurriedly wear my jilbab. Adian makes an attempt to grab my arm. I jerk away, tears spilling out, as I swallow a sob and meet his pained eyes.

I married a son of a monster.

“I made a mistake! Oh my—Oh my God what have I done!”

My legs give up and I fall on the floor. With my face buried in my hands, I weep. I weep for making such huge mistakes in my life. I weep, for the first time in years over how much I miss Mehreen. I weep, because while my sister was brutally murdered, I enjoy my days with the murderer’s son; his blood.

I had always longed to feel the comfort of my husbands arms around me, wanted to spend nights by placing my head on his shoulder and watching movies for hours. To laugh with him, to cook him food when he’d return back from work. But all my dreams and hopes are shattered.

Hope meant so much to me. It consoled me by assuring with time all my scars will heal and I will be left with all the good memories of my sister. Hope had kept me moving on with life, to live again, to feel things again, but it just replaced me with emptiness and the feeling of not being whole.

“I know what my father used to do. I know he is a monster, and I know this is a shock to you that you married an evil’s son. But I promise you, please, I have followed his footsteps. My mother took me with her to her parents residence in Australia where I grew up. I used to cry in front of Mom to let me live with my father, but she never agreed. She said he had Aaryaan with him, he can’t take me away from her.”

I drop my head between my legs, a fresh set of tears appearing.

“When I turned sixteen, I ran away. I ran here where he lives. I hadn’t told anyone, not even him about my plan of running away from Australia. But as I got here, things—things weren’t as how I had imagined. I had always blamed Mum for keeping me away from Dad, but it took me all these years to understand why she did so.

Aaryan had told me where Dad lived so I got there unannounced. He was being nice because he gave me the spare keys but I didn’t really like my brother, maybe because I was jealous of his closeness with Dad.

So, I go there. Do you know what I saw? I saw a girl, barely my age being held captive in that house. She was so scared when I saw her. Her eyes were blood red from all the crying. It made me confused, like, what is this girl doing here? Apparently, my father, was—he was hurting her, and yes exactly how you’re probably imagining.”

I raise my head. He isn’t looking at me, but staring at the wall like the story he is telling is written there.

This was the last thing I had expected to utter out of his mouth. We had never before discussed our families. It just didn’t matter to me what he did in his past years. As long he has changed now, what else could I want?

Yet I want more. I want more of what is left to unfold. I want to know if he used a little girl against her wish, if he held her captive, how come he still roams freely?

How come the man who haunts me in my dreams has all the liberty which doesn’t belong to him?

“Look at me,” I order him. My heart aches when those gorgeous brown eyes shoot to mine. Eyes, that are overflowing with sadness, eyes, I want to get lost in. Even now, when I know he is Sohail’s son, I cant seem to hate him. I can’t seem to be mad, or angry with him.

Is this love?

“I overreacted earlier,” I mumble, my voice all nasally and hoarse. “I am sorry for judging you so quickly. I shouldn’t have yelled like that. Do you forgive me?”

His eyes widen in shock maybe? Right now I really can’t tell. But then he gives me a heart melting smile.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I understand.” He gets up. I take his offered hand and he pulls me up. Even today, his tallness makes me feel small.

A yawn escapes my lips before I can put a hand up. Wow, I really need to work on my manners.

He chuckles. “Bed time?”

I nod, suddenly my eyes closing shut. He leads me to the bed, and pulls away the sheets, motioning with his hand to get in. Once under the covers, I close my eyes, falling into an easy slumber.

It’s too hot!

I kick away the covers with my legs, making the whole bed shake. Then I kick some more, because the morning Sun rays fall through the curtains, meaning the day has started and I can’t go back to sleep.

Ooohhhhhhhhh! It feels so good to stretch my arms!

“Adian?” I call out when I notice he isn’t in bed. Our suit cases have been shifted to our bedroom. I groan loudly, remembering we need to unpack them.

I make a quick work of brushing my hair since they are one tangled mess. Then, I look through my bag and grab my toiletries, dragging myself into the adjacent bathroom. Scenes from last night flash through my eyes as I stare myself in the mirror. Whenever I look at myself, Maheen pops up in my head. We both looked the same.

Sometimes, even that can be extremely dangerous.

The knock on the door jolts me out of my thoughts. I quickly rince my mouth and walk over to unlock the lock.

“Hey,” he smiles at me. I try not to let my eyes linger on his chest which is bare.

“Hey,” I grin back.

Nodding his head to where I am stood inside the bathroom, he mocks, “How long were you gonna take? I thought you were drowning in the bath tub or something.”

I hit his arm playfully and he laughs, following me inside the room. The clock on the table tells me it is 11 in the morning.

“Did you have breakfast?” I ask, bending above the suitcase to get my clothes for the day.

From somewhere behind me, I hear him gulp loudly. A crazy big smile creeps up on my face. He is such a guy.

“No,” he finally says. “I also just woke up before you and went to get some water. By the way, how did you sleep last night? You kept tossing and turning, like you couldn’t really sleep well.”

I grab the first piece of clothing that catches my eyes. Turning around, I catch him staring at me, so I give him a spectacle look.

“What? Now I can’t even look at my wife?”

“Of course you can,” I chuckle softly.

He closes the distance between us. For some odd reason, his gaze does things to me, so I lower my eyes. I shouldn’t forget his father had ruined me, caused me harm. I shouldn’t give Adian my everything, not unless I am sure of everything.

“Father has arranged a dinner at his house, and he wants us to come. Aaryaan and his wife would also be there. It is totally up to you if you want to go or refuse. I’d understand whatever decision you’d make.”

My first thought is to straight out refuse. But if I really think over this, I can’t sit back and be scared of him for the rest of my life. I need to face my demons, because only then I will be able to fight them. And I have Adian by my side. He won’t let anything happen to me.

“I will go. When is it?”

He seems to be taken aback with surprise. Those eyes widen just a bit, surprised by my words.

“Tonight.” He places two warm hands on my shoulders, willing me to meet his eyes. When I do, I find them filled with such a powerful emotion. An emotion I am afraid to say out loud.

“Aaleyah?” he whispers, snapping his eyes close. “I think I am falling in love with you.”