TWO PATHS ,ONE DESTINY

TWO PATHS, ONE DESTINY CHAPTER NO 1

This is Zaraab, an innocent soul abandoned by both her mother and father, who went on to live their preferred lives. Now, Zaraab was left with her grandmother and her parents never even looked back. Only her grandmother loved her, while the rest of the family only pretended to care. Zaraab was 13 years old. Her parents had abandoned her ten years ago. Zaraab’s grandmother, Jameela Pervaiz, was a very kind woman.

Recently, Zaraab’s grandmother had been very ill, and her uncle's wives made her do all the household chores, which Zaraab quietly accepted. One day, when her grandmother fell seriously ill, she called Zaraab to her side, and Zaraab went to her quietly, closing the door behind her. "Zaraab, my child, come here to your grandmother," Jameela called her lovingly, and Zaraab, with tears in her eyes, went to her grandmother. "Zaraab, if I tell you something, you will promise to obey me, won’t you?" Jameela asked her lovingly, and Zaraab nodded. "Look, child, I am very ill, and I have no guarantee of when I will die," Jameela continued. Zaraab's tears increased at these words. "I just want one promise from you. Will you make a promise?" Jameela asked, extending her hand. Bareera looked at her and placed her hand quietly on hers, nodding in agreement. "I want you to leave this house after I die. Don’t think that I’m abandoning you. No, my child, I don’t want that at all. I have an old friend; you should go to her house. She will take care of you. These people will only keep you as their servant, whereas we are only servants of Allah. So why be dependent on them?" Jameela said lovingly, asking Bareera to lie beside her. Zaraab quietly rested her head on the pillow next to her grandmother. In the morning, when she woke up, her grandmother was no longer in this world. Zaraab cried a lot over her death. That night, she was thrown out of the house, and she began to search for a place to go, crying.

*On the other side*

Gabriel was sitting in his house, distressed and surprised. He couldn't believe what he had heard—that he was not the real child of his parents and that the real child would be coming and he would be expelled from the house.

Gabriel was a fair-skinned American citizen with a happy face and dark eyes. He came from a wealthy family and was now about to leave it. Gabriel was 20 years old and in college. He had always liked Pakistan. He never disrespected Muslims and wanted to be a Muslim himself, but his parents' strictness prevented him from doing so. He went to his mother, Sophia, who was a proud woman, spending money extravagantly and thinking no one was above her. Sophia’s husband, Alexander, was a careless man who had no interest in earning or working; he merely enjoyed the wealth stolen by his father. Gabriel was unlike them both. At that moment, Gabriel was in his parents' room, trying to understand the truth. "Are you abandoning me?" Gabriel asked in a heavy voice, disappointed. "How did you find out so soon? Anyway, it's fine. You’ve made our task easier; now we don’t have to work to get you out. Just leave quietly, okay?" Sophia said in a lively tone. "How can you do this to me? I am your son," Gabriel asked softly. "Look, you were our son, but our real son is coming, so you should leave. Instead, pack your things now and go. Don’t argue. Please, my mood is good right now, so don’t ruin it. Go now and don’t come back to my house in an hour. You have one hour; after that, you shouldn’t be seen here. Go now," Alexander, who had been silent, told Gabriel directly. Gabriel left reluctantly, packed his things, and decided to go to Pakistan with his savings to make his own decisions.

In Pakistan, Zaraab was searching for a place to go and remembering her grandmother's words. She was crying because she didn't know how to find her grandmother's friend and how to reach her. She was tired and sat down on the footpath, crying.

On the other side, Gabriel had packed his bags and gone to the airport. He had already booked a flight to Lahore, Pakistan, and was now thinking about where to go. He didn't have any relatives in Pakistan, and even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. He thought about his friends, and then suddenly remembered that one of his friends had an aunt living in Pakistan. He immediately called his friend, Saad.

"Who died that you're calling at 2:30 am? Who is this?" Saad scolded Gabriel.

"It's me, Gabriel," Gabriel said. "What happened to you? Why are you calling me at this time?" Saad said jokingly, "I am in Pakistan right now and I need your aunt's address" Gabriel said, "Bro are you joking even at 2:30 am" saad asked shockingly "You think I have so much free time that I'd call you at 2:30 am? I'm serious, I'm in Pakistan right now. I need your aunt's number and address who lives in Pakistan."

Gabriel asked angrily, "Brother, are you not joking?"

Saad hesitated and asked " if you again ask me this question I will break your teeth"gabriel said angrily "ok ok ! Dude why are you getting angry I am giving you" and then saad gave Gabriel the address. Gabriel started walking towards the address. After a while, he heard a girl crying. He saw Zaraab sitting on the footpath, crying. He approached her and asked, "What are you doing here at this time?"

Zaraab didn't answer. Gabriel asked again, "What's your name? Are you lost?"

Zaraab still didn't answer. Gabriel got a bit angry but then remembered that he was speaking in English, and Zaraab might not understand. So, he tried speaking in Urdu, "Where is your home?"

Zaraab looked up. "My grandmother has passed away, and I don't have a home," she said, crying again.

Gabriel asked, "Where has your grandmother gone? I'll find her for you."

Zaraab explained, "My grandmother has passed away and won't come back."

Gabriel asked about her parents, and Zaraab told him that they had abandoned her in childhood. Gabriel felt sorry for her and asked her to come with him. Zaraab initially refused, but Gabriel insisted. Zaraab got angry and told Gabriel to stop forcing her.

Gabriel got a bit angry too and told Zaraab to come with him quietly. Eventually, Zaraab had to go with Gabriel. Gabriel was walking ahead, and Zaraab was behind him, making fun of him and calling him names. Gabriel didn't look back and kept walking.

"Something you said?" Gabriel asked, having heard Zaraab's mocking.

"No, I didn't say anything. It's just your ears ringing," Zaraab replied, trying to control her fear.

"Let's go, whatever it is, let's go ahead," Gabriel said, smiling mischievously.

Zaraab started making fun of him again, and Gabriel kept walking. After a while, they reached the address, and Syeda Khatoon was surprised to see Zaraab. "Zaraab!"