As soon as Arham and Ashar returned home, Ashar headed straight to his room. Arham had clearly noticed that Ashar’s mood was off. Concerned, he followed his son into the room.
Ashar stood in the balcony of his room, staring at the sky.
"What happened, son? You’ve been in a bad mood ever since you got back," Arham asked worriedly, placing his hand on Ashar’s shoulder.
"No, Dad. It’s nothing like that," Ashar lied.
"Son, tell me what’s bothering you. You know you can share everything with me," Arham questioned again with concern.
"I don’t know, Dad, what’s wrong with me... Ever since I went to the wedding, my mood has been completely off. I don’t feel good about anything. Even when I saw Safoora today, I didn’t feel any happiness. I’ve loved her for so many years, haven’t I? But I don’t see the same Safoora in her that I knew in childhood. She’s changed a lot. How can I recognize her in just one meeting? But maybe she loves someone else, and I don’t want to come between her and her love," Ashar said, thinking about Azlaan and Safoora.
"What are you saying, son? Who does she love?" Arham asked angrily.
"It’s just a guess, Dad... I can’t say for sure... Anyway, let it go... You should get some sleep," Ashar said, asking Arham to leave.
"My dear son... You’ve lost a lot in life, and I’ll never let you lose anything else. Even if Safoora loves someone else, I’ll still make sure she marries only you. Whatever you want, you will get. I’ve never taught my son to sacrifice anything, so never give up your happiness for someone else," Arham tried to convince him. But Ashar didn’t like Arham’s words at all.
He smiled faintly and nodded, not wanting to argue with his father. After Arham left, Ashar sat for a long time, recalling everything that had happened at the wedding.
***
Azlaan couldn’t understand Safoora’s behavior. She once claimed to love him, but after realizing he was her senior, she started ignoring him as if he were her enemy.
All night, Azlaan lay restless in bed, thinking about their conversations, unable to sleep. He wanted to say so much to Safoora but never got the chance. He wished to confess the Obscured Affection he had for her for years.
***
Safoora’s condition was no different from Azlaan’s. She couldn’t figure out what to do. She lay awake, remembering the days when she used to cry for Azlaan. She was angry at herself for not recognizing him earlier.
She tried piecing together Alex and Azlaan’s words, wondering how Azlaan could have changed so much in just a few years.
When she had fallen in love with Azlaan, he was a cold and serious man. But now, as Alex, he was the complete opposite—a flirtatious and carefree persona.
She spent the entire night wondering whether she should try to win Azlaan back or leave everything to fate. Yet, even by morning, she had no answer.
***
Ishaq was just as restless as his sister. He, too, tossed and turned all night, but the reason behind his sleeplessness was someone hardly anyone knew about.
Today, he had made a big decision—to introduce Safoora to Azlaan. Although he never wanted his sister to marry any man, believing no one was worthy of her, Azlaan had proven himself by taking a knife to protect Safoora from Ishaq’s enemies. This act made Ishaq decide to give Azlaan a chance.
He had known Azlaan for years, which was why he chose him for his sister. If it were up to him, he would have never let his sister be separated from him. But such is the way of the world—a girl is always meant to leave her home. Ishaq, too, was bound by these customs.
He had unwillingly chosen a man for his sister, but no one knew what Safoora's decision would be.
Tonight, Ishaq stood in his room’s balcony, gazing at the sky. He deeply missed the woman who had once meant everything to him—the very woman who was the reason he had never accepted Mahnoor as his wife.
Keeping Mahnoor at a distance... being rude and cold to everyone... always wearing a mask of seriousness—he had hidden the old Ishaq so well that no one could tell he was once a cheerful man.
For Ishaq, the only person who meant more than Safoora was that woman. But fate had been cruel, and now, he could probably never meet her again.
Tonight, seeing Mahnoor talking to Yusuf hadn’t pleased Ishaq, but he kept telling himself that perhaps Yusuf would be a better companion for her. He had lost the most precious relationship of his life, and that was why he never wanted to love anyone again and make them his weakness.
Mahnoor had the kind of personality that, if Ishaq spent a few days with her, he might truly accept her as his wife. He might even give her his heart. But the memories of the woman he had lost due to his own mistake always came between him and Mahnoor.
The pain of losing her was something no one knew.
Ishaq, who always preferred to be practical in life, had another side that only that woman had seen—the innocent, playful man who laughed freely with everyone.
Now, that very woman was the reason he had distanced himself from his father. He had shut his heart completely to any kind of love or hatred.
***
When Arsal woke up in the morning, he noticed that Sara wasn’t in the room. He got up, got ready, and went downstairs, where he saw Aijaz and Sara sitting together, drinking tea and laughing over something.
Arsal greeted them with salaam and sat down beside Sara. Soon, Azlaan also arrived. Today, Sara had prepared the meal herself. Despite Aijaz repeatedly asking her not to, she insisted on doing all the work herself because Rida had asked her to do so.
Sara heated all the dishes and started placing them on the table for both brothers. Although there were plenty of servants in the house, Aijaz’s happiness knew no bounds with Sara and Azlaan’s presence. It was as if the arrival of just two people had filled his home with joy, making him feel like he was on top of the world. Seeing this, Arsal also felt immense happiness.
Aijaz praised the food generously, even offering Sara a gift for it. However, both Arsal and Azlaan sat quietly for eating without saying a word. Just as Azlaan was about to take a bite, his phone rang. He got up and stepped outside after taking the call. Aijaz tried to asked him several questions, but without answering, Azlaan simply left ignoring him.
After finishing his meal, Arsal turned to Sara and Aijaz, looking at them questioningly, as they were both staring at him.
"How was the food? Didn’t you like your wife’s cooking?" Aijaz teased with a laugh.
"No, Baba... The food was amazing!" Arsal quickly replied.
"Sara, dear... You made a delicious meal today, but from now on, you don’t need to do any of the work. There are plenty of people in this house for that. You are now the lady of this house... So, just sit back and learn how to give orders," Aijaz said with a smile, leaving Sara surprised by his words.
Arsal smiled faintly, gazing at her. Today, she wasn’t just his assistant—she was present at his house, as his wife. He had always kept his distance from women, even feeling shy while talking to them. But now, the woman he loved beyond measure was right before his eyes, and he couldn’t look away from her.
When Sara caught him staring, he quickly averted his gaze. After talking with Sara for a while, Aijaz got up and left. Arsal remained seated, pretending to be busy on his phone, but he was secretly watching her. He had every right to admire his wife for as long as he wanted. Yet, whenever their eyes met, his heart would pound uncontrollably, making him look away.
As soon as Aijaz left, Sara went to her room and called her mother to check in on her family.
***
Safoora sat bored in the office. With Sara absent, both Abdullah and Safoora were exhausted from working non-stop. Sara’s presence made their work easier. She would always crack jokes, making them laugh and enjoy their tasks. But today, her absence had dampened their spirits. Both were working sluggishly, staring at their files with disinterest.
Suddenly, they heard someone greet them with a salaam. They both turned toward the door and saw who had just arrived. Abdullah, delighted, hugged Azlaan, expressing how happy he was to see him. However, Safoora remained seated, silently watching them.
"Are you okay?" Abdullah suddenly asked Safoora.
Ignoring both of them, Safoora grabbed her file and walked into her office. Azlaan followed her inside.
"Sweethe—Safoora... I—" Azlaan began speaking from behind her, but Safoora started dialing a number on her phone.
"How are you?" she asked the person on the other end, pretending not to notice Azlaan.
Azlaan narrowed his eyes at her, while she kept her gaze lowered, seemingly engrossed in her phone conversation.
He stood there watching her, but suddenly, Safoora walked out of the office.
Azlaan didn’t like her behavior at all, but he understood that she was upset with him. She was deliberately ignoring him to vent her anger. He figured it was best to give her some space for a few days, so he left the office.
As soon as Azlaan left, Safoora let out a relieved sigh and sat down in her chair, smiling. She hadn’t realized how convincingly she had faked the phone conversation, fooling Azlaan into believing she was genuinely busy.
***
As per Mariyam’s instructions, everyone gathered in the conference room, eagerly awaiting the moment they had worked tirelessly for over the past month.
Mahnoor, however, was extremely nervous. The very reason she had chosen the field of law... her dream was finally about to come true. She wanted to prove herself to Ishaq and had worked hard for it. But what she truly wanted to know was—would Ishaq be proud of her efforts?
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the conference room door, waiting for Ishaq’s arrival. However, he still hadn’t shown up.
***