His Heart Knows: That He Still Wants Her

Four years ago_

"No! Please Aamir, just listen to me! Please listen to me!," Zoya cried out as she tried to hold Aamir's hand. He's holding onto a big purple luggage. The entrance of the gigantic mansion is already open and he is walking towards the door.

He glared at her angrily as she fell on her knees and held unto his hands which was holding the luggage handle tightly. "Get your hands off me right now!," he shouted angrily.

She shook her head sideways indicating 'no' and cried. "I swear on Allah that I'm not lying. Please believe me! I didn't go to brother Akhil! Please just believe me!"

"You don't have to swear on Allah! You vile woman! Do you want to tell me that my brother is lying!? Get your hands off me right now or I swear I'll hit you!," he shouted back.

She still stubbornly held unto his hands. Yes! He has never loved her or treated her like he loves her but he has shown her respect all these years. So she knows within herself that no matter how angry he is, he will never raise his hands to hit her.

"Please, I'm not lying... Believe me just this once. I've never looked at any other man after I got married to you. Please for the sake of Samir," Zoya cried again.

Aamir looked even more furious. He still couldn't forget the scene he had seen earlier. His own wife was on top of his brother, all alone in one room. Just how much does she despise their marriage that the least she could do is to cheat on him with his brother.

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His face turned red with anger and he spat out,"You should have thought of him before opening your legs to seduce my brother! Zoya, move out of the way and don't make me hit you!"

Just then a group of people walked down the staircase. A man, an old woman and two younger ladies. They were all looking down at Zoya condescendingly. When Zoya saw them, she wiped her tears and ran to the older woman.

She fell down at her feet and cried out,"Mother! I..." Her statement was cut off by the harsh voice of the old woman,"Don't you dare call me mother! I cannot give birth to a vile woman like you! I must be cursed to have a daughter in-law like you."

Zoya teared up and said quietly,"Mother, I really didn't go to brother Akhil's room. A servant told me to go and drop his meal there cause he was too ill to come out. I didn't go there with ill intentions."

The old woman laughed sarcastically and retorted,"Zoya, listen to yourself. Are you making any sense at all? Have you ever served Akhil his meal before? Why on earth will a servant even come to you when Amira is here? Can't she serve her husband herself!?"

Zoya couldn't say a word. She knew that no one would believe her. No one believed her when she talked about the way Akhil used to stare at her and touch her inappropriately. So why would they believe her now?

She looked up and saw Aamir carrying out luggages one by one. He just kept on throwing them outside not even bothered if they broke or not. Not caring about the contents in it. Not caring about the fact that she had loved him painstakingly all these years.

Not caring about all she had endured because of him. She smiled bitterly. He... He doesn't even know. He doesn't know how his mother would ask the servants to leave and then ask her to start performing the servants chores.

He doesn't how many times Akhil will come to the room whenever he knows that she is alone and then began to touch her inappropriately, asking her to go to bed with him.

She looked up at Amira's tear stained face. Amira was looking down at her with so much hatred. Zoya's smile only turned much more bitter than before. Aamir doesn't know how Amira would torment her life all day long.

She cried and slowly moved to the other lady beside Amira. "Zeenat, do you also believe I am capable of doing this?," Zoya asked the lady with so much hope in her eyes. This is her only friend here.

The only person who never joined in maltreating her. The only person who would always comfort her and tell her soothing words. The one who never looked down on her.

"My brother clearly made a mistake...," Zeenat began talking. "In marrying you."

Zoya turned pale as she looked at Zeenat. Is something now wrong with her ears? She gasped in pain as she stared at Zeenat with so much heartbroken emotions in her eyes.

"Zee...," she called out, trying to touch Zeenat's abaya. (Abaya is a Muslim dress.) Zeenat moved backwards and held unto her hijab tightly like she's afraid it will fall off.

"Don't touch me. Don't make me unclean like you," Zeenat spat out, finally breaking the last tiny thread of hope Zoya had. Zoya buried her face in her hands as the tears slowly streamed down, soaking her hijab in the process.

"I really didn't... I didn't," she couldn't stop mumbling. Her shoulders shaking terribly. Just then, Aamir came over and pulled her up. He dragged her out of the house. His family followed him, eager to watch the show. Everyone knows that Aamir is the cold type.

For him to show so much anger means that what Zoya did really hurt him. He pulled her out and shoved her outside roughly. She fell down and the floor grazed her knees.

"Samir...," she called out standing immediately and running to Aamir. She held the sleeves of his Kameez( It's that long top Muslim men wear on pants.)

"My son... I need my son... Please bring Samir to me," she pleaded. Aamir glared at her and shrugged her hands off him. "Samir is my son and he will stay here with me. I will never let him go with you," he replied.

"No, you can't do this to me. He's just a child," she cried out. "You should have thought of that before attempting that cruel act," Aamir answered her.

Just then a servant girl came to him. She was carrying the most handsome toddler I've ever seen. The boy appears to have gotten most of his physical features from Aamir. He looks just like Aamir.

The servant girl handed the baby over to his father. Zoya reached out to touch the baby with tears. But Aamir stopped her,"Don't touch my son with your filthy hands. Leave here this instant or I'll call the guards to throw you out."

Zoya folded her raised hands and finally went to the last person she hasn't talked to since all these drama started. She held the sleeve of his Kameez and pleaded,"Brother Akhil, please tell them this is all a misunderstanding. Tell them what I really did in your room."

"Zoya, I can't do anything to help you. I'm still stunned that you tried to seduce me," the man replied with a cunning smile.

"Guards!!! Throw this woman out!!," Aamir shouted with so much anger. Few bodyguards soon came to drag her out. "Don't touch me... I'll leave," she told them quietly.

She covered her face with her veil and picked up the smallest suitcase on the ground. This was what she brought to his house when they got married.

This is all she will take. Picking it up, she walked out slowly. Not even looking back for once. Aamir stared at her. He watched her leave as he hugged their son tightly in his arms. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't hurt by her betrayal since their marriage was a loveless arranged marriage to begin with.

He sneered, ignoring the painful sensation in his heart and walked in. The toddler in his arms called out sadly like he could feel something is wrong,"Ma...Mama."

"Sssh... There's no mama now."