" Emma, tell me you feel it too. Tell me it is not a product of my imagination..."

" Lord James, it is Lady Emma for you as it is for the Court..."

" Don't you feel like your loins are on fire, like I'm the only one who could douse that flame?" James kissed her ardently.

James then tugged at her front laces that held the corset together and her breasts spilled free. He then took one in each hand and caressed them tenderly making Emma cry out in ecstasy.

" Oh James my love. I have been but empty without your touch. My womb aches for..."

" No Emma. He's fooling you! He said the same thing to Mary and they had a romp in the hay by the empty barn. Lord James is a Rake, Emma you silly girl! "

Ibtihaaj screamed at the foolish female lead of her Erotic History Novella, one that she was reading secretly lest her husband finds it. There would be no end to his teasing then.

Ibtihaaj was engrossed in the Victorian Romance when she felt a head make its way in her lap. Her hands as if by force of habit started caressing the long silky strands of hair and even scraping the scalp occasionally making its owner sigh in contentment.

She then felt lips on her belly and her baby's increased activity confirmed the presence of her husband.

" Why are you blushing?" Shahveer asked her suspiciously. He does this everyday and she doesn't react so fiercely.

Shahveer snatched the book from her hands and read it out aloud.

" Lord James emptied his seed inside the clenching womb of Lady Emma..." Shahveer was amused.

" Veer! Give it back" Ibtihaaj yelled at him horrified.

" Oh James! Take me. Take me again!"

Shahveer rushed to the other side of the room and read out in an effeminate voice.

This made the blush on her face even deeper and she rushed towards him. As fast as her pregnant body could run, more like waddle that is.

" Veer I'm warning you!" Ibtihaaj screamed at him again.

" Aah James! Fill me up with your essence, I'm dying for...Aaaah! Jameesss that felt so gooood!"

Shahveer was doubling over in laughter now but he still read the book out loud as it was the first leverage he has on his innocent wife!

Ibtihaaj couldn't run after him anymore and she sat down on the bed with an angry pout, tears almost spilling out of her blue pools. She knew this will work with her husband. It always does.

If there's one thing that Shahveer Hamdaani cannot bear, is his wife's tears or her being angry. Especially if the reason behind them is him.

" Baby I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" Shahveer immediately sobered up and threw that book on the bed, taking his wife in his arms.

" You always do this. First you tease me and then you apologise" Ibtihaaj pouted at her grinning husband.

" Because it is so much fun to irritate you!"

Shahveer pinched her fluffy cheeks.

Ibtihaaj was a tiny elfin creature but pregnancy has done it's magic on her and now her husband cannot get enough of her curves.

" How was your day?" Ibtihaaj kissed his heart and asked him.

" Same old same old! " Shahveer laid her back on the pillows and then snuggled in her soft chest.

" Bakhtii Bhai is avenging all the pranks that I've ever played on him" Ibtihaaj combed back his hair.

" He's making me proofread so many documents that I feel humare company ka har paper mujhe jaanta hai!" Shahveer cribbed

" Acha hi hai, mama ne kaha hai ki aapne unhe bohot pareshaan kiya hai. Abhi bhi karte hai" Ibtihaaj bunched his hair in her fist.

" Your hair has grown" she took another fistful of his brown strands and pulled at it.

" Haa main soch raha tha unhe shoulder length badha loon" Shahveer had a naughty glint in his eyes.

" Shoulder length kyu? I like this hairstyle" she lovingly stared at him.

Her husband is too handsome and it is not good for her health!

" Then I'll look like these Regency Era heroes you keep fantasizing about" he teased her, nuzzling her chest.

" Shahveer! Aap mujhe pareshaan kar rahe hai" she fake cried.

" As a husband it is my duty to fulfil every wish of yours. If you want to be stripped naked and ravished by a rake in the barn then so be it" he laughed at her scowling face.

" Veer!" Ibtihaaj was scandalized at his talks now.

" Aap ab Baba ban ney wale hain. Kam'askam inke saamne toh aisi baatein na karein" she hit his shoulder.

" Ab inhe aaney toh waqt hai. Tab tak apni pyaari si biwi se door kaise rahoon?" Shahveer caressed her belly and kissed his baby.

" What did you do the entire day? Apart from dabbling in porn?" Shahveer jabbed at her again.

" I'm not talking to you" she pushed him away from her body.

" Achaa sorry! Bataon bhi, inhone zyada tang toh nahi kiya? " Shahveer pulled her back to himself and cupped her huge belly.

This is exactly where she belongs. In his arms!

" Ye hume kab tang nahi kartein hai?" She laughed.

" Badmaash! Aap abhi se itne shaitaan ho gaye hai? Baba ne kaha hai na jab wo ghar wapas aayein tab hum dono saath milkar Mama ko irritate karenge" Shahveer reprimanded his child.

Ibtihaaj swooned at his words and then it registered in her love hazed mind making her scowl.

" Ye paida bhi nahi hue hai aur aap inhe apne jaisa bana rahein hai? I can only handle one Shahveer. I'll go mad if this one turns out like you!" Ibtihaaj was scared at the mere possibility of their child being a replica of his father.

" Ye compliment tha ya insult?" Shahveer made a stern face.

" Insult hi tha. Compliment layak ek bhi harkat nahi hai aap mein!" Ibtihaaj sassed.

" I've been duped! They told me that you're an innocent angel. Tum toh Iblees Ki Behen ho!" He fake shuddered.

" Achaa! Jaayein phir kisi aur maasoom pari ko dhundey" Ibtihaaj again pushed him away from herself.

She was now confident enough in their relationship to joke around the topic of other women with respect to her husband.

" Ab itni mehnat kaun karega? Tum already patti patayi ho, main kaam chala lunga. Aur waise bhi, tum kaha doosra shohar dhundogi?" He joked.

" Bohot hai joh aankh band kar mujhe apnaa lengey, aap fikr na karein" Ibtihaaj gave back as good as him.

" Infact, school me Divisional Coordinator ne kayi baar hum mein dilchaspi dikhaya thi. Wo toh aapse shaadi ho gayi, warna hum Phupho se baat karne hi waley they" she teased him unaware of his changing expressions.

" Kaun hai ye Divisional Coordinator?" Shahveer was irritated but it didn't seem to be noticed by his wife.

" Hai ek tall, dark and handsome Banda. Allah unka naam bhi unki macho personality ko itna suit karta hai..." She apparently was lost in his dreams.

" Naam batao uska!" Shahveer seethed.

" Arsalaan Abbas" she made googly eyes at his name.

" Aur usne tumhe propose bhi kiya?" He wanted each detail on this man.

" Kar detein par tab tak humne aapka rishta manzoor kar liya tha" she shook her head in disappointment.

" Toh tumhe afsos hai humari Shaadi par?" Was she really?

" Ab pachataakar kya fayda?" She played along.

" Did you like him too?" Shahveer was scared now.

He never considered the idea that she could have been in love before.

The fact that she still remembers his name is proof that she could still be pondering over a life with him.

He was kind of an a*shole in the beginning. Okay, he was an a*shole.

But now he's changed and there is no one more important for him than her.

Will she actually leave him?

" I'm sorry Baby, for treating you so harshly in the beginning. I'm sorry for making you cry. I'm sorry for every stupid word I said. I just can't breathe if you're not with me. If you both are not with me" Shahveer immediately took her in his arms startling her.

" Please mujhe kabhi chod kar mat jaana. Tumhare bina mera koi wajood nahi hai. Tum Rooh ho meri. Shahveer apne Rooh ke baghair kuch nahi hai" Shahveer pleaded to a surprised Ibtihaaj.

Weren't they just fooling around?

" Jaan-e-Ibtihaaj hum mazaak kar rahe they. I'm not leaving you ever. Aapke baghair zindagi guzaarne se aitraaz hai hume. Humarey bachhey ko apne Baba ki zarurat hai" Ibtihaaj held his face in her palms.

Was he going to cry?

" Hume apne shohar ki zarurat hai. Rooh ko apne Veer ke bina jeena nahi aata hai" she kissed his eyes and tasted his tears.

What will she do with this man of hers!

" Promise?" He asked with a childlike innocence.

" Promise Meri Jaan. Hume Rooh-e-Shahveer bankar Iblees ki behen hona manzoor hai" she teased him making him laugh.

" Par kisi aur ki hoor banney se inkaar hai hume. Hum ussey pehle marna pasand..." She was stopped by his lips on hers.

Shahveer took her in an ardent kiss.

" Don't talk so lightly about death Baby. I've known lost once before and I survived only because I have you. I will cease to exist if anything happens to you..." He declared earnestly.

And yet Shahveer claims that he doesn't love Ibtihaaj!

" Make love to me " Ibtihaaj requested to her husband.

" What?" Shahveer was surprised.

" I want you to ravish me" Ibtihaaj had a glint in her eyes.

" You want me to what?" Was she making fun of him?

" I want you to worship my body with yours. I ache for your touch My Lord!" She pushed him on the bed and straddled him.

" You ache for my touch? I had you on this very bed just this morning" and he was back.

" Maybe it wasn't memorable enough!" Ibtihaaj goaded him, bruising his male ego.

" Wasn't memorable enough?" He was scandalized. He flipped her over now.

" Oh I'll ravish you alright" Shahveer was eager to prove his wife wrong.

" But after that I'll make love to you so sweet that you will never ever leave me" Shahveer kissed his wife passionately.

He kept at it until she chanted his name like a mantra and only stopped when they both reached the peak of their ecstasy.

" Never think about another man Rooh. I will not survive without you" Shahveer kissed her nose and said in a teary voice.

" You're it for me Babe. There's no Rooh without her Veer " she kissed him back easing his insecurities.

" But you have to promise me one thing" she said somberly.

" Anything Rooh" Shahveer agreed immediately.

" You'll always ravish me like THIS" she smiled cheekily.

" Oh you're insatiable! But I'll gladly fulfill all your wishes M'lady!" And with that he took them to their fantasy land again.

Ibtihaaj was almost towards the end of her pregnancy. The doctor said that their baby is full term and she can give birth any day now.

She was irritated, cranky and uncomfortable since yesterday and her husband was adding on to it all the more.He was back to being his detached and aloof self that he was in the initial days of their marriage.

Shahveer hasn't touched her since the last two days. He doesn't kiss her when he comes back from the office nor does he acknowledge her presence.

Heck he doesn't even look at her and this had her going crazy.

They were so happy!

Sure they haven't declared their love for each other but they did convey their affections in little things.

Like how Shahveer would call her ten times from the office.

How he would ask to speak with their baby and the obedient Baba ka Laadla would reply by kicking up a storm hearing his father's voice.

Or how she would remind him to eat his meals on time.

How he would kiss her the first thing when he came back home.

Or how she would rest his head in her lap and listen to him rant.

How he would place her slippers by her bedside because she always forgets to wear them.

Then what went wrong?

Shahveer was missing from home since early morning. Nobody had any idea of his whereabouts. Not even his wife.

Ibtihaaj had been feeling uneasy from the minute she opened her eyes. She dismissed it as the Braxton Hicks contractions that she was experiencing since the past few days.

She would have told Shahveer but the man was avoiding her like a plague.

Ibtihaaj cried in frustration because try as she may but she couldn't come up with a reason of his berukhi with her.

She hadn't given him a chance to complain.

She would be extremely patient with him whenever he has a bad day at work.

She wouldn't pester him by constantly nagging about her woes.

She seldom demanded anything from him.

She never asked for more than he gave her which was already a lot to begin with.

Shahveer was very generous in expressing his affections but he yet hasn't told her he loved her.

Ibtihaaj did but she didn't want to pressurize him into replying half-heartedly to her love declaration because he didn't want to break her heart.

Then what was it?

Why did he feel like not even addressing her existence?

Ibtihaaj made way towards the kitchen. She needed to eat something if she wants to stop the wild movements of her baby.

" Ibti, darling why are you coming down? You should have called me upstairs" Qiraat came to her assistance as soon as she saw her on the stairs.

Qiraat held her hand and helped her sit on the couch, supporting her back with a cushion.

" Appi hume bhook lagi hai" she almost cried. Her baby was too active since this morning.

" Kya hua Ibtihaaj?" Qiraat was worried seeing her so distressed.

" Pata nahi Appi. Ye bohot bechain hai aaj subah se. Na baithne de rahe hai aur na sone" Ibtihaaj complained with a pained expression.

" Veer Bhai kaha hai?" Qiraat got her a plate of fruits and a few ladoos with a glass of milk.

" Hum jabse uthey hai tab se kamre me nahi hain" she could hardly swallow a morsel.

" Shayad office jaldi chalein gaye" Qiraat said thoughtfully, placing the glass of milk to her lips.

" Haa shayad. Aaj kal unhein humari shakal pasand nahi hai aur na hi humse baat karna" Ibtihaaj said ruefully.

" Aisi baat nahi hai Ibti, office me kaam zyada hoga isliye. Bakhtiyaar bhi ghar late aate hai ab" Qiraat tried to pacify the little girl.

" I hope Appi yahi baat ho. Hume unke pyaar ki aadat lag gayi hai aur unke siwa ab Zindagi naa kaabil-e-bardaasht hai " Ibtihaaj smiled painfully.

The pain was getting unbearable now.

" Tumhari tabiyat mujhe theek nahi lag rahi hai, I'll call Mama" Qiraat did not like the face Ibtihaaj was making.

Qiraat called out for Hania to look after Ibtihaaj as she made way towards her parent's bedroom.

" Mama, Ibtihaaj ko hospital le jaana hoga. I think she is in labor" Qiraat was excited and scared all together.

They were about to have their Shahveer's baby.

The next Hamdaani Heir!

Faiqa and Azaan rushed downstairs to see Hania, Duaa and Aamaal gathered around a panting Ibtihaaj.

" Ammi, maine hospital call kardi hai aur Anwar Bhai car lekar aatein hi hoge" Hania had immediately taken action seeing her little doll in this condition.

" Shahveer kaha hai?" Azaan asked them.

" Pata nahi Abbu, par maine Musa aur Bakhtiyaar Bhai ko bhi inform kiya hai. Wo directly hospital aayenge. Shayad Veer Bhai unke saath hi ho" Hania was the only level headed one right now.

The mothers were all worried for their daughter and Qiraat had gone to retrieve Ibtihaaj's baby bag. Thank Allah they put it together last week.

Everyone panicked hearing a painful cry that erupted from Ibtihaaj.

" Baba!" She cried for her father.

Azaan picked up a teary Ibtihaaj in his arms and rushed outside, his heart scared for his daughter.

" Baba sab theek kar denge Meri Guriya" Azaan consoled her as he deposited her body beside Faiqa in the back seat of the car.

He asked Anwar to take the ladies in the other car and he drove his daughter to the hospital himself.

Aamaal stayed back to look after the kids as Ilhaam and Abaan were still sleeping and Usaamah would be back from school shortly.

Hania kept on trying Shahveer's number but all she heard was the operator's voice. His phone was out of coverage!

Where the heck was Shahveer when his baby was making his entrance in this world?

They reached the hospital and Ibtihaaj was immediately rushed into the birthing ward.

Qiraat and Faiqa accompanied her inside and everyone else began filling up the paper work.

The boys were accompanied by Rayyan and Furqaan who came directly from the office.

However, their entourage was missing the man of the hour- Shahveer!

" Once I get a hold of him there's no saving the little pest that is my son!" Azaan ran a furious hand through his hair trying his still unreachable phone.

" Baba, aap pareshaan na hoye. Main dekhta hoon" Bakhtiyaar calmed his father down and thought of all the places that his little brother could be.

Wait!

" Bhabhi, aaj date kya hai?" Bakhtiyaar prayed that his brother didn't do anything stupid like hurting his wife!

" Allah!" Hania sat down with a thud on the hospital bench and Musa followed.

" It's Sadia's first death anniversary" Hania whispered, her eyes filling up remembering her dear friend.

" Rehem Allah!" Bakhtiyaar mumbled under his breath.

How much would his little brother be hurting?

" Wo kabristaan gaya hoga shayad. Main usse lekar aata hoon Baba. Aap befikr rahein" Bakhtiyaar consoled his distressed father.

The twins accompanied him and Musa decided to stay back for his family.

Shahveer had distanced himself from his wife ever since he was reminded of his Dia's death.

How could he forget her like that?

Didn't he love her enough?

Was he so enticed by Ibtihaaj that he forgot Sadia?

Shahveer was here at the kabristaan since five in the morning. He cleaned Sadia's grave, watered it and put fresh flowers for his Dia.

Orchids. Her favorite!

He always had felt a sense of calm whenever he came here but today was not the same. A painful feeling had gripped his heart and he was aware of the reason.

Ibtihaaj.

His blue eyed beauty. His wife. His Rooh.

If he felt he was in love before and couldn't imagine a life without Sadia then he cannot breathe without Ibtihaaj.

If Sadia was the driving force of his life before then Ibtihaaj is his anchor in troubled seas.

If Sadia owned his heart before then Ibtihaaj rules over his soul.

If Sadia was the essence of his life before then Ibtihaaj is his life.

If he was in love with Sadia before then Ibtihaaj is the love of his life.

Shahveer existed after Sadia but he will never survive without Ibtihaaj.

He bubbled up in laughter, his heart filled with joy at the realization of his love.

He prayed for Sadia's soul to rest in Jannah and blew her kisses one last time.

" Allah Hafiz my precious Dia. I'll always love you. But now I have to live; with My Life My Rooh!" His eyes were watering as he said his last goodbye to his first wife.

The shackles broke and he finally left his past where it belongs. In the past!

Sadia would always be in his heart but now the owner of life demands his entire love and that is what she will get.

He hurried out of the kabristaan wanting to rush home and kiss his wife senseless, to declare his undying love for her.

Just as he exited the gate he saw his brother's car stopping behind his own.