immediately after leaving school. If she can work a few hours in the day then she can make more money.

She stands in the extreme cold outside waiting for the order. She cannot exactly go inside and because she never had enough money she didn't buy the jacket that can help her. She clenches her thin jacket trying her best not to think about the cold.

She feels someone placing a jacket on her and she squeal a little moving away making the jacket fall. She looks at Yahya standing there looking at her.

"Sorry". She said sighing holding the Jacket in her hand forwarding it to him, "You just startled me".

"I have a good idea about that". He said putting the jacket around her

"I don't want it". She said stubbornly

"I know you don't. I want you to wear it". He said firm

He understands something from the call from the principal that she is out of the school and she is very stubborn to not have him pay for a thing.

She didn't let him pay for the medicine that day and even pay more than what they cost and she will not allow him to pay for any expenses in the wedding neither did she allow him to pay for her instalment even when it means she might not be able to appear in her exam missing a year worth.

He understands she is stubborn and the only way he can deal with her is being more stubborn.

So, he grabs her hands putting them in his oversized jacket making her wear it while she clearly glares at him for not listening to her.

"I said don't touch me". She said angrily

"Then you should listen to me". He said looking in her eyes which seems different

She takes her hand away looking down trying to calm herself.

"Are you ok?". He asked looking at the dazed look on her face

"I pay you to work, young lady not have affairs". She heard the owner of the shop yelling

She moves around quickly grabbing the food from her hand but he feels his hand on her.

"Tell her I am your husband". He said stern not liking the people amusing things of her

"Grandma". She called the owner, "He is my husband".

Grandma gasp hitting her shoulder making her wince, "Why didn't you tell me?. I am so sorry".

She chuckles shaking her head keeping the order in the trunk, "I didn't know either".

"You are impossible, child". Grandma said

"Thanks". She said sitting on her bike, "Go pick the kids".

He watches her amuse that she is ordering him like it's nothing. He shakes his head walking towards the car wanting to pick the kids and come back here soon.

Soon enough, the kids were with him and he decided to come back to her place.

She sighs tiredly.

She enters the valley of the restaurant walking towards the restaurant. The Grandma asked her to bring something from the store which is 15 minutes walk and she didn't want to take the bike because the fuel costs a lot. Just as she near enters she finds the usual thugs blocking her way.

"What?". She said angrily

"Fiesty". One of them says

She rolls her eyes, "I am. Now move".

"Come on, we have been here for so long you can talk to us for some time". The thug says

"I know we have been here but if I wanted to talk to you I would have done that long ago". She said taking a step away

He holds her hand making her eyes widen. She pushes him away ready to fight him but then someone wraps their arms around her from the back making her panic.

She looks at the built man trying her best to fight him over her panic attack. But she feels her body draining quickly and her eyes losing focus. She tries her best to push him hard but her all movement were restricted by his hand.

When one of them place their hand around her scarf ripping it off that's when her senses went blank.

It was all over again.

Her being held down, her screaming, her crying and begging and them just doing what they want.

This time though she didn't cry nor she begs.

She just stayed still.

What seems like billions of years of torture someone rips the man off her allowing her to breathe a little which she cannot because of the man-body weight.

She heard screaming and fighting but she didn't move a muscle.

She just laid there.

Too scared, too tired and finally giving up.

Nothing was ever worth it. She shouldn't have begged for her life that day.

It was all useless.

This will never stop and this will always come back.

He looks at her lifeless body feeling his own heart-stopping. He runs towards her holding her body in his hands. That is when he finds her eyes blank of any emotions. The times he has seen her, her eyes never remain like this.

Empty.

He is pretty sure that is what she looks like at the moment. He covers her with his jacket holding her body in his hands walking towards his car where his daughters look at him worried but didn't say anything.

He reaches home in record time and holds her back in his hands asking his daughters to go to their room.

"What's this drama?". His mother yelled as he stops in the lounge

She winces holding onto him tightly hiding her face away. He looks down at her looking back at his mother.

"Ammi, she is not well. I will take her to our room". He said ignoring his mother more poor comments she sends to her

He places her on the bed bringing some water for her which she drinks.

He sits beside her, "Zariah".

"Don't take my name". She said closing her eyes to gather herself

Before she can do that he hold her hand making her flinch back.

"Did someone did something to you?". He asked

The question had been bothering him for a long time. That night he saw her fighting the words before that stayed in his head and the way she flinches at any male presence and his touch.

It is simple yet hard.

Her eyes widen looking at him, "W-What?".

"Did someone?". He asked his voice restrained

"No". She said shortly

"You are lying, Zariah". He stated

She tries to take her hand back but he held it tight, "Leave me".

"Not until you speak". He said firm

"There is nothing to talk about". She said pushing him moving down from the bed

She walks near the door but he held her hand turning her around. Her eyes fill with anger once again.

"What is your problem?". She said angrily

"Tell me". He said pulling her to him

She fights against his hold glaring at him, "I am not speaking".

"You will". He said stern

"What do you want to know?". She yelled frustrated and drained from the panic attack, "Exactly what?. Did someone rape me?, yes. Did someone use me?, yes. How old was I?, I-I-".

Her breathing hitched as she thinks about that day. Her eyes fill with tears as the girl whose world was taken from her without her permission. A girl who already lost her world once was taken advantage of again.

A girl who is broken beyond repair.

"I-I was 9". She said crying as her knees give up

But he holds her in his arms not saying anything and she speaks, "I went to buy something my aunt asked me to. I was coming back when they hold me and placed a cloth on my face. The next time I was in a dark room that smell bad and when I cried they c-ame in and t-they- they-".

She cannot even speak because of her own screams from that night. Their hands-on her small body and their evil eyes and laughter start to come back to her.

"They made me feel and see everything". She cried holding onto him tightly, "I begged but they didn't stopped. Why?. Why did they do this to me?".

He did predicate it.

But never in his wild mind, he thought about her being so little almost his own daughter age to be r-raped. He cannot make sense of how sick people need to be to do something like this to a child.

He held her tightly hoping that his warmth provide the comfort with his words might not be able to.

"They were just sick psychopath". He mumbles wrapping his arms around her allowing her to cry

****

She fell ill.

Because after that incident she stopped her thinking process. Remembering that time all over again made her sick.

She moves the duvet away from her heavy body looking at Yahya sleeping on the couch. She covers him with the duvet taking steps towards Hooria and Noor room.

She hasn't seen them since yesterday and she is sure that they are worried. She enters inside to find them sleeping peacefully. She smiles at little walking to sit beside Noor bed.

"Beta (daughter)". She called

After a few more times Noor opens her eyes immediately sitting on the bed.

"Are you ok?". Noor asked

She nodded, "Sorry, I wasn't well".

Noor shakes her head, "No, it's fine. But....".

She frowns, "What is it?".

"You didn't come yesterday night and we were waiting so Grandma came to us and said that now you will not look at us and take Baba away from us". Noor said sadly

She closes her eyes not wanting her anger to show, "There is no such thing happening. Yahya will be your father first like he was and then anything else. I will never do something like this I promise".

"I don't want her in this house. Can you take her away?. She makes Hooria cry so much". Noor cried

She holds her in her hands cuddling her in her arms, "Do you want to stay with me today?".

Noor nodded.

"Good. I will speak to your Baba and then we can stay together all day". She said kissing her forehead

She moves to wake Hooria telling her about her day off to which she happily agrees. She has them shower and ready for the day leaving them to play for some time.

She walks back to her room feeling her body warming up. She enters back inside to find him still sleeping and since he stayed awake with her at night he must want to sleep.

She adds a warm jacket (his) over her body and went to the bathroom to freshen up. She walks outside moving towards him watching him for a few minutes.

He didn't say anything but the way he held her says so much more. She didn't want him to speak and he didn't behave differently which makes her a little comfortable around him.

She isn't imagining if she allows him to hold him and actually touch her that's development.

She thinks of a way to wake him but all the evil plans seem like something she shouldn't do.

But, she wanted to.

She giggles to herself executing her plan.

*******

He heard her calling his name softly.

He opens his eyes looking at her leaning grinning at him. He blinks his eyes confused with the change in her attitude.

He sits on the couch groaning a little from the back pain, "Are you ok?".

She grins, "Of course. Come on, you have to hurry".

"What?". He asked standing as she holds his hand pulling him

He looks down at their hands and her excited face as she pulls him outside. They take steps downstairs and stops when he finds his daughter playing together.

"Girls". She said eagerly

He watches them turning around looking at him as their eyes widen and soon they break into a fit of laughter.

At first, he frowns but then hearing them laugh have his heart skip a beat.

That sound he had longed for.

He looks at the woman standing beside him laughing along with him making his heart even warmer.

"Baba, your face". Noor said laughing harder

Zariah giggle at his confuses face handing him the small mirror she brought with her. She watches him frowning and then his eyes widen.

"Y-You did this". He stated

She laughs nodding, "Yes, I did".

To her surprise, he looks at her intently but then a beautiful smile stretch on his lips for the first time.

This time, her heart skips a beat.

It was beautiful. All of the moment and their laughter together.

*****

"You are not well". He said frowning watching her playing with Hooria who is sitting in her lap, "And you said to keep the kids home".

"Hey". She said stern, "Don't call these pretty ladies anything".

She smiles at Hooria who giggle,"Look she is so beautiful".

He smiles looking at Hooria who plays along with Zariah. He looks over to find Noor busy with colouring peacefully beside her.

He had seen more smiles and laughter then he had heard for the longest past 3 years.

"You need to rest". He insisted

She shrugged, "I am too hyper to do that. Plus I don't like sitting still or taking rest. If anything I would rather go out".

He nodded thoughtfully, "It's like when Hooria and Noor are on sugar. You are no different from them".

"I will take that as a compliment". She said grinning at him

For an hour or so, she still played with the girls until her eyes feel too heavy to stay open and she gives in. He walks out after praying towards the lounge to find no sound coming. He walks inside to find her sleeping and the girls sit quietly beside her.

He shakes his head at her actions which are truly different. No matter how much he asks her to rest she didn't. Now, she is passed out.

"Girls, I will take her to bed, ok?". He said softly

The girls nodded moving away from her and he picks her fragile body gently in his hands. He finds her lighter and small that she fits in his arms perfectly. He looks down at her frowning in her sleep.

He places her on the bed placing his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature.

She has a fever and that too high.

He sighs.

He moves to bring a cloth to put it on her head so that might help since she already took her medication. He sits beside her watching her for a moment.

She is just so different and challenging for him.

He chuckles thinking about all the time he had come across her. Not once she didn't get on his bad side it was always amusing to watch her.

She is his wife.

That thought used to seems like something that will not happen again.

But, it did.

And if she is stubborn then he is her husband.

He is not allowing her to damage her health over something he has.

He was about to walk out of the room when he heard her crying. He immediately turns around heading towards her direction to find her struggling in her sleep.

"Please, please, leave me. It hurts". She cried painfully

It wasn't even a surprise of what he was begging for.

I begged them but they didn't stopped.

"Please, please, don't kill me. Let me live, please". She cried harder

He was about to hold her but then she opens her eyes breathing heavily. She closes her eyes back crying silently.

"It was of no use to beg". She said to herself, "I shouldn't have asked for it".

"Zariah". She heard his loud stern voice making her shriek

She sits on the bed with difficulty looking at him mentally slapping herself to not look around before she opens her mouth.

"Yahya". She said smiling tightly, "How are you?".

He didn't smile.

"Why?". He asked shortly

She takes the blanket away still a smile on her face, "What? Why?".

He holds her hand making her sit back down, "What happened next?".

She sits back down looking at their hands sighing, "That night after they raped me they were about to kill me and throw me in the sea. They said I had no parents and my aunt doesn't care enough to find about me. That is true, by the way. But I had this need to live even after everything I wanted to live so I begged them to let me live and I will never say a word. They threw me in front of my house in that condition. I fainted and was taken to the hospital that said that I cannot ever have a child because my internal organs were damaged and bleeding throughout. T-They said I would never have a normal life like many girls. I have issues like my health detours faster and I need constant medicine to keep me going. I need treatments to be sure none of my organs starts to act up again. I have pains at the time because of the damage and every normal activity is even harder".

"What about them?". He asked controlling his anger after hearing her

She shrugged chuckling dryly, "I was a girl so I was blamed like every other girl. They said I shouldn't have left home, shouldn't have worn such clothes, should have covered myself and best is that me- a child shouldn't have provoked them". She pauses, "My aunt blamed me and throw me in the house for a long time. Then we moved away from that place because it was unbearable with people constantly blaming us and then some asking if they can do it too. Some offered money others offered to marry me at that age saying no man would accept me".

He closes his eyes holding her hand tighter, "I accept you".

Her eyes widen as she looks at him, "W-What?. But-".

Before she can speak he spoke, "I, Yahya Siddiqui accept you, Zariah Ahmad, with my heart and soul".