"...So do you, agree to this Nikah?"

The Imam asked from the other side of the veil where Mayrah sat, clad in a simple yet elegant and glamorous wine gown.

She was emotionally staring at her mehndi adorned, red bangles filled hands and more specifically at her engagement ring in the fourth finger of her left hand.

"Response, Mayrah."

Mayrah gritted her teeth, giving it another thought. What she was going to do would make her the most selfish lover and even after the only thing she ever dreamt, that was, to be Isaa's bride, she was getting forced to agree to so.

The Imam asked the same question again but she yet, remained quiet. Droplets of tears seeping down her eyes as if they were doing injustice to her.

"Plea..se...no."

A breathey whisper escaped her lips as she looked at her mother, pleading her to make it stop.

"What no, Mayrah?"

Isaa came walking in, a sly smile playing in his lips, mocking his prey.

"Out, Isaa. She'll do it."

His mother glared at him, wanting to slap him with all her might, pissed at him dominating aura that made Mayrah a sobbing mess.

"A minute Ammi."

He sat opposite to Mayrah in the tea table in front of her, his head bowed down to have a look at her lowered tearful face.

"Eyes up."

A soft voice of request made her look up.

Isaa smiled, "Can we ask her again?"

The Imam repeated the same question for the 5th of the time, answering which would complete their Nikah.

Their gazes arrested at each other, Isaa was urging her to reply while she was preparing herself to whole-heartedly accept her fate and go on with it.

"I do."

"I do."

"I do."

"And that's how, you stop calling me Bhai."

Isaa chuckled leaning in to her ear, just as he did, a tight slap landed on his shoulder from his mother.

"Mind our presence and her tears."

Isaa sighed mouthing sorry before he stood up and leaned in again planting a kiss on Mayrah's head, then walked out.

"Now I seriously don't care. He'll bear the consequences, ruthless jerk."

Mayrah shouted as she was brought to Isaa's room after the function by her sister and Bhabi.

"That's like it, tears don't worth it, Bhabi."

Isaa's sister, Naira adviced instantly earning a kick in her leg at the mention of Bhabi, while they were best friends of same age few hours back.

"I'm known by my own name, not your Bhai's wife."

"What? You're my cousin later before he's my brother, Bhabi."

"How could I possibly marry your brother even knowing how arrogant his sister is, so he will be too."

She shrieked frustratingly took off all the bangles from her hand.

"He'll bear the consequences pissed off by your moods, not by your sickness."

Musa's wife, Zara asserted causing Mayrah snap her head to her, stunned.

"I don't care! I'll double all my bad habits to make my husband worth the Nikah."

Promising, Mayrah snatched the ice-cream box that her eyes caught laying beside her. She hadn't eaten dinner to let her family know that she was beyond angry at the whole deed of her Nikah over pitying her hungry stomach.

"By chance you guys have 'raged love making', I've supplied you with a hot lingerie set there. Do have a look at it."

Zara passed her a smile of pride, pointing at the gift box in the couch.

"Why don't you concentrate on making my brother a father instead of doing such favors on me?"

Mayrah was successfully fighting her pain through eating and bickering with her girls, until they left and she was all alone waiting for her groom.

Changing to a bridal robe, which was more than decent and enough modest, instead of choosing her regular comfy pajamas, Mayrah made herself go for a moon view, sitting in the window couch.

She was now a married woman to a well renewed young neurologist, no longer a college girl who recently passed her 12th boards and quit studying.

"We are sorry, she can't make through it. It'll only be waste of time and money to proceed for her treatment. Let her live the last few years of her life in her ways."

The last time she was made to visit a consultant, he gave her these words including which every other advice of every doctor she met, rang in her ears one by one.

She was in no place to hope for Isaa to say something different than others. She knew, it was only his love for her that made him go deeper and try curing her.

Living as his wife would make her beg for a life to live, which she didn't want, for, it was a mere hope and she didn't want to rely on such dreamy hopes.

"Knock knock, wifey, Assalamualaikum."

Isaa's throaty voice brought her out of thoughts as he locked the door and made his way to her.

Mayrah tightly clutched the pillow to her chest and gave her all attention to the moon, which was getting chased by millions of stars, watching which was relieving her of her regrets and anguish.

"ISAA."

Mayrah screamed feeling a kiss in her head, slapping his chest in annoyance.

"Isaa Bhai? Hmm no?"

Isaa rolled his eyes at her.

"Isaa Bhai, move."

She loved to mock back.

"Come on! We don't act so grumpy."

Isaa sat beside her while she got down to leave but in a jolt, Isaa grabbed her by the waist making her fall on the couch as he towered on top.

"Behave yourself."

"To my wife?"

"LET GO OF ME."

"You don't yell at my face, baby."

"I SAID LET GO."

"Okay okay I wi-..."

"LEAVE..."

"SHUT UP."

Isaa pressed his hand against her mouth, holding her firmly in his grip that left her no chance to escape from.

He stared at her reddened face which was an impact of her loud voice, eyes bloodshot.

"Don't you think your voice is higher than your whole existence?"

Quirking his eyebrows at the question, he leaned down to rest his forehead against hers, his grip loosening.

"I think you're heavier than I can bear on myself."

Mayrah said, now in a low and decent tone.

"I...I'm sorry."

Isaa immediately backed off while she ran away to the bed, as if running from her predator.

'That's the consequence of falling in love with a person you only heard of, never met and never knew.'

Mayrah's inner voice spoke as she was gawking at Isaa with hatred filled eyes, her jaw clenched in fury.

Rolling eyes at her, Isaa excused himself to the washroom and returned few minutes later, changed to his sweatshirt and trousers.

"Time to get to the main business of my wedding night."

Isaa grinned dropping his giant body in the bed while Mayrah crawled away.

"You're not raping me, move to the couch with self-respect."

"That is called love making, not rape."

Teasing her, he bent to open the drawer of the bedside table and filled in am injection with drug, unnoticed by Mayrah who turned to the other side tightly hugging her side pillow.

"Mayrah.."

He gently shook her shoulder, laying down beside with the syringe in his hand.

"Isaa I'm in no mood to have a talk or give a crap to your teasings."

"Okay I promise I'm not teasing anymore. Turn to me."

"Good night Isaa."

Isaa glowered at her ignorance.

Nonetheless, he waited for a few minutes to let her drown in sleepiness before he adjusted her robe and gently plunged the syringe in her shoulder, earning a painful moan as she turned to him.

"What was tha.."

"Relax, trust me. You're fine baby."

He shifted her body on top of his as she gasped looking at him but said nothing, rather made herself comfortable in his hold.

"I love you."

Gently patting the area where he hurt her at, he kissed her head while she was dozing off, worryless, as if the syringe was washing away all her exhaustion engulfing her with calmness and peace.

••••

"Won't it really take too long to get done with these research and proceed towar-.... "

"2 years will be enough. And you know brother...."

Cutting Musa off, he said turning to him with an annoyed expression.

"If you had informed me 2 years back, we would be enough ahead with your sister's treatment, you get me?"

Isaa completed with a glare of mockery.

"You can't keep taunting me everytime we talk, brat."

They both groaned at the other, getting back to each of their laptops.

"Morning brothers."

Yawning, Mayrah approached to the hall with all her intention in the cellphone she held in her grip.

"Me, Mayrah. I'm the brother only."

"And I'm the husband."

Isaa seethed as Mayrah looked up to both of them with a frown.

"I meant..you both brothers. Not exactly my brothers."

She corrected herself before diving back into her phone.

"Is it her phone?"

Isaa clearly needed a no as an answer. But to Musa's nod, he breathed out in fury.

"From the time she wakes up till she gets back to sleep, all hers. 24/7 in her hands."

Mayrah hawed at her brother's betrayal before her gaze shifted shifted Isaa.

"Lier."

"Am I?"

Musa stood up walking away to give them some privacy while she was huffing in annoyance.

"No problem, I'll get his words changed in few days. For now, wear some accurate clothes, sweetheart."

Mayrah's head snapped at him, eyes widening in shock as she looked down at what she wore. Dividers and t-shirt, her Hijab decent in it's place.

"I don't see any wrong in them."

"But these tell me how lazy you are! I don't know why. Adopt something different."

It was all to annoy her, nothing serious he meant.

"Excuse me! I'll stay naked if I want. Go away."

"That's our bedroom issue, Mrs.Isaa, I'm talking about you coming outside in them."

Mayrah's frown began to cease as she looked at herself once again before meeting his eyes back.

"I...I'll just wear kurta then."

She lowly said standing up to leave, wondering if she really looks bad in them.

"Oh no Mayrah! I was teasing you. You look nice in what you wear."

Isaa chuckled.

"Come on you really don't sound like a husband."

Throwing a pillow to his way, she walked away to her room while.

••••

"He's hell of a doctor. It's just been a day and I already regret dreaming forever to be his wife. What does he think of himself! Coward. English cat!"

Isaa was invited with her cursed as he entered in their bedroom.

"Is my wife praising me to herself?"

"You don't really act like I'm your wife."

Hands in her hips, Mayrah turned around as he advanced towards her.

"Hmm...teach me to act correct. I'll obey you."

He stood just in front of her, inches away, his head bent to her position while hers was up to his.

"Mo..move back."

She kept her hand in his chest when he was stepping closer.

"Get ready, we're going to hospital."

"Hmm why?"

"To skin you off."

He whispered leaning in to her ear.

"ISAA!"

"Yeah baby."

"Don't baby me. Step back."

He laughed out in glory as she walked away to the closet.

"Ammi, Chachi, Bhabi, Naira, listen."

Mayrah called out entering the kitchen where all of them were gossiping.

"I'm surely sure he has some evil intentions that he's gonna proceed dragging me out of your sight. Keep praying for me, I'm going to hospital he says, I don't know though!"

She wobbled her lips out, looking outside the window as if she was wondering over her own words, while the ladies frowned at her unnecessary disturbance.

"Are you coming or I need to send you a car inside?"

Isaa shouted.

"Coming coming!

Bye bye ladies. Hats off to you all for trusting and bounding me with this Psycic Ismael."

Stucking her tongue out, she ran out and halted for her father and uncle in the living room.

"Keep me in your Duaa, your son is planning to......"

"I'll drag you out by your leg. COME OUT!"

"I'm here, I'm here."

•••••