THIRD PERSON'S POV:

"Believe me" she whispered with a sob and Anwar turned his face to her

"I'll do, but on one condition." He whispered back and Maryam suddenly looked up.

"I'll do everything, everything but don't divorce me." Maryam said while joining her hands and Anwar sit with folded legs facing towards her.

"Everything?" Anwar asked and Maryam nodded abruptly while wiping her tears.

"Will you believe me then?" she asked with tears.

''Never break my trust, I'm trusting you but it doesn't mean that you will betray me" Anwar said and Maryam closed her eyes to flow down the tears.

"Just this?" Maryam whispered looking at him and he shook his head.

"It's not about just this, trust is very big thing, if I'm asking for trust it means I'm asking for something which is non-compatible to anything else in this world." Anwar said and Maryam shook her head while crying

"Trust me, I will not break your trust" Maryam replied.

"I don't trust on anyone easily" Anwar replied in his ruthless tone.

"Why you are making issue if I'm late in returning? Why Are you both mother and son doubting on me?" Maryam mumbled.

"Stop crying" Anwar ordered and Maryam sniffed while wiping her tears

"You are my wife Maryam, I can't tolerate my wife..." this time Maryam didn't let him complete

''Hum apni galti to chhoorh dete hai magar woh galti Hamara peechha nhi chhoorhti.... Kya sab log mujhe meri ek galti ki wajah se puri zindagi judge karenge?" Maryam asked to her husband and he stay quite for a few moments

(We left our mistake but that mistake never left us alone for whole life. Will everyone judge me whole life for my only mistake?)

"I'm not judging you" Anwar said and Maryam smiled sadly

"you are judging me, I had done only one mistake in my like. I didn't trust on my parents choice and did marriage to him without my parents will. Except that I haven't did anything wrong" Maryam said looking into Anwar's eyes and he also keep watching her face

"For that mistake you are doubting on me. Please don't do this.... And believe me, he was Razi, if you wanna clarify your doubt you can call him here and ask Hamdan to recognise him" Maryam said and Anwar adjusted his position, he sat down resting his back with headboard of bed.

"Do You know what is the most important thing in the relationship of husband and wife?" Maryam nodded

"Love..."

"Don't live in fantasy world, in reality trust is most essential element of married life. Loyalty towards each other is the most important thing" Anwar said and Maryam nodded slowly

"But there is no trust in our relationship. I'm trying to make you believe on my loyalty towards you but you aren't ready to accept that" Maryam said in whispered and Anwar nodded then sighed

"Maryam I just need your assistance that you will be loyal towards me... And in return I'll be loyal towards you, forever" That was the first time when Anwar was talking to her, otherwise he only ordered her

"I can't even think to go back to Aatish, now you are my husband. Untill I'm alive as your wife I'll be loyal only towards you. Trust me" Maryam said in slow voice and rested her forhead on side of his arm, her eyes flew down some tears

"I'll will be loyal to you, only to you. I'm your wife how can I even think to betray you" She said in whispered and Anwar looked at his right arm on which MARYAM'S forehead was resting and she was sitting with closed eyes

"Promise" He asked and Maryam nodded after removing her head from his arm

"I'll always be loyal only towards you" Maryam said and felt a hot and rough hand cupping her right cheek

"IN return I'll be loyal to you" Anwar said and remove his hand from her cheek but Maryam shook her head

"Not only loyalty, I want your trust too, I can't prove myself every now and then." Maryam said and Anwar think for a good moment

"Trust isn't a thing which I give you, it take time and effort to gain" Anwar said and Maryam smiled sadly

"And what efforts shall I have to do to gain your trust?" She asked with broken heart

"You are still sitting beside me, talking to me freely.... Don't you think you become successful in gaining my trust in just a month?!" Anwar said and Maryam was shocked after listening all those things.

"Are you really trusting me? But you were asking the same thing again and again" Maryam said in complaining way and Anwar nodded.

"Why you didn't tell be before that you met with Razi, you only told me that bus arrived late that's why you were late. And I trust on that thing very easily but then I got to know that my wife was in a restaurant with a guy then what would be my reaction?" Anwar asked and Maryam nodded

"I'm sorry, I'll never meet them meet them again" She said in hushed tone

"Why you won't meet your family? I'm not stopping you to do so" Anwar said and Maryam didn't said a single word

"But Maryam never hide anything from me, why you didn't inform me about Razi before?" Anwar asked and Maryam looked at him

"We took just ten minutes in restaurant, that wasn't a big time, so I feel not to say in front of Amma, she would be angry on me that's why I didn't inform you on call and when you came back from office I didn't even remember about that so I didn't inform you" Maryam said and two tears again rolled down from her eyes

"Fine... Now stop crying."

"I'll not hide anything from you. But please don't give me divorce, you obey your mother in every way so will you divorce me if she asks you!" Maryam asked and this time Anwar turned his head towards her with a deep crease on his forehead

"What do you think, what is divorce? Just three words? If I do Marriage with you it means that I will always with you, we will argue, we will be angry with each other but I'll not divorce you, no matter what would Amma say" Anwar said and Maryam cried but with a smile.

"sach me?" Maryam asks and Anwar nodded.

(sure?)

"But never betray me, otherwise I'll cross my all limits" that was a horrifying threatening but didn't make Maryam scared, because she wasn't going to go anything like that.

"Trust me.... I'll never betray you, you are my husband and I'll be loyal towards you, only you." Maryam said with down gaze and Anwar cupped her cheek on which she lifted her head to saw him.

"I'm trusting you" He said in small voice and Maryam smiled. "I'll never break your trust" she whispered and he nodded after slowly blinking his eyes.

"Now the discussion is over, go and bring food for both of us" Anwar said and Maryam nodded with a satisfying feeling on her face.

After some ten minutes Maryam came back to room, holding a tray with food. And placed that on the bed in front of Anwar. That was only one plate with curry and roti.

"Where is for you?" Anwar asked and Maryam placed the glass of water beside the tray

"I'm not hungry you have it" She said and sat down beside him, looking at Shifa who was sleeping peacefully. Maryam smiled looking at her daughter and kissed her cheeks but Anwar watching the scene.

"My baby" Maryam kissed the small nose of her daughter and she smiled in sleeping state, giving a smile to Maryam's lips.

"She is sleeping don't disturb her. Take this" Anwar said and Maryam looked up, he passed a bite to Maryam while she held and lifted to her mouth. He again passed a bite and Maryam again took that silently

"I already told you not to skip your meal, come and have it" Anwar said and Maryam shook her head but got a glare in reply so she creeped towards him and took a small piece of roti which was places in front of him, he didn't said anything but shifted the roti towards her and both had their dinner together, sharing the same plate.

"Tea?" Maryam asked and Anwar raised his brow "Is my answer required?" Anwar asked and Maryam shook her head while lifting the tray after dinner, and moved towards the door of room.

"Say Hamdan to come, it's already late for him to sleep" Anwar ordered on which She nodded before going out fron the room.

'Is he good or not? I never understand this man! Sometimes he is so kind towards me but most of the time he is rude. He don't like when I skip my dinner, but he never talk to me politely. He is trusting me but still have some doubts towards me in his heart. What should I conclude about him? I don't know but whatever it us he is better than Aatish, he cares for me, he is a man unlike him who left his wife and innocent daughter in between just for his own comfort.' Maryam was busy in her thoughts while making tea.

'Don't Aatish ever miss me and Shifa?' suddenly her unconscious mind asked and she think for a while but on the spur of the moment she shrugged that thought and moved towards the room holding tea cups in a tray. When she entered in the room Anwar was laying down on bed thinking about the incident somewhere he was feeling sad for Maryam, and what he did with her.

"Hamdan is sleeping with Amma" Maryam informed and made Shifa lay down in cradle after placing the tea on bed. Then sat down beside him.

There was only silence between them, which was broken by Anwar

"Have you stopped writing Diary?" He asked and she nodded

"Why?"

"Just... Without any reason" she shrugged

"Because of me" He said and Maryam stay quiet because that was true, she hide her diary and didn't wanted to drew out in front of Anwar. Both lay down facing opposite of each other after the silence of sometime and Maryam was comsumed by the sleep after a tiring day, but Anwar was not on peace.

"Maryam, are you slept?" Anwar asked and Maryam's slumber got disturbed.

"Hmm.." turning her side she towards Anwar she hummed in sleepy voice, her eyes were still half closed.

"Have you slept? Sleep again" He muttered and closed his eyes but Maryam was came out of her slumber

"Kuch kaam hai?" she asked and he opened his eyes.

(do you have any work?)

"Bina kaam ke tumse baat nhi kar sakta?" He asked in his same rude tone

(Can't I talk to you without any work?)

'Aaj tak to kabhi kari nhi' She said to herself in her heart

(you haven't talk to me without any work yet)

"If Amma say anything to you, then don't reply to her. I'll talk to her in my own way" Anwar said and Maryam nodded slowly.

"Otherwise also I don't answer her, I just listen whatever Amma or Rani baji said" Maryam said in slow voice, and Anwar noticed her eyes, her eyes were puffy and red due to crying

"You cried a lot today" Anwar said and Maryam looked at him.

'I cried due to you' Maryam said to him in her thoughts but she didn't had guts to say anything in front of him.

Creeping towards her he caressed her cheek which back of his fingers which made her shudder, her heart shivered with his touch and whole body got covered with goosebumps.

"You.. You must be tired" She said to divert his mind and he nodded.

"Yes I'm tired, but I think not more than you" He said but his tone was as usually rough

"I have invited Rani on Saturday" Anwar said suddenly and Maryam looked at him, but then nodded.

"She will not come on Sunday so you can go to meet your parents on Sunday." He informed and Maryam think for a moment.

"I will go only if you want me to go, otherwise I won't go" She mumbled and Anwar nodded.

"I don't have any problem if you wanna to go your home, go there spend some time with your siblings and parents. I don't wanna cage you inside home, I am just asking for your loyalty" Anwar said and Maryam nodded with tear filled eyes.

"This is one of the difficult task to gain someone's trust, and in my case no one is ready to trust me" Maryam said and Anwar nodded.

"Tumne kaam hi esa kra tha ki agli baar bharosa karna mushkil ho jaye... Bharosa toodna aasan hota hai, bharosa jeeta mushkil aur bharosa qayam rakhna usse se bhi kyada mushkil, Tumne apni marzi se aasaan raasta chuna tha, aur aasaan raaste ki manzil hamesha mushkil se hi milti hai"

(You did the work which make it difficult to trust the next time... It's very easy to break someone's trust but gaining someone's trust is difficult and maintaining that trust is more difficult. You have to see easiest way by your own self but the destination from the easiest way is always difficult)

Maryam was silently listening the manly voice of her husband who was still caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Will everyone distrust me for whole life?" Maryam asked and few tears escape from her eyes

"No, time will make every forget everything" Maryam sniffed but nodded.

"Will you always trust me?" She asked. But didn't got any reply even after a minute which made her heart broke.

"It means you will not trust me!" she mumbled and Anwar still stay quiet for a good moment

"If I wouldn't trusting you then you won't laying beside me like this, you would be outside the room or maybe outside the home." Anwar said and Maryam noticed herself, she was just an inch away from her, both were sharing same pillow and Anwar was still caressing her cheek with his fingers.

"Thanks for trusting me" she whispered and Anwar hummed

"You gain my trust it's a difficult thing but now you have to maintain this trust which is more difficult" he said in his same rude tone

"I'll never break your trust" She cried and Anwar nodded

'I'll always trust you, but I won't show this to you.'

That day was very difficult for Maryam but that difficulties break down the wall between her and her husband.

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_Naaz Jamal