"There is no life in the hands" Armaghan Leghari roared, and Aabrish's hands started trembling.She was a 13-year-old innocent girl who had come to him for blood money. Armaghan Laghari pulled her trembling body close to him. "You are too young, I am sparing you only for this reason. Don't show your face to me again in the future." He growled in anger. After that day, despite enduring cruelty in the mansion, she never came before Armaghan Laghari again, but four years later, she went to his room to place things during Armaghan Laghari's own wedding, and when Armaghan Laghari saw her, he turned to stone. She was the epitome of beauty, delicate and innocent...
The Laghari mansion was bustling with activity; it felt like a celebration because it was the wedding of Ehsan Laghari's youngest and most beloved son, Armaghan Laghari, who had returned from completing his education in America a week earlier, after four years. His soon-to-be wife, Maheen, was the daughter of his only paternal aunt, who lived in the city. Maheen and he shared a childhood bond.During the time he spent in America, both remained in contact. Maheen loved him, but Armaghan did not have any feeling like love for her in his heart, though he certainly liked her. Besides, he wanted an educated wife and besides Maheen, there was no other girl in the entire family who had an M.A. degree, which is why he was satisfied with marrying Maheen. In the brightly lit mansion, wedding preparations were in full swing. Guests were being entertained. There was a smile and happiness on everyone's face except for this seventeen-year-old girl... who had been brought to this Laghari mansion as a "Vani" four years ago at the tender age of thirteen... She was Aabrish Hassan.who lived in the city.Unfortunately, four years ago today, her brother, Sahil Hassan, came to the village of these Lagharis to meet a friend... His car was going at full speed on a small, paved road built amidst the fields when suddenly some children running emerged from the fields and came in front of the car. In panic, he applied the brakes.but while trying to save them, a child came under the car... And later, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away... That child belonged to the Laghari family, Ehsan Laghari.
He was Arham Laghari, the eight-year-old son of Shahbaz Laghari, the elder son of the Laghari family. The Lagharis caught Sahil. When this news reached his home in the city, his father Hassan Siddiqui and mother were devastated... Sahil was their only child..."
He studied in university,where he befriended Faisal, the son of Chaudhry Kamran. Unfortunately, one time during holidays, he went to Faisal's village, Miran Goth, and there he brought trouble upon himself.
Hassan Siddiqui immediately reached Miran Goth with his relatives. Chaudhry Kamran fully supported them... The Lagharis, who wanted to hand over Saahil to the police, agreed to a panchayat only due to Chaudhry Kamran's efforts, and then, as Vani ( blood money), Saahil's only thirteen-year-old sister, Aabrish, was given in marriage to Armaghan Laghari and handed over to the Lagharis.
Although the heart of Hassan Siddiqui and his family was shedding tears of blood over the Vani (forced marriage/settlement) of their innocent daughter, there was no other option to save Sahil... The frightened, innocent Aabrish sacrificed herself for her brother and when she came to the Laghari mansion, she first became the target of Shahbaz Laghari's wife, Shehnaz's, cruelty."
After this, whoever wished would beat her, except Zartaj Laghari, whom everyone called Amma Jaan. Zartaj Laghari was Ehsan Laghari's wife. Only she felt sympathy for this thirteen-year-old girl.
The mistake was committed by her brother, for which the girl was not at fault in any way. That's why, in their view, torturing the girl was not right.
But she could only explain this verbally to her sons or daughters-in-law, and their children from mistreating that girl. But she had strictly instructed that the girl should not be sent to Armaghan's room... For this, she had entrusted a maid named Kausar with the responsibility of making her sleep with her. She didn't want a mere thirteen-year-old girl to become a victim of hatred and lose her innocence. But their daughter-in-law, Shahnaz, whose son Arham had met with an accident, she intensely hated this girl, so one day she strictly ordered Kausar to keep her mouth shut and dragged Aabrish into Armaghan's room and said to him "Here, take your wife and treat her like a wife should be treated... We haven't brought her here to decorate her." Armaghan, who was sitting on his bed, turned his attention to the frightened, teary-eyed girl who was trembling while looking at him... A momentary feeling of sympathy arose in Armaghan Laghari's heart, but the very next moment, remembering his nephew Arham, anger and indifference immediately overshadowed that sympathy... "Come here!" In an extremely angry and cold voice, he told that girl to come to him on the bed... She, who was standing scared and timid... and didn't want to leave his place at his command. Armaghan Laghari called her from her place in an even harsher tone than before.
With slow steps, she approached him, and Armaghan Laghari grabbed her hand and pulled her. She fell straight into his side... Out of fear, a scream escaped her mouth, which Armaghan suppressed with his heavy hand. Seeing the warning in his red eyes, the innocent girl was terribly frightened.
"What is your name?"Armaghan Laghari asked in a harsh tone, removing his hand from her mouth.
"A... Abrish," she stammered, frightened. Armaghan Laghari looked into her scared, timid eyes for a few moments. She was undoubtedly an attractive girl. His heart longed to pity her, but the death of eight-year-old Arham, like a flower, prevented him from showing pity.
He grabbed Aabrish by the arm, lifted her up, then lay down himself and ordered her to massage his feet. Abrish, trembling, tried to massage his feet with her delicate, small hands. How could she do it properly when she was doing such a task for the first time in her life? Five minutes passed when Armaghan Laghari snapped at her and told her to massage his feet properly. Out of fear, she put all her energy into massaging his feet, but he was still not satisfied and started scolding her... "You're not a baby who can't do this job properly..."
He growled, taking her soft and delicate hands in his firm grip, and Aabrish started crying out of fear...
"Silence!" Instead of becoming quiet after his scolding, her crying intensified, and he became severely irritated... And pulling her trembling body close, he spoke in a cold voice...
"I said shut up... I'm only being considerate of your young age. If you weren't so young, Armaghan Laghari's rage would have erupted on you today... Before I lose control of myself... Get lost from here and never come in front of me again!" Upon his push, Aabrish fell from the bed onto the carpet. She felt pain but, disregarding the pain, she got up with the speed of electricity and ran out. Her direction was towards Amma Jaan's room because only she wouldn't scold her.
Zartaj Laghari was lying on the bed, and Kausar was pressing her legs, but there was severe anxiety on her face. When a weeping Aabrish entered, Zartaj Laghari was also startled, her face drained of color.
Abrish immediately clung to Zartaj Laghari and began to cry...Zartaj Laghari patted her and barely quieted her, and then upon asking, when she heard what Aabrish told her, she looked towards Kausar with angry expressions, who had bowed her head in shame. The next morning, Zartaj Laghari packed her bags and decided to go to the city to her middle son, Faraz Laghari. She made this decision because of Aabrish. but when Shehnaz tried to object, her husband Shahbaz Laghari silenced her by saying that Amma (mother) would need a maid there who could stay with her twenty-four hours a day for her care. Shehnaz became silent in front of her husband, but she was very annoyed by this cunningness of her mother-in-law, who wanted to save that girl.
Aabrish breathed a sigh of relief after coming to the city. Faraz Laghari's wife was also a good-natured woman; like her mother-in-law,
she too sympathized with Aabrish. Aabrish stayed with Amaan Jaan twenty-four hours a day, so gradually she became very accustomed to them. When she saw Faraz Laghari's children, who were the same age as Aabrish, going to school, she felt a strong yearning. Therefore, one day she expressed this desire to Zartaj Laghari, who remained silent in response. Because she knew that if they sent her to school, this news would definitely reach Shahbaz Laghari, Ehsan Laghari, and Shehnaz, and then a storm would surely erupt, and Abrish would be called back to the mansion.
Therefore, they remained silent about her wish, but Sahiba Laghari found a solution to this problem. She arranged for private tutoring for her. She herself used to teach her. Then, a school principal who was her friend,Through her, they had Abrish take the 8th-grade exams at her school.
But this matter was kept so secret that even her husband, Faraz Laghari, didn't know; only Amma Jaan (mother) was aware. She passed the 8th-grade exams with good marks. She was a very intelligent child, which is why Sahiba sympathized with her, feeling that an intelligent girl was being deprived of education due to an outdated custom. The 9th and 10th-grade papers were board exams, and for those, Abrish needed a good tutor.
The solution Sahiba Laghari found was to take her to her principal friend's house two or three times a week, where Abrish would be guided quite well. She was intelligent and quickly grasped things. When the ninth-grade board exams were happening, she initially took them easily, but the day before the last paper, Shahnaz Laghari arrived there.
Her sudden arrival worried Amma Jaan, Abrish, and Sahiba Laghari. If they had even a slight hint of Abrish's studies, it would have become a very big problem. Therefore, on the day of the paper, Sahiba forcibly convinced her and took her to the market, and Abrish went to give the paper by sitting in a rickshaw behind them. Sahiba Laghari kept her sister-in-law busy in the market for three hours under the pretext of shopping. When she received a call from home that Abrish had returned after giving the paper, then she felt relieved, and she took Shehnaz back home.
After her papers were sorted, Amma Jaan took her back to the haveli. Because now, apart from Shahnaz, there was no other issue, and Armaghan had gone to America for his studies. At the haveli, she again faced the treatment of a servant, but she endured it with patience. Anyway, two years had passed, and she had become mentally much more mature than before.
Now she was waiting for her result because Amma jaan had said that after her results, they would take her back to the city. Her result was even more splendid than her expectation. Sahiba Laghari secretly called her to congratulate her. Abrish was very happy. For the first time in these two years, such an opportunity had arisen where she had found some happiness. She secretly told Amma, who was also happy, and the next day, they went to the city to pick her up... Like every time, Shahnaz tried to stop Abrish but failed.
Anyway, now everyone considered Abrish to be Amma Jaan's personal servant, so no one agreed with Shahnaz Laghari's insistence that Abrish should stay in the mansion. Therefore, everyone thought that wherever Amma Jaan stays, that girl will also stay with her. No one had any idea that Amma Jaan had not kept her with her for herself, but had kept her with her for her sake...
Just like the ninth grade, she also passed the tenth grade with good marks. Then Sahiba Laghari ordered eleventh-grade books for her, and she became engrossed in her studies. Four years had passed. In the beginning, she used to cry remembering her family, but after becoming sensible, anger had developed in her heart towards her family who did not find any other solution to save their son despite being educated sacrificed him to an outdated village custom at the age of thirteen.
Although Amma Jaan had asked her once or twice if she wanted to meet her family, she could arrange it, but Abrish refused. She was busy preparing for her eleventh-grade exams when one day she found out that Armaghan Laghari was returning from America and preparations for his wedding had begun in the haveli. Abrish's heart, for some unknown reason, became agitated.
Although her relationship with Armaghan Laghari was merely by name, it was still a relationship. Her first and last unpleasant encounter with Armaghan Laghari was etched in her mind, In it, that person had only made her cry, scared, and tormented, yet despite all this, her heart felt pain upon hearing about Armaghan Laghari's marriage, for some unknown reason.
Then she felt as if not only she was saddened by Armaghan Laghari's marriage, but Amma Jaan (mother) was also sad.
Although she used to share everything with Aabrish, she didn't say a word about Armaghan Laghari's wedding, or if she did, it was only to say, "Prepare to go to the village." Aabrish found her quiet and deep in thought. There were deep lines of worry on her wrinkled white face.
When she reached the mansion with Amma Jaan, her heart sank at the sight of its glitter, because that glitter was no less than darkness for her.
She quietly began working with the maids of the mansion. The night before the mehndi, Shehnaz sent her to Armaghan's room to decorate Maheen's wardrobe. Carrying the boxes of clothes, she stepped into Armaghan Laghari's room with strange feelings. He was sitting right in front of her, with all his dignity.
Aabrish's heart pounded forcefully for a moment, then in the next moment, regaining control of herself, she ignored him and moved towards the dressing room. As she entered the dressing room and placed the box she held in her hand on the floor, she heard a sound and looked back, her heart skipped a beat. He had entered the dressing room and was looking at her with very deep and intense gaze. Aabrish's heart began to pound in her chest with a strange fear.
Are you Abrish?" he said, coming close to her and looking at her deeply from head to toe...
Abrish nodded her head in affirmation, bowed down...
"Wow, you've become so beautiful and stunning!" His tone had more boldness than appreciation. Abrish involuntarily lifted her eyelids to look at him, but fearing the intensity of his deep gaze, she lowered her head and, cracking her knuckles, said...
"Shehnaz Baji sent me to set Maheen bi bi's wardrobe."
But Armaghan Laghari's attention was not on her words, but on her.
He came close to her. Abrish's heart started beating uncontrollably. She tried to back away and ended up against the cupboard.
"P-please... stay away," she said nervously. "You are my wife I'm not doing anything wrong with you," he...He came closer to her, so much so that the warmth of his breath started to burn Abrish's face.
He placed both hands on either side of her face and leaned in. His lips dared to be bold... Abrish froze in surprise and fear.
He didn't stop there but reached out and, with great entitlement, took her into his possession...
Abrish's breath hitched. Every limb of her body became still. Her heart felt as if it wanted to break through her ribs and come out. Armaghan Laghari was extremely close to her, so close that they could only feel the warmth of each other's breaths. Armaghan Laghari's enchanting personality was overwhelming her senses. She felt helpless in his grip. Armaghan Laghari's intentions were clear from his eyes.
He gently touched her hair and leaned over her neck... Abrish's heartbeats quickened as if screaming. Suddenly, coming to her senses, she nervously tried to free herself from Armaghan Laghari, but he tightened his grip further...
"P-Please let go," she pleaded desperately... Her protest caused Armaghan Laghari's brow to furrow...
"You are mine... Don't forget... You are here in my name...
Her voice held a harshness that shook Aabrish's heart. She tried to say something, but no words came out. Tears welled up in her eyes, which Armaghan Laghari gathered with his fingertips. Her heart was afraid, not supporting her. But there was an unspoken pull that couldn't stop Armaghan Laghari... Armaghan Laghari had used his right to make a few moments colorful for himself.
Abrish's life was at stake. She was lying near her mother, who was suffering from fever, and her mother was worried about how she got a fever when she was doing well. It was Armaghan Laghari's wedding night, and she couldn't sleep for a moment. The moments of closeness between her and him revolved before her eyes, how that person had claimed his right over her and shattered her, and now he had become a companion of someone else's closeness.
On the third day of the wedding, Armaghan Laghari took Maheen and went on their honeymoon. Meanwhile, Aabrish's condition worsened even more than before. She stopped eating and working, and sleep abandoned her eyes. Her body felt lifeless. She started experiencing lethargy, dizziness, and nausea, which alarmed Amma Jaan and Sahiba, and she herself became very worried. At Amma Jaan's insistence, Sahiba took her to a lady doctor under the pretext of a fever check-up.
and there, what was feared happened: she was pregnant. When Amma Jan and Sahiba asked her, she tearfully revealed that Armaghan Laghari had forced himself upon her. Both of them became extremely worried. If this matter became known in the haveli, Aabrish's life could also be in danger because no one here would tolerate a girl from outside the family bearing Laghari's child. That's why Sahiba Laghari told her mother-in-law and After consultation, Aabrish was quietly taken out of the mansion and sent to her principal friend, Shehla, who had shifted from Lahore to Islamabad.
When Aabrish disappeared from the mansion, there was a considerable commotion. Inquiries were secretly made at her parents' house, but she wasn't there. This commotion would have continued if a mutilated corpse of a girl hadn't been found in an old mansion in the village, which was quietly buried, presumed to be Aabrish.
When Armaghan returned from his honeymoon with Maheen, he was stunned to hear about this incident. Maheen's behavior was strangely distant. Within a few days, everyone in the house felt a strange tension between them. When asked, Armaghan remained silent, but Maheen burst out and said, "I made a very big mistake marrying this person... He has no interest in me at all; he has grown tired of me in just a few days. He is lost in the thoughts of some beloved."
He doesn't pay attention to me, what should I do? -- She kept crying and telling everyone in the house, and then there was a huge fight between Armaghan and her over this matter. Armaghan said that you were wrong to tell our personal matters to the family. Whereas Maheen thought that she had done absolutely right, only through such an action would Armaghan realize his behavior. But she was wrong,
The relations between the two deteriorated further... Finally, after three months, Mahin got upset and went to her parents' house, and then after some time, she also returned.
The relationship between the two was not right since the first night of marriage... Now, after open quarrels, even the friendship ended.
Maheen realized that the one she was in love with was none other than Abrish, the girl who came in the Vani marriage.
She was also part of his Nikah (marriage contract)... But Maheen was always carefree about this Vani marriage because she knew that the girl who came in Vani would only remain associated with Armaghan's name in the mansion; she would never get the right to be Armaghan Laghari's wife."
Nor to bear his children. Therefore, she didn't even bother to think about this, let alone worry about it, but now she was realizing that she made a mistake by being careless. If she had somehow gotten her out of the mansion before she came into Armaghan's sight,then his marital life would not have been ruined. Although she was not alive, she was present in Armaghan's heart.
And then, a few days later, when he found out that the body found in the old mansion in the village was not Aabrish into but someone else's, his peace was further destroyed.
Because she had found out that Armaghan was secretly searching for Aabrish, but she couldn't share this with anyone and further worsen her relationship with Armaghan, because Armaghan had strictly warned her that if their matters came out, he would divorce her. Due to the fear of divorce, Maheen kept her mouth shut. That's why no one could find out about Abrish being alive.
On the other hand, Aabrish's life had transformed into a determined one. She not only handled the responsibility of motherhood but also continued her education. In all this, Saheba Laghari's friend, Shehla Farooqi, fully supported her.
Shaila Farooqi also named her son Raem. Abrish was like a younger sister to her. Shaila Farooqi was not married. She ran her own school, academy, and NGO; she was a successful working woman. By staying with her, Abrish learned to live and raise her voice for her rights.
After succeeding in the private F.A. examination, when she got admission in college, she also started teaching at Shahla Farooqi's academy. The fruit of her day and night's hard work was received when she completed her Master's degree. This degree was the result of her self-confidence, self-reliance, and struggle. Six years had passed since she left the mansion. Now she was no longer the helpless and weak Aabrish she once was, but a confident, educated, self-sufficient mother of a son.
Raeem was now grown up and went to school. She had achieved her life's purpose by completing her education, so now she had to make a decision about Raeem's future. The most important thing was to raise her voice against the outdated custom of 'Vani', of which she herself had been a victim when she was merely thirteen years old.
Shehla Farooqi's NGO and several other NGOs were behind her. She was also a part of them, so now she had no fear.
She took the first step on the advice of Shehla Farooqi. There was a stir in the Laghari Haveli in Miran Goth when they received an official notice from Abrish Hassan.
In it, not only was a divorce demanded, but also a court notice against the inhumane custom like Vani.
It was written in the notice: "I, Aabrish bint Hassan Siddiqui, demand to annul this so-called marriage of my own free will, because this marriage was performed without my consent under the custom of Vani,
This was a blatant violation of Islamic principles, the Constitution of Pakistan, and human rights. Therefore, I seek freedom from this illegal bond and demand judicial protection against this custom." After this notice, it was as if an earthquake struck the Laghari's mansion.
Traditionalists who believed that women could be suppressed.Especially the one who came to Vani. Now this notice blew their minds. They had considered her dead for so many years.
Not only was she alive, but she was also going to drag them to court; they were already feeling themselves in the dock. This notice was not just about divorce, but also a declaration of war against a centuries-old cruel tradition. A silent revenge that had been festering in Aabrish's heart for years had now come before the Haveli residents in written form. If anyone was aware of all this beforehand, it was Sahiba Laghari.
There would have been another person too, had he not passed away two years ago... And that was Amma Jaan, Zartaj Laghari. If Aabrish was indebted to anyone in the mansion, it was Amma Jaan and Sahiba Laghari. It was because of them that she reached this position today. If those two had not supported her, she would surely have been lying in some corner of the mansion as a maid. The news of the notice from Aabrish in the mansion surprised and troubled everyone, but Armaghan Laghari was stunned.
For how long did he hold the notice in his hands, staring blankly, as if he had lost something precious...
He immediately used his connections to get information about Aabrish and found out that she also has a six-year-old son, Raeem Laghari...
He was stunned...
Aabrish had his child, and here the people of the mansion had been longing for his children for six years.
Now,
doctors had confirmed that Maheen was infertile. Perhaps this
was why, despite Armaghan Laghari's indifference, she was living with him, considering his presence a blessing,
because despite such a major flaw, Armaghan had not removed her from his life, and that was his generosity, otherwise.
Otherwise,
he lacked nothing; he could have married anyone he wished for the sake of children... But he didn't do that. She was forced by her love to stay with him, but Armaghan Laghari had no such compulsion.
Now that he heard she had a son, he swelled with happiness. He was in love with Aabrish, and perhaps it happened at the very moment she entered his room.
And seeing her beauty, he lost control over himself and forcibly asserted his right over her. He thought it was a temporary attraction that would fade after possessing her once, but this was his misunderstanding.
The first night when he saw Maheen, he didn't feel the same attraction for her as he had felt in his heart for Aabrish. Then, with each passing day, he began to feel that his desire and longing for Aabrish were increasing day by day... This was her thought that occupied his mind twenty-four hours a day , and he started feeling annoyed with Maheen... So much so that even on their honeymoon, he remained withdrawn and sullen. Maheen intensely felt his aloofness and indifference.
Initially, she tried to find out the reason from Armaghan, but then his attitude and behavior started to irritate her... and an argument and dispute began between the two of them... in which Maheen tried to ruin his image by involving the family and fell in his eyes herself. She was not in his heart before either; Aabrish had already occupied that place...
When he went on honeymoon with Maheen, the thought of Aabrish day and night forced him to make a decision that he would oppose everyone." and give Aabrish the status of his wife. But when he returned, the news of her death shocked Armaghan Laghari so much that Maheen realized from his restless state that it was Abrish who ruled his heart.
For many days, he mourned her death, and then one day, his man brought him news that brings him back to life.
The girl whose body was buried thinking it was Aabrish, was someone else. He strictly forbade his man from mentioning this to anyone. He did not want her family to find out and start searching for Aabrish to punish her. He himself wanted to find Aabrish, not to punish her, but to include her in his life.
One day, he was talking to his man on the phone about this when Maheen overheard.
He feared she might tell the family, so he silenced her by threatening divorce. He searched the entire city of Lahore for Aabrish, but six years passed and she was not found. He had become despondent, and it was beyond his imagination that she would be in Islamabad.
Now, after knowing all this, he wanted to go to Islamabad and appease Abrish, he wanted to give his son his affection. Yes, for the first time, he spoke openly with Maheen.
"Maheen, I cannot live in the shadow of silence anymore. Aabrish, undoubtedly, came into my life as a vani, but before you came into my life, I had already accepted her as my wife and established a marital relationship with her."
My attachment was a temporary attraction, but then when you came into my life, I realized that I found no peace even with that temporary attachment and with you.
So I thought of accepting her in front of everyone, but before I could act on my thoughts, she had perhaps gone from the Haveli (mansion) feeling hurt because of my marriage to you. You are aware of the later circumstances; I searched for her so much... Now I know that my son is with her. My blood, my offspring, the heir to my property... I will now get him at any cost."
I have to accept both my wife and son. I am going to Islamabad. I hope you will cooperate... But even if you don't, it's your choice. I don't fear anyone. I will bring my wife and son and give them their rights, which they have been deprived of for six years today. Hearing all this, although Maheen was shocked,
she had already felt that if Aabrish ever met her, she would surely embrace her. Therefore, she silently submitted to the decision of fate...
On the other side, Armaghan Laghari stood in front of Aabrish six years later. Aabrish glanced at him and then turned her face away. She was very reluctantly prepared for this meeting at the insistence of Shahla Farooqi.
otherwise, her heart wasn't willing to even look at the face of that selfish person who had merely used her for his momentary desires. Armaghan Laghari kept looking at her for a few moments, then affectionately called her name. But silence prevailed from Aabrish's side. Far from answering, she didn't even look at Armaghan Laghari.
this very thing touched Armaghan Laghari's heart.
Aabrish... After a few moments of pause, he called out again and began to say...
"I know there is a lot of hatred for me in your heart, that's why you don't even want to see me. Perhaps I deserve this hatred... But I have come to ask you for something... that is forgiveness...
because I gave you a name that was not yours... "Vani"...This is such a
terrible word, hearing it, who knows what went through your heart, I am now realizing that. Because of this terrible word, I did not give you your right. I did not give you the respect that our relationship deserves in this place.
Saying this, he came a little closer to her and pleaded:
"Aabrish, I want you to come back... for me... for Raeem's sake... He has been deprived of his father's affection for six years, don't deprive him further now... I promise you, your rightful place and position..."
I will declare you my wife in front of everyone at the mansion. I will free you from the label of 'Vani'. If you wish, I will go with you to court... Legally, this stain will be removed... I will fully support you in ending this wrong custom...
Please take back your divorce notice...
Tears started falling from Aabrish's eyes...
"Why now, Armaghan Laghari, why now?... After using me for one night, did it not occur to you that I was your wife?
How selfish you are... I know that even now you haven't come to ask for me because you desire me, but because your son is with me. You only came because of Raeem, because your preferred family is barren, isn't it?"
She kept speaking in one breath, angrily...
Don't say that, Aabrish. I fulfilled my wish from you... I came close thinking you were my wife. I fell in love with you at first sight.
Yes, this was my mistake that I couldn't immediately claim you in front of everyone... But I had made this decision and before I could act upon it, you had disappeared from the mansion.
I can't tell you how distressed my mental state became. I searched for you a lot... Your disappearance brought a storm upon my heart with great intensity.
I did marry Maheen, but I didn't love her, and after returning, when I saw you, I fell in love with you, but you were very hasty. You should have waited for my return... Giving an explanation, he finally complained, and Aabrish's looked at him with intense anger..."
"I was pregnant... How could I stay? If the people of the mansion found out, would they let my child be born?? And you... what guarantee was there that you wouldn't deny that the child was yours? Then, along with Vani, I would also be labeled as immoral and probably wouldn't even be alive now... So, I thought it better to leave the mansion before the people of the mansion found out.
Armaghan Laghari took a deep breath... She was absolutely right about this.
what she did at that time was appropriate given the circumstances. The mistake was entirely his; he had delayed in implementing his decision. But now he wanted to correct this mistake of his. Aabrish was not agreeing, so he pleaded with Shehla Farooqi to persuade her. Shehla Farooqi wholeheartedly wanted Abrish and her son would get their rights. They would get all the happiness they were deprived of. That's why she explained to Abrish that happiness has come to their doorstep on its own, so don't turn away from it.
Not for yourself, then think of your son... let him take his right...
After taking divorce,
You will not only be bad to yourself but also to Raa'im. Not only Shehla Farooqi, but Sahiba Laghari also explained to her on the phone, so she agreed to forgive Armaghan Laghari."and go with him... Although her heart was not willing, Sahiba Laghari and Shehla Farooqi were her benefactors, how could she refuse them...
Raim was very happy to meet his father... Armaghan Laghari's face also lit up with joy at her acceptance.
He took Abrish and Raim to the mansion, and everyone was shocked. Upon inquiring about Raim, Armaghan proudly said, "He is my son, Raim Laghari..." This shock was even bigger than the previous ones for everyone, especially for Shehnaz Laghari, who started wailing. She said to Armaghan, "How can he be your son? That girl has spent six years, God knows where, and with whom she has disgraced herself."
We will never accept this child as your son and heir to this mansion..."
Upon hearing Shehnaz Laghari's words, Abrish's face turned pale (literally 'smoky'), and Armaghan's face turned red with anger... He said, looking at Shehnaz Laghari with extremely furious eyes..."
Bhabhi, you have said this today, but if you say it again in the future, I will show no regard... regarding my wife's chastity."
I don't need to show you a certificate of my wife's chastity. This is my son, and I know him. If someone doesn't believe, then don't believe, I don't care. But now, let me make it clear to everyone again: if anyone slanders my wife, there will be no one worse than me."
"By God, I will show no regard for anyone... He along with Aabrish and Raaem came into the bedroom. Maheen had already moved her belongings to another room before their arrival because she knew that now in this bedroom, he would not keep anyone but his love...
A glow of happiness was on Raaem's face. In the new place, the new environment, especially having his father, made him immensely happy.
Aabrish, on the other hand, was quiet and serious. There was hesitation in her eyes and a strange restlessness in her heart. Meeting and accepting all this after so many years felt strange to her. On the other hand, Armaghan was also restless. He wanted to talk to Aabrish, he wanted her to trust him and understand the state of his heart, so that an atmosphere of love and trust could be established between them.
They should start their relationship anew, but Aabrish's cold and cautious demeanor was forcing him to hesitate...
On the other hand, the atmosphere of the mansion was also quiet and perplexed. Ehsan Laghari, Shahbaz Laghari, and Faraz Laghari shared the opinion that during these circumstances...Abrish and Raeem should be accepted, keeping in mind (the situation). When Armaghan considers Raem as his own child, how can we say that he is not his son? Ehsan Laghari said, "Times have changed, we also need to be broad-minded. Raem is our Armaghan's son, so he is our blood; rejecting him would be injustice."
Shahbaz and Faraz Laghari also supported their father's decision in this matter. Anyway, this mansion needed an heir. Shahbaz had only one son, Arham ,who had passed away.
Faraz only had daughters, and Armaghan and Maheen had no children. In such a situation, Aabrish, who undoubtedly came through Vani (a custom of forced marriage), was still Armaghan's wife. Therefore, the child born from her womb was Armaghan's son and thus the heir to this mansion.
Secondly, by accepting Aabrish, the threat of a case against the custom of Vani was also averted. Therefore, the next day, they called Armaghan and told him that they accept his wife and child, and thus, they will now have equal importance and rights in the mansion. Shahnaz wanted to express anger at everyone's decision, but she became silent when Shahbaz Laghari dealt with her strictly.
Armaghan proved his words true; the Lagharis accepted her as their daughter-in-law, giving her the same status as Shehnaz and Sahiba. Shehnaz didn't talk to her much, but Sahiba was very happy for her. For Aabrish, she was like an elder sister. Abrish's life was made beautiful today, and it was all thanks to them. In the beginning, she felt a strangeness towards Armaghan Laghari and his room.
But then Armaghan's caring manner and sincerity, which shone through his every action, began to knock on the walls of Aabrish's heart with love. This knocking had also happened six years ago when she first saw Armaghan Lagari in that same room and he came close to her. After that, whatever happened, all emotions and feelings had died.
But now, seeing his love, those same emotions and feelings started coming back to life. Armaghan was getting closer to her day by day, but he did not rush or force her; he knew there was pain in Aabrish's heart... wounds from the past... he needed to gain her trust.
He wanted to assure her that his love was true. One night, when Aabrish was lying a little distance away from him, Armaghan said to her, "Aabrish, I know you don't trust me in your heart... There is fear from my side. Indeed, don't trust me, but believe in my love... Just know that you are the one I want to see with me until my last breath." Aabrish remained silent, but there was moisture in her eyes.
Slowly, she began to trust Armaghan Laghari and accept his love, and one day, she herself said, "Armaghan, I have come to believe in you and your love. You will never leave my side." Hearing these words from her, Armaghan's eyes sparkled with happiness. One night, he embraced her in his arms, but with Aabrish's complete consent...
Then one day, Armaghan surprised her. He took her and Raeem out, saying they would go for a tour. After a long journey, when they reached an old street, Aabrish's heart started beating fast. She found the place familiar, as if many memories were attached to it. Armaghan said to her, "Aabrish, I have brought you to meet those with whom you are perhaps upset." He had brought her to her parents' house. Aabrish stepped inside through the door, and in front of her were her father, mother, and...brother Sahil.
Their faces showed remorse and pain, and tears flowed from their eyes. Aabrish's eyes also began to well up. Years of separation were condensed into a single moment. She quickly moved forward and embraced her parents. Armaghan stood watching this emotional scene with moist eyes.
She was truly angry with her parents, which is why despite so many years passing, she hadn't searched for them or met them.
but today Armaghan ended this displeasure of hers. She spent the whole day with her parents and then returned to the mansion with Armaghan after promising to come back soon. Maheen, who had been at her parents' house for a week, demanded a divorce for some unknown reason. What objection could Armaghan have when she herself had asked for a divorce.
Therefore, he fulfilled Maheen's wish. No one said anything because the decision of divorce was Mahin's own... Apparently, everything was fine, but Aabrish remained in distress.
One day, Armaghan insisted and asked, so she said, "I want the custom that I fell victim to to end in this village so that no other girl like me becomes a victim of such a custom. But what can I do about it? I don't understand anything." Armaghan then consoled her and said that he would do something about it soon.
And after considerable efforts, he gathered the elders of the village and called a meeting in which it was announced that from today onwards, customs like 'Vani' will not take place in this village, no matter what happens. The young generation of the village was already against this custom, but no one dared to raise their voice to abolish it out of fear.
But Armaghan Laghari not only showed courage but also faced all the difficulties and problems that he had to endure not only from his home but also from various people in the village. In all this, it took him at least three months to explain and convince people, which was quite difficult. He had obtained a legal notice for the abolition of this custom from the court. In all this, Madam Shahla Farooqi and her team fully supported him.
Finally, when this outdated custom was abolished from the village, Aabrish's anxiety also turned into peace. Now her life had become normal. Her family members would freely come and meet her, and she would also go to meet them whenever she wanted. There was no restriction or limitation of any kind. She was happy and content in her life; after Raem, Zara came and completed her life.
