Choosing Him

Chapter 18

Continued from the previous chapter...

"What do you mean mama?" Areesha asked.

"Areesha go to your room; we will talk about this in the morning."

Areesha glanced at Zayan who gestured her to leave and went back to her room.

She knew that her mother wanted her to marry Aamir but she had said it herself that if the guy was a good muslim then she didn't mind. What was up with her then?

Maybe that's what the barrier she had seen in the dream was about. If Allah had given her a clear positive indication and from the dream she decided that removing that barrier was important. Personally she was so confused about her feelings. The face wasn't that clear in the dream. But she was sure that Fawad had the same brown eyes. She had loved Aamir so much and she wanted him back. She just hoped that she wasn't using Fawad to get over Aamir.

With those conflicting thoughts in her mind she fell asleep as she was very tired from the long day.

Fawad, on the other hand, couldn't sleep a wink. He was so happy about it. He had even told his family about it. Maya was very happy for him but she couldn't help but say 'I told you so.'

He thanked Allah and prayed that nothing went wrong. He had this uneasy gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. He gave sadaqa so that if there was anything bad it won't happen.

Fawad's gut feeling however was right. When Areesha's mother had sent her back to her room she told Zayan what she had been hiding from them and why Areesha couldn't marry anyone but Aamir. It changed everything.

"When you two were eleven years old, someone had taken over your father's business and all the property illegally. Your father was very upset about it and he contacted many lawyers about it but none of them were willing to help as the person who had the property was a very dangerous man and that your father didn't have the money to pay a lawyer in case they lost the case. So your father went to that man and tried to make a deal with him. That man said that in return for our property and business we would marry our daughter to his son Aamir when they grew up. He made us sign a contract about it. We have no choice. Areesha can only marry Aamir." By the time she had finished telling Zayan about everything she had tears in her eyes.

"What?" He was having a hard time digest this new information.

"This is the truth."

"So y-you basically sold your own daughter for money?" He said angrily.

"It wasn't like that. He threatened to kill your baba as well. We hoped that things would take a better turn as Aamir was a good boy." She said desperately trying to make Zayan see the truth."We had no choice beta. We had gone hungry for days. We couldn't spread our hands in front of our relatives and friends forever."

"What was the contract like? Maybe I can do something about it." He said hopefully when he understood that maybe they really were desperate.

"It was plain that when Areesha grew up she would marry Aamir. Amirs ffather is a very dangerous man. He is not going to spare us. Zayan I can't lose my daughter as well." She said sobbing.

"What sort of shit is that? How did the court even accept that?"

"You don't know the gravity of the situation beta. Aamir's father is a man with very high contacts. Even if you try right now you won't be able to get anywhere. He has the judges in his hands. Whatever he says goes." His mother didn't even comment on his language as she would usually do. It was clear that she was very worried about her daughter herself too. All she could see was that Areesha married Aamir and be safe.