Sadqay Humare.

two.

Aaina x Zaydaan 

"Salam." (hello)

If Zaydaan Ziagil looked stressed even with a blank face, Aaina knew that there was a big reason behind it.

She knew it was not something work related since Zaydaan converted that stress into anger. This tinge of stress mixed with a blank face, it showed her that he was probably going to tell her a bad, bad news.

Her heart beat fast at what had happened, but she stopped herself from asking anything as he nodded at her, greeting her through his eyes.

"Saam, baba." He heard his daughter greet.

The Prime Minister bent down, returning his daughter's adorable Salam as he picked her up in his arms and giving her a smile.

"Walaikum Salam, my darling. How are you? Good yeah?" Zayla nodded, telling him that she was okay, her hand reached out to pull his thick beard and he visibly winced, looking at Aaina.

"I didn't know she was with you." He muttered.

"I left a message with your office boy." Aaina replied, Zaydaan had no time to listen to anyone.

He was at the construction site when he came to know of the utter, miserable truth. The news didn't affect him much but he knew that it would affect his wife, more than he wanted it to affect her anyway.

Zaydaan glanced at Aaina, then at one of his assistants.

"Zayla..uncle arif will get you some juice..okay?" His daughter was used to playing with uncle arif and uncle Ferhet, they were the usual men that she was surrounded with everytime she visited her father's office.

She didn't protest as Arif picked her up.

"Mama and I'll be right back." He traced his finger on her cheek, whispering a sentence into her ear and walking towards the smaller room with his wife.

Aaina followed him quietly, not asking any questions as he closed the door.

She waited and waited, but Zaydaan didn't say much. Finally, she burst out.

"You know you're scaring me, what happened?!"

He took her hand in his, then made her sit on the small chair.

"Sit." He muttered, his right hand reached out to touch her neck, as he rubbed it up and down.

It was a gesture meant to comfort her, she knew.

"Tell me." She demanded, or pleaded. He couldn't differentiate.

He let out a sigh.

She was finally happy. She was finally so f*****g happy. She shouldn't even feel sad about it, he was a pathetic man but she knew that it would affect her, she would feel lost.

He was her father. No matter what.

He knew that there was no beating around the Bush, no preparing her for it. So he simply said it out loud.

"It's your father, Aaina. Someone shot him in Malaysia." He could feel the sudden tension in the air, the gulp of in throat, the sudden frown, the pale cheeks.

She shivered against him, not even knowing how to react at all. What to say? Is he okay? Tell me he's not dead? Where is he?

"What? Oh My God. Is he okay?" Aaina questioned, managing to push the bile down her throat as she expectantly looked at her husband, waiting for an answer.

Zaydaan looked down for a moment before he knew that he had to give her a direct answer. There was no other way.

"The injuries were very critical, he couldn't survive." He said it out loud.

"Your father's dead, Aaina." He repeated himself.

All he could feel was the cold sweat on his wife's face and how she put her head against his chest, not saying anything at all.

------

Two days later, her mother and her sister were flown from London to Islamabad, to the Prime Minister House. The news had hit them like a storm, like a big angry storm.

Aaina had talked to her sister over the phone several times in the past two days, they had cried, they had rambled about how horrible he was and they had cried some more.

Her mother, however was a different story. She was grieving her husband, her life partner and her way of telling Aaina that she was affected, it wasn't exactly too comforting.

Aaina could even understand the hidden meanings behind her words, the way she almost cursed her and her husband for being the reason, Imran was out of Pakistan in the first place.

Aaina wanted to correct her, say that father's own thing wrongdoings were the reason for it, his own illegal businesses were the reason for it all but instead she told her mother to be calm, to be patient and trust in Allah.

Zaydaan had been supportive, he had told her to take care of her first family, to make her sister and mother feel at home once they arrive and to take care of her own self.

Finally, when their private plane landed, Aaina was waiting outside the Prime Minister House to greet them.

She hugged her sister the moment she saw her, she was carrying a neck pillow, her eyes puffy and sad, she had gained some weight, Aaina noticed. She hadn't seen her in a few months so everything seemed different about her.

Aaina noticed her blond highlights and the way her curves now hugged her body.

"Saira... Are you alright?" She whispered in a hushed manner, engulfing her sister into another hug as the dark sky loomed over them.

"I'm okay, aapi. Ofcourse I'm shaken up but I'm better now." She replied, sighing as she clutched her purse in her hand and phone in another.

"Where's mama?" Aaina questioned her sister, who pointed at the left side where her mother was stood still, staring at the house which she hadn't entered in what seemed like ages.

"She's right there." Saira pointed, Aaina motioned her to enter the house, ushering a house worker to aid her sister.

"Okay, make yourself comfortable. Alright? I'll just go meet her."

Saira nodded and entered the house, Aaina, on the other hand walked towards her mother.

"Mama." She called her out, her mother embraced her in a hurry, sobbing on her shoulder.

Her daughter simply waited for her mother to calm herself down as she hugged her.

Her loss was huge, she had every right to break down.

"Aaina."

"Your father, Aaina..your father." She cried, over and over again.

"I know, mama. I'm so sorry." Finally, after a while, her mother got a hold of herself and pulled away.

Aaina guided her through the house, entering the hallway.

"Come in,"

They sat in the living room of the house as the first lady looked at one of the house workers.

"Prepare their rooms, they'll stay here for a while." She told her, the girl nodded. Aaina managed to give her a smile, murmuring a thanks as she walked away.

She sat in between her mother and sister, staring at the clock. It was around six in the morning, The Prime Minister had left for some national security plan, something urgent had come up and he really had to leave.

Zaydaan had left at around twelve in the night, a little reluctant but he still left. Aaina wanted him to stay but at the same time, she didn't want him to change his schedule for her..not when there was something of such grave importance going on.

Zayla was still asleep, Aaina knew that she could wake up anytime soon but she hoped that he would just stay asleep.

She glanced at her mother, who was wiping away a stray tear. Aaina bit her lip, trying to stir up some sort of conversation.

"Where were you....when?" She trailed off, questioning her mother about how she had truly found out.

Her mother let out a dry chuckle.

"When I came to know that my husband died?"

Aaina nodded. Was there a way to sugar coat it?

"Yes." Where were you when you came to know that my father had died.

"I came to know that he was cheating on me, that he was having an affair with a woman in Malaysia. I was ready to take a flight and catch him red handed but Saira insisted that I had to attend her first ever seminar."

Aaina couldn't believe that her father would have an affair with another woman but at the same time, he was the kind of man to do something of that sort. If the man could sell his daughter, he could also cheat on his own wife.

"Oh.."

"After the seminar ended, I got a call mentioning that Imran had died. I had been so hurt at his betrayal but I never thought he would die."

Aaina let out a deep breath, knowing that her mother needed to understand what had happened.

"Zaydaan says that it was someone from Pakistan, someone who had conflict with him. That's all the intelligence has told them so far."

She told her mother, what she didn't expect was the next disgusted grunt that left her mother's mouth.

Her mother scoffed, eyes showing the sudden rage that coursed through her.

"The only person who had conflict with him was Zaydaan, not to mention he was the reason we all had to move out of Pakistan."

Aaina gasped at her mother's words.

"What are you trying to say?" She gritted out.

Saira stood up, stopping her mother.

"Nothing, she's saying nothing. Mama, please." She pleaded but their mother was far too gone in her anger and grief to even say some thing good.

"Zaydaan hated Imran. He always made it very clear so don't tell me that you think he's innocent." She pointed at Aaina, Aaina wanted to tell her mother to just shut up, to not speak ill of her husband but at the same time, this was her mother.

Her own mother.

"I know you're grieving mama but don't accuse Zaydaan of something that's not true." She politely said, rubbing her mother's shoulder in a comforting manner.

Saira butted in once again, changing the topic.

"Aapi, forget it. We had a long flight..I just want to sleep. All the relatives are going to start pouring in once baba arrives."

"His body arrives, his dead body."

Her mother corrected her, she almost rolled her eyes. The old Saira would have done it, the new Saira..she stopped herself and thought about her mother's loss, their loss.

"We're practically in the house of his murderer, Saira." She hissed in her daughter's ear, Aaina pretended that she hadn't even heard her.

She held her mother's arm.

"Come on mama, you need sleep." She mumbled, guiding her mother towards the stairs.

"Let me show her the room, madam. Zayla is probably awake by now." Ayesha, the house worker interrupted in between.

Aaina nodded, giving her a small smile. The only one she could muster up anyway.

"Okay, thank you Ayesha. Come Saira, you can sleep in my room." Aaina held her sister's hand, leaving her mother's.

She still turned to look at her mother.

"Mama, if you need anything..just call me. Okay? I'm here for you..you aren't alone." I won't leave you alone like you left me alone all these years, without a care in the world.

I won't abandon you like you abandoned me. I will be here to wipe your tears off, to tell you that it will get better, that things will change in life, that with patience..will come beautiful things, that pain is a part of life.

I had no one to teach me any of it, no one to guide me like a mother would guide her child, but I will be here for you.

I will love you, even if you didn't love me.

Her mother left with Ayesha towards her room and Aaina walked upstairs with her sister, right inside the Prime Minister's bedroom.

She closed the door and felt her sister stare at her daughter, her daughter who was fast asleep, a baby monitor by her side..just in case she woke up.

Aaina sat down on the bed and so did her sister.

"He was not the nicest man, aapi. I know. But do you remember when he used to take us out for icecream after school every Friday?"

Aaina nodded, remembering those days where things were so simple, where the only problem they had was how much icecream or chocolate they could eat, where they weren't grown enough to understand whether their parents actually loved them or only pretended to so, life is so much easier as children.

When we grow up, all we see is evil and darkness etched across the entire world, as children, we only see the light.

"That's the memory of him I've been holding onto since a long time, Saira."

Saira understood her sister, the hidden meaning behind her words was quite evident. She didn't press further on the wound, talking about her own feelings instead.

"I'm so scared to sleep, everytime I close my eyes..I see him being shot." She admitted how she hadn't slept in the past two days, afraid that her father would be getting shot in her dreams and she wouldn't be able to see it.

Aaina sat on the bed properly, her head leaned back and eyes staring at her sister's scared face.

She felt her daughter stir and all of a sudden, Zayla's head was on her lap. Her eyes observed Saira, she seemed so tired and out of her mind, yet she was not ready to sleep.

Aaina shook her head, patting on her lap.

"You're gonna get sick if you don't sleep, come on." She ushered, Saira almost chuckled even in her state of dismay.

"Really?" She asked her sister for certain. She was clearly not a child.

Aaina nodded.

"Yes, really. Come on, Zayla's Khala also needs some pampering, yeah?" Saira agreed, within a moment, her legs were sprawled on one side of the bed and her head rested on her sister's lap.

Aaina dragged her fingers, passing it through the silky strands of her hair.

"You're gonna be okay, Saira. I promise." She whispered to her, trying to make her sister feel better in some sort of way.

"You also lost your father, aapi." Saira reminded him.

Like she could ever forget it.

Aaina couldn't help herself as words flowed out of her mouth and she said them out loud.

"I know. But I lost him years ago and you lost him just now."

And the words truly dawned upon her. She had lost the man she called her father a very long time ago, she tried so hard, she prayed and hoped that he would come to love her, without any plans, without any deals. She just wanted him to love her as his daughter, but some things? They can just be prayed for but you can never really get them.

Not even when you're the first lady.

Life certainly is that way.

----

--

Her eyes hadn't even closed properly when she felt the door squeak open, she opened her eyes immediately, making sure that Zayla was still asleep.

She was. She had been sleeping for a while now. Saira, on the other hand was fast asleep too.

She looked up and in that view, she found relief.

He greeted her with a tired smile.

"Hey." He whispered, eyes feeling like they would shut at any moment, his hair was half ruffled, eyes puffy and red, filled with the sleep that he hadn't got in the past two days, he had been so damn busy lately that he hardly slept.

He looked at his bed, feeling creeped out by her sister sleeping on his bed.

He gave Aaina a look, letting out a tired sigh.

"I really am tired, you know." He said in a low voice, not ready to wake Zayla up.

Aaina bit her lip as she answered him.

"She just slept an hour ago and you know Zayla won't stop crying once she wakes up so I can't wake them up." She told her husband, sensing his slight frustration.

He put away his bag, took off his coat and sat on the edge of the bed, not knowing where to lay down.

The couch was way too uncomfortable for Zaydaan Ziagil and sleeping in any other room, it wasn't an option.

Aaina let out a sigh of her own, placing a few cushions on Saira's side, creating a slight partition.

"Just lie down by Saira's side, it's okay." She advised. He scowled.

"It's inappropriate." He added.

Aaina shook her head. He was sleepy, she was sleeping, Aaina was right there. He could just sleep.

"It's fine, Zaydaan. Just lay down and I'll wake you up in a while." She promised, patting his side of the bed lightly.

Her husband still seemed unsure.

"Come on," She mumbled again, giving him her best wife look.

Zaydaan nodded, taking off his shoes as he laid flat on his back.

"Is your mother settled now or?" His muffled voice reached her ears.

"She's grieving, it'll take some time." Aaina replied, voice just as low as him.

"Any progress on who shot my father?" She asked him. His voice was heavy and muffled against the mattress yet again.

"No, not really. I was busy with other things today." He answered.

"Wake me up in half an hour, okay?"

Aaina knew that was never going to happen, she was just about to sleep herself. Her eyes felt as heavy as him. She wanted to sleep the grief off, the hollowness and the emptiness, she wanted to get rid of it.

"Okay." She still agreed, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

----

✨

✨

✨

She heard the sound of her own daughter's cry, even in her half asleep state, she couldn't help but make a quick prayer in her head for her deceased father, some thing that she had been doing since the past three days.

She opened her eyes, looking at her daughter who was now startled awake with fresh tears in her eyes, tears that indicated she was incredibly hungry.

Aaina pushed herself off the bed after putting Saira's head on a pillow by her side, she picked Zayla in her arms, careful not to make a noise.

"Zayla, hey hey. Let's not cry, love. Shh."

She put the rubber n****e in her mouth, a habit of Zayla's that she had developed herself. She sucked the empty n****e as Aaina picked up her warm milk bottle from the kitchen and started to walk towards Ahad's room.

Zayla, as Aaina bounced her up and down while walking, still cried, voice coming out in whimpers and soft sobs.

"It's okay, what happened? You want to sleep more?" Aaina cooed to her, she nodded, more tears coming out of her small eyes.

"Okay, do you want to see Ahad chachu?" She tried to distract her from crying, Zayla shook her head.

Now that was shocking.

"Baba." She said with a whimper.

Aaina sighed.

"Baba is just a little busy but I can take you to Ahad chachu for a while, won't that be nice?" She tried to persuade her little girl, meanwhile Aaina heard a sound from behind and she almost jumped at the sudden intrusion.

"Aaina."

She turned around to see her mother, standing in front of her.

"I didn't even get to greet my grand daughter." She came forward, putting a finger on Zayla's cheek.

The tender expression was enough to make Aaina forget all that her mother had said before.

"It's okay, mama. You were tired." She excused, her mother still looked at her grand daughter with a sad smile.

"Do you need anything?" Aaina asked her mother who just shook her head.

"No, I'm okay."

She opened her arms, pulling out both of her hands for Zayla to come near her.

"Come here, Zayla." She coaxed the little girl.

Zaydaan's daughter didn't like going to strangers, she blantantly rejected with a shake of her head.

"Go Zayla, that's your nano..come on.." Aaina insisted, her daughter put her head on the crook of her neck.

Aaina looked at her mother, giving her a comforting stare.

"She's cranky, I'm just going to leave her with Ahad and come back to you." She added, her mother nodded.

"Okay. Where's Saira?"

"She's asleep in my room."

Aaina walked away, moving towards Ahad's room and leaving her sad, sad mother..all alone.

--

❇️

❇️

❇️

She knocked twice before entering, the last time she had entered without knocking, Ahad was half naked and on top of his wife.

Aaina had never felt as embarrassed before as she did in that moment. Seeing her brother in law getting it on with his wife wasn't the sight that she wanted to see. Ever.

She stepped inside the room, finding Ahad on the bed with his laptop in front of him and Noora sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea in her hands.

She greeted the couple with a Salam, smiling at Noora as she put away her cup of tea and gave Aaina a hug.

She had been such a help in this difficult time, always there whenever Aaina needed her.

"Aaina." Ahad called her towards himself. She walked towards him with a look in her eyes that told him she needed him right now.

Their bond was slightly different in front of Noora, they didn't get too close in front of her, the same way as Ahad always kept a bond with her in front of Zaydaan but managed to stay in his limits, not crossing a certain barrier.

"Hey." He greeted her yet again, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the way her face was lowered, her daughter held tightly in her arms.

"Your mother and sister..they're okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, they're fine." Aaina replied.

"And you? Are you okay?"

His gaze showed the worry he held for her, the utter sympathy that he had in his heart for her. Ahad knew it all, he knew how Aaina felt about her father and he also knew that even though she had this grudge in her heart, he was still her father.

Aaina nodded, blinking her eyes at him.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She mumbled to him, putting Zayla in his lap.

"I'm leaving her with you both for a while." She said to Ahad and Noora.

Ahad gladly held her in his arms, Zayla grinning as he pulled a funny face at her.

"That's fine. We can have so much fun together,"

"You need any help, Aaina?" Noora questioned her as she turned her attention away from Ahad and Zayla onto her.

"Not now but tomorrow, at the funeral. I need you guys." She told them honestly.

What was the point of hiding things from the people who truly cared about you?

Both Ahad and Noora agreed, she left the room after that..knowing that she had to go back to Zaydaan and Saira before one of them woke up and freaked out.

---

She was halfway across the hall, thinking about her foundation and her father and Zaydaan and Zayla and her mother..oh and Saira.

Saira.

The moment she started to think about her, Saira appeared right in front of her, seeming out of her wits.

Her eyes widened, face pale and hands almost shaking, as she rushed towards her.

Aaina looked at her sister, shocked at her sudden frantics.

"Saira?! What the hell? Why you running like that?" Aaina exclaimed, holding her sister's arm in a tight grip.

"Aapi, why was Zaydaan bhai sleeping with me?" She questioned, the first Lady's eyes widened at her sudden question.

"What?" She responded, confused.

Saira took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I turned around and saw him. How could he just-"

And Aaina understood. Ofcourse. That's what she had been worried about, one of them would wake up and freak out upon not seeing her.

She smiled at her sister, explaining the situation.

"I had your head in my lap and Zayla was on the bed too, Zaydaan was hella tired himself so I told him to lie down for a while. It's not a big deal." She assured the girl who was now, a woman.

Saira clicked her tongue.

"Yes, it is." She insisted.

"I'm going to mama's room to sleep." She added.

Her sister only nodded, ushering her towards the way to their mother's room.

"Okay. Go on."

So Saira left to sleep with her mother and Aaina left to sleep with her husband.

---

There was no better feeling than being in his arms, being held against him as you thought about all that had happened. There was no better feeling than him holding you, as if he was joining each and every piece of you that might have the chance to break.

Being in his hold, it was like home for Aaina.

Shockingly for even himself, Zaydaan felt the same way about her. The Prime Minister looked at the clock, the only sound that could be heard around the entire room, in the pin drop silence, he could only feel her rapid breathing and the ticking of the clock.

The clock reminded him that he had a cabinet meeting in an hour and the woman he held against him reminded him that he was a husband too, he had a duty towards her. He had to be with her, in sickness and in health, in grief and in joy.

He knew she was awake and she was thinking..oh she was thinking way too much.

"Aaina." He whispered her name, she visibly shivered.

"Hmm?" She hummed, as if she was in a deep ocean of thoughts.

"Okay?" Zaydaan enquired, just mumbling if she was okay..nothing more.

If she wasn't feeling okay, she would tell him. That was how it had been for a while now.

"I don't know, Zaydaan." She said in a quiet, hushed tone. He tightened his grip on her, his chin on her head now.

"Tell me." His voice was still filled with sleep but Aaina knew that he was paying complete attention.

"I feel sad and a little hollow but at the same time, I don't feel like I lost some thing. And I feel so guilty because of that." She admitted.

She hadn't been able to admit this out loud, not even to herself. But with Zaydaan, either things were way too easy or way too complicated..there was no in between.

The Prime Minister understood his first Lady's dilemma.

He placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head, waiting a moment to find the right words to say.

"Look, your father.. He abandoned you since a very long time and you had all these years to fill out that missing piece. Now that he's actually gone, you don't feel too different because he wasn't here at all." He explained.

Aaina couldn't argue with that. He was right.

"I guess so. My brother is arriving for the funeral with our uncle and he'll leave immediately, feels like my entire family is broken and I don't feel bad because.." She trailed off, stopping at the very last word.

"Because?" He repeated her, asking her to say it without any fear or any judgement.

"Because I don't think they're my actual family anymore. Saira is my family but mother, she's..i don't even know."

She was confused right now. Zaydaan knew it was better not to confuse her even further, he just wanted her to feel okay for now.

"It's gonna be okay, everything is going to be okay." He consoled.

She leaned back against him.

"Yeah, I hope so."

She mumbled, turning around to face him. His hands reached out to touch her waist, as she looked at him.

"Do you have to go to the office after this?" She asked, silently hoping he would say no.

"It's important." He said instead.

"What if I want you to stay?" She asked next. Zaydaan let out a sigh.

"Aaina." An actual pout formed on her face and she looked away.

"Please." She whispered, putting her head on his chest.

She needed him right now. She was what mattered right now.

"Fine, okay. I'll stay." He agreed.

The couple stayed quiet for a while after that before Zaydaan called her name.

"Aaina.."

"Hmm?"

"You don't feel like they're your family because you already have a family, one that you made yourself." He explained, trying to erase the slight confusion.

At first, he wanted her to figure it out on her own but seeing her so disappointed and guilty, he wanted to put her thoughts at ease.

"Yeah.."

He lifted her chin up with his finger, eyes staring at her as she stared back.

"I'm your family." He stated.

Ofcourse. There was no denying that. He didn't even need to say it, she knew. But still, saying it out loud, if felt so heartwarming.

She gave him a soft smile and waited for him to finish speaking, listening to all he had to say.

"But your mother and your sister, your brother even..they all need you. You're the only one who has everything held together and it's on you to make them feel stable enough."

His thoughtfulness made her speechless.

"I can't believe you're being so thoughtful for them." She told him.

Zaydaan let out a chuckle.

"I don't give a s**t about your mother, if I'm being honest. I don't know much about your brother but your sister, she's a good girl. I don't want her to go on the wrong path."

Aaina moved slightly up and placed a kiss on his scruffy cheek, his beard tickling her lips.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"One more thing.."

"What?"

"Don't let Zayla get close to your mother."

Aaina frowned. Where did that even come from? Wasn't he just telling her to be there for her family?

"Why?" She asked.

"She wasn't here when you needed her the most and she does not deserve our daughter being anywhere near her."

How could Aaina argue with that? She remembered how she had called her mother, told her that she wanted to see her right now, that her delivery was in two days, she was scared. She told her mother that a jet was waiting for her, all she had to do was pack and come to her.

Her mother had simply told her to stay strong and that she can't make it because her father has made plans for the both of them.

The blatant rejection had literally made Aaina so hurt and angry at the same time.

"Okay." She agreed, remembering the time Zayla was born and how she had to deal with it without her own mother.

A lone tear left her eye and she sniffed.

The Prime Minister spoke again.

"And I don't want to see another damn tear in your eye." He ordered.

Aaina wiped it off and he, once again tightened his hold on her.

"Okay."

"No more tears." Zaydaan repeated.

"mhmm." She hummed, a state of drowsiness appearing over her. Zaydaan rubbed her back in comfort.

"Sleep now. I'll be right here when you wake up." He promised.

That was all it took for the first lady to fall asleep after a tragic, tragic day.