Last night, Mahek asked Zavian for his Instagram password. He gave it to her without any hesitation. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. While Zavian was on the other side sending soft voice notes to Mahi telling her "I love you" & sharing sweet, loving words. Mahek was sitting alone in her room. She listened to those very voice notes on her phone. His voice was gentle, full of love but tears were quietly rolling down her cheeks.
Few moments ago Mahek opened Zavian's Instagram messages & started scrolling through his chats. Then she saw it, messages from his ex-girlfriend. She had sent him lots of reels, some full of love & hugs & few were even inappropriate. Zavian hadn't replied to any of those messages. He stayed silent but still, the sight of those chats hurt Mahek deeply.
She didn't know why it hurt so much. It wasn't because he talked to her ex or replied it was just the fact that those messages were there, they made her feel insecure & scared.
The morning light slipped into the room, Mahek hadn't slept much. Her eyes were tired, her heart even more.
Zavian woke up early, like always. He got ready for the office, fixing his shirt collar, spraying his perfume everything part of his normal routine. Before leaving, he picked up his phone & texted her.
"Begum, I'm leaving for office. Please have your breakfast"
It was short, kind like he always was. Mahek saw the message. Her fingers hovered over the screen for a moment then she simply replied,
"Okay"
That was it.
No hearts, no good morning, no emojis. Just one word & it carried everything she was feeling. Distant & hurt.
Zavian stared at her reply for a few seconds longer than usual. He didn't know what was wrong yet but he could feel something had changed.
And Mahek? She just stared at the wall, phone in hand, her breakfast untouched beside her.
Zavian reached his office & like every other day, got pulled into the usual rush meetings. His mind was busy but something kept tugging at his heart, Mahek.
He had messaged her a couple of times during the day, simple things asking if she'd eaten, how she was feeling but her replies were short, cold & unlike her.
"Yeah"
"I did"
"I'm fine"
That was all he got. It didn't sit right with him. By afternoon, Zavian couldn't take it anymore. Sitting in his office chair, the noise of the world buzzing around him, he paused everything & typed,
"Mahi, I wanna call right now"
A few seconds passed. The typing bubble appeared then disappeared.
Finally, she replied
"Zavian, Amma is calling me"
He stared at the screen for a moment, jaw tightening. He knew it wasn't true. He could feel it in his gut, she was avoiding him.
Without typing another word, he simply replied:
"Pick up the call"
And then, without waiting, he pressed the call icon. His heart was beating faster now, unsure of what he was about to hear or not hear at all.
Mahek stared at the screen as Zavian's call came through. Her thumb hesitated for a second but then she picked it up.
"Assalamualaikum, begum," Zavian's voice came gently,
"How are you feeling now? Headache better?"
There was a pause before Mahek softly replied, her voice low & distant:
"Mai thk hun, Zavian" (I'm fine, Zavian)
But he could tell, she wasn't.
Her tone, the silence behind her words it all felt wrong.
"Are you sure?" he asked again,
And then, she broke.
She burst into tears, suddenly & completely, like a little child who had held back too long. Her sobs echoed through the phone, full of pain.
Zavian's heart dropped. He sat upright, eyes wide, frozen for a moment.
"Mahek?" he said quickly, panic in his voice.
"What happened? Mahi, what's wrong?"
She kept crying, her voice shaking, like the pain had been sitting on her chest all night & was finally spilling out.
"Zavian tum bht bury ho" (Zavian you're so bad)
He felt like he'd been stabbed.
"What happened, Mahi?" he asked again, softer this time, almost whispering.
"Tell me agr btao gi nai toh sort kesy hoga, Chanda?"
(If you don't tell me, how will we fix it, Chanda?)
There was a pause, then she said
"Eman tumhein reels bhejti hai, tumhein msgs krti hai or tum usy rok b nai saktay? Kis tarah ki reels bhejti hai woh? You cheated me"
(Eman sends you reels, she messages you & you can't even stop her? Do you know what kind of reels she sends?)
Zavian exhaled, the weight of realization hitting him. He closed his eyes for a second.
"Did you open my Instagram, Mahi?"
Her reply came between her crying:
"Hmm"
He rubbed his face, his heart full of both love & helplessness.
"Mahi, listen to me. Please. There's nothing going on. Didn't you see? I didn't even reply to her. Not a word"
She kept crying & then, in the middle of her pain, she said something she shouldn't have. What she said next shook Zavian to his core.
"Talaaq do mujhy" (Divorce me)
Zavian's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat like someone had punched the air out of his lungs.
"What...?" he whispered, almost not believing his own ears.
"Yes," she said, voice shaking but firm.
"I want divorce, Zavian Ubaid"
It hit him like a storm.
"You really think I'm cheating on you? Seriously, Mahi?" he asked, his voice rising just a little, filled with disbelief & hurt.
Mahek didn't answer right away. She wiped her tears & then said coldly:
"I don't know, I just want a divorce"
Zavian's jaw clenched. For the first time, his voice had an edge.
"Aaj kaha hai yay ainda na sunun mai"
(Don't say this again I never want to hear it again)
Mahek didn't flinch.
"Do gy ya nai?" (Will you give it or not?)
His reply came sharp & clear:
"Kabi nai" (Never)
She went quiet for a moment then her voice came back, calm now but cold.
"Thk hai, phr sirf do saal hain. I won't stay in contact with you or us k baad, contract k mutabiq, tumhein talaaq deni pry gi"
(Fine then. There are just two years left. I won't stay in contact with you & after that, as per the contract, you'll have to divorce me)
Zavian's breathing grew heavier. His mind was spinning, heart racing, anger now rising in place of hurt.
"What contract, Mahi?" he asked, voice no longer soft.
Mahek still emotional, replied:
"Woh contract hamary nikkah ka. If you don't come to India in 2-3 years, the nikkah will end"
(That contract, the one from our marriage. If you don't come to India in 2–3 years, our nikkah will end)
Zavian went silent for a moment, trying to control himself but the anger sat in his chest like fire. Then, in a calm almost too calm & cold voice, he said:
"Mujhy esy contracts py koi yaqeen nai. Nikkah hona tha, ho gaya. Ab ap mere nikkah mei ho or mai b dekhta hun, kon divorce leny ki kohshish krta hai"
(I don't believe in such contracts. The nikkah was meant to happen & it did. Now you are my wife & I'll see who dares try to break it)
Mahek didn't step back. Her voice was colder now too.
"Thk hai, phr Baba court jayein gy"
(Fine then, my father will go to court)
That did it.
Zavian's anger boiled over & this time, he didn't hide it.
"Court sy ly lo phr mai toh nai dun ga"
(Then take it from the court I won't give it)
Zavian couldn't take it anymore. His jaw was tight, his breathing heavy & without saying another word, he hung up the call. The silence that followed wasn't peaceful it was full of noise inside their heads.
He leaned forward in his office chair, both elbows on the table & buried his face in his hands. His fingers curled into his hair as he sat still, trying to stop the fire rising in his chest. Anger, frustration it all mixed together.
He had always been calm with her. Always patient but today her words had pushed him too far.
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On the other side, Mahek sat on her bed, phone still in her hand, the screen dark now. She was still crying soft, breathless sobs that wouldn't stop.
Tears soaked her cheeks & in the middle of her crying... a bitter realization hit her.
She shouldn't have said it.
She shouldn't have asked for a divorce.
She didn't mean it not truly. It came from hurt, not her heart but now the words had been spoken, loud & sharp & she couldn't take them back.
"I messed up," she whispered to herself between sobs.
But the damage was already done.
And she didn't know if it could be undone.
--------------------
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Zavian finally wrapped up his work but his mind hadn't left that phone call not for a second. With slow, heavy steps, he walked toward the parking lot. His face was blank but inside, everything was burning.
He reached his car, unlocked it & sat inside. The door shut with a dull thud that echoed louder than usual. For a moment, he just sat there hands resting on the steering wheel, eyes staring at nothing. Then, he turned the key in the ignition. The engine came alive but Zavian's heart felt lifeless.
He didn't drive home.
Instead, he pulled out of the office parking lot & took the road with no destination in mind. The city lights passed him by in a blur. Horns honked. People moved. Life kept going but Zavian wasn't really present.
He was roaming through the streets not to get anywhere but to escape. His hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. His chest was heavy with words he hadn't said, pain he hadn't shown.
How did things go this far? How did she say that word... divorce?
And he just kept driving not knowing where to go but knowing he couldn't go back. Not yet.
It wasn't just what she had said, Zavian knew that now. It was also the way he had replied.
The way his tone changed. The sharpness in his voice. The anger that slipped through. He had never spoken to her like that before never. Mahek was like a baby to him delicate, soft, his most precious one.
He had always protected her, even from his own moods but today he failed.
As the weight of it settled in his chest, he whispered to himself:
"I messed up"
His voice cracked slightly & suddenly, the road ahead didn't matter. He pulled the car to the side & parked under a quiet streetlight. The engine hummed softly as he leaned back against the seat, closing his eyes for a second, trying to breathe.
Then he looked at the passenger seat. Empty.
Just like his heart felt right now. He picked up his phone, stared at the screen.
No notification. No message.
Nothing from her.
He kept looking, hoping.
But it remained silent & that silence hurt more than her words ever could.
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On the other side Mahek was still crying.
Her head rested on her knees, arms wrapped around herself, as if trying to hold her heart together. The tears wouldn't stop. Her eyes were swollen, her chest heavy with guilt.
The silence from Zavian was louder than anything & in that silence, regret grew inside her. She kept thinking about those chats she saw those reels his ex had sent. Yes, they were inappropriate. Yes, they hurt her but deep down she knew.
He didn't reply.
Not even once.
Not a single word.
It wasn't what she saw it was what she felt in that moment & what she let herself believe.
She had called him a cheater.
She had asked for a divorce.
The words she said echoed in her head now like a curse.
"Talaaq do mujhy"
She never meant them.
She said them out of pain, out of fear but not out of truth.
And now, she was drowning in guilt. The man who loved her like she was precious. Who had never raised his voice. Who treated her like she was made of stars.
"What did I do?" she whispered to herself, voice shaking.
"Why did I say all that?"
She wiped her tears with shaking hands but they kept coming.
She wanted to message him to take it all back but pride & shame stood in the way & so she just sat there lost in her own mistake.
She had been crying for hours but now the tears came with a different kind of ache. She knew Zavian was hurt. She could feel it in the silence. He was all alone out there & she had pushed him into that loneliness.
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It was late at night when Zavian finally reached home. The house was silent, empty just like the way he felt inside. He opened the door with slow, tired hands & walked in without turning on the lights.
He was too drained emotionally, mentally, physically. He walked straight to his room, loosened his tie & sat on the edge of the bed. The day's weight was still sitting on him.
He picked up his phone, staring at the blank screen for a few seconds. He wanted to message her. Wanted to ask, "Are you okay now?"
He started typing then erased the words. Typed again paused.
And finally, with trembling fingers, he sent her a few quiet messages simple, honest words. No anger, no blame. Just a tired heart, reaching out.
Then, unknowingly, he leaned back on the bed, still wearing his shoes, phone loosely in his hand. His eyes slowly closed not out of peace but exhaustion & he drifted into sleep, not knowing if she'd read the messages not knowing if tomorrow would bring healing or more silence.
All he knew was, He missed her & he hoped she missed him too.
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The morning sun was harsh, pouring warmth through the curtains. It was one of those hot, heavy mornings of summer. Mahi lay curled up in her bed, fast asleep, her phone resting quietly beside her.
A soft ring broke the silence, a notification. Sleepily, she opened her eyes, reaching for her phone with one hand & brushing her hair away with the other. The screen lit up.
Zavian.
Her heart skipped.
She unlocked the phone & there it was a long message from her husband. Paragraph after paragraph.
He wrote about how much he loved her.
How grateful he was to have her in his life.
How beautiful she looked even when she thought she didn't.
How proud he was to call her his wife.
How he knew she overthinks every little thing but he loves her for it.
"You must be sleeping right now, Mahi... "
"I just wanted to say you are the most beautiful girl in the world & I love you endlessly. I know that sometimes we fight & certain things are said that hurt both you & me but my love, isn't it better that we talk things through & sort them out?"
"Because Mahi... I don't want to lose you. I know that after everything we've been through, it's hard to make things feel normal again but I swear I've changed so much. Right now, my life revolves around only you my wife, my love, my peace, my other half. I could never betray you, nor could I even think about it... because you're mine & your pain is my pain & I promise you one thing, Mahi I will never let another woman take your place & in my eyes, no one else even exists"
"No matter what my ex tries, she can never have me because Mahek Zavian owns me. I love you, Mahek... I love you so, so much. I truly pray that by morning, my Chanda feels completely fine, InShaAllah"
"I've cupped your face in my hands & kissed your forehead"
Mahi's lips curved into a shy smile but there was more he wrote alot, he explained his feelings.
"I know we fight a lot sometimes but Mahi no matter how angry I get, I'll never leave you. Because you're a part of me & separating someone from their own soul feels like death. I never want to live without you, no matter how many fights we have, how many doubts or misunderstandings come between us"
"In the end, it's always us, you & me. Our love, our care for each other & I truly hope that we both always take care of each other's emotions not just now, but always"
"I want us to build a sweet, small, beautiful family together, InShaAllah.
You can doubt anything but never doubt my love. Because my heart, my mind, my entire life is filled only with you, Mahi"
"And I swear, I don't think I'll ever be able to love even our daughters as much as I love you because you're the only woman I obey, respect & love this deeply"
"I love you, Mahi. I want to spend my entire life with you.
I want you to be my world & my akhirah, InShaAllah.
I love you so, so much"
Mahi's smile widened, glow on face while reading his messages.
"You know, Mahi I just realized something, I think I would honestly die without you. Right now, we're apart, we're not even talking properly & my head feels like it's going to burst from the pain. Even my heart feels restless, uneasy like something's missing"
"I really, really want to be with you.
I love you so much, Mahi"
She read every word slowly, carefully as if each line could fall apart if she blinked too fast.
And then her heart melted.
A huge smile spread across her lips, the kind she hadn't felt in days. It came from somewhere deep inside, a smile that held relief, love & a soft kind of surrender. Without thinking twice, her fingers moved quickly across the screen.
"I love you, Zavian"
That was all she could write for now. Because his words had left her speechless.
He didn't just win the argument...
He won her heart all over again.
And this time she wasn't going to let it slip away so easily.
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Author's POV:
Things happen in every relationship.
Fights. Misunderstandings. Silent treatments.
Sometimes tears fall. Sometimes words are said that shouldn't be. Sometimes love feels buried under pride, anger or pain.
But the truth is no relationship is perfect. It's never about not fighting... it's about how you come back to each other.
It's about communication. About sitting down, letting your guard down & saying,
"I was hurt" or "I'm sorry" or simply, "I still love you"
That's what keeps love alive not just passion, not just romance but the effort to sort things out. To fix what's broken instead of walking away. To choose each other again & again especially on the hard days.
Because at the end of the day, real love doesn't mean "never fighting"
It means fighting & still not letting go.
And so it happens in our marriage too.
I & Mahi we've both made mistakes. We've said things we didn't mean, let silence grow longer than it should've & let hurt sit in the room with us longer than love.
But the one thing we've learned is to not let ego stay between us. We keep it aside every single time.
We say sorry.
We reach out.
We try again.
Not because it's easy but because we matter to each other more than being right ever could.
It doesn't matter who was at fault, what matters is that we still choose to hold each other's hands after the storm.
Because love isn't about never falling...
It's about always getting back up, together...
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I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next part...🤍📚
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