AN: apology for the coming plethora of caps locked sentences. There is a lot of screaming in the chapter.

For Meher time stood still but the ticking of the clocked echoed in the room, in the moment she forgotten how to breath.

Ten seconds passed, and then twenty and thirty, her eyes skimmed the words again and again and again, and the truth sank in. She felt all the air leave her lungs, and  finally the pain started to pull back like the tide going out, she was in pain, the earth shattering, soul numbing pain, where all she wanted to let out a howl to let go some of her agony but no sound left her mouth

Arham Umair Butt was the husband of Hooriya Hasan Ajmal.

Her fingers curled around the documents, her trembling fingers grasped the sheet of paper which had turned her life upside down.

Meher's feet buckled and her body fell limp on the floor. How could Arham be married to Hooriya ? This wasn't true !
Had she been deceived ?

A heavy feeling radiated in her chest like the tail of a serpent had wrapped itself around her heart preventing her it from beating, squeezing it till it gave up.

A sheen of tears glazed her eyes, blinding her, blinding her like Arham had, like Hooriya had.

She covered her mouth with the back of her palm and let out a heart wrenching sob, the pain was too much like hot white iron rods were being plunged into her chest, she wanted darkness to consume her, to prevent her from the pain which was radiating all over her body from the centre of her chest.

Meher wiped the few stray tears which had rolled down her cheek, she didn't know how long it had been since she had entered the cabin, pushing herself off the floor she steadied herself on her feet and fisted the nikah nama and took slow and broken steps out side his cabin.

The world had turned mute or Meher had turned deaf, all she could feel was the thudding of her heart and the bitter aftertaste of betrayal. Her slow staggering feet stopped in front of the glass door of the conference hall.

"Ms. if there is something you want to pass in you can hand it over to me." The receptionist said outside the conference room.

Meher who had lost her ability to hear or see or comprehend anything pushed the glass door and entered the room.

"Ms. Meher please step outside." The receptionist said softly as she entered behind Meher, but Meher stood there, her eyes on the ground, tears dripped from her eyes onto the floor.

"Ms Meher please." Ms Zafar who had also entered held Meher's arm trying to pull her along with her outside.

"Leave me." Meher said softly, turning to face Alisha Zafa,  she placed her hand on Meher's arm and tried to pull her way.

Alisa let go Meher's arm immediately seeing Meher's blood shot eyes, something about Meher's face was eerie, the calmness in her voice sounded like the silence before storm.

"What nonsense is this !" The booming voice made Alisha Zafar jump in her place.
Alisha turned to look at the table full with the board members. "Take the lady out and give her a memo." Said the bald man sitting on the chair next to Arham.

"This isn't acceptable, you young lady must leave." Said another.

"Gentlemen one minute please." Said a familiar voice. The sound of heel clicking the floor echoed in the room and a pair of Louboutin's stood in front of Meher whose eyes were cast on the floor like in a state of trans.

"Meher, go back to office, what are you even doing here ?" Seher said in a whisper.

"Leave." Meher said.

"What ?"

Meher turned around to face the table and looked at the council.

"Leave." She repeated. "All of you leave."

"Is this woman crazy ? Seher who is she." Yelled the bald man.

"Calm down Yunus, she is from my department just -."

"Leave all of you, LEAVE." Meher yelled.

"Meher what's wr-."

"Ms Seher, one minute." It was a crisp baritone voice, Arham, he had had enough. Arham got up from him chair and walked towards Meher replacing spots with Seher.

"Ms Zafar please wait outside." He said dismissing his PA.

"Okay sir." She said and left Meher's side stepping outside the conference hall.

"Meher go home." Arham said in a low tone laced with irritation. "We'll take about this in the evening."

"No."

"Meher." He said warningly.

Meher looked up from her toes into his eyes, his eyes, they had lied to her too. He had lied to her, their relationship was a lie too.

"Ask them." She said slowly taking in a deep breath, pushing her tears behind. "To leave." She said. A stray tear rolled down her cheeks.

"LEAVE. LEAVE." Meher yelled. "LEAVE."
Meher kept yelling, the dam of tears had broken free.

"Meher stop, stop." Arham said placing his hand on her arm but Meher kept shouting and trashing.

"Meher." Arham yelled. "Meher calm down." He said.

"Leave, tell them to leave." She kept sobbing and shouting.

"Meher." Arham shouted, he held her by her shoulder and shook her violently pulling her from her trans. She looked up to see Arham standing in front of her, Meher looked around to see most of the board members standing in their seat, looking at her as if she was some crazy person.

"I..I..yo..you." Meher stuttered. She voice shook as she spoke. Taking a few steps back from where she stood maintaining distance between herself and Arham she looked at him, and it was back again, the pain was back, the tightness of her chest and breathlessness was back.

"You." She said looking at him letting out a cry. "You.. you..." she repeated her body shaking as she sobbed.

"Everyone please if you can step outside for a few minutes , we'll continue the meeting shortly." Arham said giving everyone an apologetic look.

"Do you want me to take her Sir." Seher asked.

"No, it's okay." Arham replied.

As the last person walked out of the glass door, Arham turned towards Meher.

"What is wrong with you." He seethed in anger. "Why did you make a scene." He said walking towards her angrily.

"Speak." He shouted making Meher flinch.
He looked at her shaking body and closed his eyes shut, trying to control his anger.

"Meher, what's wrong ?" He asked much calmer now cupping Meher's cheek. "What happened Meher ?" He asked.

Meher took a step back from his touch and raised her hand clutching the papers. She extended the hand in front of her, pushing the papers towards Arham.

Arham looked at her with confusion, from the crazy crying mess Meher had been a few seconds ago, she now had taken a 180 degree flip and was calm, too calm, almost stoic.

Arham plucked the paper from Meher's hand and unrolled them. As his eyes skimmed the print on the sheet he knew that Meher had found out about their web of lies, she knew the truth.

"Meher I .."

"Don't." She said emotionlessly. "Don't lie to me, don't justify your lies with more lies."

"Meher please try to understand we-."

"Understand what ? That you kept me in the dark ? That I was cheated on ? That I'm the wife of a man who is someone else's husband ?"

"It's not -."

"True ? Tell me this is a lie and I'll believe you Arham, tell me this is a lie please." She said looking at him, her eyes glassy due to the tears settled on the brim of her eyes.
"This is a lie, isn't." She said as the tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. "Or are we the lie ?"

A deafening silence enveloped the room, a silence which was killing her and torturing him.

"TELL ME !" She screamed. Meher walked towards Arham and fisted his collar and shook him, demanding for an answer. "Answer me." She whispered.

"ARHAM ANSWER ME."

"It's true." He said in a whisper. "Hoor is my wife, my first wife." He averted his gaze from her face which reflected her broken heart and her eyes, her accusing eyes were too much for him.

"I loved you." Meher whispered. "I learned to love you." Her voice quivering. "I saw myself with you having a family of my own, I thought I finally had found happiness, I was happy Arham, but everything was a lie, it's a lie." She sniffed.

"Meher please list-."

"Did you mock me ? Did you look at me with pity every morning or did you feel nothing while you destroyed my life Arham ?"

"Meher please listen to me. I -."

"I don't want to." Meher said with an eerie calmness in her voice. "I don't want to listen to you, I know all that you have to give me are a bunch of lies, and I don't think my body or my mind is capable of handling your lies anymore, so please, don't." She said taking a step behind.

She looked at him, his mane of messy hair, his dark brown eyes, the face she had become used to see every morning, she took it all in, this was the man she had found herself to love, the man she had given her body and soul to, the man she had trusted  with her life, this was the man who betrayed her.

Meher gulped the lump lodged in her throat, she turned around and walked out of the door leaving behind a dazed Arham.

Meher made her way out of the glass room to see all the board members sitting the reception area talking to each other with cups of coffee in their hand.

Their conversations stopped on seeing Meher walk out, she was sure she looked like a mess, she had acted like one, she felt like a mess.

"Meher." Seher said stepping out of the crowd. "Are you okay ?" She asked alarmed looking at Meher's tear strained face and red and puffed eyes.

Meher forced a smile and nodded before walking through the crowd towards the elevator. She wanted to distance herself from him as much as she could.

"Meher wait." She closed her eyes shut, his voice caused ripples of pain in her chest. "Please."

Arham walked closer to her towards the elevator, he could see her pushing on the button as if it would make the elevator come faster. He knew she was in a lot of pain and his face was probably the last one she wanted to see but-

"Meher listen to me please." He said placing his hand on her arm and turning her around.

"Leave my hand." She said under her breath.

"You have to listen to m-."

The sound of whip crack through air reached the ear's of the people sitting in the corridors. Arham's face was pushed to the side by the impact of Meher's palm contacting his cheek.

Everyone watched the two with open mouths. What had their eyes just witnessed.

Meher turned around immediately at the ding of the elevator and stepped inside pushing the button for the ground floor.

AN: I am so overwhelmed with all the love and support, I have received so many messages from you dear readers and it makes my heart swell with love.

So this is part one of the confrontation, part two is almost ready too.

The next chapter I had written is very "intense" and very "graphic" and I am not sure if it will settle well with most readers, idk if I should go forward with that chapter or rewrite it to suit the readers, let me know please.

The next update depends on if I have to rewrite or re-edit the chapter so the latest date for the next update will be 9th Feb

You guys are upping the vote game so I'm going to increase the bar and see if we can achieve the new set target - 300 votes ?
Let's try out best, even if it doesn't reach who care I get so much love from you all my heart is already singing.

Let me know about the next chapter please
Till then
Stay safe
lots of love
xoxo