It had been two days since Meera's world had upturned.

Meera was held captive inside her chamber with guards placed outside her room every minute of the day.
No one was to visit her and neither was she allowed to step out, these were the orders of the king.

Two days Meera had spent on the floor, crying till she lost consciousness. She hadn't touched food or water, all she wanted was Haider, for him to touch her, to talk to her, to tell her that he knew she was innocent.

No one knew why was the queen inside her chamber since the past two days, why was the king in such a sour mood, no one knew except the family and Abhishek and Avantika .

Inayat stood at the base of the stairs leading to Meera's room, it was the closest she could go.

She looked at the maid who descended down carrying the tray she herself had sent for Meera yesterday.

"She hasn't touched yesterday's food either queen mother." The maid said and left with her head bowed.

"Ya Allah rehem." Inayat prayed as a tear slipped out of her eye. Why was god testing her children, everything was perfect, everyone was so happy till a week back, who had cast an evil eye on her happiness.

"You should talk to Haider, begum sahiba." Nadiya khala said placing her hand on Inayat's shoulder, trying to pacify the queen mother, who had never been so helpless in all her years.

"He won't listen to me Nadia, but I'll try, for my kids I will ." Ammi be said wiping the tear with the corner of her dupatta.

Ammi Begum made her way towards Haider's section of the palace. The atmosphere looked mournful, there wasn't a single soul in this part of the palace except the guards guarding their stations. The guards informed her that Haider had been cooped up since morning in his study.

She marched inside his study, to find him sitting on his chair with a book open in his hand, however his eyes remained focused on a point, not moving.

The dark circles under his eyes were the evidence of his sleepless nights, his featured contoured and face sullen.

"Hadi ?" Ammi be called out to him gently.

He snapped out of his daze and looked at his mother, his eyes still like glass beads, emotionless.

"Bacche, sab khair toh hai na ?" She asked him even though she knew nothing in her children's life was alright.

"Yes, apart from the fact that my wife invited a na-mehram (unrelated man) in my absence, cheated on me emotionally for as long as she has been married to me and wanted to elope with her .. her—." He sighed and closed his eyes pinching his forehead.

"I'm sorry Ammi Be, did you want something." He said dryly, although he did not want to sound rude, he didn't care at this point all he wanted was to stay alone.

"She hasn't eaten anything Hadi, not a morsel in the past two days. The maid who goes to check on her said she keeps crying till she faints and when she gains consciousness she cries again, she'll die Hadi, just go talk to her."

"If she dies, let her. I don't have time to waste on women who don't matter to me anymore." He said turning away from his mother.

"Stop this Haider you are hurting her and yourself as well, just go talk to her, I can't loose another daughter Haider, I'm begging you." Inayat said and broke into sobs.

"Ammi don't -."

"Hadi tujhe khuda ka wasta hai, meri bacchi ko ek baar mil le."

Haider took in a deep breath trying to control his anger. He didn't want to lash out at his mother but he didn't want to see the woman who had cheated him, all he wanted was to turn back time and go back to the woman whom he loved even if her love had been a lie.

•••

Meera sat on the floor, hugging her knees. She hasn't moved an inch since Haider had dragged her inside her chamber and thrown her on the floor. The look in his eyes had immobilised her, the hate radiating from his body directed towards her was as painful as being whipped a thousand times.

The door of her chamber opened again, this had been the drill since the past two days, a maid would walk in with fresh food and replace the untouched tray, giving her a pitiful look.

"Get up." The voice, this voice had the power to bring her back from the dead, she came out of her daze and looked up at him with moistened eyes.

"Haider." She said but her voice cracked. She scrambled on the floor trying to get up.
Two days of immobilisation had jammed her joints, as soon as she lifted herself from the ground her knees buckled and she fell to kiss the floor.

She craned her neck up to see Haider who looked down at her with disgust and hurt. She held the corner of the bed and pushed herself up.

"Hadi." She croaked, taking a step towards him but he held up his hand stopping her from nearing him.

"You are free to do as you please, roam around, read, sleep do whatever you want, just stop this pity party, you are hurting my mother ." He said looking at her with a distant look.

"Your handmaidens will be sent back to you, spend all the money you want on yourself, just make sure you don't cross my path, stay away from me and stay away from my family." He said through gritted teeth.

"Haider why are you doing this ?" She said as tears rolled down her cheek, her puffy, congested eyes were begging Haider to just hold her once, to trust her.

"Why am I doing this ? You have the audacity to ask me why am I doing this ? What are you made of woman." He spat.

"You don't believe me, do you ?"

"I should have stopped the day I found out that you..your lover had come to the temple to see you and you kept it a secret from me, I thought maybe just maybe it was a co incidence maybe you didn't want to upset me, I was wrong."

"Haider you've got to trust me I didn't-."

"Trust you ?" Haider laughed humourlessly. "You made a fool out of me Meera, you've humiliated me, you made me fall in love with you and you have successfully broken me."

"Haider I could never, I love y-."

"Don't you dare." Haider roared, gripping her face in between his fingers tightly making her wince.
"Do say it. Don't make me hate the woman I loved."

He pushed her on the bed. He looked at her one last time and turned around to leave.

"Why don't you leave me then ? You don't trust me, so just leave me, send me back to my father's, you can't even look at me, you..you should just send me away." She said looking at his back.

Haider turned around slowly, the last bit of restrain in him had broken.

"That's what you want right ? To go back, have a happily ever after with that man, you think I'm going to let you go now ? Let you find your happy fucking ending ? You'll stay here, you'll look at me every day as I rebuild myself and you'll pray everyday that this isn't the day I decide to end you for good." He spat venomously he said and walked away.

"Then I'll wait." She said making him stop on the threshold. "I'll wait till the day you realise your mistake, and that day Haider Zahoor Ali Khan, I swear on my love for you that I'll let you go." She said wiping her tears.

•••

An hour after Haider left, the doors of her room opened again. Meera had curled herself on her bed, her eyes had run out of tears. She wanted to sleep, just drift away into the land of the unconscious but the pain in her heart and the image of Haider's broken face didn't let her close her eyes.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Bohot dard ho raha hai Meera ?"

Meera instantly recognised the voice, but the sharp undertone of cold evilness was picked up by her the first time. Meera got up from the fetal position and sat on her bed, her back against the headrest.

"Mujhe bhi hua tha, ab bhi hota hai, kaha tha na Meera when you would build your castle of happiness I'd burn it down to ashes and stuff the ash down your throat, I've done it." She said with a maniacal smile.

"Did you do it ?" Meera croaked with a blank look on her face, her eyes trained on her best friend, who today for some reason looked like a stranger to her.

"Do what ? Bring Shivang to the Shiv temple and inform Haider about it ? I did." She said in a chirpy voice and smiled widely.

"Aur parso jo hua voh bhi sab maine he kiya hai, haan maine he Rajkumar Shivang ko khat likha tumhare naam se, tumhari likhawat me." She said placing herself beside Meera on her bed, she extended her arm towards Meera making Meera flinch.
Kanika laughed at Meera's reaction, she took the strand of hair on Meera's face and tucked it behind her ear giving Meera a broad smile.

"But if you think I'm done here ? I'm not my friend." She said cupping Meera's face. "Jaanti ho kitna tarapti hu Tahir ko kisi aur ke saath dekh kar, kisi aur ke bacche ka baap banne wala hai ab toh, har roz khudko ye bol kar soti thi ki Kanika jitna tu royi hai usse zada Meera royegi, toh Meera ab toh shurvat hai na ?" She said brushing her thumb across Meera's cheek wiping the lone tear which fell at her friend's treachery.

"It's just the beginning, after all as my duty as your best friend I have to give you a tour of your personal hell." She smiled and got up from the bed.

"You were my best friend !" Meera said in barely a whisper. "You were suppose to be my family."

"Weren't you suppose to be my best friend as well ? But what did you Meera Haider Ali Khan." Kanika said getting up from the bed in rage.
She took a breath to calm herself down, she couldn't afford to succumb to her anger now.

"Now my beautiful best friend get up and get ready, you haven't successfully ruined Abhishek Bhaisa's day thankfully, they are still getting engaged." She said and walked out of her room.

AN: hey you guys !!!
I hope you are liking the story so far because if you are please vote (asking the ones who usually do) because the number of votes has been reducing.

Keeps reading wonderful people
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