The Hakim had inspected Noor and informed them that Noor had gone into an early labor due to stress and emotional trauma.
Noor was rushed to her room and the mid wife was fetched immediately.

Avantika meanwhile had informed everyone about Kanika and Zulekha, she told them how the two had set Meera up, how they attacked her and how Kanika had pushed Noor to the edge with her words.

Haider took in all what Avantika had said, he felt his knees buckling, what had he done ?
He wanted to fall on the floor and break down or hide his face in his mother's bosom and cry, but he held himself together by a thin thread, his emotions had to stay in check till his family needed him.
He had disappointed Meera as her husband he wasn't going to do the same to his sister or mother.

Haider looked at Tahir sharply, if he could kill someone with his eyes, Tahir would have been dead, Tahir looked at Haider with guilt, shame and regret, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Lock them up." Haider said in an emotionless voice to Abhishek who too had come in after Avantika's new state of consciousness had been announced to him.
"I want both of them locked up in their rooms, no one enters their room or entertains them till I say so." Haider seethed.

Abhishek gave a curt nod and left them immediately, he too was burning with rage, these two women had made his life hell for the past three months, they had almost taken away the one woman he loved, they were the reason he was dying in guilt for not trusting Meera.

Kanika's unconscious self was locked into her room by the guards where as Abhishek himself had gone to fetch Zulekha.

The guards had informed him about seeing her last in the garden so that's where he headed.

He saw Zulekha walking around the bushes of rose in her fine silken gown.

Zulekha unaware was happy and humming to herself as she bent down to sniff the rose.

"You look happy." Abhishek said from behind her making her jump in fright.

"Oh Allah!" Zulekha said turning around to face him a hand on her chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Don't take his name from that dirty mouth of yours." Abhishek spat making Zulekha scrunch his eyebrows.

"I don't like your tone Treasurer." She said. "Don't forget whom are you talking with."

"I do very well know with whom I'm talking." He said holding her by her wrist in a tight grip and started dragging her towards the harem.

"Leave me ! Leave me." Zulekha screamed. "You have no idea what you are inviting for yourself. Leave me." Zulekha shrieked.

All the women of the harem stood on the side lines and watched as they saw the mad queen being dragged, none of them wished to help her.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you." She screamed. "Leave me."

"You'll kill me just like you tried killing my Avantika." He said pulling her towards her room. The guards standing in front of her room opened the door for him.

He pushed her inside the room as she glared at him.

"You are done Zulekha Ejaz, you are done. He knows everything." He said. Her pale and panicked face was what he last saw as the doors closed.

Zulekha watched the closed doors for a minute, Abhishek's last words to her resonated in her head.

She shut her ears with her palms as if to block out the echo of his words.

"No."she screamed. "No no no Allah tala you can't do this to me, I've just got him, please don't take him away." She said looking up.

"What will I do if he hates me, what do I do ?" She cried. "I will kill you Meera, you destroyed my happiness, I'll rip you up, I'll kill you." She roared.

"Hadi." She whispered walking towards the door. She started pounding her fist on the door.

"Open the door. Open the door." She screamed. "Open it before i break it, before i kill you all, I'll kill you, I'll burn you, open the door, Hadi is calling me, I'm your queen. Open." She shrieked like a lunatic.

"So you won't open huh. FINE. I'll kill myself then you'll face Haider's wrath. He loves me you understand, he loves me, only me and I love him." She said kicking the door.

Zulekha walked towards the small table placed in her sitting room. A basket of fruit sat on the top along with a small knife.

Tears streamed down her face, as she fisted her hand and brought the knife to the edge and slashed across her wrist horizontally.

"I love you Hadi." She said with a smile.

•••

Three hours of painful labor later the midwife came out.

"Is she okay ?" Tahir asked quickly moving towards the mid wife.

"She is." The mid wife replied with her eyes cast down. "However your son was premature his lungs underdeveloped, we could do nothing to save him."

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un." Haider prayed. (We belong to Allah and to him we return)

Inayat let out a sob, she knew the loss of losing a child, her heart bled for her own.

They all rushed inside the room where Mahnoor lay covered waist down with a duvet as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Noor." Tahir called out to her.

"Allah took him away Tahir, he took him away because I was the reason she lost her child."

"No noor plea-."

"I did, our child paid for our sins. Yours and mine, he had to give his life because we took away someone else's child from her." She cried.

Inayat too broke down looking at the state of her daughter. Her heart bled for her.

"I destroyed everything, I destroyed all our lives our happiness." She said sobbing. "Ya Allah I beg for forgiveness, I beg you please."

"We all pay for our deeds, Allah makes sure we do. Ask for forgiveness, all of you, beg him for mercy for all of you have played your part in tormenting Meera, and you will have to pay for it." Inayat said.

"Ammi don't s-."

"It's true Hadi it's true, look at Noor, look at yourself, you are suffering, you tormented yourself along with her, you tortured the woman you loved, a woman who has given you nothing but love. Look at me, I'm suffering seeing my children suffer, I'm paying for my silence, I'm paying for watching you make Meera's life hell standing on the side lines, ya Allah rehem !" Inayat cried.

"Ammi plea-." Haider was interrupted as a maid entered the room looking disheveled.

"Badesha...Malika, she had slit her wrist." She said frantically, her eyes cast down.
"Hakim baba is out to see you." She said.

Haider's heart stopped for a second, even though he hated that woman today she was carrying his child.

Haider walked out to see the old man waiting for him patiently.

"Hakim baba." He said curtly.

"The queen had slit her wrist, when the maids entered to give her water they found her in a pool of her own blood, Zulekha Bibi had lost a lot of blood, and to save herself her body stopped supplying blood to the foetus, she is critical but your child is no more." He said.

Haider staggered on his feet, he held the pillar to support himself. He could see all the times he had been unjust to Meera, the bitter words he said to her ringed in his ears, was this his punishment ?

"Hmm. Thank you." Haider said, his heart clenched with pain like white hot iron rods were being placed on his skin, he wanted to give up. He had nothing left, he had lost his wife first and now his child.

Maybe Ammi he was correct, maybe god was really punishing him.

•••

Three weeks after both Haider and Noor had lost their children, a special court was assembled.

Kanika and Zulekha's fate would be announced today.

Kanika had the same peaceful expression etched on her face, she had taken her revenge, she had made them all cry tears of blood,  the second queen  however had lost her sanity completely.

"The special Mughal court summoned today is to discuss matters related to the Royal family of the Mughal sultanate. The case today is against accused Kanika of Bundelkhand who came and took shelter in the Mughal palace as hand maiden to Queen Meera and accused Queen Zulekha Haider Ali Khan." Ali Baksh announced.

"The two have been accused of attempt to murders and causing emotional damage to the Royal family. Do the accused have a defence if so-."

"No." Haider said from his throne. "Not a word from either of the two, they have destroyed our lives enough with the lies they have woven, not anymore." He said.

"I Haider Ali Khan, king of this Mughal empire, hereby announce that this woman." He said pointing towards Zulekha who was looking at Ammi be and smiling rocking herself on the ball of her heels. "Is no longer my wife. I divorce her this instance."

The courtyard flooded with whispers and gasps.

Haider raised her hand and the buzzing stopped. "She will be leaving the palace today, never to return. Her father will be stripped off from the title of king of the kingdom of Punjab for his incompetence and as a punishment. Whereas Kanika who attempted to murder Avantika, was responsible for the death of Mahnoor's child and has committed countless crimes against the Mughal court and royal family is being sentenced to death by beheading her." He said.

"Also Chief commander Tahir shall be taking care of Delhi and will be leaving tomorrow by sun rise." Haider announced taking everyone by surprise including his family.

Haider had sentenced a befitting punishment to everyone he could, everyone who had a hand in Meera's suffering had suffered themselves, but Haider, who was the main reason for her personal trip to hell, only God could punish him and he had, by taking away his love from him and his child.

After the court was adjourned, Haider made his way to the harem, walking the familiar path down to his queens room.
He pushed the door open and walked inside, a familiar scent wrapped him in its cocoon making him feel warm and nostalgic.

"Meera." He whispered as tears brimmed his eyes. "I'm so sorry my love, I'm so sorry." He said as the first tear of repentance rolled down his cheek.

He sat on her bed and held her pillow in his arms, holding it close to him, holding on to it as if it was her.

Everything came crashing down at
him, like all the pain Meera had felt in all those months had been bunched up and thrown at him at once.

Haider pushed his face in the pillow and screamed to let out his pain.

"Hadi." Ammi Be called out to him, she had seen him go towards the Queen's chamber and followed her son, she knew he was breaking.
"Mere bete." She said stoking his hair as he lay on her bed curled up.
"Sab theek ho jayega beta." She said trying to coax him.

"I lost them Ammi, I lost my wife, I lost my children." He cried placing his head on her lap.

"Chi..children ?"

"Meera was pregnant Ammi and I, I the great Haider Ali Khan called my own child a bastard, what have I done Ammi, what have I done." He cried pulling his hair.
"She's never coming back Ammi, my Meera. She's never coming back."

AN: guys I will not add more words to Meera and Haider's story. I believe I have tied all loose ends with this last chapter now what I owe you all is an Epilogue and what you owe me are votes

So votes my loves
Also go read my other book Meher and shower you love there as well.