16- His

Present "Is he not present at the altar yet?" Isra asked anxiously, a smile not leaving her lips, ecstatic about her wedding but there was a strange fear in her heart. I hope you are okay. "Hey, stop being so impatient." Hoor sighed, coming to help Isra in the dressing room. She set her lehenga for the final time, taking deep breaths while everyone was lost in their exhilaration, grinning non-stop until Zain busted through the door, panting heavily with horror etch on his face, "Isra!" "What happened?" She gasped at his terror, not apprehending what caused him to be so perturbed. Don't tell me he did something to himself. She thought, horrified. "Emraz left." He whispered, coming closer with tears brimming in his eyes and this was even more terrifying than what she anticipated, "Come again?" She blinked, considering she heard him wrong. "He left you... at the very end." He said, on the verge of crying as The Ahmed family also entered with penitence written all over their faces. Having no words for the tragedy which happened at the very last moment. "What..?" She whispered, stumbling back, breaths halting right at the moment in apprehension, taking support from the table, tears sprang to her eyes, crumbling the dreams decorated in her heart. Amir fell down, holding his chest tightly, crying, "Papa! Papa, what happened?!" Zain rushed to his side which began to sob at his daughter's fate. He tried to console his Father but his efforts were fruitless, the despair of his heart was massive. "Curse you, Emraz! You took everything away from us!" He shouted, holding his head, tears streaming down his face as Isra stood stunned, eyes watery but her heart knew which hell fell on her fragile form. "Amir, please calm down." Aima tried to help him but couldn't. The Ahmed family didn't know what to say for their consolation. "What am I going to do now?! Why did he do this to my daughter?" He sobbed, losing his senses in the unbearable pain, "We are ashamed of what happened, Amir..." Rehman said, deeply disgraced at Emraz's action. "Your penitence can't fix anything!" He shouted. "We... have no idea why this happened.. Everyone was happy, we don't understand how he could leave like this." Hania said, on the verge of crying. "How could he leave my daughter in this state?" Amir cried. "We can't do anything now other than trying to fix what's broken..." Rehman tried to speak after a prolonged silence, contemplating the situation, glancing at Rayan who was looking down in the corner, trembling. What have I done? "What are you trying to say?" "We can only offer our child Rayan to save what's lost..." Rehman said after a long pause and deep breath, taking everyone by surprise. Rayan's eyes widened in appall, convulsing. No, No, No. "What...? Are you out of your mind?! My daughter will not marry him! I can't sacrifice her happiness from our despair! My daughter is not an object to throw anywhere!" Amir shouted, getting up, glaring at them. "Please try to understand, there are so many guests, media, how are we going to show our faces? What will we do?" Rehman tried to make him understand the fatality of the situation but he would never let his daughter get involved In this. Isra covered her mouth, shredding silent tears of heartache and betrayal. "It's your son's fault. My daughter is not going to do it. Besides, what will you say when the media will ask where Emraz is?" Aima said softly. "We will make an excuse." Hania reasoned. "Still, I won't sacrifice my daughter. Isra is not-" Amir was about to say something but then Isra spoke up, "I am ready, Papa..." "What?! Do you know what you are saying, Isra?! You don't have to-" Amir yelled, "I have to Papa." She whispered, looking down and wiping her tears. "Why, my love?!" "Do you have any idea what would happen to me if this marriage didn't happen?!" She snapped, letting out the tears in her eyes, aching in agonizing fragments left by Emraz. Sniffing, she began to speak hoarsely, "I am sorry. I am not a liberal girl, Papa, I am still the old-fashioned girl who likes being a housewife, having a loving and caring husband and kids, I wanted this... What will happen to that dream later, Papa? People would point their fingers at me, what defects I had that the groom left me at the very end?!" "And you think, This Rayan could be the one?" Amir asked, after hearing Isra's words. "I.. will try... my best." Rayan said from behind, voice lost in his own daze. "We have no choice. Besides, If anyone who is destined to be with me, I am sure at one point would taunt me about this incident but I have firm faith Rayan would never do it." Her quivering lips managed to produce a cracked sound, trying to bury her ravage along this moment. "If you dared to make her cry, I would kill you." Amir hissed. "Papa, Even I trust Rayan this much, he would never do this." Zain defended him too. Displeased at the idea, Amir warned, "My daughter is my world, take extreme care of her. One wrongdoing and I don't give a damn about the world, I take my treasure back." He warned. "I will do everything I could to make sure she is comfortable with me, I promise." Rayan promised, espying at Isra for a second with unexplainable suffering and grief but removed his eyes the moment she linked her with him for a second. "You better be sure." Amir snarled and motioned everyone to leave them alone. After everyone left, he sighed deeply and turned his attention to his daughter, who stood devoid of any emotion, "My love, I am with you, if he hurts you or does something, just come back to me." He smiled, holding her hands. "I will, Papa..." She said with a faint smile. "I love you.. " he said, completing his sentence after looking down sadly, "I didn't know my little princess grew up so rapidly to comprehend such sensitive matters." "You put your everything at stake for me." she said, giving his hand a Tight squeeze. "Nothing is more precious than you to me." He pulled her in a hug, "I love you, Papa..." She whispered. "Love, is this truly necessary? We can find another guy. I am sure we can find someone else. Leave this, I don't care about anything. " "Papa... I trust Rayan.. More than I ever will on anyone... He would never. hurt me..." She assured him after pulling away. Look, I returned to you in the end. She thought emptily. "Why?" "Because Papa, I never tell him I am hurting yet he always knows and consoles me. I have never shared my sorrow with him yet he knows, stays. I know at least this much, you cannot find a guy like him..." Chuckling dryly, she looked at her hands emotionlessly. "Do you like him?" He asked seriously. "No... I never did." "Then how are you going to spend your life with him?" "We don't we leave it until that time? We will see where fate would lead us and I promise, if it was devastation, I would leave him, okay?" She asked. He gave her a compassionate look and sighed with a nod, "Let's go. My new groom is awaiting me." She smiled, taking his hand and left with him not before fixing her makeup and messy form. "Stay blessed, I love you." He said, walking her down the aisle where instead of blithe, rumors spread everywhere. "Me too." She didn't even bother to fake a smile. They reached the altar, Rayan's heart was literally throbbing to the extent his mind was still trying to cope with what happened but his overwhelming sensation coated with the intoxication he ached for like a drug couldn't conceal the virtual smile. After countless efforts, he could finally say from this moment onward, she is his...