Here she stood again but this time not with her husband but with her only daughter. She never in a million years thought that one day she'll have to return to the same place which abandoned her husband only  because of marrying her.

Flashback

"Mujtaba, I am nervous, I dont think your father will accept me" 

Both of them stood outside the haveli gates, ready to enter before she stated her assumption.

"I am with you Ammara, I am with you, You need not to worry yourself" He assured her.

"But.. he himself asked you not to marry me, Why would he accept me now?"

"Ammara you are a very virtuous and upright woman. He does not know you yet but when he would  recognise the real you, he will definitely accept you." he holded her hand and slightly carrassed it to relieve her.

"Now come on, we should go inside"

 They moved towards the haveli gates, the large gates opened and let them in. She looked around to analyse the haveli and her mouth hung open. The haveli certainly was so lavish and luxorious. She never had been at such a beautiful place before. Its posh exterior left her in awe. The mere lawn was so breathtakingly beautiful. It was beautified by lush green grass, nicely trimmed trees and  heavenly flowers like roses, lilies, daises, tulips and what more. The contrast of the scorching sun radiantly shining on the green grass, ornamental trees and beautiful flowers with a fountain in the middle amazed her to no extent. It was such masterpiece.

And now she felt out of place. She could totally understand the reason that why Mujtaba's father does not want to accept her as his daughter-in-law. She belonged to a lower middle class family. And his father might think her of as a gold digger. 

Her parents passed away when she was 18 and her elder sister who was already married after there parents death shifted her to her own house and supported her all the while. And 1 year later when she got scholarship in one of the universities of Islamabad, she crossed path with love of her life, Mujtaba. 

Love happens in the most incomprehensible and unfathomable ways. And so was there love. They both could feel an unusual  and an unknown attraction between them when they were around each other. 

They realised that it was love.

They deeply love each other. But Mujtaba's father was a mafia don and a very strict person regarding rules. He laid the rule that every men or women of there family must have to marry someone within the household. Marriage outside the bloodline was not allowed. Ammara was neither a part of there family nor from there bloodline but Mujtaba loved her madly and despite his father's warning of not marrying her, he still married her and shifted to Lahore because his father ordered him to leave the haveli after there marriage. They leased an apartment there but his father displeasement with him did'nt sit him well. Then he decided to take his chance and now both of them were on there way to gather blessings from his father and request him to accept Ammara as his daughter-in-law.

 Ammara kept on examining the haveli. Its interior was more opulent than its exterior. Her footsteps halted and she came across a door. Mujtaba was still holding her hands and her grip tightened when she realised it was his father's study. He knocked on the door and both of them entered into his study and found him seated  on his chair.

"Assalam alaikum, Agha Jaan" Mujtaba greeted him. He snapped his head up on realising his son, his disobedient and defiant son is here along with his wife. His anger knew no bounds when he saw both of them standing infront of him.

"Why are you here?!" he snapped.

"Agha Jaan we are here to take your blessings" he told humbly.

"Did you take my blessings when you had your nikkah?"

"I am sorry Agha Jaan bu-"

"I do not want to see your face again! get off  of infront my eyes!"

"Agha jaan please at least give us a chance."

"Did you listen to me when I asked you not to marry this woman? Didn't I order you not to marry her? Still you married her and now you are asking me to give you a chance? When you cannot give a chance to what I say then why should I listen you now?"

"Whole life I did as you say but for the first time I took one decision, one single decision against your orders and you disowned me for that?  How is that fair?  Do not I have a complete right on  to decided with whom I should marry?

"This woman," he pointed towards Ammara, "this woman had wrapped you around her pinky finger that you are going against your father"

"No Agha jaan its not what you think. She is a very upstanding and righteous woman,"

"I know how much a pious and righteous woman is she. Only because of her today you are standing against your father. You've hurt me. You preferred this woman over me! over your father!"

"No! No Agha jaan I never preferred anyone over you. No one can take your place in my heart. But atleast I had this much right on my life to decide that whom I want to marry! I love her!"

"Huh love! Dont you love your father?  Get out of my sight right now!"

"No! Agha Jaan I love you and respect you with all my heart! please forgive us, please at least give us one single chance. I am your son. I am your blood. Please forgive us, if we had hurt you"

"If you want me to forgive you Mujtaba Shabbir Syed,"  he stood from his chair and  moved towards them,

 "then divorce this girl right now"

Ammara eyes widened. She had no idea his father would make such a demand. All the time she only beared this humiliation for her husband, but the demand of divorce left her bewildered.

"Amarra is a very honest and innocent woman. You dont know her yet. You will accept her when you will know her. I cant divorce her not now not never."

"If you cant divorce her then you are no longer my son. I disinherit you from all of  the property. Leave my house along with your gold digger wife before I throw you out"

Mujtaba could'nt bear the disrespect of his wife anymore and turned around to leave.

"And if my blood really runs in your veins then never step into this haveli again and  dont show your face even if you're dead,"

With that, Mujtaba opened the door and left the haveli. For Forever.

Flashback ends

'Don't show me your face even if you're dead' these words of his father kept ringing in her ears.

'Amara, never inform my father of my death'  these were her husband's last words. Till the last breath, he only had respect for his father. Till the last breath, he only complied to his father's order. 

'I am sorry, Mujtaba. I could'nt keep up your will. I am sorry. I have no where to go. Our home has already been taken. We're on the roads. This is the last place where I could seek some shelter'  she internally told her husband.

Before a tear could escape her eyes, her daughter's troublesome voice broke her reverie,

"Mama, I'm nervous. They wont accept us"

They stood 5 feets away from the haveli gates, holding all the stuff they packed.

"Lets hope for the best. We should go inside now" she sternly stated trying to maintain a strong composure outside but inside she was totally crumbled and broken. But she knew she had to be strong, for her daughter. If it was not for Zahra, she had never come back to this place again.

"Lets go" she started to move towards the haveli gates but a tug on her arm halted her movements.

"Mama I don't think that he will let us live in there, he abandoned my father then why would he accept us?" Zahra said again.

"If he will not allow us to stay then I'll ask Haider bhai to give us a place to live"

Haider was Mujtaba's elder brother, who loved him like his own son. Despite, his father had cut all the ties off with Mujtaba but Haider was still secretly in contact with him.

"But mama you told me that no one can go against the head of the haveli, if he is the head, then how Haider taya, without his consent, will help us?"

"I know my Zahra, but we can hope that he has passed on his position as a "head" to one of his son or grandson, then we might have some chances to stay in there." she affirmed.

"Even so, he is still the eldest, how come someone can go against him?"

"Being the eldest and being the head are two different things, if the head approved it, regardless the consent of the eldest person in the household, it still has to be happen no matter what."

"Hope so, he is not the head anymore, I am really afraid to face them mama,"

"Zahra, daughter, there is no need to be afraid of anyone, your mother is with you and always will be and moreover Allah is there who love you more than 70 mothers believe Him and only Him, what He will do, will be the best for us" she relaxed her although from inside she was a nervous wreck and moved towards the gates, holding her daughter's hand. 

From the past 20 years, she had no idea about haveli and its inhabitants. She had hardly talked about his father with Mujtaba and the only person she knew here was Haider. She had even no idea that Mujtaba's father is alive or not. They did'nt contact him from last 20 years he himself cut all the ties from them. She was worried for her daughter, if she was all alone she would have gone to any old age home but now she had her daughter, who has complete right at this place. She could only hope that his father could let them live in this haveli, if she have to she'll work as a maid only for her daughter.

ZAHRA's POV

We are heading towards my Dada's haveli  and I am so afraid to face him.

Why would he accept us when we were the sole reason of his son leaving him?

In just two days of my life turned upside down.

 I lost my father

And then I lost the roof from my head.

I lost my only home.

The home where I created a lots of beautiful memories with my father.

With that, I lost my mothers smile.

I lost all the joyous memory which we created together.

Ahh! What blissful days were those, even  I did'nt have much attention of my father due to his busy schedule but I still have him by my side. How much I wished I could die along with him.

But I had to be strong for my mother. No matter if I am totally broken from inside but I won't let my mother watching me falling weak.

She already had enough, I know how much my mother and father loved each other and after his death she is totally broken but she has kept herself together only for me.

My parents has suffered a lot of depression and anxiety and thats all because of that Asim.

When those goons left our house that day my mother ordered me to pack all of the essentials and we will be leaving for my Dada's haveli. My Aunt and we all were left bewildered, we all knew about the circumstances in which my parents were married. But Mama was dead set on to go there. Khala convinced her to stay at her place but mama clearly know her husband won't permit, so she made this decision to come here.

We had a little money and after packing all our stuff we went to the train station, said our goodbyes to everyone and set on our journey. This voyage was the most sorrowful and depressed voyage ever since I came to knew about the actual reason behind my fathers death. 

Asim was one of my fathers colleague and at first he appears out to be a friend. In those days baba was trying hard to earn money so he could construct a house for us. Yet, he got in a debt of 1 million which he asked from Asim. Baba trusted him, he gave the impression of being a very pious man and a good peson, but it was all a facade. Asim made my father sign some documents in which it was claimed that my father had taken a debt of 20 millions from a man called, Yawar. And after making him sign those documents, he gave us 1 million and took the rest of 19 millions and ran away.  

My father did'nt realize it until that day, when some goons were sent to our house, demanding there money back. Which was a huge amount of 20 millions. They were the mafia's men and they threatened us not to go for police else they'll kill me. Baba did'nt want to take any chance on my life so he did what they said. All the documents had my fathers name, his hands were tied.

They continuously pressurized my father. He was completely bound. He worked hard like a maniac day and night only to payback the money which he didn't even get. He kept telling them how Asim made him sign the documents but they  never believed him instead they threatened him.

That snake, Asim framed my papa and he was depressed and anxious to a level that it caused heart attack. I was enraged and helpless tears streaked down my eyes because I couldn't help my father. That Asim was a devil, may Allah curse him. I could not believe my ears when my mother told me the whole story.

I was torn apart after listening to all of this. I was shocked but what I felt the most was rage, infuriation. I could not help my father in any way. This guilt was clutching my heart. I do not know what my father have been through and thats all because of that Asim.

Really Allah Pak, does this inhumanity exists in this world. Is this the actual face of world, unsympathetic, insensitive and merciless.

There is no will left inside me to live anymore but I have to do it for my mother because now she is the one all I have.

I am being strong for her and she is being strong for me. However, we have to survive, we desperately need a roof at our head, and this haveli is the last option to be our shelter.

The haveli was huge, posh and gigantic. Its exterior was so breathtakingly beautiful, I wonder what would its interior be like? I felt out of place because our house was nothing compared to it. It was so small and not so beautiful but still I loved my home.

We were getting closer to the large metal gates and a weird feeling inside was creeping me. My subconscious kept telling me something bad is going to happen with me, I had no idea about it. 

We stood right in front the gates. A lot of security guards were at duty. All of them had hand guns resting on the holster on there waist and snipers as well hanging on there shoulder. They all were bulky men, had a well built body and bulging muscles.

There was a small office kind of cabin near the gates, where a man was seated. On noticing us, he opened the window of that cabin and asked us, 

"Why are you here Madam?"

"Ask Mr. Haider Shabbir that Ammara Mujtaba is here," my mom replied.

He instantly called someone and after the call ended he nodded his head to us and signalled the guards on the gate to let us in.

"You may go in,"

"Thankyou"

With that the large doors opened, the metal clanking against each other.

And we entered inside.

Little did I know it was going to be a pit of hell for me. 

Little did I know these gates were actually the my prison bars.

And little did I know I was going to be caged here.

Forever!