3 years after Divorce

And though the road is long

I look up to the sky

And in the dark I found,

I lost hope that I won't fly

And I sing along, I sing along

And I sing along

"Sorry, but we don't hire women over 30 here." The restaurant manager told Tahera Tabassum impatiently as he shooed her away.

       As Tahera walked away listlessly, she overheard the manager mumble under his breath, "Who would want to patronize my business if I have an old and ugly waitress?"

        Tahera frowned slightly. She had half a mind to turn around and tell the manager she was only 25!

       However, she stopped herself when she saw her reflection in the window beside her.

       Her face had lost its youthfulness and the twinkle that once decorated her eyes had long since dimmed.

Emaciated frame, dry hair, wrinkled face and outdated apparel had added at least 10 years to her appearance.

She realized she has grown into an old woman in the past few years... Even though she was really only 25!

Tahera smiled bitterly as hardships from the last few years swamped her mind. As she dragged her tired body away from the spot, she noticed a car pull up behind her.

The arrival of an expensive Maybach wasn't lost on the restaurant manager.

"CEO Rahman, welcome, welcome!" the manager said obsequiously.

Tahera abruptly stopped in her tracks.

"Taahir , can you accompany me to go clothes shopping after this? Today's the new arrival date for the Chanel counter." Rosa Khan said demurely as they descended from the car. Her hands were proprietarily wrapped around Taahir's arm.

Taahir glanced at her and answered with a succinct "No!"

The one syllable froze Tahera to the ground! Before she could stop herself, her head slowly turned... And her eyes fell on Taahir's handsome face!

It had to be him...

Tahera couldn't have predicted this was how they were going to meet after their divorce 3 years ago.

She was so haggard, so down on her lucks. He was still his collected self, high above the ranks of commoners.

Rosa beside him was also as elegant and dignified as she was 3 years ago. The two of them did eventually end up together. Then again, with her out of the picture, was it really any surprise?

"Tahera ?" Taahir said when he saw her. Disbelief was plainly written in his eyes.

Rosa's expression changed slightly and gasped, "Oh my god, is that really you, Tahera? What happened to you?"

Tahera snapped out of her daze. She quickly turned her head away, muttering, "You got the wrong person!"

Hastily, she turned to escape. There was no way she was going to face the two of them today. No woman would be willing to face her rich ex-husband and her gorgeous ex-love rival in such an abject state.

Especially not after the two of them had gotten together! The winner-and-loser comparison was simply too obvious.

Taahir caught up to the escaping Tahera , yelling, "Tahera, stop right there!"

The moment his hand grabbed her arm, she screamed as if pricked by pins, "Let me go! I'm not her! I'm really not!"

She was completely focused on her struggles to get away from Taahir that she didn't notice a car was speeding down the road. Finally, she struggled free and raced across the road.

"Tahera, be careful!" Taahir yelled but it was already too late. The car slammed into her.

Tahera landed headfirst and was instantly knocked out. She descended into a long dream... She dreamt about everything that happened before she turned 19. The memories that she thought she had lost returned to her.

She realized that the Tahera of the past was no pushover; she wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.

She was once the pride of her family... but now... Reflecting on the adversity that she had been forced to endure, tears of sadness rolled down her face.

***

"The patient is still unconscious but her condition has pretty much stabilized. She suffered from a minor concussion to the head, but one or two weeks of rest should be enough to put her back on her feet. However, she will need some supplements due to an extended period of malnourishment..."

Inside the hospital room, the doctor explained in detail Tahera's physical condition to Taahir .

The statuesque man frowned slightly. How could Tahera be suffering from prolonged malnourishment?

Taahir turned his head to look at her, just in time to notice the tear that was gliding down his ex-wife weathered face... His eyes shook slightly as a cocktail of emotions surged in his heart.

Tahera, what kind of life have you been living after our divorce?

Simultaneously, Rosa, who stood beside Taahir, also stared at Tahera while nurturing her own thoughts.

She looked at the woman who once had Taahir, but was ultimately chased away by her; she was overjoyed. Her heart soared witnessing the wretched state Tahera had fallen into.

Tahera, you lost to me once... You'll fare worse now that you're poor and ugly. I can barely summon the energy to deal with you. I'm sure you'll just waste away like the trash that you've become.

After all, even for an idiot, the choice between a gorgeous woman and an poor beggar would be exceptionally easy.

Rosa might have reservations against a young, beautiful Tahera , but now... These thoughts buoyed Rosa's mood so greatly that she was feeling gracious for her ex-rival.

She nudged Taahir and said softly, "Taahir, don't worry. I'm sure she will be fine. How about we find her a personal nurse or better yet, leave her some money. I believe that's what she needs the most now."

Taahir looked at his fiancé and nodded slightly.

"Taahir, it's already quite late. We still have a family dinner to attend later tonight to discuss our upcoming nuptials. Shouldn't we be going?" Rosa asked to test the waters.

Taahir then only realized such an event was indeed in his itinerary. Ever since his divorce, he hadn't been looking for a new spouse but as the only male heir to the Rahman Family, he had to marry to ensure the Rahman Name lived on.

Rosa was his childhood friend. The entire Rahman Family was in love with her; her good looks and intellect were definite pluses as well.

Therefore, after Taahir's divorce was finalized, the two families had been trying to match the two of them together.

Taahir was warm towards Rosa but he wasn't in love with her. Then again, there was not a single woman that he was in love with.

Even his marriage to Tahera wasn't out of love since it was an arranged marriage. For him, as long as the wife was biologically female, he was fine with anyone filling the post.

His indifference only deepened after the failed marriage to Tahera. He shrugged and agreed nonchalantly when his family brought up the idea of marrying Rosa. And tonight was a dinner between the two families to discuss their wedding.

In fact, that morning, they were out to look for a restaurant to host their wedding reception, and dress shopping...

Who knew they would stumble into Tahera? The ex-wife he hadn't met for 3 years.

Truth be told, Taahir had once wondered under what circumstances would they meet again. but none of the scenarios in his mind could have fitted the bizarre happenstance today.

Wasn't she the Hussain family's young mistress, how could she have landed in such a deplorable state?

He remembered leaving her a sizeable amount of alimony after their divorce. The amount should be more than enough for her to live the rest of her life in luxury, so why had he found her in such a situation?

This question had been clogging his mind ever since he left the hospital.

"Taahir, what's on your mind?" Rosa asked curiously, to which Taahir answered drily, "Nothing serious."

"You're thinking about Tahera, aren't you?" Rosa sighed, "Even I couldn't believe that was the same Tahera we saw up there. Why did she choose to live like this when she has the resources for a better life? Why is she so dense?"

Dense... that was exactly how Taahir pictured Tahera. Sometimes dense could be cute but Taahir had the lethal combination of being dense and stubborn. Because of this, troubles tended to follow the woman and the people around her.

In fact, their marriage could be said to be ruined by her stubbornness and denseness.

However, he didn't expect her to be dumb enough to be unable to care for herself even with the great amount of alimony he had given her.

Simply put, his encounter with Tahera that day had left a great impact on him.

Taahir was lost in thought so he didn't answer Rosa's questions. Before long, the car arrived at the restaurant.

Both of their families were already there. Since the dinner was to discuss their upcoming nuptials, the attendees included both of their parents as well as his son, Tahseen. He had him with Tahera. Even his name was chose by Tahera. Tahseen which means one who is praised and beautiful.

The little guy was one when they divorced, so he was four now.

"Why don't we pick November 2nd as the wedding date? It'll be in winter. So everyone can enjoy this wedding," Taahir's mom, Haseena said smilingly.

Rosa's mom nodded happily, adding, "This certainly is meant to be because I was going to suggest that day as well. Taahir, Rosa, are the two of you fine with the date?"

"Of course. Arrangements like these have always been left in the parent's capable hands," Rosa said diffidently.

"I'm fine with any date," Taahir shrugged.

"Then, the date's set. We can focus fully on wedding preparation now. Rosa, God is still kind towards me because you'll finally be my daughter-in-law," Mrs. Haseena said happily as her hands clasped over Rosa's, both of them smiling joyfully.

Rosa practically grew up in front of her. She was very fond of Rosa's personality, character, and ability.

She had been haranguing Taahir to bring her into the Rahman Family, and finally her wish was about to come true.

There was another woman at the table whose wish was about to come true and that was Rosa Khan.

Finally, Taahir was within her grasp. The man was going to be hers at last.

Right then, the glass of juice Tahseen held in his hands fell and shattered. He also somehow managed to splash his shirt with juice.

"Tahseen, you've gotta be more careful," Mrs. Haseena scolded

"Tahseen, are you hurt?" Rosa moved in with a handkerchief to wipe the juice on his shirt but he quickly scurried into Taahir's arms, avoiding her completely. Rosa's hands hung awkwardly in the air.

"I'll go get him cleaned up," Taahir said as he carried his son to the washroom.

In the washroom, Taahir set his son down on the sink counter. Tahseen stared intently at his swaying legs, his brain churning.

He suddenly slapped away Taahir's hands that were dabbing the juice out of his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Taahir said softly as he stared at his son, "You've been acting up since the dinner began, is something bothering you?"

Tahseen lowered his head wordlessly. When Taahir lifted his son's face, he saw a pair of determined eyes staring back at him.

Vote ~ Comment ~ Follow

This is the first chapter of this story. What do you think about it? Any suggestions will help me a lot!

Read my other stories:

Billionaire's Seventh Wife

Prank wth the Playboys:

25 Love Story: