Payal ki Jhankar Ch. 10

Payal jumped off and ran out into the bathroom. When she emerged twenty minutes later, she was wearing a completely different but yet equally sexy red outfit. Shahnawaz was up in a flash and another bout of extreme fucking followed. This scenario was repeated two more times before Shahnawaz and Payal finally collapsed.

As she awoke, Payal put her hand over to where Shahnawaz should have been lying and instead found an empty space. A short note gave her the news she had hoped was going to be avoided. A call had been received from the lawyers that the only way to not have the judge rule adversely was to appear in person and request a delay due to new information discovered. He had already left more than an hour prior to her waking up and trying to call him back would be futile as he would already be halfway to Lahore.

X

She had hardly finished breakfast when a call from the emergency room of the United Christian Hospital in Lahore was received. Shahnawaz was in critical condition, not because any overt attempt appeared to have been made on his life, but because of a serious traffic accident. He had just reached the outskirts of the city when a truck had sped directly at him and crushed his vehicle. The driver and guard, who were sitting in the front seats of his car, were already dead.

In her heart Payal knew that this was no accident and that Haqnawaz was somehow involved. Yet the Police report from the scene and witness statements all pointed to the fact that a sleep-deprived truck driver had crossed the median and hit Shahnawaz's car. It was a type of accident that was far too common on the dusty and narrow roads of Pakistan.

Payal and others made it to the hospital just prior to eleven in the morning. The doctors only allowed her through. One look at the extent of the injuries and his uneven breathing told her that widowhood was just a matter of time. Shahnawaz was awake and recognized her immediately as she touched his uninjured arm tenderly.

"I love you," he said, bringing tears that she fought back with great difficulty.

"Rest now and do not worry," she advised him, "you are going to be fine."

"It was Haqnawaz's gunman driving the truck, not the fellow the police have arrested," Shahnawaz spoke with difficulty, "I recognized him just as the collision happened." The true culprit had either run away or been let off with the connivance of the investigating authorities. The involvement of Haqnawaz was established but she knew that there was not going to be any action taken against him.

"Stop please, focus on getting well," she pleaded, "and we will leave this damn place as soon as possible."

"I will always love you," he slowly spoke, "even after I am gone!"

As Payal readied to respond she saw him shut his eyes and take a laboured breath. All movement stopped and she screamed for the attendants. The doctors tried hard to revive Shahnawaz but the damage was too great and after a while he was declared dead.

As she now sat alone on her bed, the sheets still smelling of her husband and the essence of lovemaking, she wondered if the stars had finally completely aligned against her. The body had been released by the hospital and taken to the village. As per Islamic custom, the burial was conducted before the setting of the sun. Shahnawaz, her best friend, lover, husband, partner, mentor, confidante and source of support was no longer there to provide confidence. The future seemed extremely bleak and the weight of the world was on her shoulders. She had no idea what would happen in the next days, weeks and months. The amount of curses she had heaped on Haqnawaz was substantial but did not help give her solace. All she now wanted was the earth to open up and swallow her, him and everything whole so that the pain would end. It would ultimately but not as quickly as she hoped.