own way of moving forward. No matter how much pain, happiness, or suffering people carry in their hearts, time never pauses for anyone. Days turned into months, and months quietly passed into years. Life in Tahir's house continued moving ahead, though every member of the family carried silent struggles inside their hearts.
Tahir's children were growing up quickly. Despite all the hardships he had faced in life, he never allowed his children to abandon their education. He believed that education was the only thing that could protect them from the cruel realities of the world.
Noreen, Tahir's eldest daughter, had successfully completed her Master's degree. She had also started working as a teacher at a foundation school. Noreen was soft-spoken, responsible, and mature beyond her age. After everything she had seen inside her family, she rarely complained about life. She quietly fulfilled her responsibilities and tried her best to support her parents emotionally and financially.
Tahir often looked at Noreen with pride. Among all his daughters, she understood his struggles the most.
But like every father, Tahir had another dream in his heart.
He wanted to see his daughter happily married.
For a long time, Tahir searched for a respectable proposal for Noreen. He visited relatives, spoke to family friends, and asked people he trusted. However, finding a good match had become difficult. Some families demanded too much dowry, while others rejected proposals after learning about Tahir's financial condition.
Still, Tahir refused to give up.
Finally, one day, a proposal came that appeared perfect in every possible way.
The boy's name was Haroon.
According to his family, Haroon worked in Dubai and earned a very good salary. He was only two or three years older than Noreen, educated, and financially stable. His family spoke politely and behaved respectfully in front of Tahir. They made countless promises about keeping Noreen happy after marriage.
For the first time in many years, Tahir felt hopeful.
He made inquiries about Haroon within Pakistan. Everyone nearby spoke positively about the family. Since nothing suspicious came to light, Tahir agreed to the proposal.
Noreen's engagement was arranged with great happiness.
That day, Tahir spent more than he could afford just to see a smile on his daughter's face. Relatives gathered at the ceremony, prayers were offered, and everyone congratulated the family. Noreen herself remained shy and quiet, but somewhere deep inside, she also began dreaming about her future.
Like every girl, she imagined a peaceful married life.
But destiny had already written something else.
A few months after the engagement, Tahir's nephew Nusrat traveled to Dubai for business purposes. While staying there, a thought crossed his mind.
Since Haroon also lived in Dubai, why not meet him personally?
Nusrat wanted to confirm that everything about Haroon was truly genuine. After all, Noreen was like a sister to him, and he wanted reassurance before the marriage took place.
Using the address Haroon had provided earlier, Nusrat reached the apartment building one afternoon. Standing outside the flat, he knocked on the door confidently.
After a few moments, the door opened.
A woman stood there holding a small child in her arms.
The moment Nusrat saw her, confusion spread across his face.
Haroon's family was supposed to be living in Pakistan.
Then who was this woman?
And whose child was she carrying?
Trying not to appear suspicious, Nusrat politely asked, "Is Haroon home?"
The woman replied calmly, "No, he isn't here right now."
Nusrat hesitated for a moment before asking another question.
"What relation are you to Haroon?"
The woman looked surprised by the question.
"I'm his wife," she answered naturally. "And this is our son."
For a few seconds, Nusrat felt as though the world around him had stopped moving.
His mind refused to accept what he had just heard.
"Wife?" he repeated in shock. "But Haroon is engaged to my cousin in Pakistan!"
The woman's expression immediately changed.
Nusrat quickly opened his phone and showed her pictures from Noreen's engagement ceremony with Haroon. The woman stared at the pictures in complete disbelief.
Tears slowly filled her eyes.
Without saying another word, she went inside the apartment and returned with official documents in her hands.
It was her Nikah Nama.
Proof that she was legally married to Haroon.
Nusrat's heart sank.
To make sure he had evidence, he took pictures of the documents with his mobile phone. He could hardly believe the reality standing in front of him.
Haroon had deceived two families at the same time.
The entire journey back to Pakistan felt unbearable for Nusrat. He kept thinking about how Tahir and Noreen would react after hearing such heartbreaking news.
As soon as he returned home, Nusrat went directly to Tahir and told him everything.
Every single detail.
The woman.
The child.
The Nikah papers.
The lies.
The betrayal.
Tahir listened silently while feeling his entire body grow cold.
He could not believe that someone could deceive his innocent daughter so shamelessly.
For a long time, Tahir sat speechless, staring into emptiness. His dreams for Noreen's future were collapsing right before his eyes.
But the pain did not end there.
Wanting to confirm the truth himself, Tahir immediately went to Haroon's house. However, when he questioned the neighbors, another shocking truth emerged.
The neighbors informed him that Haroon's family had only recently moved there.
Not only that, but the police had also raided the house days earlier.
Haroon and his family had been arrested.
The reason was horrifying.
Inside the house, the police had discovered machines used for printing counterfeit currency notes.
Haroon was involved in illegal criminal activities.
The news shattered Tahir completely.
Noreen's engagement ended before it could even turn into marriage.
Another dream had died silently inside Tahir's home.
Meanwhile, life continued moving forward despite the pain.
Amreen managed to complete her Master's degree after the birth of her son. Alongside taking care of her child, she continued working tirelessly at her job.
Mehreen also completed her matric successfully and continued her studies with determination.
But Samreen was entirely different.
No matter how much Tahir tried, she showed no interest in education. He encouraged her repeatedly, hired tutors, scolded her, and even begged her to focus on studies, but nothing worked.
Samreen failed her 9th-grade examinations three separate times.
Eventually, Tahir gave up forcing her toward academics.
Instead, he enrolled her in sewing and stitching courses and began teaching her household responsibilities so she could at least learn practical skills for the future.
Amid all this, Tahir's only son, Zubair, had recently completed his 9th-grade board exams. He was now waiting anxiously for the results.
Zubair was the center of everyone's love.
Being the only brother among four sisters, he was deeply cherished by the entire family. Tahir especially saw his hopes and future in Zubair.
At that same time, a mysterious illness had begun appearing in Pakistan.
People had only recently started hearing its name.
Dengue.
Very few cases had been reported initially, and even doctors were struggling to fully understand the disease and its treatment. Fear and confusion surrounded the virus everywhere.
One morning, Noreen and Mehreen were getting ready for work when Mehreen suddenly glanced toward Zubair.
The sight made her scream in terror.
"Tahir!"
Her voice echoed through the house.
Hearing the panic in her voice, Tahir rushed toward the room immediately.
"What happened?" he asked anxiously. "Why are you screaming?"
Mehreen pointed toward Zubair with trembling hands.
"Look at his face…"
The moment Tahir looked at his son, fear gripped his heart.
Zubair's face had turned unnaturally red from fever. His body burned like fire. His eyes were bloodshot, and strange patches of skin on his face appeared to be peeling away.
But Tahir still believed it was nothing more than ordinary fever.
After all, nobody around them truly understood the danger of dengue yet.
If Tahir had known what was coming…
he would never have let his son out of his sight.
Completely unaware of the tragedy approaching his family, Tahir handed Zubair some money.
"Go to the nearby clinic and bring medicine," he said.
Weak and exhausted, Zubair quietly took the money from his father.
Then he decided to walk alone to the nearby doctor's clinic.
Neither Tahir nor Zubair knew…
that this small decision would soon become the greatest mistake of their lives.
And that Tahir's only son…
the only brother of four sisters…
was slowly moving toward a fate from which he would never return.