Several days passed. Majed refused to believe that the child was his. Inside the closed room, he tormented Lalbanu, demanding to know with whom she had been involved and who the real father of the child was. Lalbanu kept trying to convince him that it was all a lie. It was wrong to say that Majed could not be a father. This child was his. But Majed would not accept it.
In the meantime, Majed underwent another medical examination. Once again, the doctors told him the same thing—he could never become a father. This time, doubt crept into Lalbanu’s mind. A mistake could happen once, but how could it happen repeatedly? But she knew she had done nothing wrong. Then why was it impossible for this child to be Majed’s? She could not comprehend it and became increasingly distressed. Majed’s abuse had left her mentally shattered.
Outwardly, however, Majed acted as if the child was his. He never let anyone see what truly happened behind closed doors. This made Lalbanu somewhat relieved. No matter what happened inside, at least in public, Majed did not disgrace her. If Majed openly declared that he was infertile, then the entire world would blame Lalbanu. She could never bear such dishonor. Yet, she also could not bear Majed’s increasing cruelty. Before, he would hit her occasionally, but now, his violence had escalated beyond her endurance.
The relationship between Majed and Lalbanu had never been particularly sweet. Now, it was growing increasingly bitter. Lalbanu had once felt a slight affection for Majed—perhaps even a trace of love—but that love was fading. In contrast, her bond with Nijam was strengthening.
One day, in a moment of despair, Lalbanu blurted out to Nijam,
“The child in my womb does not belong to Majed Khan.”
Nijam was stunned. Fear flashed across his face, a fear whose reason Lalbanu did not understand. In a trembling voice, Nijam asked,
“Then whose child is it? I don’t see you going out much, so who could it be…?”
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Lalbanu smiled faintly, realizing that Nijam was afraid that she had been involved with someone else. She then told him everything. Hearing the truth, relief washed over Nijam’s face.
“This clearly proves that the doctors were wrong about Majed Khan,” Nijam said. “Then why did you say it wasn’t his child?”
“How could the doctors be wrong so many times?”
Nijam laughed. “Are you denying the child inside you now?”
“No… I think…”
“What?”
Lalbanu’s voice trembled with fear as she whispered,
“I think this is a jinn’s child.”
Lalbanu, terrified, told Nijam everything. She believed that a jinn might have violated her at night, making her pregnant. Nijam, amused, laughed and said,
“As if the jinn have nothing better to do than chase after you.”
Lalbanu stared at Nijam, surprised by his reaction. He reassured her,
“This is your child. There’s no supernatural involvement. Doctors are humans; they can make mistakes.”
Lalbanu felt somewhat relieved but soon became dejected, realizing she could never convince Majed of this truth. Nijam noticed her sorrow and said,
“People like him never change. In their minds, they are always right.”
Lalbanu gazed into Nijam’s eyes with a soft expression. She had grown dependent on him, feeling uneasy if she didn’t talk to him every day. At the same time, her anger and resentment toward Majed were deepening. In her heart, she questioned,
“Am I slipping into a sinful relationship just to escape this bitter one?”
The thought startled her. She immediately stepped away from Nijam. Her conscience screamed,
“This is a sin. This is wrong.”
Lalbanu ran back to her room, leaving Nijam bewildered.
Jahanara was shocked when she heard the name of the wealthy groom from Jahanara Ghatok. For months, Ratan Ghatok had misled her, failing to find a groom and even driving away the ones she had found herself. He had always insisted that the groom he was choosing was the best. Finally, after all this time, he revealed that the groom was now ready to marry.
Hearing about the luxurious house, the business, and the vast properties, Jahanara was thrilled. She had been waiting for Nilufar’s marriage for so long, and now, finally, a groom had been found. However, when Ratan Ghatok revealed the name, Jahanara felt her world stop.
“The groom is someone we all know,” Ratan Ghatok said. “It’s none other than our village leader, Majed Khan.”
Jahanara immediately realized that Majed Khan had been behind all the previous rejections. He had instructed Ratan Ghatok to keep delaying and driving away the other suitors. Furious, Jahanara declared,
“This is impossible! I will never let my daughter marry that vile man.”
Saying this, she stormed out. Ratan Ghatok smirked to himself and thought,
“If he could manipulate things for months, do you really think he’ll let your daughter go so easily?”
One day, while Lalbanu was in the kitchen, Farida Begum handed her a glass of milk.
“Sister-in-law, I don’t feel like drinking this right now,” Lalbanu said.
“No excuses. You need to drink this for the baby’s health.”
Lalbanu reluctantly took the milk. At that moment, Nijam deliberately bumped into her, causing the milk to spill onto the floor.
“Forgive me, sister-in-law. I didn’t see you there,” Nijam said quickly, looking directly at Farida Begum.
Farida Begum glared at him in anger, but Lalbanu dismissed it.
“It’s just a glass of milk. No need to apologize so much.”
Farida Begum walked away without another word. Nijam turned to Lalbanu and said,
“From now on, don’t eat or drink anything prepared by someone else. Make your own food.”
Lalbanu was surprised. Nijam warned her not to ask questions,
“Just remember this—it’s for your and your baby’s safety.”
Later, Farida Begum grabbed Nijam’s collar and hissed,
“Aren’t you getting too bold?”
Nijam freed himself from her grip and said,
“Why do you want to harm Lalbanu?”
“I don’t want to harm anyone.”
Nijam laughed mockingly. “Then why did you try to poison her milk today? Why did you try to harm her before? I heard everything that day when Altaf saved her.”
“How much money do you want to keep quiet?”
“I don’t want money,” Nijam replied. “I just want you to stop harming her.”
Farida Begum smirked and said,
“Then take her and run away. If she stays here, I will kill her.”
Nijam was taken aback by the hatred in her eyes. She continued,
“I gave you so many opportunities to get close to her. I even convinced my mother-in-law not to interfere. Yet, you still couldn’t make her fall for you?”
Nijam was shocked by this revelation. So that’s why Maleka Begum never objected.
“If she loved me, I would have taken her away from this hell,” Nijam admitted.
“Then there’s nothing left to do. If she stays here, she will die.”
Farida Begum’s voice was cold and cruel. Nijam clenched his fists.
“If you try to harm her again, I will expose everything.”
“Do you have proof?”
Nijam smirked and whispered,
“Lalbanu is naive, but not everyone is. I know why you want her dead.”
Farida Begum paled with fear. Nijam leaned in and added,
“My eyes see more than you think.”
He left, leaving Farida Begum trembling. Moments later, she collapsed to the floor and began sobbing.
Altaf found her crying and asked,
“Why are you crying?”
“I failed to kill Lalbanu again today.”
Altaf sighed. “Killing her won’t solve your problems.”
Meanwhile, Sultan returned to the village after securing a stable job in the city. Excited to see Nilufa, he rushed to her home, only to find it locked.
A neighbor informed him,
“They went to the Khan house this morning. They’ll stay there until the wedding.”
“Whose wedding?” Sultan asked.
“Nilufa’s. With Majed Khan.”
The ground beneath Sultan’s feet seemed to disappear. His love, for whom he had waited so long, was being given to someone else. He felt his world shatter.
