**Chapter#3**
Ayat, Maha, and their friends reached their home. As they entered, Ayat screamed, "Auntieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!" and ran to hug her. She was like a baby deer separated from her mother. Her auntie hugged her back, welcoming her with the utmost warmth and kissed her forehead. Maha scowled and said, "Ayat, I also want to hug Auntie. Release her."
But Ayat never let go once she hugged someone; it was her favorite hobby. "No, I don't want to," she replied. "She came back after so long, and I missed her more than you. You never mentioned her after she was gone."
Maha glared at her, saying, "Don't speak nonsense."
Auntie was stuck between Ayat's arms, so she warmly said, "Ayat beta, you are misbehaving again. What did I tell you?"
Ayat replied with uncertainty, "Umm, you told me many things. Which one are you asking about?"
Auntie couldn't stop her laughter and pecked her cheeks, saying, "Don't talk to Maha in that tone. She's older than you."
Maha pulled Ayat's arm and said, "Baby, now it's my turn," before hugging Auntie and relishing the warmth she used to feel from her own mother. She was on the verge of tears and said in a cracking voice, "We missed you very much."
Auntie showered her with love, gently stroking her hair, and said teasingly, "I was only away from home for two months. How could you miss me so much?"
Ayat questioned Auntie about her uncle, "Where is Uncle? Didn't he come with you?"
"No, he is sleeping in the room. He is not well, so he is resting," Auntie replied.
Ayat's disappointment was evident, "Oh, I see. She loves him like a father."
The trio always saw Auntie and Uncle as their parents. After the death of their own parents, they lived with their mom's sister, who didn't have any children. So, the girls were like their own children, and Miss Anaya and her husband loved them dearly. They appeared as a happy family to outsiders, often mistaken as the girls' real parents.
Pakeezah called everyone for dinner. After dinner, Maha went to her room with her friends to work on their assignment. Ayat was waiting for her milk; her aunt brought it for her. She drank it as if she were drinking it for the first time. Ayat loved drinking milk more than anything else, and she would be shocked if there was no milk available.
After finishing her milk, Ayat asked Auntie to sleep with her because she hadn't hugged her enough yet. Despite being 16 years old, Ayat's loving and excited demeanor made her appear much younger, like an innocent yet occasionally bratty child who got excited at every little thing or would cry over the smallest issue. Her sisters, uncle, and aunt knew how to handle her as they were the cause of her behaving this way.
After putting Ayat to sleep, Miss Anaya went into Pakeezah's room. Pakeezah was working on her journal. Auntie knocked at her door, and Pakeezah replied, "Yes, come in."
Auntie entered with the brightest smile on her face and asked if she could spare a moment. Pakeezah smiled and said, "Is there any need for my permission, Auntie?"
Auntie replied, "Right." Then she said, "Pakeezah..."
Pakeezah replied, "Yes, Auntie."
"A proposal has come for you to marry their son," Auntie said.
A thunderous shock hit Pakeezah. The smile faded, and she asked, "So soon?"
"Yes, they said their son is stable now and has everything. They think both of you are at the right age to get married," Auntie explained.
Pakeezah replied with a cracked voice, "Yes, I understand, Auntie. Thank you."
Auntie hugged her, sensing her anxiety and reluctance to marry off her daughter. They both couldn't hold back their tears and cried while embracing each other. Pakeezah had no choice as the marriage was arranged by her late parents, and it was their last wish before they passed away. They had already planned her marriage with Mr. Hassan's son, Kamal. Neither Pakeezah nor Kamal had seen each other before; it was simply fulfilling their parents' wishes.