A House Divided: When a Father’s Betrayal Shattered a Family

A House Divided

BY:Khan

Khalid Mahmood Ashraf’s life took a turn the day his wife, Bushra, fell seriously ill. For years, she had been the heart of their home — the mother of five daughters and two sons, the anchor of a bustling household. But this time, when she was admitted to the hospital after her third heart attack, the doctors shook their heads grimly. “Pray for her recovery,” they told the family, “the rest is in God’s hands.”

For three long months, Bushra lay in the hospital bed, her children constantly at her side, whispering prayers into the sterile air. Ashraf, however, was not as steadfast. Behind the façade of worry, he had already begun weaving a new plan for himself. Believing Bushra would not survive, he secretly married Salma, a distant relative — a divorced woman with a daughter from her previous marriage. He justified his decision by telling himself that his children needed a mother.

But fate had other plans. Bushra survived. By what the family called nothing short of a miracle, she was discharged from the hospital and returned home. The children’s prayers had been answered. Yet, her recovery shattered Ashraf’s secret dreams. He had imagined welcoming a new bride into the house, but Bushra’s unexpected return meant his plans fell apart.

From then on, peace left the home. Ashraf, a man with a weakness for women, found himself frustrated. Small arguments with Bushra turned into daily battles. The children, already traumatized by their mother’s illness, grew weary of their parents’ endless fights.

One evening, when Bushra’s married daughters and their husbands came to visit, they confronted Ashraf. Why did he keep fighting with their mother? At first, he resisted, but then he blurted out the truth.

“I want to divide this house into two parts,” he declared coldly. “Bushra will live in one part with her children. And Salma, my wife, will live in the other part with her daughter. I married Salma because I thought Bushra would not survive. I did this for the children, to give them another mother. And I gave shelter to a helpless woman. Now Bushra is standing in my way.”

The room fell silent. His daughters and sons were stunned. They could neither oppose their father openly nor ignore the pain of their mother. His betrayal had already taken root, and there was no turning back.

Tensions escalated until tragedy struck. Ashraf’s younger son, unable to bear the humiliation and family turmoil, consumed poison and ended his life. The loss devastated Bushra, who collapsed into a coma after her son’s funeral. A year later, she too passed away, unable to recover from her grief.

The family home, once filled with love and laughter, became a place of sorrow. Yet Ashraf, hardened and obstinate, remained unchanged. He brought Salma openly into the house, dividing it as he had always wanted.

But his eldest son, Javed, could no longer focus on his studies. Dropping out of school, he began driving a pickup truck to provide for his younger sisters. The burden of responsibility fell squarely on his young shoulders.

Ashraf, unsympathetic, had further plans. One day, he summoned Javed and delivered an ultimatum:

“If you want to stay in this house, you must marry Salma’s younger sister. If you refuse, you will be thrown out and cut off from my inheritance. Decide wisely.”

Javed was horrified. To him, Salma was the reason his mother and brother were gone, the root of his family’s destruction. The thought of marrying her sister was unbearable. But Ashraf’s authority was ironclad. Resistance meant losing everything.

For months, Javed stalled, avoiding his father’s demand. But eventually, under relentless pressure, he surrendered. With his sisters’ futures in mind, he reluctantly married Salma’s younger sister. His sacrifice was silent, but it tore at his soul.

Life moved on. Javed devoted himself to supporting his sisters and caring for his new wife. Surprisingly, she turned out to be kind-hearted, and though he never loved the circumstances, he treated her with respect. In time, she too became a partner in his struggles.

But Ashraf’s selfishness did not end there. With Salma by his side, he continued to control the family. Javed, however, grew stronger. He worked tirelessly, saving every rupee he could. Finally, he convinced his wife to demand that Ashraf transfer the house into Javed’s name. Desperate to appease them, Ashraf agreed.

The day the papers were signed, Javed wasted no time. He tore down the dividing wall of the house. With tears streaming down his face, he remembered his mother and brother. The family wept together, grieving the home that had once been whole.

A short while later, Javed sold the house. He gathered his sisters and wife and moved to the city, determined to build a new life away from his father’s shadow.

Ashraf begged him not to go. “My job is here. My life is here. Don’t leave me alone,” he pleaded. But Javed’s heart had hardened.

“When you were strong, you thought only of yourself,” he told his father. “Now that you are weak, you expect us to care for you? You must learn what helplessness feels like.”

And so, Ashraf was left behind, an old man surrounded by silence. Even Salma eventually left to live with her daughter and son-in-law in the city. Ashraf, once proud and domineering, now faced the twilight of his life alone, haunted by the ruins of the family he himself had destroyed.