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________________________

One year ago

"Didn't I tell you to marinate the meat? You're still chopping the onions? Do you want my guests to starve, Bengali girl?" Rehana Khan, Mohib's mother shouted as she entered the kitchen. In her hand was a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice she had ordered Ayaat to make.

Ayaat hesitated before speaking softly.

"Y-Yes... Auntie, I was wondering if you could marinate the meat. The smell is making me nauseous."

Her hand subconsciously caressed her stomach.

She had stopped calling her "Maa" since Rehana didn't like hearing the word from her mouth.

"I'll mix all the spices. You just need to season the meat," she quickly added.

Rehana gave her a look as though she had seen a ghost.

"I just came to visit my son, and now you're already telling me to do the chores? Wow, Ayaat. Do I look like a maid to you? Oh... you must have had many in your billionaire father's house."

Her sharp words pierced Ayaat's heart like shards of glass.

Ayaat's eyes widened at her mother-in-law's way of twisting her words and using her family as a taunt.

"Auntie, it's not like that! I just feel unwell because of the smell of meat...my morning sickness," she tried to explain.

But her mother-in-law cut her off with a wave of her hand.

"Leave it. I gave birth to my children too, and no one was there to help me with housework. Ye sab toh sabko hota hai. Waise bhi, tum pehli baar maa nahi ban rahi ho. Ab tak khud ko sambhalna nahi aata?"
("Everyone goes through all of this. Anyway, you are not becoming a mother for the first time. Don't you know how to handle yourself by now?")

She placed the glass of juice on the table with a thud and reached for the bowl of mutton on the counter.

But her taunts hurt even more.

Ayaat's chest tightened, reminding her of the child she had lost because of her fragile health. The pain and guilt still ate her alive. Yet her mother-in-law never missed a chance to remind her of it.

Unable to bear any more taunts....or another complaint reaching Mohib, Ayaat quickly took the bowl from her mother-in-law.

The smell twisted her stomach, but she swallowed her discomfort and tied the edge of her pallu around her nose.

"Mujhe maaf kar dijiye. Main kar lungi. Aap jaakar aaram kijiye."
("Please forgive me. I will do it. You go and rest.")

Rehana immediately changed her tone.
"If you're insisting, then make some fish cutlets too. In your Bengali style. My brother liked them last time."

Ironically, Rehana had never liked Ayaat's habit of eating fish. Because of that, Ayaat had stopped cooking Bengali dishes whenever her in-laws visited. The one time she cooked them, they mocked her for it.

Ayaat's throat tightened at the double standards of her mother-in-law. But she couldn't handle another drama where Mohib would end up believing his mother and hurting her. Not in this state.

So she stayed silent and quietly did everything. From cooking to cleaning.
By the end of the day, she could barely feel her legs. Her back hurt terribly.

The faint pain in her stomach reminded her that she hadn't found time to eat all day.

After taking a shower, she finally ate a few morsels of food before her body gave up. Curling up on the bed, she closed her eyes for a short nap.
.
.
.
"So the princess is already in bed without bothering about her husband?"

Ayaat's eyes fluttered open at Mohib's voice.

His slurred tone told her he was drunk, just like every other day...no matter how many times she had begged him to stop.

She slowly sat up and adjusted her saree.

"I didn't notice that you had come. Go freshen up. I'll bring your food."

"Food?" Mohib scoffed.

"You think I'll starve if you go to sleep? Do you even care about your husband?"

Ayaat shook her head.

"It's not like that. I just dozed off after doing chores all day. You know, my health hasn't been well since the baby came."

Her soft tone was filled with hope that it would calm him.

Mohib took a step forward and pulled her by the waist.

"You have time for everyone but not for me..."

His cold voice contrasted with the way his lips hovered near the slope of her neck.

The strong smell of whiskey and a woman's perfume hit her nostrils. Bile rose in her throat, along with disgust and pain.

"You were at a bar again?" she asked.

He chuckled, his lips curling into a taunting smile.

"So you noticed? Ever since it came, you barely give me any attention."

His hand caressed her cheek, but his eyes reflected irritation.

"It's our baby. Not 'it'," Ayaat said, removing his hand.

"I'll bring your coffee."

She turned to leave, but Mohib wrapped his arms around the bare skin of her waist.
"I need you. Not coffee."

His lips brushed her jaw, making her feel sick.

"Not today. You're reeking of alcohol, and I'm not feeling well either. My whole body hurts."

Ayaat turned her face away when he tried to kiss her.

He grabbed her face and murmured against her lips.

"I didn't make you work all day. When I want you, you should fulfill my needs."

Ayaat pushed him, but he barely moved.

"Mohib, please. Not today. I want to rest."
Her voice hardened.
"And you smell of another woman, so... just not today."

"Rest...rest...rest. Why the fuck did you get pregnant if you couldn't handle it? Getting intimate is perfectly normal during pregnancy."

He grabbed her chin tightly, making her wince.

"And about another woman? Since you can't satisfy your husband, of course he'll go elsewhere for some fun."

Ayaat's jaw clenched at his cheap words about their child and the way he humiliated her. The fragile relationship they still had seemed to shatter.

The anger she had tried so hard to suppress finally erupted.

She yanked his hand away and shouted,

"Then you should have worn protection! It's not like I wanted a baby before I was ready. In fact, I didn't want to bring a child into these surroundings!"

"And if you want to have fun, then go! Go and find someone else to satisfy you. Just leave me alone for tonight. I need rest!"
Her eyes brimmed with tears born from anger and heartbreak.

"Getting rebellious again, love?"
Mohib pulled her flush against him before gripping a fistful of her hair.

"Pregnancy hormones are making you difficult. You need to learn when to stay quiet."

Ayaat whimpered in pain.

"Leave me...aaah!"

But he didn't.

Her long hair remained tangled in his hand as he abruptly lifted her, making her flinch, before throwing her onto the bed.

"Mohib... no. Let go!"

"We'll be making love, my rare gem."
He smiled darkly. His eyes were clouded with desire and sickening madness.

"Don't let my family hear your screams. Only I should be the one to hear them."

He pulled her pallu from her chest and shoved the edge of it into her mouth.

"Tonight, I will be the one who gets all your attention."

His lips twisted into a disturbing smile.

"Not anyone else."

"Not even my child."

(Flashback End)

___________________________________________

Present Time

"Oh, my beautiful ex-wife..."

His smile slowly vanished as he spoke in a hoarse tone.

"It's time to return home."

Shah's phone slipped from my hand and landed on the carpet with a soft thud.

"Home?" I finally spoke in a low voice. A bitter smile touched my lips.

"The place where you loved torturing me as you pleased...the place where you killed my children... the place whose every wall witnessed the monster you truly are."

I gritted my teeth.

"You call that home?

It would be generous to call it anything other than a hellhole."

As I spoke, I slowly stepped backward toward the corner of the bed, where the guns were hidden beneath the mattress.

I needed to reach it.

I needed to end this monster.

My heart pounded violently against my ribs.

"But how did you get in here?" I asked, trying to distract him before he noticed my intentions.

Mohib moved toward me like a predator cornering its prey.

"I dropped you home before, remember?" he smirked. "I know that tree. Easiest way to get in unnoticed...thanks to the storm."

His eyes roamed over me.

"You look brighter than before. Shahmeer Altaf seems to be taking very good care of you."

His smile turned wicked.

"Was he into you from the beginning?"

He chuckled darkly. The lightening flash coming from the outside only made it look creepier.

"Is that why you divorced me? I didn't know you liked older men...or perhaps you have some kind of kink for your twin sister's husband?"

His fingers brushed my cheek before tightening painfully around my jaw. His other hand gripped my short hair.

"Short hair? You think that stopped me from pulling it?"

There was something animalistic in his eyes.

It hurt.

But I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break. Disgust twisted inside me at the cheap, filthy words coming out of his mouth.

"Not everyone has a filthy mind like yours," I hissed.

"Say one more degrading word about Shah or my character...and you'll regret it."

His grip on my jaw tightened painfully.

I tried to pry his hand away, but the monster possessed the strength of iron.
My free hand searched blindly behind me, feeling the mattress. I was almost there....

"Already defending another man?" he sneered.

"What are you going to do, love?" he scoffed. "Have you ever succeeded in rebelling against me? You're coming back with me."

His voice turned cold.

"Now.
Forever."

Before I could react, he shoved me onto the bed and hovered over me. The thundering sounds outside met thudding of my heart. Disgust rose like bile in my throat.

"But before that..." his eyes darkened. "I need to remind you of my scent...my taste..."

In the faint light of the flashlight I saw him lowering his face to kiss me. He held my jaw in place so I couldn't turn away.

No.
Never again.

Using all my strength, I kicked him hard between the legs and pushed him away.

He staggered backward with a low groan.

My chest rose and fell heavily.

Trauma.
Pain.
Rage.
Vengeance.....
Everything crashed together inside me.

"You bitch!" he growled. "You've got the guts to fight me again?"

Before I could properly reach the gun beneath the mattress, he lunged at me.

His hand wrapped around my throat.

Pain exploded through my neck. Tears gathered in my eyes.
My chest burned as I struggled to breathe.

"You'll quiet down soon," he whispered with a twisted smile. "And when you wake up, you'll find yourself back in our home."

The lights returned and I looked at him properly.

His eyes...once I thought to believe held my world, held nothing human.
Nothing.

I struggled beneath him, but his body pinned me down.

Then I saw him pull out a folded napkin.

"It'll make you obedient," he murmured, staring at it almost lovingly.

My vision blurred.

But I couldn't lose. I had to survive till Shah came...

Shah would come seeing me not returning downstairs.
He had to.

My hand searched desperately around me.

Then I smelled something sweet and strange from the cloth as it neared my face.

No.
No....

At that moment, my fingers closed around something metallic near the pillow.

Without even looking at what it was, I swung with every ounce of strength left in me.

CRACK!

Mohib staggered back with a curse.

Blood immediately trickled down his forehead. The cloth slipped from his hand and landed on my chest.

"You f*cking bitch!"

His grip loosened.

I coughed violently and looked at the object in my hand.

Shah's wristwatch.
The heavy metallic dial was stained with blood.

I didn't waste another second.

Reaching beneath the mattress, I grabbed a gun and switched off the safety.

"You bastard..."

My hand trembled violently, but my eyes burned with hatred.

"I'll kill you today...For everything you did to me...
For everything I lost....
And I will never go back."

"You'll be the one going to hell."

For months...For countless nights...

I had imagined this moment.

Since the day he killed my second unborn child. Since the moment I got to know it was him who killed my first baby too.

Back then, I had no strength.
No support.
No reason to live.

But now I had all three.

My strength, my support...

My family.

My reason to live...

Arham.

And for the briefest fraction of a second...
Another face flashed beside his.

Shah?

My husband.
The man I still thought of as forbidden.... Someone I had never allowed myself to truly call mine.

Why had his face appeared now?

My defense slipped for a second.
And Mohib seized the opportunity.

He grabbed my wrist.

"You can't kill me," he laughed like a lunatic.
"You love me more than yourself."
Stop being stubborn.
Or I'll have to silence you forever."

He twisted the gun toward me. If the trigger was pulled, I would be the one shot.

I fought desperately, forcing my hands upward. Then I kicked his knee.

He stumbled with a groan.

And... BANG!
The trigger went off.

Closing my eyes, I waited for pain.
But none came.

The bullet whizzed past my hair and shattered the vanity mirror.

Before I could recover, he yanked my legs.

The gun slipped from my grasp.

He climbed over me and pressed his weight against my stomach.

Then both his hands wrapped around my throat violently, painfully.

"You've become too feisty. I thought you would return to me someday.
But you don't want to come?"

His smile turned horrifying.

"Fine. I'll set you free forever."

"If you aren't mine..."

His grip tightened. I struggled to free myself but it was in vein. My lungs burnt for air.

"Then you belong to no one."

No.

I couldn't die like this.

Ya Allah...Save me.

Shah...
Baba...
Maa...

Please...

Darkness blurred my vision.
_______________________

I wasn't feeling right about letting Ayaat go upstairs alone to look for her earrings.

I didn't know that pair meant so much to her, though she had worn them almost every day since our marriage.

Had she not insisted that I check on Arham first, I would have gone with her to help her search.

She'll be fine. Relax.
I tried convincing myself as I knocked on Mamujaan's room before entering.

And there I found my little Sher sitting on Mamujaan's back, who had apparently become his grandson's horse. He crawled around the floor with a warm smile on his face, trying to neigh like a horse and failing miserably.

"Papa, dekho! (See) Nanu Bhai became a horse!" Arham squealed. Tears still clung to the corners of his eyes, yet he was laughing.

Mamijaan sat on the couch, smiling at the grandfather-grandson duo.

"Dekho toh, tomar mamu'r paglamo. Nati'r kanna thamate ghora hoye geche."
("Look at your mamujaan's madness. He has turned into a horse just to stop his grandson's crying.")

A smile crept onto my own face.

"I heard him crying, so I came to check on him. But it seems someone is being naughty," I said as I sat beside Mamijaan.

"Sher, get down. Nanu Bhai is getting tired."

I tried to sound firm, but my voice refused to harden. I knew very well my little Sher was enjoying himself, and so was Mamujaan.

My good boy listened immediately and climbed off Mamujaan's back.

"Where is Ayaat?" Mamujaan asked while dusting off his hands.

"She's upstairs. She went to fetch the earring she dropped," I replied, taking Arham into my arms.

"Papa..." Arham widened his eyes. "Big thun-der. Alham scared."

He pouted and wrapped his tiny arms around me.

"You shouldn't have come here alone," Mamujaan remarked. "She might get scared because of the thunder."

"Ye kya?" Arham murmured suddenly, touching the sleeve of my kurta.
( what is this?)

"What is it, mera Sher..."

I froze.

Under the light of the table lamp, I noticed something shiny attached to my sleeve.

Ayaat's earring.

How did...

Oh...

Earlier.

She clung to me when the thunder startled her.

I felt Mamujaan's and Mamijaan's gaze on me.

My ears suddenly grew warm, and I couldn't bring myself to meet their eyes.

"You sent my daughter upstairs for nothing. Go call Ayaat," Mamijaan said.

I could bet she was smiling in amusement.

Putting the jhumka into my pocket, I whispered to Arham,

"Come with Papa, little prince. Let's go to your Aye Mumma."

"Papa, I need to pee."

"Come with me, little prince," Mamujaan offered.

I put Arham down and let Mamujaan take him to the washroom.

"Did you inform Shifa Apa about all this?" Mamijaan asked while I waited.

I shook my head.

"No. She'll worry and raise her blood pressure."

Mamijaan nodded.

"Yeah. Your Nani's health has deteriorated already."

"That's why I told Kunal to keep an eye on Mom and Maira. I informed Maira a little."

As I spoke, my eyes drifted toward the door.

Ayaat still hadn't returned.

Outside, thunder roared and lightning flashed continuously.

She wouldn't be able to find the earring since it was with me.

My silly girl must be searching everywhere while getting frightened by the thunder.

I needed to go back to her.

Just then my phone rang.

Vishal.

At this hour?

"Excuse me. I need to take this," I said to Mamijaan before stepping outside.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I didn't find any back ups for the videos other than on his laptop and hard disk. But
I found something odd during the investigation, so I thought I should call you," Vishal said.

"Tell me."

"It's about that chasing incident involving your wife. You remember it, right?"

Of course I remembered.

Had I not reached Ayaat that day, anything could have happened.

"It was Mohib, wasn't it?" I asked coldly.

"I don't think so."

My brows furrowed.

"The height and body structure don't match the stalker. A hired man, an abandoned car, barely any traces left behind... everything seems too professional. It doesn't match Mohib's pattern."

His words raised my tension.

If not Mohib...

Then who?

And whoever it was had gone silent after that incident.

I pressed my lips together.

"Keep digging. And tell me immediately if you find Mohib's exact location. You mentioned server problems earlier."

As I spoke, my eyes unconsciously drifted toward the upper floor.

Ayaat still hadn't come back.

And suddenly...

Something felt wrong.

Terribly wrong.

A strange uneasiness gripped my chest.

"Let me refresh it again..."

Vishal paused.

"It's back..."

Then his voice changed.

"Boss..."

Silence.

"This is bad..."

"He is-"

CRASH!

A loud crashing sound came from upstairs.

From Ayaat's room.

"Ayaat!"

Her name escaped my lips like a growl mixed with panic.

My heart clenched. Fear rose inside me.
And with it...
A desperate need to protect her.

I didn't even finish the call.

My eyes fell upon the thick wooden staff resting in the corner of the hallway.

Izaan's cricket stumps.

Without thinking, I grabbed one and ran toward Ayaat's room.

Behind me, I could hear startled voices and hurried footsteps.
But none of them mattered.

My mind held only one thought.

Protect Ayaat.

Protect her from the monster.
_________________

Defeated, I recited Dua-e-Yunus, seeking help from my Almighty for what felt like the last time.

"La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimeen."
And then.....

Mohib's weight suddenly fell off me.

His hands loosened around my throat as he collapsed beside me.

Through my blurred vision, I saw Shah standing there with a thick wooden stick in his hand.

His eyes were bloodshot.
But beneath all that rage...

I saw panic.
Pure fear.

He immediately dropped to his knees beside me and cupped my face.

"Tum theek ho?" (Are you okay?)
His voice softened.

I nodded weakly while coughing and instinctively searched for the gun.

Then I heard footsteps.
Many footsteps.

Maa, Baba, Izaan, along with the armed men, rushed into the room.

Maa's face had turned pale with horror, while Baba and Izaan's eyes blazed with murderous fury, ready to tear Mohib apart.

But Shah stopped them with a raised hand.
He grabbed Mohib by the hoodie and landed a brutal punch on his jaw.

"How dare you touch my wife?"
Another punch landed beneath his nose.

"How dare you lay your filthy hands on her?"

Then another.

"How dare you?"
He punched him again and again, but Mohib only laughed like a lunatic despite his bloodied face.

My blood boiled at the sight.
I grabbed the gun again and this time aimed directly at his heart.

"I'll end you right here. For everything you did to me and my babies."

Blood trickled from Mohib's lips as he smiled.
"If I get the chance I'll do it again..."

He laughed weakly.
"Again and again..."

His eyes found mine, laced with that familiar psychotic madness.

"You're mine. As long as you're breathing."

Shah's eyes darkened dangerously.
He wrapped a hand around Mohib's throat and slammed another punch across his face.
"Say that again..."

His voice came out like a growl.
"I'll kill you with my bare hands."

"Shah... no."
My voice was firm.

"Let me finish him."
"Woh mera mujrim hai."
(He is my culprit.)

My hand tightened around the trigger.
My heart raced wildly as memories flashed before my eyes.

The screams.
The torture.
The blood...
My unborn babies...
Everything.

"Ayaat, no!" Maa cried out.

"No, Princess. Not like this," Baba's voice followed.

Then I felt warm hands covering mine.
I looked up to see it was Shah.

His eyes burned with the same rage as mine, yet his voice remained calm.

"After enduring so much..."
Slowly, he slightly lowered the gun with me.
"Will you let him escape with just a few minutes of pain?"

"He deserves to suffer much more for what he did to you," Maa said, her expression now hardened.

"Killing him like this would be mercy," Shah said coldly.
"It's too fast..Too simple and...Too kind."
His gaze fell on Mohib with pure contempt.

"And kindness is something a psychopath like him doesn't deserve."
Baba stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Mohib.

"Let him endure a living hell... even if it's only for a few hours."

I stared at Mohib.
He lay on the carpet, drenched in blood and half-conscious, groaning something incoherent.
The armed guards stood around him with their weapons pointed at his body.

Then I looked at my family.
Their expressions were hard, determined and unyielding.

And slowly....
Their words began to make sense.
The sins he had committed demanded something worse than death.

A bullet was too merciful...Too simple.
Too fast.

He should taste it.
Slowly.

I lowered the gun and looked at Shah.
"Fine."
"Let him taste hell."
"For each and every sin he committed."

My gaze shifted back to the monster lying on the floor.

Disgust rose in my throat, remembering that this was the same man for whom I had abandoned my family, my world...
And destroyed my old self.

My hands clenched at my sides as hatred, disgust, and fury coursed through my veins.

Unable to bear even the sight of him, I spat on him with pure abhorrence and then said,

"Punish this psycho."
"This abuser."
"This rapist."
"This murderer."

As the armed men dragged Mohib away, Shah wrapped a hand around my arm and turned to them.

"Take him to the storeroom at the other corner of the mansion, just as we discussed earlier."

"Do whatever you want with him. Except killing him," Baba added in a cold, firm tone - something I had never heard from him before.

Izaan remained quiet, but I could see how tightly his jaw was clenched and the fury blazing in his eyes as he stared at Mohib.

"Beat him, break him, burn him or cut him if you want, but make sure he stays alive. Make it slow..." Shah said in his deep voice, his jaw tightening.

"So that every cell in his body can feel the agony of it."

"Oh...and remember to break his ribs. Multiple ribs."

His hand protectively caressed my back. His touch felt like a wave of cool water against the fire of hatred, anger, and disgust burning inside me.

"Rest assured. We are trained to deal with creatures like him." Kenan, the leader of the Turkish men, replied steadily. Though his eyes were dark, there was something disturbingly eager in them.

"Good night. See you tomorrow."

He ordered his men to pull Mohib up and they staggered out of the room.

As soon as they left, something inside me loosened.
My knees weakened.

I instinctively grabbed Shah's sleeve as I lost my balance.

"Ayaat!" he murmured and immediately scooped me into his arms before gently placing me on the couch.

He sat beside me on the floor and poured a glass of water.

I finished it in one go while my parents sat on either side of me.

"You are alright, my baby?" Maa asked, cupping my cheeks.

"I'm fine now," I reassured them softly, though the skin around my throat burned from Mohib's grip.

"You've got bruises," Shah said quietly, not even looking at me. His expression was unreadable.

Maa's eyes widened when she properly noticed the finger marks around my neck.

"What has that bastard done to my daughter? I will kill him" Baba gritted out.

"It'll be fine, baba. I'll apply some ointment. I'm really alright," I tried reassuring them.

"We should've been more careful. That bastard could've done something far worse." Baba held my hand, his eyes filled with fear and guilt.

I shook my head.

"It's alright. I had to face him before anyone else could. Even if he had done the worst... at least I would've been able to tell myself that I finally stood against him. For myself. For my babies."

My chest tightened, remembering the helpless version of me... the woman who couldn't protect her unborn children.

Suddenly, Izaan wrapped his arms around me.

"He...he might've killed you. I'm sorry, Api. I'm sorry I couldn't be a useful brother." His voice cracked against my shoulder.

I gently rubbed his back.

"He couldn't kill me when I have my family beside me."

Pulling back, I ruffled his hair.

"And you, my brother... you don't need to become a superhero to protect me. I just need my Izz. My brother. To tease me, support me, make me laugh, annoy me, even make me angry. I don't need anything more than that.

Just be my brother."

"Api..." Izaan looked at me with wide eyes.

I smiled faintly before turning to my parents.

"Where's Arham? You all are here..." I asked anxiously.

"He is with your Dadi. There are guards protecting them too. Rest assured," Maa replied.

Still, I wasn't convinced.

"Izz, go check on him. Bring him to me," I said seriously.

"We'll check on him. You don't need to stress yourself. You've been through enough today." Baba placed a hand over my head.

I didn't want to sleep until Mohib received what he deserved, but I knew everyone needed rest too.

"Then give Arham lots of kisses from me. And if he cries or anything, please tell us."

"Okay, okay. You're acting as if he's gone on a school trip," Maa chuckled.

Once everyone left, I let out a soft sigh.

Shah finally rose from the floor and sat beside me.

Before I could say anything, he suddenly pulled me into a hug. A tight embrace that made my body flushed against him. I could feel the heat radiating from him.

He never hugged me this fiercely before.

It felt different from Izaan's embrace.

It felt safe, comforting.
Like support itself.

Instinctively, I hugged him back, inhaling his cologne, which somehow calmed me.

"I'm sorry for letting you come upstairs alone. That bastard got to you because of me," he spoke softly against my hair.

"It's fine, Shah. We got him. That's what matters the most," I answered quietly.

"No. I'm at fault here."
He paused before saying in a possessive tone,

"And don't go anywhere alone without me."

"It's not your fault. Mujhe woh jhumka dhoondhna tha. Ab toh pata hi nahi kidhar gir gaya..." I muttered, suddenly remembering the earring.

(I wanted to find that earring. Now I have no idea where it fell..)

"Here I am worrying myself sick about you, and you're still yapping about that stupid jhumka.

Mene tumko aise hi 'Silly Girl' nahi bulata."

(I don't just call you 'Silly Girl' for nothing.)

He pulled back with a gruff expression.

I frowned immediately completely forgetting Mohib, the incident happened earlier.
"Excuse me? Woh koi stupid jhumka nahi tha!
(That wasn't just some stupid earring)
That gift means more than all those Apple devices you gifted me."

I huffed and turned away.

Strangely, I didn't know why those earrings felt precious. Something I wanted to keep forever.

Was it because I liked the design...
Or because it was a wedding gift?

No...

Why would I treasure it because of that?

My thoughts halted when he said softly,

"I didn't know my gift was this meaningful to you, Little Sherni.

Not to mention, you returned the shoes I bought for you along with an envelope full of money."

My face reddened instantly.

"I was angry because you were an ultimate khadoos back then," I blurted out before realizing what I'd said.

I immediately covered my mouth.

Ya Allah.

But instead of scolding me, he smirked.
And strangely, it wasn't sarcastic.

"Yeah, I indeed was an ultimate khadoos."

His brows lifted mischievously.

"But you said 'back then'."

"So what am I now?"

My heart raced only Allah knew why.

"So, what am I now, Little Sherni?" he repeated, leaning slightly closer.

"Now...?" I blinked.

"Ummm...You're a big panda."

"Fair enough." He pressed his lips together to hide his smile.

"And?"

"Less khadoos."

"And?"

"And... annoying. I need to freshen up."
I stood abruptly.

But he held my hand.

"Wait."

"What?" I frowned while sitting back.

"Don't you want your precious present back?"

"Huh?"

He leaned closer and tucked a few strands behind my ear, making a shiver travel down my spine.

"May I?" he murmured before his fingers brushed the ear missing an earring.

"You found it? Where?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the jhumka.

"It simply returned to the one who gifted it."

My eyes widened.

"How?"

"When you hugged me because of the thunder, it got caught in my sleeve."

He gently fixed the earring back in place.

His fingers lightly brushed my skin and I hated how warm my cheeks became.

"You mean you walked into Maa and Baba's room with this hanging from your sleeve?"

"Arham noticed it first," he admitted, rubbing his face.

"Ya Allah..." I closed my eyes in embarrassment.

"Sorry about that."
He smiled lightly.
"But they seemed amused."

His fingers absentmindedly caressed my earlobe, unaware of the tingles they sent through me.

My neck suddenly stung. Making me a soft whimper.

"The bruises are getting darker," he said quietly.

"Any ointment in the first aid box?" he asked, his eyes frowned with concern.

"I'll apply it in the washroom." I steadily said to him.

"No. Sit here. You were falling a while ago. Let me."

Before I could argue, he went to fetch the box.

Looking at the wall clock, I realized it waa so late.

"I'm sorry I didn't notice the earring earlier. I wouldn't have left you alone otherwise."
He prepared some cotton and disinfectant to clean the area first.

"If something had happened to you today..."

His voice became raw as he applied the ointment on my skin with a cotton pad

"I could never forgive myself."

Those dark eyes held a vulnerability I had only seen when he looked at Arham.

And my heart helplessly skipped a beat. But I quickly reminded myself...

It was simply his dutiful nature.
He had promised to protect me.
Of course he would've blamed himself.

Yet ever since he learned about my past, his care had begun to feel like more than responsibility.

It felt like I mattered to him.

Maybe more than either of us dared to admit.

And I didn't want to think about that.
I couldn't afford to.

Because it would ruin the fragile normalcy we had built.

A companionship.
A friendship.
And I didn't think I could bear losing even that.

So I swallowed the strange lump in my throat.

"You did save me today, Shah. I can't thank you enough."

"But right now, I just want some rest. Honestly, I want to be with Arham. I want to go to him.

And you should sleep too."

I stood up.

For a brief second, something unreadable crossed his face before disappearing.

"You're in no condition to go downstairs. I'll bring Arham here."

He picked up the first aid box.

"And I won't be able to sleep until I know you're safe. So just go to bed."

Without giving me any chance to object, he walked out of the room.

I stared blankly at the door.

It felt like I had somehow offended him. But why would it bother him so much...?

When we both knew there were boundaries we could never cross?

Or perhaps...
Without realizing it, we had already begun to step into spaces we shouldn't dare enter.

We were supposed to remain bound together only because of Arham.

And no matter how supportive, comfortable, or close we became...
Perhaps it was supposed to stay that way.

____________________

How was it?

Many of you know why I was late...so late that I wanted to stop writing the book out of my frustration.
I wrote around 3k the day before i posted the announcement that I'll post on 16th.
Then many things happened that kept me busy... And I'm still busy.
But today i got some time to write and posted.

I hope you try to understand my situation.
Thank you.

( thank you all who posted and dmed me not to remove the book. Your words motivated me so much that.....
I'll give you a surprise in the next hour🎀🥰)

For spoilers: follow me on Instagram
@safah_writes.

And also follow me on Wattpad. It's easier for me to communicate with you all if you follow my social or watty.

See you soon😊🎀