"Hatim... Hatim... Hatim..." Maira kept whispering his name as if her life depended on it. At first, Hatim didn't realize what she was saying, but a moment later, he heard his name.
"How does she know my name? Do I really know her? Allah, what kind of puzzle is this?" His chain of thoughts broke when he saw Maira without her dupatta. He quickly took off his jacket and covered her body with it.
"I can think about all of that later for now, I have to save her and the other girls from this hell," he thinks, shaking off his thoughts. He tried his best to untie her, but the rope was tightly secured.
"Those bastards!! They tied you up so tightly," Hatim said, struggling to loosen the ropes. Maira whimpered and sobbed.
"P... Please open my eyes," she whispered, sobbing. Hatim mentally berated himself, thinking, "I got so lost in my own thoughts that I forgot to open this poor girl's eyes."
He quickly untied the cloth from her eyes, and she blinked several times until her eyes adjusted. Her vision was still blurry due to the pain, making it hard to see his face clearly. "Maira... How is this possible? Is my Maira alive and right in front of me?" His heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, but the sound of gunshots snapped him out of his trance.
A few men entered, holding guns. Before they could shoot Hatim, he fired his gun, taking down everyone. Maira screamed in horror as she witnessed him mercilessly killing the attackers. She closed her eyes and cried, desperate to free herself.
"We need to get out of here quickly," Hatim said, scanning the room for something to cut the ropes. His eyes landed on a glass. He quickly broke the glass and began cutting the rope with the sharp edge. In a matter of moments, he successfully cut the rope and freed Maira.
"Put this on." He helped her wear his jacket and held her hand. "Can you walk?" he asked. She nodded, and they both hurried out of the room. Maira jumped in fear when she saw many lifeless bodies on the floor. She immediately gripped Hatim's shirt tightly, struggling to maintain her balance.
"Her hands are getting so cold," he noticed, feeling her hand grow colder with each passing moment. He made her look at him and said, "Don't look down, these people deserved this."
They attempted to run, but a group of men stood in front of the door, ready to shoot them. Hatim pulled Maira behind a wall.
"How many of them are there?" Hatim gritted his teeth as he reloaded his gun. "Allah, I can't bear this any longer... Ahhh, my head." Maira closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the sound of gunshots and intense pain. She became extremely dizzy. "Don't be afraid, everything will be alright," he assured her.
In an instant, Hatim covered Maira's eyes and held her tightly against his chest. A barrage of gunfire erupted, causing Maira to flinch and clutch Hatim's shirt tightly in her small fists. Her headache reached an unbearable level, and she passed out in his arms.
Hatim panicked when he felt Maira going limp in his arms. He sat on his knees on the floor, holding her closely with his left arm while using his right to eliminate the remaining threats. In a matter of moments, his team entered.
"Sir, the entire area has been cleared. We've taken care of everyone, including rescuing the girls. But their leader managed to escape through a secret passage," Asad informed while looking at Maira's lifeless body in Hatim's arms.
"Is she okay? Did they—" Hatim cut him off, saying, "Thank God, nothing happened to her. She's just scared. Take all the girls to their homes safely, and Asad, come with me to the guesthouse."
Hatim ordered his trusted men to safely escort the girls to their homes. He lifted Maira into his arms and stepped outside. He smiled when he saw her snuggling close to his chest. However, his smile soon faded.
"Is this really my Maira, or is it just my imagination?" He sighed and turned to his men. "Burn down this warehouse; nothing should remain. Keep only two of them alive and bring them to our headquarters in Islamabad."
Then he approached his car, and Asad opened the back door for him. Hatim sat with Maira still in his arms because she wasn't willing to let go. She clung tightly to his shirt. Gently, he moved her hair from her face and kept looking at her. Suddenly, his eyes fell on the pendant she was holding in her hand, and he realized it was their engagement ring. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"She is really my Maira. I knew my Maira was alive. Thank you, Allah," he whispered, holding her close to his chest with happiness.
Asad was confused to see Hatim like this with a girl because he had never touched or thought about any girl other than Maira. Then it struck him. "Bhai, is she—"
"Yes, Asad, she is my Maira. Finally, I have found her," Hatim said, his voice breaking. "Do you believe she is really Maira... it's been 10 long years since you saw her?" He asked, concerned about Hatim's emotional state.
"What resides in your heart doesn't always require a face to recognize. She is my Maira, and she has that ring given to her by Maa on our engagement," Hatim said, gently caressing her cheek. "Bhai, I'm so happy for you."
Hatim smiled, and they reached their guesthouse within minutes. Hatim carried her inside the house and placed her on the couch. "Asad, fetch some water," Hatim said as he knelt on the floor beside her. Asad brought water, and Hatim sprinkled some on her face. A moment later, she stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked several times to clear her vision. When her sight finally cleared, Hatim's face appeared in front of her, and she frowned.
"Do you recognize me?" he asked, smiling with tears in his eyes. "H... Hatim," she whispered, attempting to sit up. Hatim helped her to sit and took a seat beside her, holding her hand. She continued to gaze at him, struggling to believe that it was really him. "Yes, Maira, I am your Hatim," she felt her breath quickening. Hatim quickly grabbed a glass of water from the table. "Have some water," he said, helping her drink from his hands.
Her entire body trembled, and she didn't know how to react. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him. "Relax, you're safe now," he whispered, placing his hand on her cheek.
She couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, hugging Hatim tightly. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. Asad decided to give them some space and quietly left the room.
Hatim was also crying, but Maira was finally releasing all the pain, suffering, and loneliness she had felt in the past 10 years. She just needed a shoulder to cry on, and she had found that in Hatim. He let her cry and patted her head soothingly. "Where have you been all these years, Maira? I searched for you everywhere. In these 10 years, every day was a torment for me," he cried, holding her even tighter, afraid that she might disappear again.
"For me too... living without you... was no less than a torment. Every day, I prayed for my own death... because... I couldn't live without you," she mumbled between her tears. They both shed tears for all the years they had lived apart.
After a few minutes, which felt like hours, they finally broke the hug. Hatim wiped her tears and held her face in his hands.
"Enough of crying now. The tough times are over, and I won't let any tears fill your eyes for the rest of our lives," he spoke lovingly.
"How can I explain to you, Hatim, I don't have a whole lifetime left. Why did you meet me now? I didn't want to bring you back into that suffering," she thought, closing her eyes, letting the tears fall. Hatim held her close to his chest, and after a few moments, Maira stopped sobbing and relaxed, listening to his heartbeat.
"Where were you all this time, Maira? Why didn't you contact me?" he asked, looking into her eyes. Maira thought for a moment and sighed.
"Taya Abbu took me with him, and he didn't want me to have any contact with you," she answered. Hatim clenched his fists in anger. "Who were they to keep us apart?"
"They hate Abbu and took revenge by keeping you away from me. I lived there for 10 years, but I couldn't bear their hatred anymore, so I left and came here," Maira told him, giving a partial truth. Hatim nodded and held her hands.
"Let's forget about what's in the past. Think about the happiness that's about to come into your life," he said, wiping her tears. Maira was about to respond, but her headache returned. She placed her hand on her head and winced.
"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked, clearly concerned. "I need to hide my illness from Hatim," she thought and did her best to appear normal. "Nothing, I'm fine, just a little headache," she replied, giving him a small smile. He got up and left the room for a moment, returning with a first aid kit in his hands.
"Take these painkillers, they'll help with your headache," Hatim said, offering her the pills. Gratefully, Maira accepted the medicine and swallowed it with water. He quietly bandaged her wrists, which were badly bruised from the ropes. Maira rested her head on the couch and gazed at him with a lot of emotions.
"Allah, what kind of test is this? After waiting for 10 years, I finally meet someone I love, and now I have to be separated from him again," she thought. She closed her eyes, trying to push the thoughts away and relax. A few moments later, she fell asleep.
"And it's done... bandaged," Hatim said, looking at her. A smile appeared on his lips when he saw Maira sleeping soundly. He took a deep breath and gently tucked her hair behind her ears, which had fallen on her face.
"My faith has came true today. My heart kept telling me that you were alive. Thank you, Allah, for reuniting me with my Maira," Hatim said, holding her hand and kissing it. A moment later, he picked her up in his arms and began walking towards his room. A frown crept onto his face as he felt her weight. "Why is she so light?" he whispered to himself, getting concerned for her health as he noticed her face growing pale.
He entered his room and gently placed her on the bed. After covering her properly, he turned to leave, but Maira reached out to hold his hand, stopping him. "Don't go, please. I'm scared," she whispered in a sleepy voice.
Hatim immediately sat beside her, holding her hand. "Don't be afraid, my love. I'm here with you, nothing can harm you," he said, gripping her hand tightly.
"My head," she winced in pain. Hatim began massaging her head, and after a few minutes, she finally fell into a peaceful slumber. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw her relaxing.
After sitting there for a few more minutes, Hatim stood up and left the room. When he reached downstairs, he saw Asad sitting on the couch with two cups of coffee. He grinned and pulled Asad into a hug.
"Asad, I'm so happy today. I had no idea that coming to Multan would bring my life back to me," Hatim said joyfully. "Bhai, I'm really happy for you. You deserve this happiness," Asad said, patting his back, genuinely pleased for his best friend.
They broke the hug and both sat down. Asad handed the cup of coffee to Hatim.
"Everything seems fine, but I feel like Maira is hiding something big from me. Her health doesn't seem right either," Hatim frowned as he recalled carrying her – she was extremely underweight and pale.
"You should give her some time. We don't know what she's been through, and it might take a while for her to open up. Regarding her health, you should get her a complete checkup at the hospital as soon as we return," Asad suggested, to which Hatim nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Asad. Thank you so much for always being there for me," Hatim said, giving him a smile. "That's what brothers are for... let's go get some rest now, it'll be morning in a little while."
They both stood up, and Asad went to his room to sleep. Hatim decided to sleep on the couch in the living room, wanting Maira to be comfortable. After checking on her one last time, he fell asleep on the couch.
The next morning, Hatim woke up, took a shower, and went to prepare breakfast for himself, Asad, and Maira. He enjoyed cooking, so he never hired a cook when he was on a mission.
He received a video call from Jamshed and picked it up on the first ring. "Assalamualaikum, Baba," he greeted his father with a broad smile. Jamshed blinked several times, confirming his surprise at seeing his son smile, as Hatim was usually in a bad mood during missions.
"Waalaikumassalam, beta. How are you?" Jamshed asked, returning the smile.
"I'm doing perfectly fine. How are you?" Hatim replied. "I was okay, but now I'm much better after seeing you so happy," Jamshed said. It had been a long time since he had seen his son genuinely smile. "We're happy too," Zain added as both Zain and Zeeshan stood beside their father.
"All right, son, first tell me how your mission went?" Jamshed asked. "It went very well. We safely returned all the girls to their homes, but unfortunately, we couldn't catch their boss; he managed to escape," Hatim replied, still smiling.
"Bhai, their boss got away, but you're so happy. Where did the sun raise from today?" Zeeshan gasped and look outside the window. "Bhai, are you sure you're okay? Do you need a psychologist?" Zain blinked at the camera, pretending to be concerned.
"Now stop it. Why are you trying to jinx my son?" Jamshed glared at both of them. "No, Baba, we're not trying to jinx your dear son. We're just having a hard time digesting his happiness," Zain said. Hatim laughed at his brother's jokes. "We just want to know the reason for this happiness. If we don't ask, we might get indigestion," Zeeshan added.
"Hmm, for now, I can't tell you, but I'll let you when I'm back," Hatim answered, winking at them. "This means there's something fishy going on," Zeeshan said, scratching his jaw. "I think the whole fish is in the pot," Zain added.
Hatim shook his head. After chatting for a while, he ended the call and continued cooking.
Maira stood there, listening to everything, and smiled at the bond between the brothers.
"I'm sure that Hatim won't let me stay here. How long can I hide my illness from Hatim's family when I meet them? I just want to live the time I have left with everyone, and if they find out, I'll spend all my time in the hospital. I don't want to spend my remaining days away from Hatim and his family," Maira thought.
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