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زخم دیتے ہو کہتے ہو سیتے رہو
جان لے کر کہوں گے کہ جیتے رہو-
Zakhm Dete Ho Kheye Ho Siite Raho
Jaann Lekar Kahoge Ke Jeete Raho
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This is not a fantasy.
She blinks her eyes rapidly when she stepped out of those metal doors that had chained her inside of them for years. She allows her eyes to adjust to the sunlight and the sense of freedom that the air carries around of her. Even if the air was hot it only seems to excite her because her body was finally free from the nightmare she has lived in for years now.
She turns her head to the sky inhaling deeply and different scent entering in her nose filling her with so many emotions.
"Make sure you never do any crime to come back here again". Her wander snapped, "I don't wish to babysit again".
She smiles at her, "Will do, Ma'am".
Yes, she was a prisoner.
She hops around as she holds her old bag on her shoulder that was taken from her when she was placed in prison. She merely took a turn to the side when a car stopped and few built men came in front of her pushing her inside the van harshly. She didn't even have time to realise until it actually happened, that she was kidnapped.
Her breathing hitched as she realises and the men only glare at her making it hard for her to remain sane. The entire time she tried to use the method that she had learned while being in jail however eventually she passed out.
Her eyes open again blinking and groaning with everything coming back to her. She looks around the empty warehouse and she was tied to the chair.
"Zeenat Imaan". She heard a voice that made her shiver as her eyes turns to look at the man who sits on the chair crossed legs looking at her
He had a smirk on his face and she can make out that he had a bit of beard and with the light falling on him that comes from the few creeks he was handsome maybe even more. His three-piece expensive suit and the watch on his hand was enough to tell her that she was in big trouble.
"Y-Yes?". Her voice crooked as she tries to hide her fear
"Do you know who I am?". The man asked and his deep voice echo through the silence and the two men beside him look at her glaring hard
"Um, no?". Because she realises she hasn't been in contact with many people before or after being in Jail
The man laughs and his laughs weren't anywhere pleasant it was more of a mockingly laugh as his eyes hardened looking at her, "So, you forgot the man whose mother you killed?".
Her heart stilled.
Her eye widens at his words as the realisation finally starts to sink in and her mind running with possibilities.
"P-Please--". She pleaded to hear a loud crash that made her close her eyes tightly
She feels him roughing holding her hair as her eyes open looking deep in his black eyes that held the fury she had never seen before.
"Please what, huh?. Please what?". He said pulling on her hair as she screams in pain, "This is nothing to the pain I felt when I found my mother was dead. And I will make sure you pay for it until your last breath".
Guess she wasn't free after all.
"W-Why are you doing this?. I have already spent half my life in prison". She cried, "I haven't even done anything--".
That's when she was slapped hard, "You killed an innocent person and you have the audacity to say you haven't done anything".
"You don't understand. Please--". She started only to receive another slap
That's when she realised that she won't speak about this anymore. There is no use in speaking when her words meant nothing.
"Call the Qazi". He ordered dangerously and her heart seems to start beating rapidly
In the next few minutes, she was married. Not by choice, of course, but sheer force. She didn't know what she had done to have this life but she knows she needs to survive.
All she found was his name is Ahad.
He holds her hand tightly in his hand, "Now I will show you what happens to criminal".
He dragged her out of the place to his car shoving her inside. She tries to not show his tears because they were as useless as her. She continued to look outside of the window still feeling him holding her hand in a tight grip that soon turns painful but she didn't say a word against it.
His car stopped at the front of the mansion and her double-take since she hadn't seen this huge house in front of her own eyes. She turned to look at him who was glaring at her dragging her inside with him.
"You will listen to every word I say and if you ever go against it then it will be worse than it will be". He warned and she nodded, "No one besides you and I will know about all of this and God forbid someone found out about this I. Will. Kill. You".
She nodded vigorously.
"You will do all the house chores and tomorrow I will take you to one of my relatives where you will be working for them, for free since you have taken someone so important from us". He said looking directly at her with his eyes hardened than a smirk gaze his face, "Now, we will have our first night".
With words, without care and without love or attention she had given one of her jewel (chastity) to the person she never would have wanted to give. That was the last thing she thought she had power over and now that was taken from her with everything else.
She meekly moves the cover walking towards the bathroom with the pair of clothes he had told he bought for her in advance. She walks inside changing into the dress and walking back outside. It was almost time for prayer so she exits the room walking towards the room where she found a small mosque built-in.
It looks like it had been closed for a while so she enters inside cleaning it enough so she could pray. She started to pray and her heart breaks as tears roll down her face at the remembering of everything that happened. She knows seeking help from people will always end in disappointment so she decided to ask help from the help who had never disappointed anyone.
After being done, she walked downstairs to the kitchen to find a few workers and she starts to work with them as they instructed her about the food he will have. She places the plate on the table and right that moment he walks inside the room sitting down. She turns around to leave because his mere presence disgusts her and make her skin crawl. She turns around taking a few steps when she heard a loud crash startling her as he heartbeat spiked.
She turns around to find the breakfast she had almost spend an hour on the floor. She turns her scared eyes towards him who stride towards her holding her elbow shaking her and a painful cry leaves her mouth.
"What sort of disgusting shit is that?". He asked as his eyes were red in anger
"I-I am sorry". She whimper
"Go and make me something worth eating". He said pushing her away as she walks almost run back to the kitchen to find the same workers looking at her with pity
She gets to work to cook yet again with even more concentration as one of the workers- Azima told her that the way to a man heart is by food and that she should work to find a place in his heart since she will have to spend her whole life with him.
She places the plate in front of her as her body shakes in fear of what he would do next. She stepped back away from him not wanting to be near for another session of early morning abuse.
Then, he throws her food yet again on the floor.
"You are absolutely worthless". He growled in fury slapping her hard
She falls on the ground from the impact of hearing a collective gasp from the worker behind her.
"Stand up. We are leaving". He ordered and she nodded following behind him in his car
The silence remains in the car as her tears had no bay. They freely fall down her face as she feels the throbbing pain in her cheeks. He had passed her some sort of makeup to hide the sign of his abuse and she covered her face with it.
The car comes to halt a moment later and she looks outside to find a small dine-in place which from her view was actually pretty.
"This is my cousin- Zain's restaurant and you will be working here until around 7 then you will head back home and cook for me while waiting for me but in that time you will clean the house. Most importantly, if I ever and I mean ever hear any complain from him about you". He leans in closer to her as her eyes widen in fear, "I will make your life worse than I intend to. Am I clear?".
She nodded vigorously opening the door running outside not wanting to be near him anymore. He holds her hand tightly in his dragging her inside and leaving her hand once they were in.
She looks around the restaurant which was still closed because of early hours and the sounds of utensils echoing around the silence. Then, a man who looked almost like the copy of the man she was married walked to them. He was wearing an apron on his white shirt cleaning his hand with a towel. His face turns into a warm smile as he looks at Ahad who smiled at him too. His steps halted as his eyes turn to look at her and a small frown appearing on his face but his eyes seem to these warm pair of beautiful melting chocolate that she feels her heart starting to beat rapidly as a small blush appears on her cheeks.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to stare". Zain apologises realising his mistake then he turns to Ahad, "What brought you here?".
"I need to speak to you about something". Ahad said stern and Zain nodded but before they walk away Ahad leans closer to her making her heart clench, "Stay put here".
With that Zain moves to sits on the far corner where he can still see her looking around the restaurant and the admiration on her face was visible.
"Who is she?". Zain asked looking back at Ahad
"She is the one who killed your aunt (his mother)". Ahad said clenching his hand
Zain eyes widen, "W-What?".
"Yes". Ahad snapped, "I can't believe they allowed a murderer to be free. I tried placing her in but since she was on good behaviour and managed to be on some of the authorities good side, they won't listen to me".
"I think it's fair enough she has lived in prison as long as they see fit". Zain said still shocked because the woman looks very young
Ahad slammed his hand on the table making Zain startle as he had never seen him this angry, "I don't care. She took my mother away from me and she needs to pay. So, in order to do that, I married her".
Zain could swear he feels his whole world disappearing for a moment, "You married her?. What?. Why?".
"For revenge. She knows she did wrong and she will have to pay". Ahad said narrowing his eyes as he remembers his mother face he had seen one last time
"Ahad, this revenge will take more lives with it. To have taste revenge you will only dig deeper and push yourself on a lower level a man should not go into. Please, this is wrong you know aunt wouldn't like it". Zain tried explaining gently
"Well, she isn't here to say that, is she?". Ahad said mockingly, "If you don't want to help me then I guess I will take her to Usman".
Zain's heart stopped.
He knows Usman had no value when it comes to woman. He had done things that no man should have done and on the other hand, he doesn't want to involve himself with this revenge. He knows revenge is self-destruction because a person will stoop low to be inhumane.
His eyes turns to the woman who stands in the distance as her faith was being decided but everyone but her. His eyes remains on her as she tucks a strand of her hair away cleaning the sweat from her face and he finds the light red mark on her cheek.
"I will do it". Were his words that changed all of their lives