Chapter 108: Faded Memories

The morning light hit him, making his eyes open, and the first thing he felt was a wave of

headache. He sat up, groaning, and that was when he realized he was on the sofa. He

frowned before looking back, only to be surprised upon finding Sheharzaad there.

"Sheharzaad?" he whispered to himself, trying to recall how she ended up here.

Instinctively, his eyes went to her hands, and a sense of satisfaction washed over him upon

finding his mark still there.

He stood up and caught his reflection in the mirror. There was blood on his shirt, and

glimpses of last night began to surface in his mind. He could only remember parts of the

torture cell, but how, when, and why Sheharzaad was here, he still couldn't recall.

He needed to ask his servant, Khan, to update him on his orders and went to the washroom

to take a bath.

He emerged from the restroom, rubbing a towel against his damp hair as water trickled

down his exposed torso. He found her still sleeping, soundly and quietly, her head now

resting on the armrest.

She looked so innocent. So beautiful. A smile crept onto his face as he slowly approached

her, and as he stood close, an urge came over him to push back the hair covering her face.

Her scarf was on her head.

The same scarf he remembered she had thrown away last night.

His fingers moved, tucking back her hair, and his gaze settled on her face.

He kept standing there. Seconds passed. Minutes passed. He didn't blink. The smile that had

been on his face was long gone. His eyes were void, simply staring at her for a long, long

time.

Sensing someone's gaze, she stirred in her sleep, her eyes opening. Realizing she was in a

different setting, her eyes widened, and she quickly sat up, only to look up and see him

standing nearby.

As soon as she saw him, her eyes shot to her hands, and she breathed in relief to see her

ring there. Looking up at him again, she noticed he was shirtless, and her cheeks grew

warm, prompting her to avert her gaze.

He could sense her hesitance by the way she adjusted her scarf and clenched her hands. Her

toes curled inward, her chest rose and fell, her lashes cast a shadow over her cheekbones,

and she subtly shifted away from him.

He couldn't discern if she was nervous or afraid.

It seemed like a mix of both.

She didn’t say a word as before. She had previously demanded to go home, but now she was

silent. He could feel her heightened state of anxiety, making him wonder what had

happened last night.

She looked scared. A little too much.

Then he placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted her head.

"What happened?" he asked, raising his brows like an elder asking a frightened child to

share their troubles.

She only shook her head and rubbed her dry lips with her tongue, prompting a frown to

form on his brow.

He lifted her head further, exposing her neck, where he noticed a blue mark. His frown

deepened as he saw blue fingerprints on her neck, enough for him to piece it all together.

He knew he did this.

And that was probably why she was being so quiet.

"Come on, let’s get you home," he said, releasing her face and stepping back.

She immediately stood up and started toward the door, but an arm circled her waist, pulling

her back toward him.

Her breath hitched, her proximity to his bare upper body causing her to avert her gaze.

He noticed her hesitance and the redness in her cheeks, her lips parting slightly as she

struggled to breathe.

An almost unnoticeable smirk tugged at his lips as he saw her discomfort due to his

shirtlessness.

"You can run away," he said, finally letting her go. She scampered away faster than a

vampire.

"Wait for me in the car!" he commanded loudly, so she could hear him as she hurried away.

He chuckled, rubbing his head with the towel.

...

He dropped her off at her home. She remained silent the entire ride. No words were

exchanged, but occasionally he would glance at her, making her uneasy. She sighed with

relief as her house came into view, and she was about to exit the car when he stopped her to

inform her he was going to the haveli for some time.

Suppressing a smile, she nodded before leaving the car quickly. Finally, she would have

some time to search his office. Although Khaleda had given her a span of two days, she

decided to send a message requesting more time to retrieve the file, as Shehryaar would be

away.

She sent the message to Khaleda, just as she had done the last time when she informed her

about the girl he had locked in the basement. She received no response.

Preparations for Ahmed and Amna's wedding were ongoing, and she had to go to the

market almost every day to buy necessary items. She had a well-paid job, which allowed her

to support them financially. The date was set, and only a few weeks remained. She was

really excited for the wedding of two. She had planned to make it not extravagant. Rather

simple. Only the closed ones will be invited. Not just the closed ones. Rather the people who

were really close to them. And that included some of Amna and Sheharzaad's friends from

university. And a few colleagues of Amna at the places where she had worked.

Hannan had been persistently asking her when to bring the buyer for the house, as only the

papers were left to exchange along with the cash. All other formalities were completed. But

Sheharzaad kept refusing, telling Hannan to wait because she still needed to obtain the file.

The very day she would send the file to Khaleda would be the very day she planned to run

away.