Chapter 122: I won't marry you

The groans mixed with the sound of kicks and stomping. To her, it seemed someone was

beating a sack of potatoes.

She couldn't even move her lips to beg, only hearing the sound of him being tortured. A tear

escaped her eye.

Hannan wasn't at fault.

He didn't deserve to bear such extreme assaults just for her.

He was always there to help her in the first place, but here she was, just sitting helplessly,

listening to his painful groans.

She closed her eyes tightly, and his face appeared in her mind—his blood-smeared face.

Then came his cheeky smile, the one he would flash to assure her that everything would be

fine, and his worried, concerned voice during their phone calls.

Everything came crashing down in her mind.

"Keep your eyes open, Sheharzaad," she heard him say. But she couldn't. Instead, she

wanted to cover her ears so she wouldn’t hear Hannan's pain-filled groans. It was

tormenting her, syncing with the beats of her heart.

Shehryaar saw her struggling to open her eyes and witness Hannan’s beaten state. He

wanted her to see how any man who dared to get close to her would be treated. Hannan

looked unrecognizable—with a dislocated jaw, bloodied skull, broken bones, and twisted

hands and feet. And there was still more to come. This was just the beginning, and

Shehryaar intended for Sheharzaad to see it all. The abuse. The torture he would inflict. He

wouldn’t hold back.

Sheharzaad always knew him. She knew she was committed to Shehryaar. Despite knowing

his power and influence, she had still tried to act behind his back. And now, it was time for

her to pay for her foolishness. Foolishness in thinking she had freedom. That she could

escape him. That she could live a life he would not allow.

He controlled her. He held the strings of her life in his hands, and he would ensure she

danced to his tune rather than entertaining thoughts of independence. He would destroy

anyone who dared to defy him. He would break her so thoroughly that his name would echo

in her dreams, a constant reminder of his power.

"Come on, Sheharzaad. Open your eyes, or I will twist his neck and gouge out your eyes," he

threatened. A shiver ran through her entire body.

With a deep breath, she opened her eyes again, looking helplessly at Shehryaar. But she

didn’t know these helpless looks wouldn’t work on him. He was a selfish bastard, and he

wouldn’t stop until he achieved the destruction he had sworn to cause. Her pleas fell on deaf

ears.

"I... beg you, Shehryaar," Sheharzaad began in a shaky voice. Her voice trembled so much

that she found it hard to form coherent sentences. She was scared. Terrified. For herself and

for her loved ones. Shehryaar wasn’t in the mood to forgive.

Intertwining her fingers together, she dropped to her knees from her prior sitting position

and looked at him with desperate eyes. "It is... m-my fault. Y-you can punish me," she

cleared her throat, trying to steady her stuttering, "you can punish me as much as you want.

He only helped me. I forced him to help me... he is not at fault. It is me who is to be punished.

It is my crime. Please let these people go, Shehryaar." Her fingers tightened around each

other.

His hand moved, placing a finger beneath her chin, and he wiped her tears with his thumb.

"It bothers me that you're ready to take every punishment for him."

Her breath caught in her throat.

This wasn’t the direction this conversation was supposed to go.

"No. I—"

"Shhh." The thumb that was wiping her tears landed on her lips, silencing her. "You will get

your fair share of punishment, Sheharzaad. Trust me on that," he said quietly.

Her chest heaved as she breathed deeply, their eyes locked in a stare. With every passing

second, she slowly inched away from him.

Suddenly, Hannan's groans stopped, and the sound of a body collapsing lifelessly to the

ground reached her ears. In a flash, her head turned, and she saw Hannan lying on the

ground.

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

'He’s dead.'

The thought alone made her stand, but before she could lurch towards him, her arm was

seized in a tight grasp. She was spun around, her head colliding with his chest. She looked

up to find Shehryaar gripping her arm with a vice-like hold.

She hissed in pain, struggling to free her arm, but he only tightened his grip, cutting off the

blood supply. A sharp pain spread through her arm, from her shoulder to her fingertips.

"Ah! Please," she winced, using her free hand to try and pry his fingers loose, but he didn’t

budge. "He might have died. Please... at least take Hannan to a hospital. Please!" she cried,

attempting again to move towards Hannan.

Her head snapped to the side as his backhand struck her cheek. His grip on her arms kept

her from falling.

A throbbing pain radiated through her cheek. She was sure her face was red now.

"Say his name again. I dare you," he snarled through gritted teeth.

She began to sob, consumed by guilt and helplessness. "Please," she whispered. "Woh mar

jaye ga," she pleaded softly. "Please take him to the hospital."

(He will die.)

"Sheharzaad," he gnashed his teeth, his hand moving to grip her neck. "Now I will personally

kill him. Don’t you worry," he uttered with a note of finality in his tone. He wasn't joking.

She needed to realize how gross and serious things have become.

Sheharzaad shook her head. She was shocked. And scared to see what would be happening

next. He had said it but she hoped he did not mean these words.

Before she could respond, the barrel of his gun struck her head, and she collapsed into his

arms.

"Don’t you worry. Now I won’t marry you, Zaad," he murmured, caressing her skin.