Chapter 33: Shadows Of Despair

Moving closer to her, he gripped her chin between his forefinger and thumb, making her

look up. She felt her heart beating a mile a minute. Fear slowly taking over her.

"Now you know what to do," he stated, and fresh tears formed in her eyes.

She gave no response, making him thread his fingers in her locks and tightly grip her chin

with his other hand.

"You know, right?" he demanded her to give a response.

"Yes," she whispered in her small eyes.

"Then let the night begin."

She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. Her hands moved down, and she surrendered.

Surrendered to him.

She knew then, never to challenge him.

Never to challenge him.

......

She didn't know what time it was. She was walking aimlessly on the road with a bag in her

hand. The sky was blue, indicating it was early morning. The birds were chirping, a cool

breeze was flowing. Such settings always made her mood cheer up. But she couldn't

understand what was the matter with her. She couldn't feel anything. Anything. Everything

felt so meaningless to her. With a broken heart and disheveled form, she kept on walking

and walking. Without looking left or right. She was in a trance. Unable to digest what

happened to her.

Her eyes had no power to spill more tears. They were swollen already due to the tears he

poured out of her eyes.

She gave away her dignity. Her chastity. And saved her family.

She became lifeless. All the life had evaporated from her eyes. From her soul. From her life.

Shehryaar took her life away from her and made her a walking corpse.

He had asked her not to leave without his permission. He was sleeping beside her in that

bedroom attached to his office. He had fallen asleep, but she couldn't sleep. Though her

body was tired, her mind was tired. Every inch of her body was tired, but sleep didn't reach

her eyes. She had kept on staring at the ceiling. When she was sure he had slept, she slowly

slid herself away from him. Her undergarments were torn off badly, so she couldn't wear

them. She dumped them in the bin. Collecting her clothes dispersed on the floor, she wore

them. Her hands came in contact with her wet hair as she tied them with a clip. Her wet hair

reminded her of what he did with her in the bathroom while they took the shower.

She considered herself a fool to defy him on and on. She remembered resisting and defying

him again in that washroom, and what he did to her would remain in her mind forever.

On her way out of that wretched office, she took the bag of money that he gave her and left

the building with the intention of never walking back here.

.....

She reached home through a taxi. Though her body was in immense pain, she couldn't feel

any pain. Amna wasn't at home as she was admitted to the hospital. Her condition had

deteriorated; that was why she was rushed to the hospital.

Sheharzaad placed the bag on her bed and rushed to take a shower. As she undressed

herself, all she saw were marks on her body.

His marks.

Some red, some black, some blue.

He was right when he said he was rough. He was very rough. At one point, the pain became

unbearable for her. He was a monster. A devil. Rather, a devil would also run away from

him.

Her eyes didn't shed a single tear as she analyzed her bruised body. She just moved like a

robot and took a shower.

Upon coming out of the washroom, she found the bag of money lying on the bed.

That was her price.

Just a bag of money.

She placed it away and slept without thinking much. But oblivious to her, tears did spill out

of her eyes.

He ruined her.

......

A week passed. Amna's treatment was going on. The doctor had told her that the treatment

started at the right time, or her condition would have deteriorated.

She didn't go to the company after that night. Though she received an email from the

company demanding answers for her unannounced leave, she didn't reply to that.

Her days were spent in the hospital with Amna and nights at home as Ahmed was there

with Amna to look after her. Her life had lost its track after that dark night. She had lost the

meaning of her life. She had lost the reason to live.

Ahmed had asked her how she managed to arrange the money. And she had replied that she

took an emergency loan from the company. Ahmed was insisting that she go to the company

as she had taken such a big loan, but she turned him down, saying she had taken a leave.

Hannan also came to check up on her at the hospital. His presence gave her consolation. She

felt good to see him there. When he was about to leave, she requested him to stay, and he

did stay with her for two hours more. They both had a small chit-chat that lightened her

mood. When he was about to leave, she came to see her off. He stopped and turned around.

"When will you come back to the company?"

"Sooner," she replied.

He gave her a look that she couldn't quite understand.

"I really miss you," he said again before leaving.

Sheharzaad kept on looking at his back as he was leaving. She knew he liked her; maybe she

had also started liking him?

God knows.

And about joining the company, she didn't want to go back anymore. That building alone

made shivers run down her spine. That incident had made her feel traumatized. Made her

fearful. She had locked herself away in a shell. She couldn't get those vibes from her as she

used to.

She was sitting with Amna, who was asleep in the hospital room when her phone rang. It

was an unknown number.

She cut it off, but it rang again. She frowned and picked up the call on the second ring.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Hello, Sheharzaad," his dark voice came from the other side of the phone, making chills run

down her spine and making her breathless within seconds.