Chapter 42: Awaiting Eyes

The fear had settled within her. Deep within her mind. Coursing through her veins. And it

was all instinctive. It wasn't in her control. Even if she tried to encourage herself that she

could fight him, when his eyes would flash in front of her, it would break her morale.

She didn't know what was happening to her. She had never experienced such a situation

before.

She was terrified of him. Just like now. She was in a dilemma. She wanted to defy him by not

going to the office to make the message clear that she wasn't afraid of him at all. But her

mind would again fill with his warnings. Just a look at her now blue and black finger

reminded her he wasn't an ordinary man.

She always noticed how intense his gaze would become while he would stare at her. That

night, she had just opened her eyes once in a while, but whenever she did, she would find

his dark and quiet orbs staring at her, making her heart accelerate. The darkness his eyes

held was one of the reasons she didn’t look in his eyes that night and still avoided them.

It would make one stop their breath.

His eyes were callous. Deadly. Lifeless.

And the threatening look in his eye when he mentioned that she would be coming to the

company tomorrow made her reach the decision that she would go to the office.

It was better to pick her own battles. Her circumstances were so delicate at the moment.

Once her friend got better, she would figure out a way out of this web.

She decided to bear Shehryaar for a while and to know him well so she would be able to

escape him easily.

The whole night sleep didn’t reach her. Anxiety had consumed her brain completely. She

was anxious about the coming day. She wished the sun wouldn’t rise, and while thinking

and thinking, she fell asleep.

When she woke up, one look at the clock reminded her she was late. Two hours late already.

When she checked her phone, she saw a missed call from an unknown number.

She thought it must be Ahmed calling because he was there to look after Amna at the

hospital, so it could be him, and he must be calling from a random person’s phone for some

urgent reason.

She dialed him back and placed her phone to her ear, and it was answered within two rings.

“Hello,” she said, alarm in her voice, thinking Amna’s condition had deteriorated. “Is that

Ahmed bhai?” she asked, but the very next second, the alarm turned into surprise and then

terror.

“Hello, Sheharzaad,” his cold voice came from the other side of the phone, making her eyes

jut out of her sockets. She pulled away the phone from her ear and looked at the screen in

surprise.

“Sh...sh...She-hryaar,” she whispered under her breath while looking at the screen.

It was him who had called her.

She felt like throwing the phone and running away as far as she could from it.

Placing it back to her ear, she took in a deep breath so her voice wouldn’t depict any fear.

“Why haven’t you come to the office?” he asked.

“I-I’m coming,” she quickly answered and cut off the call when a sudden realization hit her.

She repeated the same mistake of cutting the call. Hurriedly, she dialed the number back,

and it was answered.

“I actually didn’t mean to cut off the call. I was in a h-h-hurry.” She hated when she

stuttered, but she couldn’t help it.

“Come to the office in the next ten minutes,” came his reply, and this time around, he hung

up the call.

Getting out of the room, she rushed to the bathroom, took a shower, picked out clothes, and

wore them. Standing before the mirror, she brushed her hair when her eyes fell on the

marks on her cheeks.

His fingerprints.

It reminded her of how dreadful he became last night.

Her skin was slightly blemished, so she quickly applied concealer there and covered it up. A

tear threatened to escape her eye, but she controlled herself as she was getting late.

Setting her dupatta, she rushed to the company. Upon reaching her floor, she was confused

about where she was supposed to go—her previous office or to Shehryaar’s—when an

errand boy interrupted her.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Shehryaar sir has been waiting for you in his office. He had asked me to call you as soon as

you came,” he said, and her Adam's apple bobbed. Suddenly, her mouth went dry as she

feared what must be waiting for her.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to control her nerves as he began to lead her

to the corridor and to his office while she followed behind. While walking through the route,

she recalled the last time she had moved through this same place. It made her heart sink

more as what happened to her in that office began to run in her mind like a tape. The

trauma started to refresh, making a sharp pain rise in her throat.

Upon reaching his office, the boy was about to knock at the door when she stopped him.

She looked pale.

“Madam, are you fine?” he asked.

“Please, can I get a glass of water?” she requested.

“Sure, madam,” he said and quickly brought her a bottle of water.

Her mouth was parched, and her throat hurt due to the tears accumulated in it.

Tears of terror, anticipation, and the trauma this place gave her.

Behind that door, he sat, and it was the same office where she had withered. Where she was

crushed into pieces.

She remembered how she had convinced herself to take up his offer. How she made herself

understand.

If Sheharzaad wouldn’t die, then how would Amna live? And if Amna wouldn’t live, then

what would be the reason for Sheharzaad’s life? Kill yourself. Make yourself lifeless. Kill

yourself, Sheharzaad.

She had mentally locked herself, but this area alone was refreshing her fear.

He sat there, waiting for her just a door away and in the same room.

“Madam, water,” the boy brought her attention back to him, and her head turned toward

him.

Giving him a small nod, she took the water and swallowed it before clearing the tears that

had formed in her eyes.

“Shall we go inside, madam?”