Chapter 70: His Dark Promise

"Don't make this harder for you. I would never agree to that even if you wait for a thousand

years. I can't live up to the dreams of my friend," she said with a determined tone. "A happy

life she had always imagined with you that would make her giggle like a child, hoping a day

would come when you would be able to convince your mother and bring her along with you

to ask for her hand."

"I understand it all, Sheharzaad, but can you understand my predicament? Can you just for

once put yourself in a situation where you fell in love with a girl who is forbidden for you,

but you still can't stop longing for her? I never set my eyes on you. My feelings are pure."

Sheharzaad scowled. "If your feelings for me are pure, then what about Amna? Why did you

play with her?"

"I never played with her. But seeing her in a situation where her feet are dangling in her

grave grieves me to a point that I need someone to alleviate that grief, and yours is the face

that comes first in my mind. I respect Amna. Admire her a lot, but I don't think I—I ever lo-

loved her." A lone tear dropped down his eye as if he was trying to keep his emotions at bay.

He moved closer with those innocent, glassy eyes of his and held her hand.

"Just for once, pay heed to what I say. Accept me. Forget the marriage, forget everything. I'm

ready to marry Amna, but at least acknowledge my love for you."

Her mouth opened in awe.

"What?" she muttered out of disbelief when suddenly her eyes came in contact with her

hand that was in his hold. The first thing that came to her mind was Shehryaar, as she

immediately snatched her hand back, taking a few steps away from Ahmed.

"I've always looked up to you as a brother, and I would never cheat on my friend like that."

With that being said, she left and went home to cry her eyes out. The situation was so

heartbreaking for her.

What would Amna think of her?

And why did Ahmed do that?

Why...

Since that night, her heart had been so restless. It was utterly disturbing for her.

He was a person whom she always looked up to. She admired their couple, but now she

found herself as the matchbreaker.

She still didn't tell Amna about that. It would affect her mental health.

Even after his marriage proposal that night, he still continued to persuade her, manipulate

her, but Sheharzaad didn't give in. Anyone would have melted on witnessing his regular

love gestures, and at a point, she felt her heart softening for him, feeling bad for his state.

But she shut it down. It would be betrayal to her friend, and she would prefer dying over

having a black spot on her loyalty.

Ahmed had persuaded and insisted to a level that she had to delete his number from her

phone. But again, as there was no one apart from him, she had to entrust Amna to him till

she came back.

Her thoughts broke when the flight attendant informed that after fifteen minutes, the plane

would land.

Her heart propelled to her throat, thinking what would be waiting for her in Dubai, as a new

restlessness began to eat up her heart.

His words surfacing at the back of her head:

"I'll even myself with you, Sheharzaad." His menacing voice was still vivid in her mind.

She hoped he forgot what he told her. But she had felt an intense promise in his tone. There

was something about him when he uttered those words to her. As if he meant it. As if he

would do anything to fulfill the dark promise he made to her.

She became so anxious suddenly that after every now and then, she began to steal a glance

at him, who was still working, like a machine. His eyes completely focused on his iPad's

screen. He appeared calm. As if he had no worries in the world. Yet here, Sheharzaad had to

worry about a lot of things. And the reason for her worries was him. Him alone. She hated

him being relaxed while she was anxious and fearful.

He was wearing a blue waistcoat on a white shirt as he had taken off the coat for the flight.

The sleeves of his arms were folded up to the elbow, revealing his manly arms.

A few moments had passed when suddenly he stopped, closed his iPad, and placed it away

before sparing her a glance that stopped her heart for a second. Then he moved his head

back and rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, indicating his tiredness.

She was glad his eyes were not on her.

His sudden, apt, and calculative movements always bothered her and kept her on edge

when she was around him.

But sometimes, she would lose control over herself just like that morning at his home, and

now she was on the way to pay for the ultimate sin of disrespecting Shehryaar Haider Syed.

He hasn't punished her yet, but she knew he was going to do that sooner or later, and that

had been tormenting her since the very day he made this announcement.

She knew he did it on purpose to make her nights sleepless and days full of alarm and fright,

that she would think a gazillion times before crossing the line with him.

The fear of knowing was more than the fear of not knowing.

With every passing second, she could feel herself getting colder and the fear mounting

within her. If she had not known what he had told her the other day, she would have been

way more relaxed.

Someone said it right: ignorance is bliss.

Instinctively, a whimper escaped her lips, grabbing his attention as he turned his head

towards her.

"What happened?" he asked.

Her face was pale as if she had seen some ghost, whilst his hands were fiddling with each

other continuously before holding her shirt tightly.

Her irises moved left and right before she gathered the courage to fix her eyes on him.