"What condition?" "By the end of this day, if I couldn't catch you then I'll free you, by all means," She blinked, "Now run. Run away and hide and keep hiding till the date changes but if I caught you, Sheharzad," his voice dropped octaves down and now he stared directly in her eyes, "I swear, you won't be able to save yourself from me," She whimpered uncontrollably at his statement. His eyes that were prior bored in hers, moved down to his wrist watch, "your time starts now. Tick tock. Tick tock," And it didn't take her seconds to run away from there. Flashback ends. A nurse, named Maria, sat there, helping her drink some soup. With every spoonful of liquid, she took in her mouth, a certain area in her jaw hurt. She could see the sympathy invading in the nurse's eye. "You'll recover soon," The nurse said. There was hope in her voice. "Thank you.. but what happened to me?" "Your bones suffered a fracture," she answered, shortly and a tear made its way to her eyes befor
"Pray Sheharzaad, my eyes won't settle at you before the date changes," he straightened himself not before giving a peck at her forehead. "Will you stand by your words?" she asked, "will you let me go if you weren't able to catch me?" "I will," he replied and took off his wrist watch before passing it to her. "You will need it. Now start your hunt," he said and left. .... There was this wrist watch on which she had her eyes on since the moment she came into her hiding place. Just an hour was left for the clock to turn to 12. The place which the guard had told her about, she had been hiding there. The hotel was too big that it would take almost a week if you were to go and search through each and every nook of it. And no signs of anyone finding her appeared until now. An hour was left. For her freedom. Every minute was agonizing, mentally torturing for her. Every breath, which she so laboriously took, made her feel he was around her, watching her. The ambiguity of situation w
Who? Who was it? Who was doing it all behind his back? He frowned. Who... After all the work, he at last got some time to sit and think about everything, carefully and precisely. There was a load of work on his shoulders since past few days and he had to catch up with all the things. With mafia and with the business, both. He couldn't get time in his busy schedule to analyse all the occurings around him. He had been receiving reports from his people in the intelligence agencies that they have already started the mission of sending him jail. Precisely, a new head has came and he wanted to run the system with what they call-'fairness' He almost scoffed at the thought. It wasn't new to him. Many came and many were gone. And with their own hands they sold their faith and 'fairness' to him. Knelt infront him, begging on their knees. He will see how far this new chief will go. How far But still the puzzle was not solved. He kept on tapping his fingers against his forehead. Who k
"Yes?" she asked as she couldn't catch what she said. "Your food is turning cold. I will help you feed," Maria said and sat beside her on the bed and began to take spoonfuls of porridge to feed her. The ceramic bowl reminded her of the one she had at her house of her parents. The bowl was almost as same as the one engraved in her fainted memory with borders of red and blue flowers. It was almost like a deja-vu. Her mother also once fed her porridge in a nearly same bowl. Her eyes trailed from the white sheets of the bed, to the bowl in Maria's hand, the spoon that she held out for her, Maria's arm and all the way upto her face. Oh, how much she wished her ammi was staring back at her with a smiling face. "Please, I don't want to eat," Her throat clogged, "please," A small breath teared through her lips as her chest was tightening with pain. Pain of losing a beloved. Her eyes welled up. She hadn't felt sick but now recalling the old times, she fell into an abyss of depression a
The black Rolls Royce was parked in aviation ramp as he alighted the car, followed by her. All fit in her shoes and able to walk. The plane came infront her vision, followed by guarded men whose faces were as stoic as that of a psychopath who had never experienced any sort of emotion. Their eyes masked with ray-bands and hands held sniper. Body taut, jaw set, perfectly attentive. Her grey eyes were caught up analysing them as she continued to walk but suddenly her foot struck in the trolley that carried luggage and she fell down, twisting her ankle again. "Ahh," She winced, her palms rubbed against the rough ground. The next second, her arm was caught in a vice like grip, she was brought on her feet and then she was in air. His firm arms around her as he held her bridal style. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Puzzled, she stared at him. Second time. This was the second time, she had closely looked in his eyes. Under the sun, the grey glimmered and tuft of his thick lashes shadowe
"Dua. My Dua," The whispery voice said from the other side of phone making her cheeks turn red."Nikkah Mubarak," The voice said again and she drew her lashes to the floor, feeling shy."How many more times would you say that?" Her voice too wasn't above a whisper as she bit her lips."Until the little creature we created is not out in the world,"Her hand crawled to her stomach as she protectively placed it. "My jaan. Mama Baba love you," She caressed her belly."But baba loves you much more, jaan," He said from the other side of phone."No mama does,""Baba,""Mama,""Baba,""Oh so you want to fight, so let's fight," She said and was about to start her bickering when something shifted behind her and she turned around only to get widened-eyes. "Haya," Dua whispered.....One step.Another step.And then another step. She kept on walking holding his hands tightly as her vision was blocked by the black eye patch. Then she heard a creaking of door, and they both entering in that roo
His eye-lids concealed his grey eyes. Blackness sprawled infront his eyes. And then in that darkness, a picture was slowly and sensually drawn. Grey eyes.Slender nose.Laughing lips. Rosy lips.Perfect cheeks.Honey blonde locks.Her dainty hands holding a rose.The picture faded and then came a certain scene. Her writhing under him. Her rosy lips that were smiling earlier now shivered. Her cheeks paled. Her grey eyes closed. Her fingers dugging in his muscular back. Then her lips opening as she let out a wince.The pleasure filled within him. The sound of his grunts mixed with her moans and winces began to play like a music in his ears as he laid in the bed. One more thrust and she came undone there against the glass-wall of the washroom. The shower showering the drops of water above them.His heart began to beat wildly as he turned side in his bed. Everything quitened and for a moment he heard the tick-tock of the clock. His eyes opened again and came across the dullness of the
She had awaken up. He wasn't there when her eyes had opened and she deduced he might have left long ago. She sat up. A feeling of a lingering kiss on her forehead got to her, making her rub her forehead frantically when her eyes fixed on the ring in her finger. She had never dared taking it off after that trauma of being thrown down from a building. "I hate you," she said to herself, "I hate you so much, Shehryaar," And rubbed her forehead again, until it turned red. "Change my name if I married you," Her jaw clenched, "I swear change my name. I will kill myself before being your wife, Shehryaar," She uttered to herself.Suddenly, the door to her room opened and he entered. Her eyes broadened in realization. Her voice was loud enough to reach the ears of anyone standing at that side of door."You?" She cleared her throat, "are you s-still here?""Your plans are very dangerous, Sheharzaad," he told quietly.And then she knew, he had heard it. Moving her chin up in defiance she was abo
His tongue was too heavy to utter anything. He was still in shock, a state of disbelief had still encompassed him. His grey eyes kept on looking and tracing the cracks on the hardened mud of the grave. Dilemma was hitting him, clutching him in its painful paws and tightening its grip on his heart with every second.To say the least, he was baffled.Grave.It was a grave.Grave of his mother.Mother.Who had died decades ago.But still that day was freshened in his mind like yesterday. Every intricate and minor detail was in the back of hiss head.Often those details took shape of a nightmare in his dreams. The soulless and dead eyes of the lady who hung with the ceiling.Utter helplessness on her face.He thought as much that suicide was her last resort. That was why he considered her weak. Considered womankind weak. Considered womankind manipulative, cunning, untrustworthy.But here he sat, near the one, who was the reason those feelings were born within him but this time he cam
He was in ICU. His guard told her that he was driving the car fastly to home and suddenly the his grip loosened, the tyres slipped and the car crashed. She couldn't stop the tears coming out of her eyes. She knew the reason behind his eagerness to get home as fast as he could.It was because of her request to come home early. She felt utter guilt clipping her heart.That guilt too that she has suppressed within her.She still thought that Haider died because of her. She considered herself as the culprit of Shehryaar. She took his father's life away. If she hadn't given that dary to him, maybe Haider would have been alive today. She took his father's life away.And now he was fighting for his life because of her. Although, Shehryaar had told him numerous times that it was never her fault behind his father's death but she never agreed to him. There was a part of her which still told her that she was the culprit and that part of her was again taking control over her, inciting suici
The evening sky has sprawled. The blue hue was everywhere as the bird chirped, returning back to their respective abodes. There sat Sheharzaad on the sofa of the study reading the same page again, trying to regain her focus. Yet her eyes would move in between the page of the book that read, 'Karachi. The city of lights. Rather previously known as the city of lights....'The book was titled, 'Zaryaab' after the name of the male lead of that book. Sheharzaad's grey eyes again fixed on the sky, witnessing the birds. As the sun reached the horizon, the sky was a mix of orange and blue.Her mind was wondering to Shehryaar. Where was he? Should she apologize? Or should she wait for him?She found herself guilty in this situation. She should have broke it on the very first place to Maaz that she was married instead of going for that lunch. She knew that Maaz was interested in her but she was just finding the right time to reveal it to him and to everybody that she was married that too t
She was sitting in her cabin, going through a file but repeatedly her concentration was breaking as her mind kept on shifting to somewhere.The memory made her bite her lips and take a deep breath. She was at work!She needed to focus.Why was she feeling that way?She could feel butterflies flipping in her stomach. His intense stare again came over in her mind that had her shook her head away. They both sat together, in that starry night, under the shade of moon, with their hands in hand."Isn't moon looking so beautiful today?" she had whispered dreamily as her head rested on his shoulder. "Which one?" he asked making her puzzle."The one in the sky,""Not as beautiful as the one sitting beside me," "You're cheesy with your dialogues, Mr. Shehryaar,"His eyes flickered from the stars on the sky to her face, "Dialogues ain't the only thing I'm cheesy at, Ms. Sheharzaad,"Sheharzaad averted her gaze, looking away. She was grateful that it was night because her cheeks were turning
Every eye was full of tears.Cries and wails rose from the haveli when the janazah was risen from the home.Haider has passed away. Leaving his mother-less children now father-less. Eyes were sad.Yet his grey eyes stared at nothing just the eye-catching verses that he recited. He was silent. Quiet. Unable to produce any response. Placing her head on his shoulder, his wife sat beside him, with tears propelling from her eyes as her hand held rosary reciting tasbeeh for the departed soul.Sheharzaad was crying.But Shehryaar was silent. It was just those eye-catching verses that had his complete attention. His father used to teach him the Quran in his childhood but he never got the chance to finish it because his practice sessions with his grandfather awaited him so he always used to leave without finishing his recitations. Last he read these verses was decades back and then he did not touch the holy book again. When he was set to made his first murder. He considered himself too
The wiltering flowers at his beloved's grave stood out as an evidence of the abandonment by her own family. Haider sat near the grave. As tears slowly cascaded down his eyes."You've endured enough. I wish... for once you'd have expressed your love for me. For once. Then my whole life wouldn't be so bleak. The reciprocation for which I waited finally came after decades," he played with the mud of the grave, "For once, you could have told me... what Agha did. What my father did. I wish... after your demise even for once you'd have come in my dreams and apprised me how you were brutally killed," Another tear dropped from his eye and landed on her grave, "I read... what you wrote in those pages. Where you expressed your love for me. I freed you from myself only because I wanted you to be happy and be with your lover. I've never hated you. Despite you were caught with another man.... I loved you regardless of every circumstance. My love for you was conditionless, my Jahan" (IN URDU JAHAN
"She didn't commit suicide. She wanted to live for her children. But you know what? She was hanged and it all appeared as suicide. This whole idea was of Agha, Shehryaar. Your mother wanted to live," Sheharzaad finished. Her voice has turned into a soft whisper till the end of her dialogue. She could see the enrage slowly developing in Shehryaar's eyes but he was controlling. He was really controlling himself so the monster won't break free. Zahra came running into the study followed by Haseeb. As soon as Zahra's eyes landed on Irtaza, she went in his arms and hugged him, very well aware that she needed him the most in these moments. And as soon as Dua's eyes fell on Haseeb, she rushed into his arms and hugged him. The previous talk they both had in her room was enough for her to trust him completely. He had gained her partial trust when he had convinced her before their nikkah that he will give her all the love of the world. As well as the time and space she needed for this relati
Tears were slipping down their eyes. The whole study has turned upside down. The glass table, smashed and broken. Books from the bookshelf were torned and rested on the floor. The glass pieces of vase were scattered. The place depicted of an utter apocalypse.And among all these broken and torned things, there lied a safe in the middle of the room. Bullets pierced through it and was now tattered and battered. Sat there on the sofa were three siblings, with nothing but tearful eyes.And a piece of paper in their hands. Written to them in her last moment by their mother. The letter which reached them after twenty five long years.Each word pierced through their soul. Every breath they took was heavy, filled with sighs and unattained wishes. The unattained wish to meet their mother one last time.Shehryaar's hand shivered as he still held the old worn out letter. Tears silently slipping out of his eyes. He rather wished he could have died than knowing this truth. After Sheharzaad na
Dua had immediately taken Sheharzaad to another room once her eyes had landed on her. She did not talk to her family or anyone. She wanted to say the words that have been long overdued on her mind.As soon as she entered in the privacy of the room, Dua hugged Sheharzaad and tears slowly slipped out of her eyes."I-I'm sorry, Sheharzaad. I-I-I," her voice croaked, "I wronged you.... I wronged you... I'm sorry, Sheharzaad. I'm sorry," she kept on repeating. Because she just had this word on her mind. The crime she committed was unjustifiable. It didn't matter Sheharzaad would forgive her or not, but in that moment, Dua just wanted to apologize. Apologize for the crime she committed five years back. Apologize for the crime that stayed in her mind for five long years and it kept on haunting her. The guilt kept on eating her. What she did with Sheharzaad broke her more than anything else. Sheharzaad slowly raised her hand and caressed Dua's back, "stop crying, Dua. I... forgive you," sh