Chapter 45: Chapter 45

She quickly averted her gaze and looked down, breathing heavily.

Slowly, the man approached her and stood by her. All the life evaporated from her legs. Her heart began to pound slowly in her ears.

"You are coming with me," he told her, she acted as if she didn't hear, "Ms. Sheharzaad," he uttered and that's when she looked up at him.

"Respectfully, madam," his voice was a mutter, "you would not want the people to die over here. Come with me,"

Sheharzaad fought the tears forming in her eyes and she shook her head when he took out his gun from his holster. "Please, madam,"

"Please let her go," Amna came for her defense, "please. I request you. You can take me instead,"

"Ms. Sheharzaad you're coming with me before our boss comes here," Panicked, Sheharzaad, stood up, nodding her head.

"Please don't tell him anything," she pleaded.

"I haven't madam. Please come with me," he said and she followed him outside.

"Have you told him?" she asked, helplessly, once they were on the road as the driver was now being taken away. He was still breathing and the men one after another left the bus and got back into the other car. Amna was with them too as the car jolted to life and began to run on the road. Leaving her alone with that man and another SUV. Another driver took over the seat in the bus and it was already moving away.

"Not yet,"

"Please, don't tell him anything," Sheharzaad joined her hands infront him, "please, just keep this thing from him,"

"It is not going to be me who will tell you about this escape. It would be you. He still doesn't know. I give you some time to collect yourself and once in the evening he would come to get you, you have to tell him about your escape," His voice was unyielding leaving no room for requests and pleads, "I'm a loyal servant to the family of Shabbir Haider Syed. We all are under the blood oath to pay our loyalty to the Syeds so I can't assist you with this. Now come," he said and headed towards the car.

....

By evening, she was dressed up in a ankle-length black dress. Her brown hair were caught up in a beautiful bun as certain tendrils of her hair adorned her face. Her eyes embellished with kohl and mascara. Long lashes that would shadow her cheeks when her eyes would move down. A maroon lip color graced her lips as her big doe eyes stared back at her in the mirror. The stylists did their job well.

Despite applying the foundation on her skin, her face was paled. Despite coloring her eyes with different shades of black, still the fear danced in them. And her lips, covered in maroon shade, were still shivering with fear.

"Madam, sir has arrived," The same man, informed. His name was Murad, in his late twenties. Murad had told her that Amna was locked up in her room as Shehryaar would be making a decision on her destiny too.

What a grave error she committed by running away. Sheharzaad now realized as his footsteps began to sound in the silent air of her house. She stood up, and faced him who stopped beside her. His quiet eyes staring at her as he glanced her from head to toe.

She was trying to trace specks of suspicion in his eyes to deduce whether he was aware of her deeds or not yet his dark eyes didn't give her way.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, rubbing the pad of his thumb on her lips. His gaze flickered from her eyes to her lips. Her plump lips tempting her so much.

They looked so kissable.

The lower one, slightly plump then the other upper one as she rubbed her tongue on it. They glistened with the gloss as she bit them and he closed her eyes, retrieving his thumb back.

He remembered his promise.

"Thank you," she muttered as a response as he focused his attention back at her.

Leaning closer, he pressed his lips at the crown of her forehead, His manly scent enriching her nostrils. When he pulled back, she was like a rock as he could see the tremors rocking her body. Her voice barely audible as of someone had suppressed her voice box which was  unable to push out words.

"Let's go," he said and forwarded his hand for her to take. She took it, not before giving it a long stare during which thoughts of how to tell him about her escape consumed her brain.

He led her to the car as one of his men quickly slid open the door for him when a voice grasped his attention.

He stopped and so did she.

Her face turned yellow upon seeing it was Murad who had called him out.

"An important matter needs your attention, sir," Murad apprised.

"Get into the car, Sheharzaad," The first sentence that left his lips was this. Wanting to avoid Murad at any cost, she quickly nodded and passed a pleading look to him and was about to step inside.

"It requires madam's presence," Murad told and that's when his hand that was about to leave hers, was quick to tightly grasp her wrist and she understood his signal. Her eyes widened as she stepped back, facing Shehryaar while Murad stood left to him.

Nervousness was all over her as she bit her lips, wringing her fingers around each other.

"Say," he said, arching his brow at Murad.

"She has something to tell you, sir," Murad told and his grey eyes rolled towards Sheharzaad. A tear was already leaking through her eye.

"Please can you leave us alone," Sheharzaad turned her face towards Murad who looked at Shehryaar waiting for his orders.

"Go," he uttered and then stared blankly at Sheharzaad.

"I have s..something to t-tell you," she stuttered, her voice thick with nervousness. She was already sweating.

"I'm waiting,"

Get over with it, Sheharzaad.

She repeated it in her mind.

Get over with it. Get over with it.

The voices repeated in her head.

Her eyes moved to his chest. Needles began to pierce the soles of her feet.

"What did you do, Sheharzaad?" He asked and when she looked up, his poker face was what she came across.

Say it. Get over with it.

The fear, the anxiety, the nervousness that rushed within her reached the climax and she couldn't hold back the tears that came over her eyes.

Immediately, she cleaned her eyes. Not wanting to cry, breaking infront him.

"Hmm?" he pressed.

Her chest heaved up and down. Beating organ pounding intensely. Face turning paler and paler. Head-light. Hands-clammy. Toes-squirming. Eyes-wide. Mind-chaos. An utter chaos.

"I tried running away," she abruptly said. She couldn't mentally brace herself for his torture. She didn't know what got in her. Her hands moved and she hugged him tightly. Her frame began to shiver with hiccups as her tears streaked his shirt.

She tried controlling her tears, she tried stepping away from him but she was too afraid to move away just to face his wrath. She loathed herself for crying in the arms of her tormentor but at the same time she held him tight. So tight. As if, hoping, her tears, her desperate situation would move him. A little, atleast.

She felt an arm wrapping around her frame and she whimpered while sobbing. A hand began to run on her back and soothed her. The hand kept on soothing her until her sobs died down to small cries and they too faded. Tears that prior glistened in her eyes, dried as slowly she began to pull away from him.

Afraid, he would began to question her now for the reason of her escapade. Her mind couldn't come up with a story.

Accumulating all the helplessness she felt within her eyes, she stared at him.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Her voice dry.

He stepped forward and she flinched, stepping back.

She felt so weak. So vulnerable. Caged. It was the moment where she was beginning to accept that her life had been totally restrained. She was under someone's command. She had no right on her life now.

Standing closer to her, he moved the pad of his thumbs and cleared her tears. His lips moving and placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

"I don't want to see you crying tonight, Sheharzaad," he whispered and enveloped her in a hug.

.....

After every minute, she would steal a glance of him who sat next to her, tapping his fingers against his thigh. While the driver maneuvered the car on the road.

His daunting presence and dominance could be felt. His aura surrounding him. He seemed oblivious to her plight. Her inner turmoil.

He seemed oblivious to her fear.

The tears that would occasionally escape from her eyes and she would quickly clear them.

The tears of terror.

Anxiety.

Anticipation.

And prayer.

She hoped everything would be fine. She prayed he won't ask for the reason of her escape. She prayed he won't suddenly start staring at her blankly.

HIs poker stare held the power of making the ground slipping beneath her feet. She can't sustain it.

What worried her was his calmness. He didn't show any reaction to the attempt of her escape. That could either mean he forgave her or he was waiting for the right time to pounce upon her and right now wasn't the right time for him to comfortably torture her.

"I'm going to introduce you to my family," Was all he answered when she questioned about where he was taking her.

One glance at him told her how cool and calm he was. Legs crossed, eyes on the window, fist formed against his lips and fingers occasionally drumming on his knees.

She was staring at him with eyes full of fear when suddenly he stared back at her, making her breath hitched.

His eyes noticed her paled face. A streak of dry tear was imprinted on her cheek. He remembered calling the stylist to fix her face before they were headed to the haveli.

She immediately looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt. Her chest heaving up and down with anxiety. Then with her peripheral vision she saw him forwarding his palm towards her making her head to rise up again. Her lashes flew between his palm and then at him with partly opened lips. Reluctantly, she took his hand as he pulled her closer so she sat just next to him. No space was left between them. His perfume completely surrounding her.

Leaving her hand, he placed his arm on the arm rest and she looked down again. She thought he would not budge her anymore but already he was grasping her chin, bobbing her head up.

"Kia huwa?" He asked more like an elder would ask a troubled child.

(What happened?)

"K-kuch nahi,"

(N-nothing)

"Have you been crying?"

"Nahi tw,"

(Not really)

"Hn tw," he mimicked her, whilst shaking his head and left her chin so she was now looking at him.

(Yes really)

"Wo th-thori c nervous hunh bss,"

(I'm just a little nervous)

"Bss thori c?"

(Just a little?)

She bit her lips, blinked incessantly. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips which was held captive between her teeth.

"Don't do this again," he uttered while releasing her lips from her teeth, "not when I'm around,"

She gulped audibly.

"I w-won't do t-this,"

"Good. So tell me why are you 'a little' nervous,"

"Woh... actually..wo..kabhi aici situation...yhi baat hai," She tried explaining, wringing her fingers around each other. It was the first time she was going to meet his family.

(I...actually...I haven't been in such a situation...that is why)

"Don't be nervous little lady," he muttered while tracing her brow with his thumb.

It wasn't just nervousness she felt. It was a whole mountain of anxiety, fear and anticipation.  What if he came to know about her plans?

Oh god!

She was so scared. And the fear had brought intense timidity in her that speaking infront him was becoming a difficult task.

"Jeeh," she replied in a hushed voice.

"Hmm. Good. What you've been doing while I was away?" He asked, casually and she thought he was asking about her attempt to escape.

"I...was..I...was," Repeatedly, these words left her mouth, "I d-didn't mean to e-escape. I'm sorry,"

"My beautiful Zaad," he tucked in a strand of hair, "that wasn't my question. Though, I surely will ask you about the tiny attempt of escape you made but it's not the right time," he whispered, and smiled.

Her eyes passed him a pleading look but she gave him a nod. Their stare was broken when the driver's voice tore through the intense moment.

"Sir, we have reached the haveli,"