Chapter 73: Chapter 73

Tears after tears rushed through Dua's eyes. Her eyes going blood red. Her body jolting with her sobs.

Regret.

Regret was what that overtook her.

Her heart was pounding hard with guilt.

What has she done?

The peace which she had been seeking after finishing her revenge game was not there. She thought she would be happy, content that the woman because of whom her ex-husband left her was now at the death bed, battling with life. After two suicide attempts.

And the remnants of peace she had, went into drain when she came to know of the crystal clear truth. The ugly truth which jabbed at her heart, that she wanted to die with the pain.

She looked at her hands.

There was blood on it.

A blood of a human life.

She was pregnant.

Sheharzaad was pregnant.

And Dua was the killer of their child.

How could she....

How would now she face her brother?

How would she face Sheharzaad?

Because of the color of revenge that had overtaken her mind and senses, in a flash, she became the murderer of an innocent life.

Hannan had told her the truth.

All the truth.

And that day she realized, the real evil was not her but Hannan.

And since that day, each and every moment, Dua would live and die with regret.

Revenge was the worst possible solution to bring her heart at peace. Because now she was more restless than ever. She haven't been in such a state before.

Her sleep was gone. Appetite was lost.

The pain Sheharzaad must be going through was most understood by Dua as she also went through the pain of loosing a child.

How can she make a mother go through what she has been through?

She wondered what she would say to Sheharzaad?

She framed her because of revenge which led her to a deep pit of regret that there was no coming back. And revenge over a man who never hers at first place. Revenge over a man whose main purpose was to destroy Sheharzaad and that was why she had married Dua.

That day she had gone to the dungeon where Hannan was kept. Its dark walls screaming ominous story to Dua but she so wanted to smirk at his face, and tell him that her brother would give him death in the worst possible ways.

And surprisingly, she found him smiling. As if he was at peace. Rather he thanked her.

And then his mouth had opened uttering the story from very start.

Hannan was at the company that day when he saw a woman asking his boss, Shehryaar for job but he didn't give her one. Her face reminded him of someone and that day she had gone home and went to his younger brother Hamza's room. Searching through his drawers, he found a picture and he realized she was the same woman.

'Sheharzaad'  The whisper released from his lips as he eyes the picture, venomously.

And after that day, he insisted the secretary of the chief financial officer, who was Rafay to hire someone as his secretary as the work load was too much. Rafay agreed and it was then Hannan showed the files of one of the applicants chosen for the CEO's interview. And that applicant was none other than Sheharzaad. Hannan manipulated Rafay that she would be the best candidate for the post and Rafay after consulting with his boss, called Sheharzaad to join the company.

And then Hannan began to manipulate Rafay in thinking that Sheharzaad throws him passes and he likes her. He manipulated Rafay so much that he began to think about Sheharzaad. And one day, getting a chance, Hannan stole her phone and sent a lewd text from Sheharzaad's phone to Rafay that she wants him. As Sheharzaad was extremely busy in her work, Hannan had a hunch, she won't notice it.

Hannan was with Rafay when Rafay had received the text from Sheharzaad. He instantly showed that text to Hannan and he congratulated Rafay that at last the girl was open about her feelings. He wanted Rafay to rape her so she would commit suicide and that was why Hannan had added a drug in his drink as well which made him go on heat.

The same way his younger brother had committed suicide after her. She had enchanted  his younger brother, Hamza, so much that when she rejected him, he couldn't sustain the rejection and killed himself. Till the last breath, Hamza's words were that Sheharzaad lured him into her charms. She invited him to her.

But the twist came when Hannan realized that the CEO came to know of the occurings since he was there as well when Sheharzaad was screaming for help and Rafay was running after her. And that day, he realized that the CEO was not an ordinary man but was also involved in underground activities.

Hannan had befriended his sister, Dua, when she once visited the company and it was then a plan began to brew in his mind. He can use Dua for his revenge mission and then he began to get closer and closer to Dua.

Meanwhile, following the principle of 'keep your friend close and enemy closer' he began his chit chat with Sheharzaad as well. And came to know that she needed money for her friend's treatment. And when he came to know that she decided to ask money from the CEO, he sent Rafay's phone which was in his captivity via a courier to the CEO so he would deny giving her money.

And surprisingly, she was saved this time as well. She got the money from company.

It had bewildered him for a moment that how company could give her a loan so easily since she was a newbie.

So he became more and more closer to her appearing as he wanted just good for her.

Afterwards, he figured out that Sheharzaad was trying to run away from CEO when she asked Hannan to help her find a house.

In those days, he had married Dua, since he had gauged out that Sheharzaad was the CEO's special girl. And according to his plan, he had to seek protection from Shehryaar and Dua would act as the perfect cover. This was the reason which had Hannan marry Dua.

And through Dua, Hannan came to know about the mafia his brother ran and he with that information he reached a man who was working for Sheharyaar. That man's job was to keep tabs on Sheharzaad. And to that man, Hannan showed the advertisement which Sheharzaad had asked him to publish in a newspaper. And Hannan was surprised to know that he already knew of the news. It meant Shehryaar had his eyes completely set on Sheharzaad. And Sheharzaad wanted to run away from him secretly. His suspicion concreted further, when she saw a ring on her ring finger and he deduced that she was engaged to Sheharyaar.

Dua has told everything about their past and about Shehryaar to Hannan. She also told him about the distrust Shehryaar carried for women. He was a territorial man. Extremely protective and possessive of whatever he owned. Nothing can subdue him on that. He had trust issues with women that was why he never wanted to marry. He was a cold, heartless person when it came to mafia and kill others with the blink of an eye. Extremely serious and passionate about his business which he started from scratch despite his family business. He created his own identity in the business and mafia regardless of the family he came off.

Hannan knew Shehryaar from close with the help of Dua and he knew that he must be possessive of Sheharzaad.

And that was why he began to prepare a trap around Sheharzaad, in which she badly fell by attracting her towards him. And one night, he had gone to her home and on purpose created such circumstances where she hugged him. He expected the guards to come and attack and apprise Shehryaar of the compromised situation they caught Sheharzaad with another man but they didn't.

He did that because he was aware if he got caught, he would straight up tell Shehryaar that he was married to Dua and not just that he was going to be a father as well of Dua's child. So it would stop Shehryaar from killing him and Dua would save him since she was head over heels for him but Sheharzaad. Nobody will save Sheharzaad. And she would be left alone to be objectified to his wrath.

But things didn't go as planned.

Shehryaar caught him but not with Sheharzaad. One night, he was sleeping peacefully at his home when guarded men barged into his him and dragged him all the way to Sheharzaad's home where Shehryaar was already present.  His mother was crying, pleading them  not to take him but the mafia men were relentless. At her home, Hannan knew the climax had reached for which he had prepared and had been waiting for since so long. Adding fuel to fire, very well aware that Sheharzaad was boss's girl, he began to implicate himself as Sheharzaad's true lover, screaming to them not to touch her yet all he wanted was them to make her reach an unrecognizable state.

Shehryaar had slightly slitted his tongue so despite trying the immense pain never let him tell Shehryaar the truth. And neither Shehryar ever paid him a visit nor the men at his watch listened to his pleads that he wanted to tell Shehryaar something important. That day, when Sheharzaad has been given a gun, and the nozzle was pointed towards him, Hannan brought all power to his body and pleaded Sheharzaad with all his energy. His mind has gone boggle, ceased and he wanted to just plead to Sheharzaad.

He did not remember what happened afterwards but he wake up in a hospital bed with his mother whispering prayers for her well being. As soon as his eyes opened, he came across Shehryaar's dark entourage which had him shivering in his knees and instantly his hands were joined infront him.

His lips moved and thanked him for not taking his life.

His dark eyes came infront his blurred vision as he tried to make up his face. He was looking outside through the window with his hands stuffed in pocket. And as soon as he passed him one glance, Hannan was done. A feeling of intense fear had overcame him.

Noticing that he had awaken up, Shehryaar began to take slow steps towards him and his mother who was sitting worried on the sofa beside the hospital bed, stood up. Her hands  joined and looking at Shehryaar with pleading eyes but he did not pay him a glance.

Hannan was nothing but confused.

That how he was alive and well.

As Shehryaar stood near the bed where he laid, he sat up, His dark eyes was making his soul shiver and his tongue ceased to move.

He had gone through immense torture while he was in Shehryaar's captivity that he thought now his reproductive organ must be gone because it was usually used as a mean to torture him most of the times. The torture also included beating him black and blue and leaving him there for days, not giving any food or water.

"If I ever saw you," he began and Hannan gulped, "as much as inch near Sheharzaad ever again," he lowered his lips next to his ear, placing his one hand on the headrest of the bed, "then I swear I'll cut your body into pieces and feed them to eagles,"

Hannan's mother noticed how her son's face changed colors after what he whispered in his ear and she began to plead for Hannan's life.

"Please son, he won't do such a thing. Please let him go,"

To quieten her, Shehryaar just raised his hand and she stopped and he placed the same hand on the hinges of his jaw and the hold made Hannan lower mandible to hung open.

"And don't ever let me see you again so fucking wind up your ass from her and move to another city," he grated and with each word the pressure of his hand on Hannan's weak jaw was increasing making him wince with pain, "I won't give you another chance,"  and with one sudden jerk he dislocated it, making him cry out in pain.

And he left, leaving Hannan cry out it in pain.

Afterwards, the doctor has come and relocated his jaw. The doctors wanted to give him injection to subside the pain but Shehryaar had warned them not to use anything of this sort and he remained in utter pain until it went down on its own. And atlast he had gotten the chance to talk to his mother after so long.

His mother told him that he had pleaded Shehryaar to leave Hannan. When those armed men were taking Hannan away, Hannan had told his mother that Shehryaar was kidnapping him. His mother had went to Shehryaar's home one day after finding his address somehow and beseeched him to not to take his son's life. His mother had seen how the expression on his face has changed after her plead/ A distant look had come over his eyes and after two days, his men informed her that Hannan was hospitalized. The hospital expenses were bore by Shehryaar.

Shehryaar was in his study, going through some important documents related to business when the door to his study was knocked.

"Enter," he permitted when a maid walked in.

"Sir," the maid said, "an old lady is at the door to talk to you,"

That had him frown and he looked up from the documents towards the maid.

"What does she want?"

"Sir she has been coming here for more than a week and keep on repeating that she wants to meet you. We've been sending her away but today she said that it's a matter of life and death of her son. She has been crying creating quite a scene at the doors. She says, she is mother of Hannan,"

At this, his frown relaxed as he gauged out that what the lady wanted from him.

"Let her in," he ordered and the maid left.

....

Uzma, Hannan's mother has been waiting for this day for weeks. First, the old lady wasn't able to locate the house of his son's abductor. And second, when she did, they did not let her enter. She wanted to approach the police but Hanan has told her not to go to the police. She was bound and helpless. It has been weeks since she last saw her son, increasing her worries by leaps and bounds.

She had already lost one son to a suicide and her husband to the heartbreak of their son's lost life. Now all she had was Hannan and this helpless mother now had nowhere to go but come to this one door and knock at it until he answers.

She had been sending the whisper of prayers while waiting for Shehryaar. Praying to dear lord to create mercy in his heart for her son.  Praying that he would give back her son, alive and well. Praying that he won't harm Hannan and listen to her patiently and agree with her.

Her legs stood up on their own accord as soon as Shehryaar entered, staring at him with utter helplessness and a rekindles hope.

He came and sat across her before asking her to keep sitting and she sat down.

"Son, please listen to me," Uzma cried out, joining her hands infront him, "please spare life of my son,"

His face was blank as he only stared at her.

"I'm a mother. My heart is in so much pain," She sobbed, "I already lost my one son. And after that my husband passed away and I," she stopped before hiccupping and then cleaned her tears with her shawl, "I only have Hannan in this world," Her voice began croaking, "please let him go,"

She could see how expressions on his darkened face changed and all she witnessed was a distantness in his eyes. A callous expression taking over his face as if he had drifted into the ocean of memories of past.

Her words, 'I'm a mother' hitting him hard. Jolting the image of a woman out of his memories.

He loved that woman so much. So much. That he didn't want to loose her. But that woman never loved her. She left him, alone despite knowing that his life was dependent on her.

Fine, if she was involved with another guy while being married to his father.

But... how can she so easily take her life knowing that her children would be waiting for her.

Was the life of Umer meant so much to her? Even more than her children?

His real feelings coming across her. He has been aware, he did not hate that woman. Rather he had complains.

Tons of complains to her.

That why she left him....

Why....

The pleadings of Uzma were background sounds to his ear as his mind was again struck in that loop. Like an ant struck the web of a spider.

Thinking and rethinking.

Evaluating.

Trying to know the answers.

That why did his mother not love him the same way this mother loved her son. Sitting infront him, begging for his life.

The trail of thoughts broke as his eyes that were prior fixed on the table, looked up at her and he said, "I'll think about it. You can leave,"

And with that being said, he stood up and left.

Just two days after he received her son. Alive yet not well.