Chapter 10: Chapter 10

On the midnight of a certain date in the month of March. Amaya lays in the solitary bed. Unknown to her familiar demons engulfs her mind as her eyelids took control to shut her out to propel her in a state of dilemma.

The clock shows 2 am sharp. The darkness engulfs the silent night with no sign of moonlight in the sky.

Midnight glory is nowhere to be found perhaps silence of the valley tonight doesn't scream peace like always.

The sudden ringtone of her phone brings Amaya out of her intense reading season. The familiar name pops up on her phone screen and without a delay, she accepts the call.

The person on the other side has a quite slurry voice, evidence enough that he is drunk.

"Where are you? Just tell me the location I will be there in minutes?"

Noting down the address she rushed to the place without thinking twice. Ignoring her screaming heart, she enters the bar and takes him back with her.

Although she doesn't know what had happened but she is certain it must be something bad.

And her mind goes back to that night when she ran away from there, the place she used to call home, the very next moment taking her suitcase along in the middle of the night having no idea where to go, what to do next, she just ran, away from everything, everyone.

Away from him, her love.

Even after years of that deadly night, her nightmares comebacks on that certain night every year.

No matter how hard one tries to forget the past, a part of it is always left there.

Amaya Kareem survived on her own for years. Someone who was supposed to be her protector tried to harm her in the worst possible way.

She had known this for quite a long that she was staying in a toxic relationship but she chose to stay there for him, for her love, and that's what love did to her.

Today years later, his voices didn't haunt her anymore but her own screams still do. She begged in front of him even for mere five minutes to spend with her, for loving her, then eventually to let her have a drop of water, for everything.

Her trembling fingers go to her left wrist, a scar is still there, a faint one though, but it's there. "Scars. A sign that you had been hurt. A sign that you had been healed." A scar that takes her back to her past, a past that makes her remember how weak she was, how vulnerable she was, how alone she was even though she had him, her husband. But he never bothered to know.

Two years, he kept her in a marriage even after it ended for two years. He didn't let her go. And it took her a while to get out of there but she did it anyhow.

Maybe the mistake was hers only, she feels too deeply, loved him too deeply. And when he broke her apart, she tried to kill herself too. Another sin she had tried to commit. But now is not the time to think of it.

A night without sleep is not something new to Amaya Kareem but seeing having the same nightmare three years down the line that too on the certain summer midnight is surely something she doesn't want.

And the only one questions that remain in her mind is "why her?". Taking out her diary she started off again where she left, this is a chest of secrets.

Maybe that's what happens when you love someone way too much. It harms you in the end, too much.

Some nightmares haunt for a long, perhaps this is something Amaya is left with.

"Will you leave me too?" He asked in his slurry voice.

He reeked of alcohol, his eyes are blood red, tears and pain evident on those.

A little blood on lips, maybe he got into a fight too.

All in one, he is a complete mess, a mess which Amaya have to pay for.

"You know I can't" She is angry with him, upset with him and maybe in pain too because of all the things he did to her over the last month.

Though he has always been her 11:11 pm wish, she is his 2 AM drunk call. And this reality hit her hard.

But this doesn't mean she will not care for him; she will always do that.

Love to make us do crazy things.

"It's not about that you know, like you can do that but."

"But I won't unless you cross the limit"

"What if I do?"

"I don't know then"

Kissing her cheeks, leaving wet sloppy kisses on her neck he made his way to her front button.

"I'm not ready" Amaya stands up abruptly. She is not ready; this doesn't seem right.

"Why? Why not? I'm your husband damn it." He screams again.

Over the past month this had become quite normal for her but today there is a certain fear in her heart. A fear quite unknown.

"You need to understand. You can't force me without my consent."

"I so can. I have the right to do it. Just because I chose to give you time doesn't mean I will wait always. Listen you bitch today you have to give in."

"I won't. I will never give it. And about waiting. When did you wait for me exactly may I know? It's been always me waiting for you."

"Shut up you bitch." A hard slap made her lose balance, the taste of blood filled her mouth.

Her head is buzzing as he throws her hard against the wall, blood comes out from the left side of her forehead.

She can see him undoing his pants, she screamed.

"No no no please stop no"

"Shut the fuck up." Making her stand he held her tight by her the elbow.

This is not even her worst nightmare, it's far from it. The person in front of her is not the one she loves; he is someone unknown to her.

The adrenaline rush in her system makes her aware of the situation. His lips are on hers but this is not a kiss, it's force and if she loses to it that will be the end.

She will lose herself and he will die the next moment. He is drunk and not in his sense, she has to work first.

Without a thought, she kneed him in his groin. He cried out of pain and soon loses consciousness.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh why???"

The next moment she sees herself in the mirror and screams, it's not her anymore.

At this point Amaya is awake, but her limbs refused to move, as if someone held her tight, as if someone choked her throat.

She could feel a weight on her chest, her mind screams the same words as that day, her heartbeat raced, her body is still numb whilst a lingering pain.

Finally, a scream left her throat,

"No"