Both of them were in the car, going back to haveli. Her head was resting against the headrest of the seat and her eyes closed. Her long lashes shadowing her milky cheeks. She looked calm outside, but a chaos was running inside her.

Her mind flashed to the horrid memories of just fifteen minutes ago, which her system wasn't digesting.

Flashback

"Wh..at?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, senorita. I will fuck you right here right now on this table or we will have our nikkah right here and right now," he said so calmly and coolly as if he was not discussing about their nikkah.

She can't believe it. Her brain wasn't accepting the predicament she was currently in. Was he really asking about nikkah? No! I would never let him do anything!

"No," she shook her head frantically, "No! you can't do that. No!" she shrieked.

His eyes suddenly turned dark. His pupils dilated occupying the grey of his eyes.

"Trust me, Zahra. Trust me with this, I can and I will," He spoke with a certainty in his voice that she knew he will do what he said. His words weren't haunting her but his eyes were. The intensity in them shot her heartbeat.

She took a shaky breath to calm her nerves down. But her frenzy nerves weren't in her control. Every breath she took came out shaky and shivery. Her heart was running a wild race inside her chest. Her insides were shivering. She only wanted someone to pinch her and say that it was a bad dream.

"No, it's a bad dream. No! it's not happening with me. No!" she cried in disbelief.

"Please, say it's a bad dream. Please," her voice held pure desperation. She was being insane. Her sanity was running out. She so much wanted that someone can comfort her by saying, 'it's a bad dream.' comfort her by saying, 'all of this is not happening,' comfort her by saying, 'you will wake up,'

He stood up from his chair after listening to her words and slowly made her way towards her. Her heart skipped a beat, seeing him coming towards her, confirming her it's not a bad dream, this all was happening and this was reality.

He stood by her chair and slowly bring his hand close to her face to which she flinched as an instinct. He ignored it and slightly grazed the back of his finger on her white cheek.

"No, senorita, it's not a dream," he huskily said.

"And you are running out of your time," he retreated his hand back and dipped it inside his pocket.

Now she knew she has no place to go. She can't outrun him. Never in even an alcoholic state, she would let anyone touch her. No, he cannot allow him to rip his innocence away before marriage. She will kill herself with her own bare hands if something like that happened. By hook or by crook she will have to do as he says. The cards are in his hands. She has no authority over anything.

"I will... will marry you."

Flashback ends

A lone tear escaped her eye. The tip of her nose was pink and her eyes were swollen. She was crying but from inside she could only feel this.

Numbness.

She was numb, totally numb. She was not feeling anything. Rather, she does not know how to feel and react in such a situation.

She wasn't thinking about what will happen next.

She wasn't thinking about that she was someone's wife now.

She wasn't thinking about Daniyal.

She wasn't thing thinking about she was forced into this marriage.

Hell, now she wasn't caring about anything. Only a single thought was running in her mind which was making her hate herself.

'Why am I so weak Ya Allah? Why me? Why can't I ever stand up for myself? Are all the people like me? When something is forced on them, do they easily accept it? Do they stand for themselves? Do they fight? If they fight for themselves, then why cannot I fight for myself? I was never like that Ya Allah. I was never so weak. I was never so helpless that I was afraid to stand up for myself. You know Allah pak if that Shoaib has never harassed me for years and this society has never shut my mouth I would have never become so weak. That Shoaib made me weak. This society made me weak. My parents made me weak. No! I want to be strong! But I don't know how to be strong! I don't know how to stand up for myself! I am done with this life, its atrocities, its tyranny. Now I can't take it anymore! Please kill me! Kill me! I want death! I just want death and nothing more! Death is my ultimate peace! Take my life, Allah! Kill me!'

All these thoughts messed up her mind. She was trying hard to control her emotions but there were not in her control. She hated being weak. She hated being dominated. And now her life has taken a 360 degree turn and she was left at a desolated road which is making her more and more weak and alone every second.

She rested her forehead on the window, her eyes closed and sleep overtook her.

Irtaza was content. At last, she got the girl whom he has loved from his childhood. Whom he was planning to get for so long. After all, she was his childhood love. He still remembered when he first saw her picture. How his dead heart began to beat erratically. How his tattered emotions compelled him to trust her. He never trusted anyone after that incident but his emotions, his heart was forcing him to trust her, believe her, love her and cherish her. She looked so innocent.

Innocence

Purity

He could see that on her face. He did not know why but he felt a connection with her.

An unbreakable connection.

A connection that his heart wanted to claim her as his and only his.

His childhood was a world full of darkness and she was his light.

His Noor.

The car came to halt as it stood outside the haveli gates. The censors on the gate recognized the car and let it in. He parked the car in the underground garage, turning his head towards her he found her fragile form sleeping. Her nose was red and both her eyes and cheek were swollen. Eyes due to the crying he caused and cheek due to his brutal slap.

He sighed and let himself out of the car, moving towards her side. He opened her door and woke her up. She woke with a start and immediately scooted back, thinking he was going to hurt her.

He opened the door wide indicating her to get out and she got out. She realized they have reached haveli and she immediately began to run for the doors. She just wanted to get away from him.

He followed her. The haveli was still calm and silent. The opening of the door creaked into the big lounge. Everyone was soundly sleeping. Still, an hour was left for fajar.

Zahra entered inside and Irtaza was behind her. She was going to her room when Irtaza's voice stopped her.

"Zahra, follow me to the kitchen," he told and headed towards the kitchen.

She stood there frozen. She had no desire to be anywhere close to him. He scared her.

Nonetheless, she followed him to the kitchen. He was standing by the freezer, taking some ice blocks out of it and wrapping them in a kitchen cloth. He turned around and saw her standing near the door.

"Come here," he calmly said.

She took slow and timid steps toward him. Her eyes were wide awake and she was being extra vigilant. Her nerves were on high alert.

She stood in front of him and he slowly dabbed the cloth on her swollen cheek to reduce the swell. She hissed when the cold thing made contact with her searing cheek.

He continued to dab to reduce the pain and all the time she kept looking at his eyes while his whole concentration was on her swollen cheek.

His grey orbs

Those were the most beautiful and mesmerizing eyes she had ever seen. Whenever you look into them, you feel like melting away in those very metallic shards. They seem so soft yet look so hard. As if they were holding a bunch of secrets in them.

His features and everything were so damn perfect. His jawline was perfect, his nose was perfect, cheekbones were perfect but his eyes were the epitome of perfection. No doubt he was the most handsome man she ever saw but he was a monster for her.

'Handsome looks cannot cover your heinous deeds' she thought.

"What are you gawking at señorita?" He said, still lightly tapping her cheek.

This took her aback. She once again was staring at him like a total maniac. What can she do? His eyes were so beautiful. She immediately looked anywhere but him.

"No...nothing," She said in her small voice.

"You know, your voice gets small when you lie,"

She gasped with surprise. It's been like two hours since they met and he was already catching up on her lies. She still didn't match his eyes and was looking around but not him.

"And you can't meet my eyes,"

Her eyes widened and she immediately looked towards him. Woah!

'He is so good at reading people.'

"You can admit it you like my eyes after all I am your husband,"

Husband

This word sounded odd to her. All her life she has dreamt of marrying Daniyal not him. Now she was his wife. She can never leave Daniyal though she was his wife now, she was forced into this marriage soon she will get rid of him.

He removed the cloth and put it on the kitchen island. Slowly, he threaded his fingers into her scalp to which she flinched again.

She couldn't help but flinch whenever he got close to him. She thought he was going to pull her hair because of her lie and her heartbeat palpitated. The fear was already settled inside her.

Fear of him.

He began to massage her locks, reducing the pain in her scalp. The way he manhandled her hair was still causing searing pain on her scalp but his massage was soothing her.

His actions were surprising her with every passing second. They contradicted his behavior. First, he slapped her and now he was dabbing her cheek to reduce the pain. He pulled her hair and now he is massaging her locks. But whatever he would do, it didn't matter how gentle he would become, she won't forget that he forced her to marry. She will never forgive him for slapping her, for manhandling her, and for forcing her. No. She would never.

It didn't matter for her whether she was weak or not but she had a sense of dignity and integrity running inside her. Her self-respect would never let her forgive him easily for what he did.

She just can't forget how cunningly he placed the options in front of her and coerce her into this relationship.

'Why did he marry me?' This question suddenly came into her mind. She was too numb to feel anything before that she didn't even think of that. The reason behind all this drama.

Her heartbeat was already accelerated due to their proximity but she wanted to ask it.

"Why did you marry me?" She asked raising her head.

His fingers stopped which was massaging her locks and he retreated his hand back. He stood to his full height, dipping his hands into his pockets.

He gave her a good two minutes perusal, gawking her from head to toe. Zahra visibly squirmed under his heated gaze. Her toes curled and her hands balled in a fist. Her heartbeat increased due to the intensity she witnessed in his eyes.

"To claim you," he said in his deep baritone resonating in the silent kitchen.

"Huh?"

"To claim that your everything belongs to me,"

He took a step towards her closing the distance between them. She immediately stepped back.

"To claim that," he moved his thumb on her pink lips, "these are only mine to be kissed,"

He took one more step towards her and she took one step back.

"To claim that," he grazed his index finger leisurely on her forehead, "this should only think about me,"

He still moved towards her and she continued stepping back.

"To claim that," the back of his fingers caressed her chest, "this should only beat for me."

He once again stepped forward and she stepped back. Her eyes were widened, his words were utterly confusing and scaring her.

"To claim that," his hand went south and cupped her sex, "this should be only mine to fuck,"

Zahra jolted at her place. Her breath hitched when he touched her there. Her heartbeat quickened and she took short and shaky breaths. His words were doing things to her mind.

He took one more dangerous step towards her, signaling her to stay rooted to her spot but she moved back but the kitchen island behind her left no place for her escape.

He abruptly placed both his hands on her either side caging her between him and the kitchen island. He brought his lips close to her ear.

She could feel his minty breath on her ear shell. She was breathing heavily by now and her chest heaved up and down with anticipation and their closeness.

"And señorita I promise if you dare, fucking dare to betray me you will wish for death, but death will never come to you. I will make your state so miserable that you will live and die at every moment. Death itself will be a gift for you. You will cry in pain and misery but no one will listen to your pleads. I will inflict such pain on your body that you will kill yourself with your own bare hands. Your tiny, little fragile petite frame not in any way is capable to incur my wrath." He slowly and huskily whispered in her ear, letting each syllable sink and contrast with the depth and intensity he said those words.

He pulled back and slightly patted her cheek,

"So I suggest you never dare to be unfaithful to me, deceive me or cheat on me unless you have a death wish," he pulled off completely and left the kitchen leaving her shivering body behind.

His words held a promise in them which was haunting her. She stood there for good two minutes to confirm that he was gone. Her body was still shaking and her legs were wobbly. She could feel her cheeks getting wet. She knew she was crying but she was not crying out of her miserable state but due to fear. Out of that fear he has instilled in her. The fear that what if those words became reality.

Her senses came back and she unlocked herself, running back to her room. She entered her room laid on her bed and slept without thinking much.

There was dark all around. Cold darkness has spread around me. My throat was parched and my lips were dried. I looked around frantically here and there and all I could decipher was this room was vast. I want to see where was I but the darkness surrounding me wasn't allowing me to see anything. I felt that I'd gone blind because I knew my eyes were opened but I can't see anything.

My hands touched a soft fabric underneath me. I roamed my hands over it and found that it was the soft foam of the couch on which I was sitting. I stretched my arms and moved my hands frantically in the air to feel any clue. Suddenly, they came in contact with something metallic. I touched it thoroughly. It was a chain dangling in the middle of the air. My fingers began to walk on it to find the source of the chain.

The chain was wrapped around something as if on someone's skin or throat. I tried to figure out more but suddenly a candle blew in front of me. Its little fire illuminated the whole room. I moved my eyes and saw Daniyal holding the candle. He looked sad and depressed. A broken smile was spread on his lips.

The candlelight enabled me to look around and then I figured it out, the chain was wrapped around my throat. It was my skin, my throat on which the cold metal was tied up. I looked at him helplessly and he was looking at me helplessly. I was trying hard to open my mouth to scream for help but as if my lips were pasted with each other. I tried to open them but I couldn't say anything. Tears brimmed in my eyes and my toes curled with helplessness. I tried to stand up but my legs turned into rock and they weren't moving.

Daniyal's hand moved towards the hook of the chain and tightened its grip more around my throat. I couldn't breathe. My throttle was constricted. No air was going to my lungs. I tried to take big and deep breaths but no air was entering my body. I questioningly looked towards Daniyal. He was the man whom I loved then why he is taking my life?

My eyes roamed around here and there lunatically to seek help. And next thing I saw knocked the breath out of my lungs. His devilish grey eyes were boring into my brown ones. His large, very very large painting hung on the wall almost covering half of the wall. The other end of the chain was connected to it. As if he was holding the chain and Daniyal was tightening its grip around my throat.

I helplessly sat on the luxurious couch and my mouth opened and screamed,

"HELP!"

She woke up startled and took large breaths to gulp down the air as much as she can. Cold sweat was popping out of her forehead as she breathed heavily.

The sound of moazan calling for prayer hit her ear. It was fajar's time. The sky was resonating with the sound of azaan. It was still dark outside. The sun hasn't risen yet.

'It's fajar time and I saw this nightmare'

This thought suddenly came into her mind. She has heard from her elders that most of the dreams seen at the time of fajr are true but she shrugged it off. She did not want to ponder on the absurd nightmare anymore.

She laid down on the soft pillow and closed her eyes. There were many things to think about but she did not want to ponder over them much because it would only depress her more and more.

'Can Daniyal ever harm me?'

This was the last thought on her mind before she drifted into a deep slumber.