TWO

AYSHAM’S POV:

“Yes.” I mumbled as my lips were quivering with my fingers trembling fisting my skirt.

He signed it looking at me as if challenging me to stop it. But how could I?

“Sign it.” I was standing like a statue when my aunt came forward and seethed near my ear. At that time I realize that I hadn’t left the sight of those forest green eyes for once. I tore my gaze and turned towards my aunt with terrible shivering.

“Aunt please.” I trembled looking at her for mercy but she was far from that.

“Listen to me. Don’t you want to repay us for what we did for you? They will take Beela then.” Her anger subsided with helplessness at the end but she forwarded the pen and papers in front of me.

I didn’t dare to look into those forest green eyes with that intensity in them. He was just standing with his hands in his pocket making everyone to look timid against him. He had this dominant aura that was making everyone to look small.

Ever so slowly I took the pen from my aunt’s fingers and signed it. I signed the marriage contract and the moment I did that he turned around and leave. As if he was there to make sure I signed those.

“We have to go.” I was turning pale when my aunt handed that paper to that black suited guy. He moved forward and guided me the way but I looked at my aunt as I was finally gaining my senses

“No I don’t want to go.” I was visibly scared of that guy as I tried to hide behind my aunt but she moved away.

“Look Jameel said that he would do something to bring you back now go or otherwise these people won’t leave.” My aunt grabbed my elbow in her strong grip as she tried to mask her face with the sympathetic look but all in vain. The hatred and anger was visible in her eyes as she wanted to throw me at that man’s feet but couldn’t do that because of the guests gawking at us.  

“Jameel brother I don’t want to go.” I turned towards Jameel with my elbow still in my aunt’s deathly grip which was causing immense pain. She never hurt me physically before.

“Can’t you see in what situation we are in right now? These are dangerous people. Do you want me to die?” Jameel hissed near my face with blood stained face making me shook my head in no. Why would I want that?

“You can take her.” Jameel asked the black suited guy as he puffed out a frustrated sigh. Putting the paper inside his coat’s inner pocket he moved towards me making my eyes teary and my head nodding.

“Ahh!” In a swift moment he threw me above his shoulder as if I weigh nothing for him and moved towards the car.

“No please. Don’t do this. I don’t want to go.” I kept pleading but he was deaf or he was very good at pretending not to hear.

He made me sit in the car as I couldn’t look at the garden anymore. Locking the door he turned around to sit at the driving seat.

“Kindly sit straight ma’am.” He said with his eyes fixed on the road as I was trembling with fear and grief. I wanted to run and cry in any corner where no one could find me.

“Why are you taking me?” I asked as I didn’t bother to wipe off the tears from my cheeks. They were a part of me.

“As a punishment.” He informed in a robotic tone.

“For whom?” I asked looking at him in the back view mirror.

“For Jameel. He was going to marry you and now he won’t. It’s punishment.” He said and the world around me started spinning.

He wasn’t marrying me. He was marrying Beela. Did they confuse me for her or…or they all lied to save Beela and presented me for a sacrifice.

I am a sacrifice.

“But I…” I wanted to say it was Beela not me but I couldn’t do that. She would be in danger because of me. She had a future ahead and I had nothing.

“Will you k-kill me?” I asked looking at his shoulder which was visible to me. I didn’t want to look at him in the eye for this answer.

“It’s up to Sir.” He took a turn while saying that.

“Sir who?” I asked looking at the lane we just entered guarded with pine trees shadowing the whole lane.

“Your husband Farzan Shah.” He said and I looked at his amused expressions in the mirror. But his words sent a shiver down my spine.

He wasn’t my husband. He just made a contract to kill me.

I was silent the rest of the ride as in ten minutes we entered narrow lane guarded by a metallic gate as after few minutes the lane stopped beside a beautiful mansion.  

It had grey walls with modern architecture. Present at the centre was a small roundabout with a beautiful sculpture of a sword as it was written in its Blade. The Knights.

The black suited guy opened the door for me as hesitated for few seconds before coming out but thinking that I didn’t have any other choice I did.

“You can go on your own from here.” He said as he was trying to be gentle with me which wasn’t part of his personality.

“N-no.” He was turning around when my protest stopped him. He cocked an eyebrow at me.

“I don’t want to go alone.” I mumbled while looking at my toes. Gaining silence I looked at him through my eye lashes. He was contemplating whether to go inside with me or not.

He let out a sigh and moved ahead a cue for me to follow him. My heart lightened a little as if I won’t be killed if he will go inside with me.

We reached the white wooden door as he opened that for me. I looked at him with helplessness as his lips from one corner spread a little at me. He was smiling at my helplessness. I glared at him.

“You are just cute. Too cute to be in this mansion.” I turned beetroot as if he clarified his smile. He muttered the last sentence under his breath but I heard that. Before I could think much about that a lady appeared from nowhere standing before us inside the mansion.

“Who is she?” She was looking in her thirties wearing black and white uniform of a maid.

She looked at me from head to toes twice as I looked at the black suited guy with a flustered face.

“She is young knight’s wife Suzi.” The black suited guy said as I almost startled when the lady gasped so loudly hearing that.

“What are…you…Are you serious Imran?” She was scanning me from every angle when she said. “What about his Fiance then?” She asked resting her palm against her chest.

“Don’t know. Yours now.” The black suited guy whose name I assumed was Imran turned around and walked away with Suzi who was still in shock.

“Well you can come inside. Obviously you can. This is your home now. What I can say. You are so young by the way.” All of a sudden she became more flustered blabbering random things as I still didn’t step ahead.

I looked at her with watery eyes as I mumbled. “I want to go home.” I said in my wet voice as she went still for a moment.

“Oh did he force you?” She asked grabbing my wrist and made me entered the mansion making me more awestruck as it was more beautiful from inside.

“I want to go home.” I mumbled again but she just looked at me with pity.

“Let me take you to your room.” She said and started ascending the stairs as if she didn’t hear me.

Soon we entered the room as we had to walk for five minutes to reach that section of the mansion.

“This is your room.” She said as she didn’t enter the room but made me enter. It was the room of almost the size of the ground floor of my aunt’s house. The first sight that welcome me was the L shaped couch of grey color as it was small sitting area inside the room with all the luxuries and then there was king sized bed. It was looking like a giant against my single bed.

Thud.

I turned around to find Suzi was gone without saying anything. She was also shocked I guess. I looked at the room thinking of waiting for my own death but Jameel said he would take me back once he would give information about something him. Thinking of him fear course through my veins remembering how intensely his forest green eyes were staring into mine.

Tears started rolling down my eyes as I found solace for my misery. I sat on the edge of the bed thinking of everything happened in just one day with me. I experienced the same misery when I found few men bringing my mother’s body to my house. My only home where me and my mother used to live happily. We didn’t need anyone as we were just happy together. That I lost my mom and my home and today I was facing the same thing. I lost my home again. Although that wasn’t my home it was just a house for me-My aunt’s house but all the things in my small room belonged to me because I brought them from my home. There was everything that belonged to me and my mom as I was glad that aunt never forced me to throw them out.

And now I have lost that too.

I was never ungrateful for my entire life. I was grateful that after my mom there was my uncle who looked after me then I was grateful for my aunt to not throw me out of her house then I was grateful to God that I had memories with my mother as I knew few children didn’t even have them too but my mother told gratefulness makes you to stay happy for your entire life. There is always someone beneath you. Who looks at you with desire to have what you have.

But isn’t this enough. I was grateful then why this was happening with me. I never made fun of anything I have then why this is happening to me?

Deep in my thoughts I didn’t know when I drifted to sleep as my thoughts were over shadowed with the darkness that consumed me.

I didn’t know what time was it when I heard a loud crashing sound making me jump with my half eyes open. I was welcomed by darkness as I was drenched in sweat. It took me couple of minutes to realize where on earth I was present and why my bed suddenly turned so comfortable.

“WHAT THE F**K!” Someone groaned and I screamed lowly in surprise as that voice came from very near. My pupils got adjusted to the darkness as the moonlight penetrating through the white curtains made my breath struck in my throat when I saw him leaning against the dressing table directly looking at my soul.

His hairs were dishevelled as if he ran his fingers inside them in frustration. I was too stunned to speak that I didn’t even bother to get down from the bed.

I parted my lips to say something when I tore my gaze from his but nothing came out. I never talked to any boy in my high school as I was always the one hidden somewhere during breaks and classrooms. I was average in studies so no teacher ever pointed me out to get noticed by anyone. Then how could I expect myself to talk to him? I couldn’t even match my gaze properly with him.

“I-I...” I tried again but I was cut by the door opened by Suzi.

“Yes Sir?” She was turning pale as she lowered her head against him.

“What the F**k she is doing in my room?” He hissed clenching his jaw.

“She…she is your wife sir. Imran told me.” She said wetting her dry lips.

“F**k! She isn’t my wife but a Slave. You F**king idiots.” He hissed again as he wasn’t shouting but his tone was enough to make me tremble in fear.

“I-I am s-sorry sir.” Suzi said with pale face.

“You are fired.” She said and she looked above at him in disbelief. I couldn’t handle that as I finally stood up from the bed.

“No. Please don’t fire her.” I said and Suzi turned her neck towards me in utter shock as if she had seen a ghost.

“What?” He cocked an eyebrow at me as he turned his all attention towards me making gulp the lump of tears in my throat.

Did I say something wrong?