Jadwa was woken by the adhan app on her phone. She went downstairs without hesitation and headed straight to meet her brother. As she approached the car, she hesitated, her stomach churning with a mix of fear and resolve.

Ahmad turned, his brow furrowed in concern. "Everything alright?" he asked gently.

Jadwa took a deep breath. "There's something I need to tell you," she whispered.

Ahmad's concern deepened. He walked toward her, brushing a stray tear from her cheek. "What is it?"

Jadwa flinched at the touch, the warmth contrasting sharply with the icy fear gripping her. But she knew she couldn't delay any longer. Taking a steadying breath, she blurted out, "I'm being blackmailed."

The words hung heavy in the air, shattering the peaceful afternoon. Ahmad's brow furrowed further, confusion giving way to comprehension.

"Blackmailed?" he echoed, his voice low.

Jadwa nodded, tears welling up again. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved her phone and unlocked it, her hand trembling slightly. She showed him the message thread with the cruel threats and incriminating photos.

As Ahmad read the messages, his expression hardened. Anger shadowed his eyes as he scrolled through the photos, his jaw clenching with each one. Silence descended upon them once more, heavy and suffocating. Jadwa watched him, her heart pounding. Finally, he looked up, facing her.

"Who is doing this?" His voice was a low growl, laced with a dangerous edge.

Jadwa shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I don't know." Shame and fear threatened to consume her, but she forced herself to speak. "I haven't told anyone except Hannan... until now."

"Who the hell is this?!" He dropped the phone on the table. "Who is the person in these pictures?" he asked sternly.

"Ya Ahmad, I went to the spa..." She narrated what happened, and he listened carefully, taking in every detail.

"I will ask you again," he pointed a finger at her, "do you know this man, Jadu?" He raised his voice.

"Ya Ahmad, I don't. I really don't. I promise you won't believe me, but that's really what happened."

"Are you sure you don't know who this man is? If I investigate this and find out you are not innocent, I'll deal with you mercilessly, Jadwa," he warned.

"I agree," she nodded, tears streaming as she stood before him. She had expected this, or even worse. Ahmad could give her a bitter punishment for this, but she didn't care; she knew he would do something, and that's all that mattered.

After some minutes, Ahmad reached out, gently cupping her cheek. His touch was a silent reassurance, a promise of support. "You should have told me sooner," he murmured, his voice softer now. "We'll figure this out."

"I am so sorry," Jadwa cried.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he asked, bringing her into a warm hug.

"I was scared you wouldn't believe me. I didn't know how to. Hannan pushed me to tell you," she said honestly, still in his embrace.

"I'm sorry. I'm just angry and needed to ask these questions before diving into any investigations." Relief washed over Jadwa, warm and calming. The weight that had been crushing her began to lift. She wasn't alone. She had Ahmad and Hannan. They would face this together.

"Thank you," she whispered.

---

The next morning, Ahmad knocked on Jadwa's door to wake her. She got ready and joined her brother for breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted.

"Good morning," he replied, ushering her to join him. "Did you get any more messages?" he asked after a while.

"Yes, they're just the usual threats and pictures of me here and there. On Eid day at home, and old posts I deleted from my social media." She showed him.

"Have you responded to them?" A hint of surprise crossed Ahmad's face, but it quickly vanished as he took her phone, scrolling through the messages again.

Jadwa shook her head. "No, I didn't know what to do."

A ghost of a smile played on Ahmad's lips. "Smart. We won't play by their rules. Let's go to the police first. If that doesn't work, I'll contact experts I know in the field."

The drive to the police station was different this time. The lighthearted chatter of earlier was replaced by a tense silence.

Reaching there, Ahmad ushered Jadwa inside, his hand a comforting weight on her shoulders. He immediately dialed Hannan's number, pacing the room as the phone rang.

"Hannan," he spoke, his voice clipped as he explained the situation. Jadwa watched, her heart swelling with gratitude as he listened intently to their sister's input.

After a few minutes, he ended the call. Relief washed over his features. "She's on her way. Let's try this first, Jadwa. If it doesn't work, we'll go for a higher-level expert. Maybe they can trace the source of these messages."

Jadwa let out a shaky breath. The idea of someone tracking down the blackmailer offered a sliver of hope. They spent the next hour huddled together, Hannan joining them shortly after.

The police officer they met, Tony, introduced himself, his face grim as he assessed the situation. "It won't be easy," Tony admitted, "but there are ways to track digital footprints. The photos themselves might not have embedded data, but there could be traces from the sender's device. It would have been easier if the face of the man in the pictures was visible; only his back is here. It'll be harder to start searching for him."

Tony worked tirelessly, following digital trails, while Hannan provided unwavering emotional support.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Tony announced, "I think I found something." His voice was tight with excitement. "An IP address. It's a burner phone, but it leads to a specific location."

The news brought hope and positivity to Jadwa, Ahmad, and Hannan. They decided to keep it from their other family members until they had a better grasp of the situation, as Jadwa wasn't ready to face anyone.

She went back to her brother's house again. After Ahmad announced Ameerah's pregnancy to the family, he used that as an excuse for their parents to keep Jadwa at the house. They kept the news from the other family members to give Jadwa space to process everything.

Jadwa had the most restful sleep in a long time. She woke up the next day feeling a little better and more hopeful, though still anxious.

She decided to attend her evening class to take her mind off everything. She drove in comfortable silence, focusing on the road. She navigated her class with ease and sat through the lecture, focusing on the professor's introduction.

After class, Jadwa grabbed a drink. As she walked alone under the night sky in the quiet streets of the university, paranoia set in. She felt as though she was being followed. Hastening her steps, she changed her lane without looking around.

She stopped and grabbed another drink, sitting for over twenty minutes alone. Realizing she was just being paranoid, she shook off the thought. The route to the car park from the school restaurant was not long. As she opened the car door, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Jadwa's heart sank. She turned quickly with an audible gasp.

"Did I scare you?" a familiar voice chuckled, fixing his cap.

"Adam! You sure did," she chuckled with a sigh of relief.

"Why?" he asked slowly with a smile.

Jadwa waved off the question with a chuckle. "My bad, I'm sorry I scared you."

"It's okay, I didn't expect to see you here. How have you been?"

"I've been good," he answered, scratching his head. "I'm here to see a friend."

"What about you?" he asked, not waiting for her response.

"I started a master's here," she simply said.

"That's really good," he said, looking her up and down.

Jadwa was eager to leave, but she didn't want to be rude to her cousin, who had always been kind to her. She had always wanted to separate the bitterness of his mother and their uncle from how she treated him. His eyes roamed over her intensely, making her uncomfortable. She knew he liked her and had been pursuing her, so she ignored the look and engaged in small talk while the clouds darkened.

"Let me drop you off at home, please, Jadu," he offered.

"No, it's fine. Thank you so much, Adam. I drove here myself," she declined politely.

ADAM
Adam felt anger rush through him but maintained a kind smile as he watched her get into the car and bid him goodbye. "How dare her" he thought. He had just risked meeting her after much contemplation; he couldn't resist the urge to hear her voice. How could she? She had obviously stopped responding to him on both sides. Either way, she was still a hard nut to crack, whether as her cousin or by forcefully making her his. He had to get her; he had put in too much effort to let this go.

Jadwa, oblivious, walked on, completely unaware of the chilling truth behind the disarming smile of her cousin. When he got back in his car, he picked out his phone from his pocket and stared at the pictures he had just snapped of her unknowingly. He kept looking at them and decided to print them out as soon as he reached his apartment to add to his collection.

"Maybe I should give my pretty bird a break for a bit" he muttered, remembering the fast steps she took when he was following her around the school and how scared she was from just seeing him.

Back in his apartment, Adam stared at the printed photos of Jadwa. His obsession with her had taken a dark turn, and he knew he needed to be careful. For now, he decided to bide his time and wait for the right moment to make his next move. But one thing was certain, he would stop at nothing to have her.

His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was a message from an unknown number, the same one he had used for the blackmail. A wicked smile played on his lips. "I know what I'm doing. She'll come around."

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