You have to read the June 1969 love 1971 chapter for this one. There are no time skips, just the pov is from different months for Saahil and Seher.

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June 1970:

As Saahil woke up in the dungeon, he couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. The musty air filled his lungs, but there was something different this time - sunlight. He looked around and realized that this dungeon was different. It had a small window, allowing a sliver of sunlight to filter through, bringing a semblance of warmth to the cold stone walls.

Feeling the sunlight on his face, Saahil chuckled to himself, "Back in the dungeon... but at least there's fresh air." He inspected his surroundings, noting that his wounds had been treated and the food provided was surprisingly good. The small bathroom in the corner was a welcomed sight.

But amidst his newfound comfort, his thoughts wandered to Malika. He wondered where she was, if she was safe. He couldn't shake off the worry for that woman who had risked everything to help him. Despite their brief encounter, she had managed to touch something deep within him. She had called him her brother, and in that moment, Saahil felt a sense of belonging he hadn't experienced before.

"I need to protect her," he murmured to himself, the realization dawning upon him. She had become his sister, his family. And just like he had served his country with unwavering dedication, he now felt a renewed sense of purpose - to safeguard Malika, his newfound sister.

As he waited for his next move, Saahil resolved to find a way out of this dungeon, not just for himself, but for Malika as well. He couldn't let her face the same fate as him, trapped in this dark and suffocating place. With determination burning in his heart, Saahil began to plan his escape, knowing that he had to reunite with Malika and ensure her safety, no matter the cost.

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April 1971:

"Meri beti... (My daughter)" Jahangir Shaikh greeted her with a smile on his face, she nodded her head at him in acknowledgement. There were lines on his face, dark circles under his eyes as he placed his hand over her head affectionately in greeting. She saw guilt in his eyes, a layer of distress of his face as he stood there.

He wanted to say something, he opened his mouth and closed. He was hesitant. Unsure about his words, unable to speak them aloud to his daughter.

"What happened father?" She asked finally, she hated how he had forced her to marry that man, she remembered the slap on her mehendi day but he was her father. She couldn't hate him. It was hard to hate him, his brown guilty eyes and wrinkled face was different from the steely ones she met before. He looked like a broken man. A man who had lost everything.

He sighed and his hand softly patted her head, as he shook his head, "Kuch nahi andar ja teri Ammi rah dekh rahi teri kab se" (Nothing, go inside, your mother has been waiting for you.)

"Theek hai Abbu". (Okay, Father).

She started walking inside and he stood there in the shade of the peepal tree looking at his daughter, with his tired eyes.

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Like old times her mother massaged her head with coconut oil, as she closed her eyes, all her headache and pain dissolving away in her mother's presence.

"Maa... ek baat puchni thi" (Mother... I wanted to ask something)

"Haan bolna" (Yes, go ahead).

"Gao mai kuch hua hai kya?" (Has something happened in the village)

Her mother shook her head, "nahi, kyun? (No, why?)" She stopped her hands, Seher sensed uneasiness in her tone.

"Baba kaafi pareishan lag rahey they isliye(Father seemed quite worried, that's why)", Seher turned around and held her mother's hand who smiled at her, "Tu kyu fikar kar rahi? Jaanti hai na apne baap ko, apni pareishani kabhi nahi batate (Don't worry about your father! You know how your father is, he never shares his worries with anyone).

"Maa tu kuch chupa rahi hai kya?"(Mother, are you hiding something?)

"Nahi meri jaan, tu zyaada sochri, ruk mai tel garam karke laati" (No, my dear, you're overthinking, wait, let me warm up the oil).

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The roads were littered with stones, as if a giant had thrown them in anger. Saad was alone on the road, not a soul in sight. It was eerily quiet, the only sound was his own heartbeat thumping in his chest. He picked up his gun from his seat pocket and exited the car, alert and wary. He started picking the stones from the way one by one, clearing a path for his car. The stones were rough and heavy in his hands, some of them stained with dirt and blood. Just as he picked the last one, he felt a sudden blow to the back of his head.

It was forceful, like a hammer smashing his skull. He heard a loud bang, his ears were ringing and he felt a warm liquid dripping slowly down his neck. He touched it with his hand.

It was his blood, thick and sticky. He smelled the metallic scent of it, mixed with sweat and fear. He pointed the gun to the man who had attacked him, but before he could pull the trigger, he felt another kick in his stomach. Saad doubled over, gasping for air, and then was pushed onto the ground. He laid on the ground, his vision fading. His car vanished from his sight, as if it had never been there.

He could hear voices. At first they were distant and indistinct, but then they transformed into familiar ones.

This is the son you gave me? This wuss!

He is not a man, he is weak like you. Weak little woman...

Sssshhhhh

Or else they will burn your soul to shreds. So the fight in you leaves you forever. It did. That day. When Nawab Khan whipped his mother and made him watch as she tried not to scream in pain. Men preferred their women mute. But a painful cry escaped her lips suddenly and then she went still. Falling on the floor. Her blood staining the floor like a crimson flower. His father stood above her with a malicious grin on his face. That day he lost his mother and went silent as his father wanted.

Now he laid on the ground, his mother's face appearing before his eyes, haunting him. He felt tears rolling down his cheeks. He had failed his mother, he had turned into the monster who had murdered his mother. Nawab Khan had killed his wife... he was a scarred faced man, a dangerous man. The one who gave him nightmares, he had sworn in his heart to avenge his mother. Those promises, those feelings changed as he grew up, he learned to survive with his father and slowly got closer to him.

He had turned into his father's reflection.

Saad saw the look in his mother's eyes, there was disappointment, 'You killed my Andalib', she said. He wanted to shake his head, deny it, but he couldn't. The little boy in him wanted to hug her, but his mother was disgusted by him.

He remembered the day Andalib was born, his father never visited. His mother was glad that Nawab Khan let her live. Noor had many times taken beatings in place of her daughter, Andalib was her nightingale and Saad was her only friend.

'You are a monster just like your father', she said.

He tasted the bitterness of his guilt, he smelled the smoke of his burning car, he felt the coldness of death creeping up on him. He closed his eyes and wished he could see his mother's smile again.

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She lingered in the bazaar, the night air calling her. The scent of spices, the tune of music, the hues of fabrics alluring her. This was her third visit in a week, she knew the reason behind it. Her eyes scanned the crowd for hours, but she disappointed. He should have returned.

'Keep this with you, if I didn't return. This was my mother's...'

He had given her a ribbon, a token of his love She had lost the ribbon, but she remembered his words

If I didn't return...

What if he perished in the war?

It unsettled her, she felt her heart ache, her hands trembled. Why didn't she thought of this earlier?

Why was her heart aching? She had met him twice. But Saahil had given her a dream, she felt like herself, it was as if she met herself again through him. Before Saad, when she was in the states she was a different woman, a woman with dreams. But Saad had crushed her every dream, her pride, her soul, he had completely destroyed her. She wasn't the same...

That was when Saahil entered her life, and she learnt to dream once more. She was a reader, a dreamer. She had wished to find her Mr Darcy like Elizabeth did in Pride or Prejudice. A man who had a sense of honesty and respected her but more than that he held back his pride. Her heart yearned for a lover, a man worthy of her, of her love. She was a hopeless romantic, the type of person who could carve stones for their lovers, write beautiful sonnets in their memory and give up all their wealth for them. 

Saahil had been respectful to her, his aura, his words everything made her feel inclined towards his. She was a dreamer and he was her dream.

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Saad vs Saahil: one killed his actual sister and the other is protecting a woman he met few hours ago, ready to put his life inline to protect her.

Finally we reached the prologue part. First arc is completed, second arc (Saahil ×Seher)  starts from here. This book is a slow burn.

I apologize for the slow updates and thank you so much for 40k (will reach soon). Love you❤️