___!!!!))))"" Chapter 34""((((!!!!___

She wanted to run, to escape her own resentment, but her feet, as if caught in the ground, refused to accompany her. Her mind kept racing, repeating, "This can't be true. Her years of worship couldn't be cursed like this."

It had only been a few days since he reciprocated her love. Her lips had begun to smile, her heart beating in a sweet rhythm. All those smaller delights, which she hadn't even cherished properly, had abruptly vanished like this. She was in deep anguish when she heard his voice again.

"Stop annoying me like this. You can get a severe punishment for this. Come out, embrace me, and quench the thirst of a lover. I want to take all the pleasures before your husband touches you," he shrieked, his voice laced with malice as the corners of his eyes narrowed.

Shameen felt like her ears would bleed from the vileness of his words. Her frame sank as she squatted, leaning her back against the plastered wall, dropping her head onto her folded hands. She wished for the whole world to turn into ashes at that very moment.

Yasmeen was hidden in a corner, waiting for him to drop his façade and reveal his true self. But deep inside, she could feel the anguish of her friend, a pain caused by none other than her own mistakes.
"Oh, my darling Yasmeen, come out and let our bodies collide in the union I have longed for," Wahab's voice echoed with an urgency born of his sinful desires. He was the man who was once the crown of their heads, someone they had loved beyond reason. Today, he had fallen to the deepest depths of immorality.

Yasmeen stepped out because there was no stopping his depravity, and she didn't want to cause any further pain to her dear friend.
"I am here," she retorted, forcing a smile as the game continued.

"Come, my bottle of wine. Let me savor the sweetness of every inch of your body," he smirked, his words dripping with filth.

"Wahab, you are trapped," Yasmeen exclaimed, folding her arms with determination.

"What?" He faltered, unable to comprehend. How could he be trapped? He always played his moves shrewdly.

"Wahab, I told Shameen everything about your filthy intentions and our so called relationship. I will let her never be your wife though I will always be her best friend," she declared, her gaze fixed on his face as his expressions shifted.

"Please stop joking. I know you're saying this just to get me, to grab my attention," he stammered, still clinging to the hope that Yasmeen was merely acting out to halt his wedding.

"I am not joking, Wahab. She is on her way here and will catch us together soon," Yasmeen lied, thinking only of Shameen's safety.

Bound by Yasmeen's promise, Shameen felt every word like a dagger tearing through her soul. She was flabbergasted by the outcome of her silent devotion. She had always believed she was born to love Wahab and be his beloved.

"You bitch! You don't know who you're messing with. I'll kill you and bury you in the very ground you're standing on before she gets here!" he roared, glaring at Yasmeen with something black and sinister in his eyes.

Yasmeen sensed the darkness, the wickedness in his tone. He was no longer the man she had loved so dearly; instead, a devil now stood before her.

"What do you think? That I loved you?" Wahab laughed, his voice dripping with venom. "No, no, no. It was revenge. Remember the girl you saved from a masked man? That was me," he revealed, his smirk broadening with satisfaction and his eyes darkening with murderous intent.

She clearly remembered one day when she was coming back from college, a girl's scream grabbed her attention. Gazing around, she found a masked man dragging a girl into his jeep.

She quickly reacted, rushing to the spot and grabbing the girl from his grasp. Unable to free her from his strong hold, she slapped the man across his face.

The man was not ready for this. Dumbfounded by her sudden attack, he loosened his grip on the girl's hand. Seizing the opportunity, she took the girl's hand and ran. The man scanned the area but couldn't find them because they had rushed to Yasmeen's home, which was only a few feet away.

When they reached the house, the girl revealed the truth: she had been in a relationship with him. After getting what he wanted from her, he dumped her. When she threatened to tell his family about their affair, he tried to silence her by offering a huge sum of money. Upon her refusal, he resorted to kidnapping her.

Yasmeen jerked back to the present as his voice cut through her memory.

"Yes, it was me the masked man you slapped. What did you think, that you had dodged me and that I loved you?" he said sarcastically, letting out an evil laugh.

"From the beginning to the end, it was only wrath. I soon found your home by bribing a constable stationed in your area. To get close to you, I befriended your brother. I thought today would be the day you pay me back by losing your virginity to me. But you've left me no choice," he spat venomously, stepping forward. His eyes were filled with malice.

Yasmeen's heart sank as she realized the gravity of the situation. She had anticipated some kind of retaliation but not this extreme. Still, she was willing to accept anything to safeguard her friend.

"Your end will be the same as the girl you saved. I only wanted to sleep with you, but now you've left me no choice but to kill you," he snarled, his words hitting Yasmeen like a hammer.

She tried to run, but before she could do anything, Wahab's strong hands grabbed her and pulled her towards him. In the next moment, his hands were around her neck. He began squeezing, intent on suffocating her.

Yasmeen felt her time was up. She struggled frantically to free herself from his cruel grip, but it was in vain, he was far stronger than she had imagined.

"Goodbye, Yasmeen. I will always miss spending that last night with you," he said his final words and increased the pressure on her collarbone. Yasmeen felt her senses leaving her body. The whole world swirled around her. She could see her death only a few steps away.

In her last moments, she thought of her parents, how would they endure her demise? She thought of her brother and her friend Shamim, for whom she was losing her life.

Her hands fell lifelessly at her sides, and her eyelids droped. The last thing she saw was the blurred, disheveled face of the monster. She had no strength left to fight for her life and was now ready to embrace death. Her almost failing eardrums picked up a fading sound a thud. Suddenly, the grip on her neck loosened, and a few moments later, she was free.

Through blurry eyes, she saw Wahab collapsed on the ground. Stunned, her gaze lifted upward and landed on Shamim, who was holding an iron rod in her trembling hands. Shamim threw the rod aside, rushed forward, and squatted beside Yasmeen.

"Yasmeen, my friend, get up. We have to leave before someone finds us," Shamim stuttered, her words faltering with fear. Yasmeen was still in a daze, unable to comprehend what Shamim was saying. With great difficulty, Shamim helped Yasmeen stand, and they headed towards the exit with stumbling feet.

As they got a bit farther, Yasmeen's senses returned, and she realized what had happened. She stopped in her tracks.

"Shamim, why did you leave that room? You promised me you wouldn't leave. Then why did you hit him?" Yasmeen gasped, reminding her of the promise she had made.

"Let's go back. We shouldn't leave him injured," Yasmeen mustered some energy and grabbed Shamim's hand, pulling her toward the spot they had just escaped from.

But Shamim froze in place. Unable to move her, Yasmeen looked at her with questioning eyes. However, her gaze lingered, forgetting to return as she saw Shamim's devastated expression.

"He's dead," Shamim said in an empty voice, as if the words weren't hers.

"No, he can't be! You only hit him with a rod!" Yasmeen exclaimed, shaking Shamim frantically. She thought Shamim was dazed. How could a powerful man like Wahab die from a single hit with a rod?

"The rod... it had an outside, nailed, sharp edge that dug into his skull," Shamim completed the sentence with great difficulty.

"Yasmeen... I'm a murderer," she whispered, her voice hollow.

Yasmeen looked at her dearest friend, squatting on the ground with disheveled hair, a tear-streaked face, and hands tightly gripping her head, as if letting go would make it fall apart. Shamim was utterly broken, shattered, a shadow of her former self.

Yasmeen thought quickly and stood up.

"Shamim, I'm coming back. Promise me you won't move from here. Please, don't break your promise this time," she pleaded before running back to the spot.

When Yasmeen reached the scene, Wahab's body was still lying lifeless on the ground. Her feet stopped, and she stared at him with a mix of fear and disdain. Pushing her terror aside, she mustered courage and placed her palm on his chest.

His heart was silent, just like Wahab himself, someone they had both loved, someone who had put their hearts into a whirlpool for his desires. She scanned his entire body but found no signs of life.

She let out a deep gasp. Shamim had killed Wahab, the person who once meant the most to her, just to save Yasmeen's life.

"Did I make the right decision to bring her here and show her his true face? In trying to save her life, I've ruinemy friend and turned her into a murderer," Yasmeen thought, guilt washing over her.

"I have to be strong enough to save her. I'll erase every piece of evidence that could make her a killer," she resolved.

She stood up, grabbed the rod that had ended Wahab's life, and tossed it into a corner. She quickly rubbed away the marks of their footsteps using her palms. After finishing, she picked up the rod again and gave Wahab's body one last glance.

As she approached the exit, her breath caught in her throat.

A man in a police uniform was staring at her with commanding yet puzzled eyes. The rod, the key evidence in the crime scene fell from her hands.