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There was something about tonight, something that was mixing reality with fantasy that was pulling at the strings of the hearts of those that have yearned for peace the most. The cold was soft on their skin, a light breeze of calm that washed their worries away from their minds and as the day progressed towards its end a sigh escaped his lips as the man admired the beauty of the night as if it was his first day in this beautiful city full of life.

The moon reminded him of the countless nights he had spent staying awake with a cup of coffee sitting at his desk that he would always forget about or maybe ignored until another one came through the door for him with a loud intruder who maybe always ignored the half drunk coffee he made for himself. Those days were full of bliss, there was not a single moment he wanted to erase from his memory and much like today there were nights where all he ever wanted was to go back to those oblivious nights he had spent with her.

The time when a smile was his best accessory, the end of work was the time he was the happiest and the moments where he witnessed those foolish grins on her face. His head followed the sound of his office door opening and he found his assistant standing in the doorway, the man cleared his throat and Zahan turned his head back to the city he was facing.

"Will you not be going home again tonight?" Ahmer asked making zahan shake his head, he didn't want to leave yet. Going home to an empty house was the worst part of his day, especially after Hamza left taking his childish loud voice with him.

"I will, just not yet" he replied, joining his hands behind his back and taking in deep breaths of the night breeze.

Ahmer stared at the back of the man he had only heard of for years before he actually started working for him under Zaryabs reference. He often wondered

how he knew zaryab and who was the heartless woman to him but he never found the night to his questions.

It was almost eight years ago when he first came across her, injured, starved and kept locked in the cell across from his. He was abducted for trying to run away with Arbazs money and the way he was treated, he could never imagine how she was surviving; he was only seventeen then and in need of money with nowhere to go and no funds to pay for his college fee he didn't have an option but to seek help from someone who his parents would have kept him away from him. Oftentimes he wondered if she was just a dead body kept tied to the wall but when she would groan in pain he would snap out of his thoughts. She was scary. Not just the huge scar on her face but the way she would often act, ahmer would feel a tremor running down his spine.

It was the very end of winter and he remembers evidently when he got a call from someone he hadn't known, his soul was in his throat when he found out who had contacted him and for a long moment he couldn't believe his eyes.

His eyes had teared, meeting her after three years of being released and sponsored to get his life together. He couldn't see her face and he soon realized that black mask had become her identity as she took over the reign of her life, he had then applied for this job on zaryabs reference and he had been happy so far but as friday came closer he would feel as though he was going back to the same days when he couldn't speak before her and the way her eyes scanned him while he described his bosses activity to her he felt like a traitor but then he told himself that he owed her that much for helping him get his life together.

"Ahmer?" He felt as though someone had woken him up from a deep sleep as he found Zahan standing before him, the boy flinched a little seeing him so close and Zahan shook his head at him.

"Go home" ahmer nodded his head at his boss' words and left while scratching his head. "These two act the same" he whispered as he left the building while rubbing his aching neck, there was a skip to his steps as ahmer exited the building, he felt happy today and the best part was he didnt know why? Stuffing his hands in his pockets he walked to his car. Wait, maybe he was happy because tonight he had to attend dinner at hadiya's house, the lady had basically adopted him when zaryab first took him home and the thought stopped him in his tracks. She's going to be there.

Zahan stared at the boy's back as he made his way out of his office, there was something about this boy that didn't sit well with him. He looked innocent but the way his eyes assessed everything he came across, made him look alot mature than he was portrayed himself to be. Those eyes were of someone who had seen a lot for their age and whenever he looked in them he shivered seeing a reflection of the black veiled woman, his eyes traveled to the drawer where he had kept the gloves that he had been wearing ever since he got them.

His heart still skipped a beat at the jasmine scent that came off the scarf, he had barely worn it as it triggered his memory for the worst and Zahan clenched his fist shutting his eyes to stop the trembling of his breath, by the time he had opened his eyes he felt his dry skin wetting from the water that cascaded down his cheeks.

This night wasn't supposed to be bad but how could it not be when it was a few hours before it marked eight years to the knot he had tied in that village under the scrutiny of khan babas gaze and the comfort of their family after coming back. Life was life back then but now it was only a period of time they had spent, Zahan's head jerked as a wave of anxiety coursed through him.

"What has become of me?" he whispered while rolling his eyes and picking up his book from his desk. The sound of his shoes hitting the office floor echoed in the empty floor, with his coat hanging from his forearm and his office bag in the other Zahan struggled to bring out his phone that was ringing in his pocket. He stopped by Ahmers desk and pulled his phone out, he smiled a little seeing who was calling him.

"Assalamualaikum bhai" the girl on the other end spoke the moment Zahan picked up the call.

"Waalaikumsalam, kaisi ho?" he asked, handling all his stuff in his hand when his eyes fell on a file ahmer must've forgotten. He looked around while listening to all Hadiya had to say to him about the dinner she was hosting.

"So we were wondering if you'd like to join us?" she asked and Zahan moved his eyes away from the file for a moment.

"Hadiya, I-"

"I didn't call to listen to a no, bhai '' she concluded while staring at the stoic looking woman in front of her, her phone was plastered to her ear while her eyes were staring out at the night sky.

"Aap aa rahe hain, baat khatam" Hadiya spoke with finality in her tone and grinned after hearing a positive response in return.

Zahan stood still for a while to understand the situation but shook his head with a smile on his face. Hadiya was a copy of shayla who had been with him ever since zaryab had moved to turkey for business purposes. That time was quite pleasant for him as he had started getting home sick but if he were to return back then it would've been a clash to his career and he didn't want that. He had never thought that moving away would've been this depressing but he couldn't sleep properly for months but then Hadiya signed him up for a book club from where he found many people he could relate to. He felt like he was God's favorite as life started going exactly as one would have imagined.

Eating at Hadiya's place had become a monthly ritual but he had failed to keep up with it and had neglected it all. It was well after a month or so that he was going to have a good meal with someone who he considered his family.

His heart felt itself going back into the warm embrace of content that he had felt before his thoughts wandered off. His eyes went back to the black file that he had spotted earlier and he took a hold of it and kept it in his bag not wanting to see what other work related problems awaited him.

His voice was a slow melody as he hummed the song he had once heard somewhere. A sparkle lit up his eyes at the thought of having a warm meal surrounded by faces he used to share good memories with, the keys to his car spun around his finger as he walked to his car but the moment his hand landed on the door handle someone pushed his against the car, slamming his face against the top.

"It'll only be good for you if you get in the car without any hussle, we don't want to hurt you" a deep voice muttered against his ear and a chill ran down his spine, fear gripped his heart he felt something being tied around his eyes and his hands being cuffed.

"Who.. who are you people?" His question was answered by a roar of laughter and after that all he could remember was the smell of chloroform and a deafening ringing in his ears.

Assalamualaikum guys, how are you all doing?

i know, i know its really short but i wanted to update and the more i stressed over the word count the more i was delaying this so I thought I should atleast update and give you something instead of nothing.

so bear with me as i take my leave again, hopefully not for long. Your response and comments play a really great role in making me want to update more and more so do comment and let me know your thoughts and predictions.

I hope you enjoy this update.

love,

Hafsa