UNFORTUNATELY THE WRITER IS STUCK WITH A WRITER'S BLOCK AND NO RESPONSE DOESN'T HELP WITH IT. SO THERE IS A DELAY IN UPDATES

"Family trauma is a storm that leaves scars on the soul, but it's in the healing journey that we discover the true power of resilience."

~ Unknown

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The next day unfolded with fresh mysteries and heightened emotions. Gathered at the dining table, they discussed the latest developments. Samad, tense from a phone call, shared the news.

"What happened?" Aabid enquired, noticing Samad's troubled expression.

"Police won't be of help. We've enlisted the services of some top private investigators. Raiyyan is checking her university, although she hasn't shown up today," Samad explained. Ali eagerly awaited their next move.

"Dad, Zain and I won't be coming to the office today!" Samad said while meeting Ali's eye. Ali looked down.

"I also have some work. I won't be able to come," Ali stated abruptly, excusing himself from the dining hall. He headed to his car and dialed Raiyyan.

"I am coming to her university. Meet me there and send me the address!" The call ended, and Ali set off, reaching the university soon after. The students were either in the lecture hall or in the canteens. They met authorities and shared their concern. They asked a few batchmates. Samad and Zain came there to talk to their authorities. That time they 4 came across Zeenat.

"How do you people have her picture?" Zeenat questioned curiously.

"This is my sister. Do you know her?" Samad asked hopefully.

"I have seen her on campus. And we did have a talk recently but nothing more. I was hoping to meet her again today. She seems to be a nice girl. I like her," Zeenat continued blabbering nonstop.

"She has been missing since last night. Some issues occurred. We were hoping to see one of her friends to enquire about her. Do you know anything that could help us?" Ali questioned, hoping to find someone who knows about her.

"Whenever I saw her, she used to be alone. And I have seen her in the lecture hall or in the library. If she has any friends, then not in this university. I asked to become my friend but she said she has to go to work and her shift begins at 4. So without answering me politely, she left. Maybe any work friend knows more?"

The next day unfolded with fresh mysteries and heightened emotions. Gathered at the dining table, they discussed the latest developments. Samad, tense from a phone call, shared the news.

"What happened?" Aabid inquired, noticing Samad's troubled expression.

"Police won't be of help. We've enlisted the services of some top private investigators. Raiyyan is checking her university, although she hasn't shown up today," Samad explained. Ali eagerly awaited their next move.

"Dad, Zain and I won't be coming to the office today," Samad declared, locking eyes with Ali, who looked away.

"I also have some work. I won't be able to come," Ali stated abruptly, excusing himself from the dining hall. He headed to his car and dialed Raiyyan.

"I am coming to her university. Meet me there and send me the address!" The call ended, and Ali set off, reaching the university soon after. They engaged with authorities, questioned batchmates, and encountered Zeenat.

"How do you have her picture?" Zeenat asked, curious.

"She's my sister. Do you know her?" Samad inquired with hope.

"I've seen her on campus, and we talked recently. I hoped to meet her again today. She seems nice," Zeenat said. Learning about Amira's disappearance, she suggested checking with work friends.

"Work?" The revelation surprised Samad, Ali, and Zain, who looked at Raiyyan for an explanation.

"I don't know. She never mentioned work. She goes to university and comes back in the evening," Raiyyan admitted.

"Just one last question, Zeenat. Do you know where she used to work?" Samad asked hopefully for another clue.

"You don't know where your sister works. How would I know? She keeps more secrets than a treasure box! Now bye. Gotta go. This is my number. Inform me, once you find her!" And with this she ran off to her lecture.

"She was working?" Samad expressed surprise, looking at Raiyyan.

"I have no idea. She didn't tell me anything about a job," Raiyyan responded.

"Maybe she found a way to sustain herself and left willingly?" Zain speculated, his suggestion mixing belief and confusion.

"She won't get her paycheck this soon! Ali, when you were searching for her..."

"I found nothing! I was in her room, but nope. Bhai, I don't know. Your worried face makes me believe she left. If you're playing with me this time, I will actually divorce her!" Ali declared, leaving the place.

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They all headed to Noah and Farah's place, dealing with the new revelations. Only servants were at home that time.

"Do we need to search through every room to find hers?" Raiyyan asked, completely forgetting that Ali has been here. Ali simply hit his neck and walked off with the three behind him. They three were equally stunned by the size of the room.

Zain's thoughts went back to their recent conversation, "Ali, you were saying something about bloodstain on the wall?!"

Ali approached that specific part of the wall with a quiet intensity. "You can't say this is anything other than blood."

They 3 examined it carefully.

"This stain looks weird. How can this be blood? Never mind. Stop staring at that and search for something," Samad ordered them, redirecting their focus. They all got busy looking around.

"Why does she have more books than dresses?" Raiyyan pointed out. They sat there after finding nothing. Raiyyan called Haya.

"Hey Haya. I have a question. If you need to hide something from everyone, where would you hide it?" The three of them looked at him as he cut the call.

"Does under the bed, on the top of the cupboard and in the dustbin look optional?" Raiyyan asked, looking at Samad. He shrugged his shoulders.

"That short girl is not reaching that spot!" Ali said, looking on the top of the cupboard. Zain got a hold of the dustbin while Samad threw a look under the bed,discovering something unexpected. He pulled a knife out, which had something dried red on it.

"Guys..." They looked at him, as he got the knife to the front.

"Does ketchup freeze like this?"

"This is blood!" Samad exclaimed, equally shocked as everyone. He slid his thumb over it to get a light cut. Zain looked in the dustbin to find a red - orange dress thrown in it which was almost stiff. It was ripped from places. Ali looked carefully on the floor to see blood drops.

"Bhai. The floor has more blood drops!" They all threw a sight to the dark floor which first hid the blood spots.

"This dress, this knife, this blood? Amira was wearing this dress when we left the house yesterday!" Raiyyan looked at Samad and Ali worriedly.

"That means she came here. Something happened but this blood? Did she self harm?" Just as they were speculating, Anaya entered. She was shocked to see them and so were they. She had cleaning stuff with her. Means she knew about Amira's arrival and this blood.

"Ali, Samad bhai, Raiyyan, Zain. You here?" Anaya asked. She was almost trembling out of nervousness.

"We came to search for a clue for Amira only to see her yesterday's dress bloodstained, blood drops and a bloodstained knife! And apparently you have something to hide from us! You better tell us or this whole matter will go in front of everyone!" Samad's warning let a tear out of her eyes.

"I am sorry. I can't tell you!"

"Bhabhi, please. This is her dress. She was here but when I came to ask, you all said no!" Zain tried to persuade her.

"If it came out I told you, Abram won't forgive me. I can't stake my relationship for Amira. I am sorry. I love her but I love Abram more," She was about to leave when Ali held her hand.

"Nobody will say anything. Please bhabhi!"

She looked at him for a good moment with sympathy and nodded, "You all better promise me that my name won't be dragged into all this mess."

Ali nodded along with others. "We just want to know what the hell happened to her. We need to search for her. This is her blood?"

Anaya nodded lightly, "You may find her in some hospital! Though she had been through worse!"

"What should that mean? Worse than your dress ripped and filled with blood?" Raiyyan asked, almost impatient.

"The story isn't about now and yet. It goes back a long way. Amira... she was never loved. The family taunted her from the very beginning. Probably since she was born. Because she was a girl and girl's are a burden is what these 3 brothers learnt."

Raiyyan felt ignited by this, but seeing her tear, he kept his voice soft. "What the hell do you mean?"

Anaya tried to gather all the courage she had, "I mean they treated her like crap. She was always on the receiving end of their cruelty. This is still nothing. At days, she landed in the hospital. Once she was on the verge of a coma."

"Stop messing with us, Anaya. They would never be this cruel!" Samad's hand was fisted, but he was in denial that they could do this.

"They are. Only to her. Ali, you still agreed to get married. She got forced. She didn't have a say in it!"

Ali turned more concerned and, along with that, curious, "Spill it. Everything. What is that stain? And why does this knife and dress have blood?"

Anaya continued to reveal the heartbreaking details of Amira's life, recounting the brutal incidents she had endured. "This bloodstain is the price of standing up for herself. When your proposal came, they all were first in denial. They didn't want 'that burden' to come into your life. But then when Aabid uncle pursued, they agreed and informed her. She asked them for 4 years, till she completed her studies. And you know what your best friend and his brothers did? They painted her room's wall with her blood. They banged her head as long as she couldn't stand. That's the stain. When her brain gave up, they kicked her till she vomited out blood. Out of pain and subconsciously, she said yes to marry you. She was about to go into a coma that day. She was lucky she got saved. She came back and had to clean the stain, but it didn't come off completely. And then last night wasn't much different. They were angry that she thought to divorce you." Anaya was hiccuping now while sharing this. The boys were either shocked or had tears, knowing what she endured just for one proposal.

"Yesterday, she came here with hopes. But they shattered for her. Asif... he attacked her with his belt, joined by Faisal and Abram. They beat her miserably, accusing her of being a burden on Ali. And then, Abram put the knife to her throat. He was probably intending to slit it. It was when he got a call, and Ahana somehow made her run, that she got saved. Else she would have most probably endured an honor killing," Anaya continued, revealing the events of the previous night.

The room felt like it was closing in on them, the weight of the revelations sinking in. Ali and the others stood there, dumbfounded, absorbing the depth of the abuse and torment Amira had endured within the supposed safety of her own home. The room, once a haven, now bore witness to the unspeakable horrors that had unfolded behind closed doors.

"Please. Don't tell them that I told you all this," Anaya requested while looking down amid her tears.

"Does he hit you?" Samad asked her, concerned for her. Anaya nodded no.

"He doesn't. Just Amira. Please. If you find her, ask her to go to hell but not to come here. Even the devil would keep her more gently," Anaya had her hands held by now

"She won't step foot here again!" With this, they stormed out. Outside, the fresh air helped them loosen their breaths.

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