"Hope doesn't always announce its arrival; sometimes, it quietly slips through the cracks of despair."

~ Unknown

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Seated in a café with private investigators scouring through hospitals, they maintained silence. Instructing the investigators to find Amira, they arrived at the café.

"Ali, are you fine?" Samad expressed concern, sympathy and worry in his voice. Ali looked at him almost emotionless.

"You're asking me this? I sought help from those four people, thinking they were her family. I believed she was willingly marrying me. Little did I know she was forced in a far worse way. I was supposed to be at my job, chilling. But here I am discovering that the person I despised never deserved the same fate as the one I always trusted! And Farah aunty? Isn't she a woman? How could she treat her own daughter like this?" Ali's voice rose towards the end. Fortunately, they were in a secluded spot. Raiyyan embraced Ali, understanding the emotional storm he was weathering.

"You're not to be blamed, bhai. None of us knew. She never told us and they never let us know. We will find her and she will certainly be safe!" Raiyyan tried to comfort him but also Samad and himself. They all had a blame game with their mind. They sat there, hoping for good news. There was an awkward silence.

"My mind is stuck on dark thoughts. Bhai, my mind is messed up," Zain lamented to Samad, like a child complaining to his mother. Samad hugged him, and Ali seemed slightly better. Soon, Samad received a call from the investigator. All eyes turned to him with hope.

"Have they found her?" Ali questioned as soon as he cut the call. Samad nodded no.

"Ali, Zain, Raiyyan. All three of you go home and take a rest. You are mentally exhausted. The private investigators and I will keep searching!"

"Rest when she could be lying dead in some corner of the city because of our decisions? Are you serious, bhai?" Raiyyan almost shouted at Samad. Samad, at that moment, didn't take any of their words lightly. He knew that all three felt betrayed, just like him.

"Let's take a one-hour break. All of us. To refresh our minds and start searching again. With our minds clouded, we're as good as not searching. I'm going through the same, and I wish for nothing more than to have her safe and sound in front of me. But I know we can't find her when we're this disturbed!" Samad responded calmly, almost forcing them to go home. They arrived home, and Ayesha, Jasmine, Haya, and Tara were there. Ali noticed Ayesha, and the events of yesterday flooded back.

"Have you found Amira?" Haya exclaimed hopefully. Raiyyan nodded a slight no. Ali was about to head to his room.

"Ali, she will be found. Don't worry," Ayesha tried to assure her son.

"You know what, Mom? All this wouldn't have happened if not for you. When they made a plan, why couldn't you comply? Yes, I was worried, but she was safe. That's what was important to me. I am your son, and she's the girl you all chose as my wife, so why couldn't you at least treat her properly?" Without waiting for a reply, he stormed off to his room. Ayesha was beyond shocked. The three others left as well to take some time off. Samad discreetly added sleep tablets to their drinks, ensuring they would rest for an hour or two.

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Soon it was afternoon when the four of them descended. Aabid and the girls were home.

"How did we all sleep?" Zain asked, yawning.

"I asked the servant to put sleeping pills in your juice!" Samad replied, rubbing his neck. "Now don't burst out Ali! The investigator had Jasmine, dad and Haya's number in case something came up!"

"I wasn't gonna say anything." Aabid looked at all of them to understand something was off. Before they could continue, Samad received a call. He sighed after answering it.

"What happened?"

Samad exclaimed, relieved, "They have found her! All fine."

"Let's go then bhai!" Ali and Raiyyan were the first ones to rush out, followed by Samad and Zain.

"Uncle, I think Samad Bhai's plan worked just fine!" Haya stated happily. She was glad they would have the opportunity to give the marriage a chance.

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The four of them stood in front of a restaurant. Raiyyan was confused, "What are we doing here?"

"Ohh. I was hungry!" Samad exclaimed and walked in with 3 angry bulls behind him. He took a seat.

"What the hell bhai? We should be going to Amira!" Raiyyan exclaimed with a whole lot of frustration. Samad ignored it and sat there patiently while looking around. That time a waitress walked up to the table in front of them. Samad immediately recognised Amira, though her back was facing them.

"Bhai. Let's go and..." Ali tried to pursue him since he was afraid that Amira would leave. Just in the middle, a familiar voice across the hall hit his ear.

"Your bill, sir. Hope you enjoyed your food!" Ali looked around to see her but he was yet unsure. So were the others. That time a waitress came to their table.

"Your menu, sir!" She laid the menu in front of each of them.

"That girl. What is her name?" Raiyyan asked, pointing towards Amira.

"She? She is Sara," the waitress replied politely. They nodded, since they still hadn't seen her face.

"So are you only a waitress or also a customer dump?" One of the boys across the table asked.

"Sorry sir? I didn't understand your question?!" The girl said as politely as she could.

"Simple girl. Look at all the food that gets wasted. So they would feed people like you with it!" He mocked her body type and also her. She took a deep breath.

"No sir. The food goes into a dustbin. And mostly customers don't take this much extra. There are certainly a few who come to enjoy their father's money and do this!" Ali chuckled after hearing this. This served them just right for their mock. One of the boys got extremely angry.

"What the fuck. You bloody..." Before he could hit her or do anything, Zain reached out and held the boy back. Though he tried, the boy harshly pushed her. Now everyone's attention was on them.

"What the hell bro?!" Zain intervened, without seeing her, "Are you out of your mind?"

Raiyyan and Samad stepped forward. That time Raiyyan saw her face. Amira, who had bled and hardly eaten anything, was already weak and unwell. So she was now trying to control her dizziness. The manager came before anyone could say anything.

"What's happening here? Sir, are you fine?" He asked the guy who pushed her and Zain.

Ali gritted his teeth hearing this, "You should be asking this question to your employee who fell on the floor and was mistreated!"

Raiyyan and Samad made Amira stand up. Zain was shocked to see her as well.

"She was misbehaving with us!" One of the boys said.

"We witnessed who did what. You were harassing her. Dare you spin any lie or I will get the footage and call the police," Sam threatened them.

"Give them all an official statement to stay away from any of our restaurants or cafés! And then you're fired for being such a bad observant and stupid employer!" Zain said while gritting his teeth. They dismissed everyone except Amira. She looked down, knowing they would be angry.

"We're not angry. But surely disappointed!" Samad said silently. Ali was looking at them still holding that girl. He came forward to inquire whether she's fine when he saw her face and his voice got stuck seeing her finally in front of him. However, before any kind of interaction started, Amira felt weak on her feet and fell down on the floor, being unconscious. The 4 surrounded her, with Ali then picking her up and carrying her out.

Ali, Raiyyan, Samad, and Zain quickly rushed Amira to the nearest hospital. The atmosphere in the car was tense, filled with a mix of concern and anger. Once at the hospital, the doctors examined Amira and assured the men that she had only fainted due to exhaustion and stress. As Amira regained consciousness, the four of them waited anxiously by her bedside. Ali couldn't bring himself to look directly at her, still processing the shocking revelations about her past. Raiyyan and Samad exchanged worried glances, realizing the extent of the trauma Amira had endured. Her neck wound was visible, as much as her hands having belt marks.

When Amira finally opened her eyes, she found herself surrounded by concerned faces. Raiyyan was the first to speak, his voice soft and caring, "Are you okay, Amira?"

She nodded weakly, avoiding eye contact. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence until Samad broke it, "Since when have you been working at that restaurant?"

"I used to work there before marriage, for 2 years and then joined 2 weeks ago!"

Ali stood up all of a sudden, "I will see on discharge formalities!" He left the room followed by Zain, while her eyes were stuck to his back.

There weren't many words exchanged before all of them reached home. Ali, Amira and Raiyyan were in one car while Sam and Zain were in the second car. Amira's eyes were looking out of the window. The car soon came to a halt, making Amira get out of her trances. Ali and Raiyyan got out, so Amira also got out. As soon she stood straight, a dizziness attack kicked in. She held the car door handle for some support. The other car came to a halt just beside them. Amira looked in that direction and suddenly found herself in the air, secured by two arms. She saw Ali carrying her in and got embarrassed about her weight.

"I am heavy!" She lowered her eyes. He kept looking straight.

"I have carried more weight. You don't need to worry about me and my arms." The three looked at them stunned but with a slight smile. Amira put her arms around his neck, hesitatingly. The others were waiting eagerly. Ali looked at them and seeing Amira's family some anger rose in him.

"Amira?!" Aabid and Haya said as soon as they entered.

"She needs rest. You people can meet her later. Bhabhi can you please get a plate of food to our room?" Aabid and Haya exchanged perplexed glances as Ali swiftly took Amira to their room. The others, left in the wake of this unexpected turn of events, were still processing what had just happened.

In the room, Ali gently placed Amira on the bed. She looked up at him, gratitude in her eyes. He made sure that she was comfortable.

"Your things were removed. I will ask bhabhi to give you a night dress. Tomorrow we are going shopping," with this he took an envelope and gave it to her. "Your bank card and its pin. Use it whenever you need it. Your resignation letter will reach your ex employer!"

That time Jasmine entered. She kept the food there and left silently. Ali kept the food on the bed and asked her to eat while he went to the couch with his laptop, after closing the door. As Ali closed the door, Amira couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions—gratefulness for his support, embarrassment for being the center of attention, and a spark of hope for the unknown future ahead. Ali, on the other hand, had a determined and confused look on his face.

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