Prologue
Zayan Pov
The rain in the mountains didn’t sound like the rain at home in the plains. There was a rainstorm going on outside as it was autumn.
I stood by the gallery, lighting up my cigarette. Three months, that was how long we had been running.
Three months of chasing digital ghosts, shell companies, and the kind of money that could buy entire governments.
I looked at the file on the desk. which had every fake transaction Ayesha had found felt like a ticking bomb.
Ayesha was on the bed working on her laptop to find us another proof or lead.
Then the knock came.
“Police!”
I didn’t turn around immediately.
Perfect.. This was only thing left to make our life worse.
Behind me, I heard Ayesha sat up. I could see she was scared
“What happened?” she whispered, her voice almost shaking.
“It is nothing -” Another loud knock on the door stop me from contining the sentence
“Open the door!”
I walked to the door and gripped the handle. I was an intelligence officer; I was trained to lie and to survive.
I pulled the door open. Three officers stood there with flashlights.
“We received a report about suspicious activity,” the lead officer said. He looked at us. “IDs. Now.”
I didn’t hesitate. I pulled out our recently changed identity cards which I got down almost a month ago for a situation like this.
Her Identity card with my name on it as her husband so we don’t get into trouble
I handed them over. The younger officer scanned them with a handheld device. He looked at his tablet, then nodded.
“Records show they are married couple, sir. Zayan Mirza and Ayesha Mirza.”
The lead officer looked at the screen, then back at us. He wasn’t satisfied at all
“The system says you are married, but I don’t see anikkahnamauploaded here. There is no digital marriage certificate in your file.”
I felt my stomach drop
Fuck... How I can forgot that.
I”It hasn’t been uploaded to the system yet,” I said, my voice steady. “We just arrived from our village in upper mountain so the local council is slow.”
The officer laughed “Of course.” He crossed his arms and looked at us with suspicion.
" Mujhe aur koi saboot chahiye.If you claim to be husband and wife, prove it to me right now, or you’re both coming to the station for questioning.”
He looked at the empty room, then at us.
“Sharif log lagte ho.”
Ayesha looked relieved, but I was not because when men like this softened their voices, it usually meant a trap.
The officer pointed toward the door. “There’s a mosque nearby. If you are really husband and wife, we will get thenikkahdone tonight. Then you will have your certificate, and I will have my proof.”
His face turned serious. “Otherwise, I have orders to arrest you both for Zina (adultery). Faisla tumhara hai."
Ican’t let them arrest us, if we got arrest out real identity will come out, and I know Mohsin Ahmad Khan has links with the entire country’s police, and the moment he gets the news that I am looking for him... he will run away from the country.
And secondly I dont even care about him I will find him in another country too. I don’t want Ayesha to trapped into prostituion case, It will ruin her entire life.
The officer cleared his throat impatiently. “Have you decided?”
I looked at Ayesha. She was a complication, yes but she was also the only person who could help me finish this.
“We’re going to the mosque.”
Ayesha stared at me, looking horrified. I almost felt sorry for her.Almost.Because as I stepped toward the door, I knew something she didn’t: by the time we walked out of that mosque, the world she knew would be gone. Tonight would change everything, and neither of us would ever be the same again.
___
We were seated in the police station head officer’s room.
The officer shoved a stack of papers toward us. It was a standard nikkahnamaform.
“Sign it,” the officer commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Both of you. Now.”
I picked up the pen I signed my name, the familiar strokes looking alien on a document that was legally binding us in a way I hadn’t planned for. I
pushed the papers toward Ayesha. Her fingers brushed mine as she took the pen; her skin was ice-cold. She didn’t look at me. She kept her gaze fixed on the paper, but finally she signed it too.
Once the signatures were done, the officer signaled to theQazi.
The old man adjusted his glasses. He walked towards us and started the process of nikkah
“Zayan Mirza,” the Qazi said, “Do you accept this marriage in the presence of these witnesses, with the agreed-uponmehar of 2 lakhs?”
“Qubool hai,” I said.
The Qazi turned to her.
“Ayesha Ahmed,” the Qazi said, “Do you accept this marriage in the presence of these witnesses, with the agreed-uponmehar of 2 lakhs?”
Ayesha closed her eyes. She took a ragged, shaky breath.
“Qubool hai.”
The officer at the door finally relaxed, his posture slumping. He looked at the signed paper, satisfied.
“Good,” the officer muttered, checking his watch. “Now you’re legally tied. Keep it that way.”
I looked at Ayesha, who was staring at thenikkahnamaas if it were a death warrant.
“It’s done,” I said, my voice low.
We were finally outisde of the police station and walked towards our parked car. Aysha stop behind the car and looked at me with so much anger in her eyes.
_______
Aysha POV :
“Tum ne mujhe kidnap kiya hai.” My voice trembled not with fear anymore but with so much anger.
Zayan’s eyes narrowed, “I did not kidnap you.”
I let out a laugh “Wah.” I folded my arms, my fingers digging into my elbows to keep from shaking. “Toh phir mujhe batao, Zayan Mirza. Main apni marzi se Karachi se yahan pahaar mein ghoom rahi hoon?”
He stepped towards me. “Lower your voice,” he hissed.
“Ya Allah, Kasay aadmi ho tum .” I raised my voice further “First, you force me into your investigation.”
“Force?” he questiond me with clear anger in his green eyes.
“You blackmailed me!“I yelled back.
“I gave you a choice.” He whispered
I stared at him, he unbeilable . “Kabhi dictionary dekhi bhi hai? You call that a choice?”
His expression darkened, but I didn’t care. “You made fake documents. You put your surname on my records. You made me your wife on paper as if my identity was just some throwaway asset for your mission.”
“It was necessary,” he said
Zayan took a breath, his control clearly slipping. “For God’s sake, Ayesha lower down you voice—”
“No.” My patience, which had been stretched thin for three months, finally snapped.
“You want to know what’s funny?” I whispered. “I had a life.”
His eyes flickered. “I know.”
“No, you don’t.” I could feel the tears burning behind my eyes.
I pointed to myself, my voice almost breaking. “I worked for everything. My family didn’t send me to university. I taught young children tution. I freelanced. I studied at night while everyone slept. I paid my own ACCA fees. And when I finally,finallybuilt something for myself... you showed up and ruined everything”
For one heartbeat, I saw it he was guilt but then he buried it under the professional mask of an intelligence officer.
“None of this would’ve happened if you had ignored that report,” he said, his voice steady and unforgiving.
I froze “What?”
“You noticed the numbers,” he said, staring right through me. “You dug, Ayesha. You opened that file. You chose to see the truth.”
He caught my wrists and pulled me into him . He held me there, the mini droplets of rain were pouring over us, our faces inches apart in the dark.
“Look at me,” he commanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper “Mohsin Khan’s men are in this area. They don’t care about your ACCA degree or your independence. They only care that you know where their money was going. If you had stayed in Karachi, you’d be dead or worse by now.”
“And what am I now?” I challenged, staring right into his eyes. “A wife? A cover story? A target?”
“You’re a survivor,” he bit back. “And right now, that makes us a team. Whether you like it or not.”
“I hate you,” I whispered.
“Hate me all you want. Just don’t let it get you killed.”
He released me abruptly and turned back to the driver’s side, his hand moving to the weapon hidden at his waist.
“Get in the car,” he ordered.
“I’m not doing this for you,” I said to his back.
He stopped, his hand on the doorknob. “I know.”
He opened the door, and the interior light spilled out.
“Get in,” he repeated, his voice cold. “Before they find us.”
I open the passenger side doorn and got into the car in. As he started the engine, the headlights cut through the heavy mist of mountains.
we were legally married, and we were trapped in a race against monsters.
Three Months Earlier
Author Note :
Welcome toWhere the Mountains Kept Secrets.
This story contains romance, suspense, mystery, family conflict, and a journey across Pakistan to discover all its hidden gems.
Please remember that this is a work of fiction. Certain places, events, organizations, and procedures have been altered for storytelling purposes.
I hope you enjoy Ayesha and Zayan’s story as much as I enjoyed creating it.
Happy reading,Meena🌧️
