Chapter 1
Bang.
The gunshot shattered the silence.
A flock of birds burst from the treetops, their frantic wings slicing through the darkness before disappearing into the moonlit sky.
Then came another shot.
Bang.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
"Spread out!"
"She can't have gone far!"
Several armed men charged through the dense woodland, flashlights cutting through the darkness like sharp blades. Dry leaves crackled beneath their heavy boots as branches whipped against their shoulders.
They were hunting someone.
And they had no intention of returning empty-handed.
One of the men suddenly halted.
Something pale lay tangled beneath a thorn bush.
He bent down.
A dupatta.
Its delicate fabric, once white, was now soaked in crimson.
Fresh blood.
His face drained of color.
"Sain..."
Without wasting another second, he hurried toward the man leading the search.
"I found this."
The leader accepted the bloodstained cloth without speaking.
For a long moment, he simply stared at it.
The night wind rustled through the trees, but not a single man dared move.
Finally, he folded the dupatta in his hand.
His expression remained calm.
Far too calm.
"Search every inch of this forest."
His voice was quiet.
Cold.
Absolute.
"She does not leave these woods alive."
No one questioned the order.
Within seconds, the men disappeared into the darkness once more.
Not far away...
A young woman stumbled blindly between the trees.
Every breath scraped against her throat like broken glass.
Her clothes hung in torn strips.
Blood trickled from cuts that covered her arms, shoulders, and forehead before disappearing into the earth beneath her feet.
She had forgotten how long she had been running.
Minutes.
Hours.
Perhaps an entire lifetime.
The forest spun around her.
Her vision blurred.
But she couldn't stop.
If she stopped...
She would die.
A branch scratched across her face.
She didn't even feel it.
Behind her came the distant sound she feared most.
"They're over there!"
"Hurry!"
Her heart lurched.
No...
Not yet.
Not now.
She forced her exhausted legs forward, each step weaker than the last.
"Ya Allah..."
The words escaped her trembling lips like a broken whisper.
"Please...
Just save me."
Tears mixed with the blood on her cheeks.
She no longer prayed for revenge.
She no longer prayed for justice.
She prayed for only one thing.
To live.
Even if it was only until sunrise.
A sudden pain shot through her ankle.
Her foot caught on an exposed tree root.
Time seemed to slow.
She pitched forward violently.
The ground slammed into her body.
A jagged stone struck her forehead.
Warm blood trickled into her eye.
For several terrifying seconds...
Everything went black.
She forced her eyes open.
No.
She couldn't stay here.
She pressed both trembling palms against the cold earth, trying to lift herself.
Her entire body screamed in protest.
One knee.
Then the other.
Almost...
Almost...
A rough hand suddenly twisted itself into her hair.
Pain exploded across her scalp.
She screamed.
A rough hand tightened in her hair.
Pain ripped through her scalp as her head was jerked backward.
A cry escaped her lips before she could stop it.
"Please..."
Her voice broke.
"Please... let me go."
A sharp slap struck her face.
The force sent her crashing back onto the damp forest floor.
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
"Quiet."
The voice was harsh.
Merciless.
Another man caught her wrists before she could crawl away.
She struggled instinctively.
She kicked.
Twisted.
Scratched.
Anything to break free.
But her body had long since betrayed her.
Days of hunger.
Sleepless nights.
Untreated wounds.
Every ounce of strength had already been spent trying to survive.
Within moments, her resistance faded.
Not because she had surrendered...
But because she had nothing left to fight with.
One of the men laughed.
"So this is the brave girl who thought she could escape."
Another gripped her arm so tightly she winced.
"Get her into the jeep."
She tried once more.
"Please..."
Tears streamed down her face.
"I haven't done anything."
No one answered.
Her words disappeared into the night as though the forest itself refused to hear them.
The rear door of the jeep swung open.
Without the slightest hint of mercy, they threw her inside.
Her shoulder slammed against the metal floor.
Pain shot through her body.
The door was slammed shut.
A second later...
The engine roared to life.
The jeep sped through the darkness, leaving behind a trail of dust and crushed leaves.
Miles away...
The city of Islamabad rested beneath a peaceful night sky.
Streetlights reflected softly across clean roads lined with trees.
The noise and violence of the forest belonged to another world entirely.
Standing proudly in one of the city's most prestigious neighborhoods was Shah Haveli.
Built decades earlier by Sardar Shah, the estate carried an old-world elegance that time had never managed to erase.
Warm golden lights spilled from its tall windows.
The gardens were perfectly maintained.
The fountains murmured quietly in the cool evening air.
It was a home where laughter was familiar.
Where family dinners were rarely missed.
Where people slept without fearing footsteps outside their door.
A black sedan rolled through the wrought-iron gates.
The security guard immediately straightened.
"Assalam-o-Alaikum, Sir."
The rear door opened.
Ahan Shah stepped out, loosening the knot of his tie as he looked toward the brightly lit mansion.
His shoulders carried the exhaustion of another long day at work.
Still...
He smiled.
"Wa-Alaikum-Salaam."
His voice was warm enough to make the old guard smile back.
"Long day, sir?"
Ahan gave a tired laugh.
"Aren't they all?"
He stepped inside.
The familiar scent of home welcomed him before anyone else could.
Freshly brewed tea.
Cardamom.
Dinner being prepared somewhere in the kitchen.
It was enough to make him forget, if only for a moment, the endless meetings waiting for him tomorrow.
Before he could take another step...
Someone called his name.
"Ahan."
He turned.
There she was.
Zonash.
Waiting for him in the entrance hall with the gentle smile that somehow made every difficult day seem lighter.
His own smile appeared instantly.
"You look happy," she teased.
"I escaped the office alive."
She folded her arms.
"That's not what your staff will say."
"They're the reason I escaped."
She laughed softly.
"I thought perhaps you came home early because you missed your wife."
"I always miss my wife."
He answered without hesitation.
"The office simply decided to stop keeping her hostage today."
A faint blush colored her cheeks despite herself.
"You've become quite the flatterer."
"No."
He stepped closer with an amused smile.
"I've simply learned that compliments increase my chances of getting tea."
She narrowed her eyes playfully.
"So that's your real motive."
"I would never deny such serious accusations."
She shook her head, trying not to laugh.
"Fine."
"I'll make tea."
"But this time..."
She pointed a warning finger at him.
"You are not allowed to complain."
Ahan placed a hand over his heart dramatically.
"I solemnly promise."
"No comments about sugar."
"No comments about the temperature."
"No comments about anything."
"If you serve me boiled water..."
"I'll still thank you."
She laughed.
The sound echoed warmly through the hall.
For a few precious moments...
The world felt perfectly ordinary.
Neither of them knew...
That somewhere beyond the city's peaceful lights...
A frightened girl was being driven toward a fate she could never have imagined.
The jeep came to a violent halt.
Selina's head struck the metal wall behind her.
For a moment, she remained motionless, too weak to react.
Then the door was flung open.
Cold night air rushed inside.
"Get out."
Before she could move, two men seized her by the arms.
Her legs barely obeyed her.
She stumbled as they dragged her across the gravel.
When she finally lifted her head...
Her breath caught.
A mansion stood before her.
It wasn't beautiful.
It was intimidating.
Massive stone walls rose into the darkness like the walls of a fortress. Watchtowers overlooked the grounds, and armed guards stood at every entrance, their expressions as cold as carved stone.
No light from the mansion felt welcoming.
It felt like a prison.
A prison with golden walls.
The enormous iron gates closed behind her with a deafening clang.
The sound echoed through the courtyard.
Something inside her shattered.
She wasn't leaving this place.
Not alive.
The men forced her through long corridors lined with expensive carpets and antique chandeliers.
Every servant they passed lowered their eyes.
No one spoke.
No one questioned why a bleeding young woman was being dragged through the house.
It was as though silence had become a law within these walls.
The corridor finally opened into a vast hall.
Its ceiling stretched high above, decorated with intricate carvings.
At the far end stood an elevated seat, almost like a throne.
A man occupied it.
He appeared to be in his sixties.
His silver beard was neatly trimmed.
His traditional attire was immaculate.
A carved wooden staff rested in his hand.
Power surrounded him like an invisible cloak.
Everyone else stood.
He alone remained seated.
The men pushed Selina forward.
She lost her balance and collapsed onto the polished marble floor.
Pain shot through her knees.
Her trembling hands instinctively folded together.
"Please..."
Her voice cracked.
"For God's sake... let me go."
No one answered.
The silence became unbearable.
Slowly...
The man on the raised platform stood.
Every step he took echoed across the hall.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of his staff striking the marble seemed louder than her heartbeat.
He stopped before her.
For several long seconds...
He simply looked at her.
Not with sympathy.
Not with hatred.
As though he were examining something he had already decided belonged to him.
Using the tip of his staff, he lifted her chin.
"Look at me."
Tears blurred her vision.
Still...
She obeyed.
Fear trembled in every breath she took.
His eyes studied the bruises on her face.
The blood staining her clothes.
The terror she could no longer hide.
Then, without another glance at her, he turned toward the men gathered in the hall.
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Impossible to read.
"From today..."
"...this girl will remain in this mansion."
Selina's eyes widened.
She looked around desperately.
Surely...
Someone would object.
Someone would ask who she was.
Someone would stop this madness.
But every face remained expressionless.
Every head remained bowed.
The man continued.
"This Friday..."
"...she will marry my son."
The words struck harder than any blow she had received that night.
The world around her seemed to disappear.
Marry?
She didn't even know this man.
She didn't know his son.
She didn't know why she had been brought here.
"No..."
The whisper escaped before she realized she had spoken.
"No..."
Her voice grew louder.
"Please..."
She crawled forward on trembling knees.
"I beg you..."
"I have done nothing."
"I don't even know you."
"Please let me go."
Tears streamed down her face unchecked.
"I have a family..."
The words caught in her throat.
Did she?
Were they alive?
Would they ever know where she had disappeared?
The thought broke something inside her.
She lowered her head onto the cold marble floor.
"Ya Allah..."
It was barely more than a whisper.
"If You are with me..."
"...then I am not alone."
For the first time that night...
A flicker of emotion crossed the old man's face.
It vanished so quickly she wondered if she had imagined it.
He turned away.
"Take her."
The guards obeyed immediately.
Selina screamed.
She struggled.
She begged.
Her cries echoed through the enormous hall.
Not a single person moved.
Not a single voice rose in protest.
The heavy wooden doors closed behind her.
Silence returned.
As though she had never existed.
