BOUND BY OBSESSION

PRESENT

''did you really think i couldnt find you,sarah?''

Her eyes jerked open.

An eerie silence crept into the bedroom, broken only by the soft hum of the ceiling fan. Her sweaty shirt clung to her body like a second skin, and her black, dishelved hair framed her face.Sitting up on the bed, she placed a trembling hand on her racing heart, as if without it, it might fall out of her chest.

Sarah's confused yet frightened gaze wandered through the room. It was dark, save for the dim glow of the side lamp. Her brown orbs cautiously scanned every nook, every corner, every shadow.

She found nothing.

Everything was where it should be. Nothing out of place. Nothing missing.Her hands clenched into fists at her sides as the realization sank in. Just another nightmare.three years had passed, and yet she still hadn't escaped them. Nightmares of him.And somehow... they still terrified her to the core.

She turned on the light.

That's when she noticed. Her hands were still trembling. A weary sigh escaped her lips.Like always, she ignored the shaking and made her way to the bathroom.

After a cold shower, she found herself standing outside another room. In the dim hallway light, the door stood slightly ajar.Her heart picked up pace.She pushed it open slowly.Her mind raced with what-ifs.She peeked inside.

Silence. Broken only by soft, even snores. A quiet assurance that he was still there.

Still with her.

After a deep breath, she stepped in.There he was. Her innocent boy, barely three, fast asleep. Legs sprawled across the bed, the duvet hanging halfway to the floor.in the soft golden light, a faint smile tugged at her lips.He looked so peaceful.Dragging a chair close, she sat beside him. Her fingers gently threaded through his soft, messy hair.

Her eyes studied his features in the cold stillness of the room.

She had always known him as a curious soul, full of questions, wonder, and warmth. His messy hair told stories of little adventures, and every thought in his mind came spilling from his mouth.She never silenced him.She encouraged it. Loved it.Sarah didn't want him to grow up following every rule and tradition blindly, just because someone told him to.

She had done everything she could to raise him differently.To raise him as a gentleman.

Everything his father was not.

She couldn't bear the thought of her son becoming the same man she had once run from.

That ruthless, arrogant man.

Sarah had chosen gentle parenting for Zayyan. Never letting him feel the absence of a father.He was her world.Her life.

Her everything.

Always calm. Always composed.But every once in a while, something in him would snap.When he couldn't get what he wanted, or felt like he was losing control, his grip would falter. His grey eyes would flash with something she couldn't name.

Rage, maybe. Disappointment. Maybe both.And she was no stranger to that look.Because she had seen it before.

In his eyes.

And in those fleeting moments, when her little boy's temper slipped, it terrified her so much, she'd instinctively take a step back.That's when she had to ground herself.

This isn't him.He isn't here.This is my son. My Jaan.

sarahs smile faded.Guilt crept in, weighing heavy on her chest.The past came flooding back. A familiar ache bloomed in her heart.

Before she could stop it, a sob escaped.She slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.Her eyes welled with tears.A single tear rolled down her cheek, landing on zayyans's rosy cheek.

She wiped it away gently, struggling not to break in front of him.taking his small hand in both of hers, she leaned in. Her voice was low, trembling.

"zayyan''she whispered.A name untouched by the world she came from''I love you so, so much. You are my everything."she confessed wholeheartedly as her voice cracked."My love, you are the best thing he ever gave me... and the only thing I dont regret''

Her glassy eyes softened with love.

The sobs began to climb her throat again. "You have his eyes," Sarah whispered, her voice trembling. "But I pray you never carry his darkness." The words scraped out of her-quiet, but laced with dread.

Bending down, she pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to his forehead. "I will protect you from this world, even if it costs me everything. Mama promises."

Before the pain could swallow her whole, she turned and rushed out of the room.

Her steps halted at the balcony.A chill rushed down her spine as the night air kissed her skin.Sarah sank into one of the two wooden chairs beside the small table

You said:he two wooden chairs beside the small table. Her gaze drifted outward.

Even at night,Moscow glowed.This city never truly slept.Despite the occasional figure on the street below, the world felt still. Quiet. Peaceful.And in that stillness, she felt seen. Held. Understood.

But only for a moment.Then the memories returned, slithering in like poison.

Uninvited. Cruel.

Tears brimmed again in her already swollen eyes.She was exhausted.Worn thin by ghosts she could never outrun.The only thing keeping her alive was asleep in the other room.Blissfully unaware of the war his mother had been fighting all along.

To the One who never turned her away-her Lord, the Most Merciful.Sarah wasn't perfect in her faith. She hadn't always been the devout type prayers were often missed, and doubts crept in more than she liked to admit. But in that quiet moment, she knew one thing for sure: Allah was there. Always watching, always waiting. And even if she stumbled or fell short, she could turn to Him now.She knew He understood the weight in her chest, the ache in her bones.

She didn't need to be flawless. She just needed to be honest. And so, she turned to Him, seeking the comfort only He could give.

her hands lifted heavenward, seeking Him.

Her tear-filled eyes shimmered with hope.Silent hope.Her heart whispered what her lips couldn't.

A sob slipped through.

"O Listener of hearts..."Her voice barely above a murmur cracked as she called for help.''Mein jaanti hoon, aap jaanta hai mere dil mein kya chhupa hai.aap se kuch nahi chhup sakta na?Toh phir aaj dil khol ke keh rahi hoon mujhe sambhaal le.Woh sukoon de de jo kisi insaan ke paas nahi.Woh himmat de de jo mere andar baaqi nahi.''

(I know You know what's hidden in my heart.Nothing can be concealed from You, right?So today, I'm laying it all bare,please hold me together.Give me the peace that no human can offer.Give me the strength that I no longer have within me.)

Every unspoken feeling slipped from her lips, and with each word, the heaviness in her chest lightened.There was comfort in knowing that He was near, listening and he wont judge her So, she spoke freely without fear, without filters.''please guide me. Keep me and my child safe."

''o allah.never let me meet him again.''sarah bit her lower lip to stop it from trembling ''I hope he never finds me. Never finds us."Her voice trembled, raw, broken, filled with heartbreak.She had always hated crying.To her, it meant weakness.

But what she hadn't realized, what she had never let herself believe, was that every cry, every whispered prayer, every silent plea...

Was proof she had been strong all along.

It didn't take long for her to pull herself back together.A few deep breaths calmed the chaos inside her.Her sobs faded. Her breathing slowed.Like always, she reminded herself:

i've survived worse than this.And I will survive this too.I'm allowed to be happy, even if the past still hurts.

And in that moment, even if only for now,She found her peace.

''you will never find us,never''sarah mumbled it like a promise into the stillness of the night.

✨ Author's Note ✨

Thank you so much for reading the first chapter!

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