chapter 14
1547 Words
It was late at night. Zulfishan and Salman were hiding near the back gate of Aabi’s company building. Everything was quiet. Too quiet.
They were about to do something very risky — enter the building and get the truth about Azfar.
“We shouldn’t both go,” Salman whispered. “Let me go alone.”
Zulfishan shook her head. “No. This is about my father. I have to go.”
Salman looked at her in surprise. “You’ve changed.”
She gave a small smile. “You never really knew me before.”
The gate opened with a soft click. Salman signaled her to follow him. They walked quietly into the building.
---
Inside, it was cold and dark. Zulfishan’s heart was beating fast.
She remembered the map Hashir had given her. The server room was on the third floor — last door on the right.
They moved quickly and quietly. There were no guards. Saif had promised there wouldn’t be.
They reached the door. Salman swiped a card. The red light blinked… then turned green.
They were in.
---
Inside the server room were rows of machines. Lights blinked everywhere.
Zulfishan went to the last row. That’s where the important files were. She opened a drawer and gasped — there was a hard drive with her father’s ID number on it.
She felt tears in her eyes. “This one. We need this.”
Salman helped her unplug it. But then, he grabbed her hand gently.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”
Zulfishan looked him in the eyes. “I have to be here. For my father.”
Salman didn’t let go. His voice was soft. “And what about Aabi? Are you close to him too?”
Zulfishan pulled her hand away. “Now is not the time.”
But Salman didn’t move back. “I can protect you better than him.”
Zulfishan frowned. “Just get the drive. We have to go.”
---
They stepped outside — and everything went wrong.
A black car pulled up fast. Men with guns got out.
“They found us!” Zulfishan cried.
“Run!” Salman shouted. He grabbed her hand and pulled her across the parking lot.
Gunshots rang out behind them. Salman was hit in the arm.
Zulfishan helped him hide behind a dumpster. “You’re hurt!”
“I’m okay,” he said, breathing hard. “Go. Aabi will protect you.”
“You said he couldn’t,” she whispered.
Salman looked away. “Maybe I was wrong.”
---
At the same time…
Mawra was pacing in the apartment. Aabi was on the phone, shouting.
“They were supposed to be safe! Who betrayed us?”
Mawra stepped forward. “I think it was Saif. I saw him talking to someone strange last night.”
Aabi turned to her, shocked. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I wasn’t sure,” Mawra said. “But I want to help. I’m not weak.”
Aabi looked at her closely. He saw the fire in her eyes.
“I believe you,” he said. “Let’s go.”
---
Back near the alley…
Zulfishan was still helping Salman when a car stopped suddenly.
It was Aabi.
Zulfishan ran to him. He hugged her tightly.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Saif betrayed us. It was all a trap.”
“I know,” Aabi said. “You’re safe now.”
---
They took Salman to the safe house. His arm was treated.
Mawra sat beside him, worried.
“You’re always trying to be the hero,” she said gently.
Salman smiled a little. “Someone has to.”
She looked at him. “Is it really about Zulfishan? Or are you just scared of being left behind?”
Salman didn’t answer.
---
That night, Zulfishan stood on the balcony.
Aabi walked out beside her.
“You saved me,” she said softly.
He didn’t say anything — he just hugged her gently.
“I don’t want to lose you again,” he whispered.
Zulfishan didn’t pull away. For the first time, she let herself feel safe in his arms.
There was no confession of love… not yet. But something strong was growing between them.
And far away… Azfar was watching.
---
The night was quiet, but Zulfishan’s heart was loud.
She sat on the couch, still shaken from the break-in. Her eyes were on Aabi, who stood near the window, lost in thought.
Aabi finally turned. His eyes met hers.
“You should be resting,” he said gently.
Zulfishan nodded, but didn’t move. “I can’t. My mind won’t stop.”
He walked over slowly and sat beside her. There was something different in the way he looked at her tonight — not just concern… something deeper.
“I know this world seems like a nightmare,” he said. “But I’ll protect you. No matter what it takes.”
She looked down. “Even if it destroys you?”
He didn’t answer right away. Then he reached out and gently touched her hand.
“I’d rather be destroyed than watch you fall.”
Zulfishan froze for a second. The warmth of his touch, the truth in his voice — it made something inside her tremble.
She didn’t pull away.
For the first time, she leaned into his shoulder. Not fully… but enough for Aabi to know she had let him in.
A quiet moment passed between them. A moment that felt almost like a promise.
But in the shadows… someone was watching.
---
Meanwhile, in the guest room…
Salman sat on the bed, staring at the wall. His arm ached, but his heart hurt more.
Mawra came in with a cup of tea.
“You should drink this,” she said softly.
He didn’t reply.
She placed the cup on the table and turned to leave, but then stopped. “You’re always brave. Always risking your life. But when it comes to feelings, you run.”
Salman looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean Zulfishan,” Mawra said. “She’s not yours to save. She made her choice.”
“She hasn’t chosen anyone!” he snapped.
“She has,” Mawra replied. “She just doesn’t say it. But we see it — the way she looks at Aabi now.”
Salman’s jaw tightened. “And what about me? I was there when no one else was.”
“I know,” Mawra whispered. “But just because you were there doesn’t mean she belongs to you.”
Silence hung in the air.
Salman stood up, angry. But before he could speak, Mawra grabbed his hand.
“I see you,” she said. “The real you. The broken one. And I still stay. Doesn’t that mean something?”
Their faces were close. His breath caught. But he didn’t move forward.
He just looked away and said, “I’m sorry.”
And she left the room — this time, not looking back.
---
Somewhere else…
Azfar stared at the computer screen in his dark office. A file was open — an employee list from ten years ago. His fingers moved fast.
“Zulfishan,” he said under his breath. “Your father was just a worker… but he saw something he shouldn’t have.”
He opened a drawer. Inside was a black folder marked “Project Phoenix.”
The next page had names — people who worked with Aabi’s father.
One of the names was now crossed in red.
Azfar smiled. “Time to finish what your father started.”
He picked up his phone and called someone.
“Target her sister,” he said coldly. “The weak one.”
---
Back at the safe house…
Zulfishan stepped out onto the balcony. The wind was cold. Her thoughts were loud again.
Aabi followed quietly.
“I can’t sleep,” she said.
“Neither can I,” he replied. “I keep thinking about that night. What if I was late?”
She turned to face him. “But you weren’t. You saved me. Again.”
Aabi stepped closer. “I don’t want to be your hero. I want to be the man you trust.”
“I do trust you,” she whispered.
His hand gently brushed her hair away from her face. “Do you trust me enough… to let me stay in your life?”
Zulfishan’s eyes didn’t move from his. The silence between them was full of heat and emotion. She didn’t say yes — but she didn’t say no.
Instead, she slowly leaned in, resting her forehead against his chest. Aabi wrapped his arms around her, holding her like she was the only thing that mattered.
For a moment, there was no past. No danger. No Azfar.
Just two broken people finding peace in each other’s arms.
---
Inside the house, Mawra sat alone on her bed.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number:
“You’re next. He died for a reason. You will too.”
Her hands shook.
Outside, the wind howled.
And far away, Azfar smiled.
---
- Writer
