Azmaish-e-Ishq

Ch. 18: The Grand Affair

🎶"Beshak, daaga khan waleyaan. Assi aaj vi tere chaan waleyaan. Je tu nahin te khatam kahani ae. Assi te marjaane waleyaan. Ho hanjuan de naal apne, tera shehar javange dho ke.

Undoubtedly, I am of those who has faced betrayal. I am still, today, of those who love you. If you are not there then the story is over. I am of those who will die. With my tears, I will clean your city."🎶

- Mera Yaar | Jaani | Gurnam Bhullar

⚠️Trigger Warning: The beginning portion of this chapter depicts a suicide attempt scene of one of the characters, though it is not in that character's point of view. While the scene is not graphic, please avoid reading until you see the '⚠️⚠️⚠️' mark if you know the content may be triggering to you. I do not promote harmful actions. Please seek resources if you are struggling.

Salaar's P.O.V.

"Heer!" I tried the door handle, but it was, of course, locked.

"Heer!" I called despairingly while pressing against the door with my shoulder and jiggling the handle simultaneously, "Answer me! Say something! HEER! Please!"

I paused to study the lock, my breathing erratic. There was a slit. If I could just press something thin into it and turn it, the door would unlock. Maybe, a paperclip. Yes! A paperclip.

I frantically ran to my desk in the living room and yanked a drawer open, rummaging through my supplies for a silver paperclip. I then rushed back into the room, my shaky hands trying to place the curve of the clip into the slit, my vision blurred from the tears that welled in my eyes. When I heard the click of the lock after I turned the clip, I twisted the door handle, bracing myself.

"Heer?! Heer?!" I barged in, my eyes immediately making out her fully-clothed figure submerged in the full bathtub, her hair forming a halo under the surface, the showerhead pounding down water.

I ran towards the shower and slid the glass door open, shutting off the water and pulling her limp body out of the tub that was about to overflow. I cradled her wet body in my arms as I kneeled on the bathroom floor. My limbs had gone cold.

My hand cupped her feeble face, my heart threatening to pound out of my chest, "Baby, look at me," I brushed the thick wet strands away from her face before holding her cheek again, "Heer? Can you hear me? Love, look at me."

Her eyes were closed. I lowered my ear to her face in attempt to hear her breathing.

"Heer," my voice shook when I couldn't hear anything. I scrambled to reach for her wrist to feel her pulse.

It was there.

I quickly laid her flat on her back. My right hand pressed over my left on the center of her chest, pumping. I then parted her mouth and pinched her nose closed before pressing my lips to hers, blowing air into her system.

I moved back and began pressing on her chest again, pleading, "Breathe, Heer. Please!"

Her chest heaved up significantly before her body lurched to the side as she coughed up water. She gasped and tried to replenish her body with air, taking shaky yet short quick breaths. Her light-blue eyes were open just a sliver. Her irises slowly landed on me when she moved onto her back.

I gathered her into my arms and hugged her to myself, relief hitting me only for a brief second until I realized—the pills. She hadn't thrown up the pills.

⚠️⚠️⚠️

"Salaar?" she murmured faintly just as I whisked her up and rushed out the flat, heading down the emergency stairwell to my car. I placed her in the backseat, laying her down, and wrapped her soaked body in my blazer. I couldn't risk losing more time, so I was taking her to the hospital myself instead of waiting for an ambulance.