Shattered Chains

16.0

"Hope doesn't always announce its arrival; sometimes, it quietly slips through the cracks of despair."

~ Unknown

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Seated in a café with private investigators scouring through hospitals, they maintained silence. Instructing the investigators to find Amira, they arrived at the café.

"Ali, are you fine?" Samad expressed concern, sympathy and worry in his voice. Ali looked at him almost emotionless.

"You're asking me this? I sought help from those four people, thinking they were her family. I believed she was willingly marrying me. Little did I know she was forced in a far worse way. I was supposed to be at my job, chilling. But here I am discovering that the person I despised never deserved the same fate as the one I always trusted! And Farah aunty? Isn't she a woman? How could she treat her own daughter like this?" Ali's voice rose towards the end. Fortunately, they were in a secluded spot. Raiyyan embraced Ali, understanding the emotional storm he was weathering.

"You're not to be blamed, bhai. None of us knew. She never told us and they never let us know. We will find her and she will certainly be safe!" Raiyyan tried to comfort him but also Samad and himself. They all had a blame game with their mind. They sat there, hoping for good news. There was an awkward silence.

"My mind is stuck on dark thoughts. Bhai, my mind is messed up," Zain lamented to Samad, like a child complaining to his mother. Samad hugged him, and Ali seemed slightly better. Soon, Samad received a call from the investigator. All eyes turned to him with hope.

"Have they found her?" Ali questioned as soon as he cut the call. Samad nodded no.

"Ali, Zain, Raiyyan. All three of you go home and take a rest. You are mentally exhausted. The private investigators and I will keep searching!"

"Rest when she could be lying dead in some corner of the city because of our decisions? Are you serious, bhai?" Raiyyan almost shouted at Samad. Samad, at that moment, didn't take any of their words lightly. He knew that all three felt betrayed, just like him.

"Let's take a one-hour break. All of us. To refresh our minds and start searching again. With our minds clouded, we're as good as not searching. I'm going through the same, and I wish for nothing more than to have her safe and sound in front of me. But I know we can't find her when we're this disturbed!" Samad responded calmly, almost forcing them to go home. They arrived home, and Ayesha, Jasmine, Haya, and Tara were there. Ali noticed Ayesha, and the events of yesterday flooded back.

"Have you found Amira?" Haya exclaimed hopefully. Raiyyan nodded a slight no. Ali was about to head to his room.

"Ali, she will be found. Don't worry," Ayesha tried to assure her son.

"You know what, Mom? All this wouldn't have happened if not for you. When they made a plan, why couldn't you comply? Yes, I was worried, but she was safe. That's what was important to me. I am your son, and she's the girl you all chose as my wife, so why couldn't you at least treat her properly?" Without waiting for a reply, he stormed off to his room. Ayesha was beyond shocked. The three others left as well to take some time off. Samad discreetly added sleep tablets to their drinks, ensuring they would rest for an hour or two.

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Soon it was afternoon when the four of them descended. Aabid and the girls were home.