Unapologetically

chapter six

Marwa couldn't sleep the entire night. She couldn't toss and turn either, because Rumaisa was right besides her. She got up, tiptoeing to the living room and taking a seat onto the couch. It was a little chilly, and she had wrapped a shawl around herself. Her lip was bleeding where she he had bitten it raw, her hands were shaking.

He won't find her here. She kept repeating that to herself. She had assured both Amina and Ayesha, that they'd be okay. She wouldn't let anything happen to them because of her.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, she couldn't help but think why. Why was being Lubna's daughter so impactful to him? What did he want from her? Was this some remnant of their barely there, ill-formed relationship? Or did he have a reason?

What had Lubna done to him? She felt her blood run cold.

Did she?

She vigorously shook her head, calming herself down by rubbing her hands over her arms soothingly. No. Lubna never went after men younger than her. No matter how much money they had.

"Yeh jo mard hote haina, meri piyari beti, yeh bohot hi simple hote hain." Lubna gave her a pointed look as she got her nails painted by the salon worker she had called to their house. The other one worked on Marwa's hands, shaping the nails.

Marwa wanted to roll her eyes. Her mother acted like she had a PhD in male-ology.

"Ek husn hai. Aur dusri jawaani hai. Dono k peeche pagal ho jate hain!" She laughed, her voice ringing melodiously through the room.

Marwa faked an indulging smile. She wouldn't dare upset her mother.

"Is liye hi toh mein apni Marwa k liye koi aisa dhoondoon gi jo uske husn aur jawaani ko dekhta hi reh jaye, par kabhi pahar ko charhne ki himmat na kare."

Marwa felt a little tinge of fear as she saw the sharpness in her mother's beautiful hazel eyes. But it was gone with a single blink.

A discreet knock to the door broke her out of her reverie. It was barely eleven, she didn't think much of it as she went to open the door just a tad.

Her breath hitched as she saw who was behind the door, and then her heart fell to the floor as she felt the coolness of a barrel made of metal touch her forehead.

"Chup chaap bahir ajao."

She swallowed, knowing better than to argue as she exited the apartment, closing the door behind her.

Two men, heavily armed. Dressed all in black. One grabbed her arm and as she struggled, she got a single kick in the nuts. The other slapped her across the face, so hard she could feel her ears ringing. Her face throbbing. A white cloth went over her face, she could hear some whispering, some blatant name calling.

But she couldn't see anything. Blank. All was blank.

///

He stared at her face as she lay in that bed. It was an apartment he had outside the city. Just another piece of property that belonged to his family.

He hadn't thought to make use out of this before. Rohail Zahrun had never experienced anger akin to this before. Pure, unadulterated rage.

She was completely knocked out. He had to applaud her. He knew she'd try to fight back, but he'd not expected her to run. But she was not as smart as he thought she was if she hadn't expected the security he'd have placed around her residence.

He had been informed of her departure, but he wanted to let her run. Wanted to see where she'd go so he knew all of her outs. Now she was here.

He would have held true to his promise and married her in her home. He wouldn't have done things the hard way. After all, his business was with her and her mother, not her poor grandmother. The woman looked like a breeze would blow her over.