YOU BELONG TO ME

CHAPTER FIFTY : THE OUBLIETTE

Read chapter fourty nine before reading this chapter!!! The chapters are mixed up due to some technical problems I can't fix !!!

Parking haphazardly in front of his sprawling mansion, Ashmaan stepped out of his car, his usual confident gait intact, and tossed the keys to a waiting valet. Without pausing, he headed directly inside, eager to wash off the fatigue of a long day at work. Being the CEO of two major companies was no easy feat, even with the support of his siblings-Aariz, Bushrah, and Amir-who managed the family business while he focused on his car manufacturing enterprise.

After a brisk shower, he threw on a simple black T-shirt and blue jeans. Ready to unwind, he decided to check on Roohina. He hadn't seen her in the living room or the kitchen when he passed by, and last he remembered, she'd been resting in her room.

He knocked on her door, expecting her familiar voice, but there was only silence. Growing slightly concerned, he let himself in, glancing around her empty room. He checked the bathroom, the balcony, and even the walk-in closet, but she was nowhere to be found.

Feeling a hint of unease, Ashmaan pulled out his phone to call her. When her familiar ringtone chimed from somewhere within the room, his worry deepened. Where could she have gone without her phone?

A multitude of scenarios began to form in his mind, each one more concerning than the last. Forcing himself to remain calm, he thought to check the mansion's CCTV feed through his phone. She might simply be elsewhere in the house-perhaps the library, the gym, or even visiting his mother or his cousin, Aasim.

Scrolling through the live footage around the mansion yielded no sign of her, so he switched to recorded footage. Rewinding to around 9 a.m., he confirmed that she hadn't left her room at that time. Scanning further, he saw her step out around 2:39 p.m., looking like she'd just woken up as she made her way downstairs. He watched as she paused to read a little note he'd left for her; though a slight smile crossed her face, she quickly masked it, as if pushing away her thoughts.

Soon, his sister Bushrah joined her at the dining room. Since the indoor cameras didn't record audio, he couldn't hear their conversation. However, he noticed Bushrah taking out her phone, staring at it with a horrified expression. She handed the phone to Roohina, who mirrored her shock upon seeing whatever was on the screen.

Ashmaan tried zooming in to catch a glimpse, but the image was blurry, and Roohina's head blocked most of the screen. All he could tell was that whatever they saw deeply unsettled them.

Then, Roohina handed Bushrah's phone back to her, and Bushrah, visibly upset, began to cry. Moments later, Roohina disappeared briefly into the house, returning clad in a hijab that covered her from head to toe. With a composed yet urgent demeanor, she led Bushrah outside and into a car before they sped out of the estate.

A flurry of questions rushed through Ashmaan's mind, his worry intensifying. He took a deep breath, dialing his private investigator, Aadil. With a sense of urgency, he instructed Aadil to track Roohina and Bushrah's location and uncover where they'd gone.

Within ten minutes, Aadil delivered the address. Wasting no time, Ashmaan was back in his car, already en route to find them, determined to unravel the mystery of their sudden departure.

****

Bushrah whimpered as she crept into the creaky, abandoned mansion on the outskirts of the city, specifically in Gwagwalada. Roohina trailed a bit behind her, crouched low and hidden behind two large brown boxes, while Bushrah moved cautiously toward the dusty living room. Furniture lay shrouded in age-worn covers, adding an eerie touch to the dim, silent space.