Ties That Bind

EP41

Zara's body ached with the lingering pain from the previous day's torture. Her limbs were numb, her mind foggy from exhaustion, and her sense of time was completely distorted. She had no idea what day it was or how long she had been trapped in this living nightmare. Every muscle in her body screamed in agony, but she forced herself to stay awake, muttering Ayatul Kursiy repeatedly, putting her trust solely in Allah.

The cool air from the air conditioner barely registered anymore. It offered some relief against the stifling fear in her chest, but it also felt cruel—luxurious in its comfort while she suffered. She wondered how her family was holding up. Was her father searching for her? Had her mother’s health deteriorated from the stress? She longed for any kind of news, anything to break the suffocating silence.

Her heart froze when the door creaked open. She immediately tensed, every nerve on high alert, straining to make sense of the situation. Still blindfolded, she was plunged into darkness. The sound of slow, deliberate footsteps filled the room, each one striking terror into her soul.

"Ah, Kabir’s fine jewel... Fatima Zara Ahmad," a voice drawled mockingly. The tone was oily, dripping with twisted amusement, and there was a sickeningly seductive edge to it that made her skin crawl.

"Who-who are you?" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, weakened by fear and fatigue.

"My dear," the voice continued, calm and menacing, "I am someone who will give you satisfaction."

Zara felt a wave of revulsion roll through her, but there was nothing she could do. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back, her wrists bruised from repeated struggles to break free. She had given up trying long ago. The sound of the door closing sent a jolt of dread through her body, her heart racing as the footsteps grew nearer.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice steady despite the terror gnawing at her insides.

"Your husband... ah, your husband is a very stubborn man," the voice said, his tone darkening. "The governorship seat—that’s what I want. But he refused to hand it over. Even now, after I’ve taken you, he still resists." There was a brief pause, then the man’s voice turned ice-cold. "Since he has my family, I’ll take something from him. Something he cherishes very deeply."

Zara’s stomach twisted with horror as she began to understand the full implications of his words. Her blood ran cold. She was in the hands of a man who saw her not as a person, but as a tool of revenge against Kabir.

"Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with desperation. "Please don’t do this."

Her pleas hung in the air, met with a chilling silence. She heard the sound of a phone being pulled from a pocket and then the soft beeps of buttons being pressed. Zara’s heart pounded as the man dialed a number.

"Mr. Governor," the man said, his voice now full of malicious amusement. "Can you see your darling wife?"

Zara felt herself being roughly yanked upright, the blindfold still covering her eyes, but she could tell what was happening. He had turned on the camera. The thought of Kabir seeing her in this state—bound, vulnerable, at the mercy of this cruel man—filled her with a fresh wave of terror.

On the other end of the line, Kabir's voice burst through, filled with anger and barely restrained panic. "If you harm her, you’ll regret it!" Kabir’s tone was dark, filled with fury and desperation. Zara had never heard him sound this way before, and though she couldn’t see him, she could feel the intensity radiating through the phone.

Her lips moved in silent prayer as she muttered her Dua, hoping for divine intervention. Then she felt hands at her top, and in a split second, the fabric was torn from her body. Cool air hit her exposed chest, and a wave of panic surged through her, leaving her breathless.

"Please... don’t do this. Please," she begged, her voice thick with sobs, struggling as best she could even though she knew she was powerless. Her hands were bound, her body weak, and her vision obscured by the blindfold. She had nothing left to defend herself with but her voice, her pleas for mercy.

"Are you mad?! What are you trying to do?!" Kabir’s furious voice echoed through the room, loud and full of wrath. She could hear him, could feel his protective anger, but it was useless. The man ignored him completely, continuing with his vile intentions.

"I know you’re on your way here," the man said, his voice growing even more sinister. "But I’m sure you’d like to enjoy the show before you arrive."

Zara felt her breath catch in her throat as she lay helpless. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as her world narrowed to the darkness behind her blindfold and the man standing over her. Every fiber of her being screamed for a way out, but there was none. She was trapped in a nightmare, waiting for a miracle, praying that Kabir would arrive in time.