Author's POV:
Zia's consciousness returned slowly, like a reluctant dawn breaking over a dark horizon. She found herself in a stifling, windowless room, the air thick with despair. Panic surged as she realized her hands were tightly bound to the cold metal frame of the bed, her wrists aching from futile attempts to free herself. Her breath quickened, each inhale a desperate plea for freedom, as fragments of her memory pieced together. Ahaan-he had brought her here.
The oppressive silence shattered with the creak of a door. Ahaan entered, a twisted smile curling on his lips as he saw her struggle.
"Ahaan, why are you doing this to me? Please, I beg you, let me go," she sobbed, her voice a fragile whisper in the darkness.
He chuckled, a sound void of warmth or humanity, stepping closer with sadistic pleasure gleaming in his eyes.
"Let you go? So you can marry that guy and live happily ever after? Never. If I can't be happy, neither will you. Zia, I love you so much. Why did you leave me?" he spat, bitterness coating every word. "You fought with me over Inaya because I called her a whore. But that's what she was-she slept with others before and after being with me. She had no right to leave me! But you, Zia, you and I could be together. I can keep you happy. I'll write poems for you; I know you loved that, didn't you?"
His words cut into her, a poison seeping into the raw wounds of her heart. Tears streamed down Zia's cheeks as she trembled, her emotions a volatile mix of fear and anger. Her eyes darted around the dim room, hoping for any escape, but shadows surrounded her, mocking her helplessness. Ahaan left briefly, returning with her diary in hand. With a twisted sweetness, he began to recite her poems aloud, each line a cruel mimicry of the love he claimed to feel.
"I don't love you, Ahaan! These poems mean nothing to me now, so stop," Zia shouted, her voice raw with anguish.
Ahaan's smile didn't falter. "I know you still love me. You're just angry, right? Every post you made was about me. I know you still feel something."
Her anger flared, a fierce flame in the darkness. "You stalked me, Ahaan. Pretended to love my words, my poems. But they were never for you. My emotions belong to me, not you. If you read closely, you'd know the last poem I ever wrote for you was after we broke off even our friendship. Check the date-that was my closure."
Ahaan's eyes narrowed, but he silently flipped through her diary, scanning the pages. Zia's voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Do you see it? My hands-can you see the henna? They're dyed with the name of the man I love. Tomorrow, I'll be his forever. You? You mean nothing to me. I regret every moment I spent with you."
His face contorted in rage, a terrifying transformation that sent a chill down her spine. He lunged forward, yanking her by the hair, his hot, rancid breath close to her face.
"Oh, you're proud of this henna, aren't you? This 'color of love'? I'll dye it even redder, with my name on it. I'll make you mine right here, Zia, and then we'll see how he marries you."
He pulled a blade from his pocket and sat beside her, his eyes glinting with unhinged excitement. "With every letter I carve, I'll make you remember who owns you."
Zia's heart raced as she struggled against her restraints, mind racing to find a way out. She cried out, her voice breaking with terror and pain as Ahaan began carving letters into her skin, the blade slicing with brutal precision. Blood trickled down, staining her hands in a dark, unholy red. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as he held her tightly.
As he tossed the blade aside and began pulling at her clothes, Zia's desperation ignited a fierce resolve. She managed to grasp the blade he'd discarded, clutching it with bloodied hands despite the agony. The moment Ahaan bent down, she struck, driving the blade deep into his shoulder. His scream pierced the room, and she shoved him back with all the strength she had left.
Ahaan staggered, his face twisted in pain and fury, the blade still embedded in his flesh. Enraged, he lunged forward, biting her shoulder with a viciousness that sent shock waves through her body. Her scream echoed, a raw cry of pain and despair. But then, the door burst open with a resounding crash.
Ahaan was struck from behind, the impact sending him reeling. Through the haze of tears and pain, Zia saw Azlan standing in the doorway, his face a mix of rage and determination. The sight of him filled her with renewed hope-a flicker of light breaking through the consuming darkness.
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Dear readers, I warmly invite you to visit my Instagram page to enjoy the poem mentioned in this chapter. Your support means so much! 😋😋
Here's the link: https://www.instagram.com/mirzawrites_n/
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Silent Ties: Fusion Of Hearts
RomansaZia was finally living the life she had always dreamed of-independent and working for her dream. This was everything she had ever wanted until she came to India for a vacation, where she got to confront the very thing she had been running away her e...
