Umeed

Chapter 44

Flashback Continued

Author's POV

Little did Noor know, Rania had anticipated her every move. With careful cunning, Rania had already ensured Ayesha and her mother were led outside, leaving the haveli eerily quiet. Faris and Shahzain were both at work, completely unaware of the storm gathering in their absence. Rania waited, a spider in her web, patiently savoring the moment she had engineered.

As Noor approached the haveli, a strange unease clawed at her insides, a prickling dread stirring somewhere deep within. She tried to shake it off, her determination overriding the lingering discomfort. She had come here for one reason: to set the record straight and defend herself. But as she stepped into the haveli, her heart began to pound louder, the air thick with an oppressive silence. There, on the couch, lounged Rania, her expression smug, a look of twisted satisfaction spreading across her face as she observed Noor. The dim lighting cast deep shadows across the room, amplifying the chill that crept into Noor's spine.

Noor’s gaze flickered toward Ayesha’s room, her heartbeat quickening with a rising sense of urgency. But as she took a step forward, Rania moved smoothly, blocking her path, arms crossed and her posture exuding dominance.

"I heard someone’s on a mission to prove her innocence," Rania sneered, her voice laced with venom. "But alas, ghar par koi nahi hai tumhari asliyat sunne ke liye."

Noor shivered at the malice in Rania’s tone, but she forced herself to stay composed, her voice steady despite her racing thoughts. "Where is Mamma?" she asked, managing to keep her voice calm.

Rania gave a slow, careless shrug, as if Noor’s concern was trivial. "Oh, I sent her somewhere. No need for her to witness this little scene." Her tone was dripping with smug superiority, and her gaze held a mocking edge that unsettled Noor even more.

A rush of panic surged within Noor, but she tried to maintain her composure, refusing to back down. "You won’t get away with this, Rania! I’ll make sure everyone knows the truth—you set this up, and I’ll prove it. You can’t hide behind your lies forever."

But Rania only smirked wider, as though relishing Noor’s defiance. In one swift motion, she reached forward, snatching Noor’s phone right out of her hand. She held it up triumphantly, her eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "Oh, I’d love to see you try. But you won’t get very far without this, will you?" She began scrolling through the phone, her eyes glinting maliciously. "What a pity... I really should’ve had that waiter taken care of sooner. I should have had him killed. A mistake, I admit it, Noor."

Horror filled Noor’s eyes as she stared at Rania, her disbelief blending with a deep, furious anger. "How can you do this?" Noor’s voice wavered with desperation and disgust. "You’re a woman too—how can you be so heartless, so cruel?"

Rania only laughed, holding the phone just out of Noor’s reach as she made a frantic grab for it. "Tch, Noor," she said with a mocking pity in her voice, "you’re just an obstacle in my way. I want the money, the power, and the respect that come with marrying Shahzain. But you, Noor, you were the complication I didn’t need. The plan was simple: drug you and Faris, but Shahzain ended up drinking Faris’s glass by mistake. And in the end, I actually got a much more exciting video—something far more useful than if it had been with Faris."

Noor’s eyes burned with defiance, her jaw clenched as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. "I’ll prove you’re lying. I’ll make sure everyone sees through your vile schemes, Rania."

Rania’s eyes glinted, amusement playing across her face. "Oh, and how exactly do you plan to do that without your precious evidence?" She raised Noor’s phone high before hurling it against the wall, shattering it into pieces with a loud, sickening crack. "I know you’re clever, Noor—clever enough to keep copies of that confession. But before you try anything, let me show you something."