My Quiet Wife

Chapter 3: The Chaos of Noor's Death

DaiJaan had been waiting outside the door, knowing the moment was drawing near. The sound of Jahanara's cries had echoed through the hallway, but she dared not enter until the time was right. As soon as the last breath of Noor left her lips, DaiJaan knew—Noor was gone.

With a solemn expression, DaiJaan pushed open the door. Her heart weighed heavy with grief, but there was no time to mourn. The plan had to continue.

Inside, Jahanara was kneeling by her mother's side, her face streaked with tears, her body trembling uncontrollably. The finality of Noor's death hit her like a wave, and she didn't know how to move on.

"Jahanara," DaiJaan's voice was soft, almost breaking, but she steeled herself. There was no room for weakness now. "You must listen to me. You must go. You must leave this place... for your mama."

Jahanara lifted her tear-filled eyes to DaiJaan's, her confusion and heartbreak written all over her face. "Mama... she's gone, DaiJaan... she's really gone..."

"I know, beta," DaiJaan said gently, her voice thick with emotion. "But you must go now. You must leave for your mama. The plan... it must happen now."

Jahanara's sobs became louder, her small body wracked with grief, but DaiJaan didn't relent. She moved quickly, gently but firmly pushing Jahanara toward the door. There was no time to mourn, no time to waste—Hukum's men would be looking for answers soon.

DaiJaan held Jahanara's shoulders, looking deep into her tear-filled eyes. "Jahanara, please. You must leave. It's for your safety, for your future. Your mama gave everything for this moment. You have to go with Nawab. He will keep you safe. For her."

Jahanara shook her head violently, trying to break free from DaiJaan's grasp. "No! I want to stay with Mama! I can't leave her! Please, don't make me!"

But DaiJaan's resolve was unshakable. "Listen to me, Jahanara. It's not safe here anymore. We have to get you out of Heeramandi. Now. This is the only way. Please, for your mama's sake, you have to go."

With a heavy heart, DaiJaan led Jahanara down the narrow hallways of the brothel, past rooms filled with women who were too lost to notice, past the dim-lit corridors that Jahanara had once known as home. The weight of the world hung on DaiJaan's shoulders, but she couldn't falter now.

They reached the back door. DaiJaan glanced over her shoulder, listening to the growing chaos inside as word of Noor's death spread. Hukum's wrath would soon follow, and there was no time to waste.

Without another word, DaiJaan handed Jahanara off to Nawab's men, who were waiting in the shadows, just outside the door. "Take her. Keep her safe. She's the future now," DaiJaan said, her voice thick with emotion.

Jahanara clung to DaiJaan as though she were the last piece of home she had left. "Please... don't leave me," she begged, tears streaming down her face.

But DaiJaan, with a final look at the girl she had watched over, gently pried Jahanara from her arms. "You will be alright," DaiJaan whispered, her voice filled with sorrow. "Go with Nawab. He will protect you."

The men quickly whisked Jahanara away, leaving DaiJaan to watch them disappear into the darkness. She turned away, heart heavy, knowing she had done all she could for Noor's daughter.

Inside Heeramandi, the chaos had begun. News of Noor's death spread like wildfire, and Hukum's fury was sure to follow. But for Jahanara, the nightmare of Heeramandi was finally over.

As Jahanara's carriage disappeared into the distance, another storm was brewing on the other end of Heeramandi. Hukum had yet to receive the news of Noor's passing. The men had already begun gathering, preparing for the chaos to unfold. But as soon as the first whispers of Jahanara's disappearance reached her ears, Hukum's rage would be ignited like wildfire.

Hukum was pacing the grand hall of her lavish estate, her mind racing with thoughts of how to control the fallout from Noor's death. Her trusted men had yet to report the death of the woman who had been a thorn in her side for years, and the entire atmosphere of the brothel had seemed off—eerily silent, as though something far worse had happened than the usual drama.

Then, the first of her men burst through the doors, a look of urgency and fear on his face. "Hukum, there's something you need to know."

Hukum's eyes narrowed as she stopped mid-step. "What is it? Speak."

"Jahanara... she's gone," the man said, his voice trembling.

The words struck Hukum like a blow to the chest. "Gone?" she repeated, her voice deadly calm. "What do you mean, gone?"

"She... she's not in her room. We've searched everywhere. She's disappeared. There's no sign of her," the man stammered.

Hukum's face darkened, and her blood boiled at the thought of someone daring to take what was rightfully hers. Jahanara was supposed to be her prize, a bargaining chip for whatever plans she had in motion. She could not—would not—escape. Not when she had invested so much in her.

Her jaw clenched in fury. "Find her. Leave no stone unturned. I want every man I have out there searching for her—now."

Her orders were swift and brutal. The brothel's men scrambled to follow her command, knowing that the wrath of Hukum was something no one could withstand.

But as the minutes passed, and the word spread throughout the brothel and beyond, Hukum's fury only grew. Her eyes darkened with a chilling promise as she grabbed her coat, preparing to leave her estate in search of Jahanara herself. If she had fled, she would find her and make her regret it.

"She's not getting away from me. No one escapes Hukum," she muttered under her breath, her hands shaking with a mixture of rage and disbelief.

Four Hours Later

As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, DaiJaan's horse-drawn cart slowed to a stop in front of a sleek black Cadillac. Jahanara, her face still red from crying, had hidden behind DaiJaan, clutching at the only person she had left in this world.

DaiJaan turned to face Jahanara one last time. Her heart broke at the sight of the girl's pain, but her duty had been fulfilled. She stepped out of the cart and, with one final, sorrowful look at Jahanara, handed her over to Nawab's waiting men.

"This was my role," DaiJaan said, her voice tight with emotion. "Noor is no more. Take care of her. Keep her safe. You have her last belonging in this world now."

Jahanara, still trembling with grief, stepped forward and hugged DaiJaan tightly. "Thank you... for everything," she whispered, before pulling away and turning toward Nawab's men.

She sat quietly beside Nawab in the car, her thoughts a storm of confusion and fear. Her world had changed in a single night, and she had no idea what the future would hold. But as the car sped away from Heeramandi, her new life with Nawab had just begun.

The road ahead was unknown, but for the first time, Jahanara felt a glimmer of hope. It was the beginning of something different. Something free.

Her new life, with Nawab, had just begun.