Forever His

Chapter 50: Pawn

Mahnoor's POV:

The villa is so quiet that I can hear my own heartbeat as I move through the dark hallways, looking for a way out. Every room I pass is a dead end, every window I glance through only shows endless fields or more villa grounds. But I don't care; I'll keep looking.

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I run, my feet pounding against the uneven ground, my breaths coming in sharp, shallow gasps. The night stretches endless and dark in every direction, the faint glow of villa lights already far behind me. I don't know where I'm going—all I know is that I need to keep moving, to get as far away from this place as possible. Branches and tall grasses scratch against my legs, my heart pounding harder with each step I take into the unknown.

But then, in the quiet of the night, I start hearing noises. Low rustling sounds from the fields around me, an owl hooting in the distance, and something that sounds like footsteps. Fear claws at my chest, and I glance over my shoulder, feeling the weight of my own terror closing in. Are they coming after me already? Did they notice I was gone? I try to push the fear away, to focus on just getting as far as I can, but the whispers of movement make my skin crawl.

After what feels like an eternity of running through the damp night, my legs begin to give out. My breaths are desperate now, each inhale sharp and painful. I stumble, tripping over a root or rock, and fall to my knees. I can't even feel the sting of scraped skin—I'm too numb with exhaustion, fear, and frustration. I press my hands into the cool earth, trying to steady my breathing, but every sound around me feels amplified in the silence, and the dark only makes it worse.

Just when I think I might catch my breath, I hear it—steady footsteps approaching, unhurried but deliberate. My heart sinks as I look up, dread pooling in my stomach. The dim glow of flashlights illuminates figures moving closer, and my worst fears are confirmed as I see Shahmeer's silhouette leading the way, his men following in tense silence.

He stops a few feet away, and I can see him staring at me, his face shadowed but unmistakably annoyed. His men hold back, glancing at me warily, as if I'm some wayward pet who's gotten loose.

"Are you done?" His voice slices through the night, calm but dripping with irritation.

I grit my teeth, swallowing back the sob that threatens to escape. "What is wrong with you?" I shout, my voice trembling. "Why can't you just let me go?"

He sighs heavily, signalling to his men to back off with a swift, dismissive gesture. They turn, disappearing into the darkness, leaving just the two of us standing in this empty field. He steps closer, his presence looming, and I want to shrink away, but I force myself to stand my ground.

"Do you have any idea how reckless this was?" His voice is tight, barely restrained. "Running off into the night alone, in an unfamiliar place. Do you think that's brave?"

"Brave?" I shout back, fury rising in me. "It's desperation, Shahmeer! Do you even understand what that feels like? Or do you just... enjoy trapping people and controlling them?"

He closes the distance between us, his jaw clenched. "Desperation or not, this was careless. You could have been hurt—or worse. Do you even know what kind of people are out here?"

I shake my head, defiant, as a bitter laugh escapes my lips. "And what about you? What makes you think you're any better than the kind of people who would hurt me? You're ruthless, Shahmeer. You killed someone without even flinching. What's stopping you from doing worse to me?"

His expression hardens, the muscles in his jaw tightening. "I did what I had to," he replies, his voice low. "You don't understand the world you live in now. People would do much worse than that to us."