Forever His

Chapter 70: Bruised Reflections

Mahnoor's POV:

The moment my phone rings, I snatch it up from the bedside table, hoping it's him. My chest tightens when I see Farjaad's name instead. I press the answer button, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.

"Farjaad, I need your help," I blurt out, my voice trembling. "I don't know where Shahmeer's gone. He left his phone at home, and I've been calling him nonstop. I—"

"Mahnoor, relax," Farjaad says calmly, cutting me off. "He's with me."

Relief floods through me, but it's quickly followed by worry. "Is he okay?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, don't worry. He's all good."

I exhale, my fingers gripping the edge of the bed. "Can you... can you tell him to come back?" I sound pathetic, I know, but I can't help it.

Farjaad hesitates, and then he says, "I'll try," before cutting the call.

The silence in the room feels unbearable now, pressing down on me like a weight. I sit there, frozen, staring at the phone in my hand. My mind is a whirlpool of emotions, and no matter how hard I try to think of something else, one question keeps repeating itself in my head: why does he always run away from me?

I swallow hard, my throat tightening. Am I doing something wrong? Is it me? The thoughts feel like poison, spreading through every part of me. My chest aches, a hollow, empty kind of ache that no amount of rationalising can fix.

I force myself to get up and walk to the bathroom. Maybe a shower will help, I tell myself. Maybe the hot water will wash away the memories of tonight.

But it doesn't. The water cascades over me, but instead of soothing me, it only sharpens the thougts I'm trying to drown. The look in his eyes, the way he pulled away, the sound of the door slamming as he left—it replays over and over like a cruel loop.

                                                                                 _______________

By the time I step out, my skin feels raw, my heart even more so. I dry off and change into a fresh set of silk pajamas, the cool fabric doing little to ease the heat of my emotions. I glance at the balcony door, thinking about stepping out to clear my head, but then I stop.

I remember the one time Shahmeer told me not to go out with wet hair. It was after I'd made him breakfast for the first time. His voice was unusually soft that morning, almost caring. "You'll catch a cold," he had said, his brow furrowed in mild annoyance. I hadn't thought much of it then, but now the memory lingers, bittersweet. Does he care about me, even a little? Or am I just imagining things to keep myself sane?

I walk to the vanity, picking up the blow dryer with shaky hands. The sound of it fills the room, but it doesn't drown out my thoughts. As I look at myself in the mirror, I see the tear streaks on my cheeks, the redness in my eyes, the faint bruising on my neck from his touch. My heart twists painfully.

I turn off the dryer, setting it down as I stare at my reflection. No matter how pretty you are, Mahnoor, he'll never love you, a voice whispers in the back of my mind. The tears come unbidden, blurring my vision, but I don't bother wiping them away.

Does he think about me when I'm not around? Does he know that he's everything I want? That I would give anything just to have him see me the way I see him?

My hands clutch the edge of the vanity as I try to steady myself. But the doubts creep in, whispering things I don't want to hear. You're not enough for him. You'll never be enough. If you were, he wouldn't leave you like this.

I think back to my own past, to the countless times I've felt like this before—abandoned, unworthy, unwanted. But this is different. This time, it's Shahmeer. The man who has the power to destroy me without even trying. And I let him. Every single time.

The thought cuts deep, and for a moment, I want to scream. But instead, I sit back down on the bed, burying my face in my hands. The room is silent again, but inside my head, it's chaos.

Why can't he just love me?

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi! I'm aware this is super short but it was mainly just a filler chapter. Next chapter will be a kind of revelation, so keep reading!

⚠️Before you carry onto the next chapter I would like to put a disclaimer that the next chapter does have mentions of abuse and rape so if you aren't comfortable, feel free to skip the chapter⚠️

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Love you ALWAYS! 

See you in the next chapter. Bye!

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