Forever His

Chapter 71: Beneath The Scars

⚠️WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND RAPE. If you are not comfortable, feel free to skip to the next chapter. I will uploading the next chapter at the same time as this one.⚠️

Mahnoor's POV:

He walks into the room, the door clicking shut behind him with the weight of guilt and exhaustion. His hair is disheveled, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, and his blazer crumpled in one hand. The other hand fumbles as he sets the car keys back on the vanity—exactly where he took them earlier. He moves as though he's a shadow of himself, quiet and lifeless, and he lowers himself onto the edge of the bed like the weight of the world is pressing down on him.

I sit up, gripping the edge of the duvet, anger already simmering. The sight of him—this wrecked version of him—only fuels it further. He looks everywhere but at me, and that makes me snap.

"What is wrong with you?" I shout, my voice breaking the oppressive silence. "Why do you always do this?"

He flinches slightly but doesn't respond.

"Every single time, Shahmeer!" I get up and stand before him. "What did I do wrong? Just tell me, so I can fix it!" My hands shake as I grab his collar, forcing him to face me. But his eyes—those beautiful, tormenting eyes—refuse to meet mine.

"Look at me, Shahmeer!" My voice cracks, and the lump in my throat grows unbearable. "Tell me why you're like this. Why you always run away from me. What are you so scared of?"

He finally moves but not in the way I expect. His hand brushes mine off his collar, and he stands. Not looking at me, not saying a word, just... walking away. He collapses onto the sofa, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders slumped and defeated.

I follow him, fuming, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. "You always run away," I say again, quieter this time, but no less furious. "Why?"

I stand in front of him, hands clenched at my sides, but he won't look up. Not even now. My anger twists into something sharper—desperation. "You can't keep doing this, Shahmeer!" I'm shaking, and my voice rises again. "You're not the only one hurting here!"

For a moment, I think he won't respond. But then, his hand shoots out, grabbing mine and pulling me down. I fall onto the sofa beside him, startled into silence.

He's still hunched over, head bowed, his elbows resting on his knees. His breathing is heavy, uneven, and I can see the tension rippling through him like a tightly coiled spring about to snap.

"Shahmeer..." I whisper, the fight draining out of me, replaced by confusion and concern. "Please..."

He doesn't let go of my hand. He doesn't say anything. He just sits there, drowning in whatever storm he's carrying, and for the first time, I realize how heavy it must be.

"You want to know why I run?" he whispers, his eyes still fixed on the floor.

"There's nothing else I want to know more," I say softly, my anger ebbing away as I see the pain in his slumped shoulders.

He leans back, dragging a hand through his hair. "You've wanted answers for so long, Mahnoor. But some answers ruin you."

"Shahmeer..." I whisper, my throat tightening. "Tell me."

He looks at me then, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, and my heart clenches.

"I was a child. My father," he begins, his voice almost a whisper, "was a monster. Not the kind that hides under your bed, but the kind that raises you. The kind that makes you believe you'll never escape him."

"An alcoholic. A liar. A man who destroyed everyone he touched." His hands clench into fists, his knuckles white. "When I was younger, my brother and I were really close. We only had each other in that house of nightmares. We did everything together. But my father—he didn't think my brother was good enough. Reckless, he called him. A stain on the family name. He was a child of marital rape. He used to go out with his friends a lot, but he never caused trouble. He was one of the sweetest souls I ever knew...he hated what my father did and didn't want anything to do with it. I was the eldest so I had no other option. I had to be the rold model. I couldn't do anything wrong. I had to be the perfect child, even if that meant killing my inner child. And so I did."