Forever His

Chapter 96: Freedom

Mahnoor's POV:

I'm folding Maryam's tiny laundry when I hear the study door open.
Shahmeer steps out, his face unreadable, but there's a tension in his shoulders that tells me something big has happened.

He walks toward me slowly, and for some reason, my chest tightens.

"What happened?" I ask, my voice instinctively soft so I don't wake Maryam, who's napping in her bassinet nearby.

He stops right in front of me, his eyes locking onto mine. "It's done," he says.

The words hang in the air, heavy and strange. "What's done?"

"They can't touch us anymore," he says, his tone steady, but there's a flicker in his gaze — relief, anger, and something deeper, like the echo of a wound finally healing.

I set the little shirt in my hands down on the couch. "Shahmeer... what did you do?"

He takes a slow breath, as if he's been carrying this weight for far too long. "I found the man my father was blackmailing — the security guard who worked the night Sameer... died." His voice falters for a fraction of a second before regaining its edge. "He had the original footage. The real footage. The one that proves my father forced me into that room, made sure I didn't know who was behind the curtain. The one that shows him standing there when it happened."

The air leaves my lungs in a rush. "You—"

"I paid him enough to cover a lifetime and gave him protection. In return, I got the footage and handed it over to the authorities. My father's finished, Mahnoor. The charges aren't just for what he did to me. They uncovered... everything. Years of abuse, cover-ups. Rape. Child abuse." He says the words with venom, his jaw tight, but his eyes soften when they flicker to Maryam. "He'll never see the outside of a cell again."

I don't realise my hands are trembling until he takes them in his. "Shahmeer..." My throat feels tight.

But he's not done.

"I also got the hotel's surveillance footage from that night you ran away from me." His voice is sharper now. "The night Rohail tried to force himself on you. There's no way out for him now — attempted rape, sexual assault, a string of harassment cases from other women who finally came forward when they saw the evidence. He's already behind bars."

A shiver runs through me, not from fear, but from the sheer finality of his words. Rohail — gone.

Shahmeer watches my face carefully, as though he's afraid I'll break. But I don't. I can't.

"And your father..." His voice dips lower, not cruel, but unflinching. "Multiple businessmen have come forward with proof of fraudulent transactions, embezzlement, tax evasion. They're suing him, and the government's pressing charges. He's going to prison, Mahnoor. For a long time."

I look away, because hearing it still hurts. I don't love my father. I don't think I ever really did after what he did to me. But the finality of it — the cold, hard truth — feels like losing the idea of something I once wished could be fixed.

Shahmeer seems to understand, because he doesn't push. Instead, he sits beside me and says quietly, "I didn't tell you until it was all in motion because I didn't want you reliving it all before it was over. I wanted you to feel safe when you heard it — really safe."

I swallow, blinking back the sting in my eyes. "You... you cleaned it all up."

"No," he says, brushing his thumb over my knuckles. "I just made sure the people who tried to destroy us will never get the chance again. This—" he glances toward Maryam, her tiny chest rising and falling as she sleeps — "this is what matters now."

The room is silent except for the sound of my breathing and Maryam's soft sighs. And slowly, I feel something unravel inside me — a knot I've been carrying for years loosening with every word he's spoken.

I didn't think closure would feel like this. Not loud, not triumphant. Just... quiet. Like a door closing in a room I never have to enter again.

I lean into him, and his arms come around me instantly. "Thank you," I whisper, and my voice cracks.

"You don't have to thank me," he says into my hair. "I'd burn the world down before I let anyone hurt you again."

Shahmeer shifts slightly, and when I pull back from his embrace, I notice he's holding something in his hand.

The paper looks aged, its edges creased and yellowed, but I know exactly what it is before he even speaks.

The contract.

The one my father and he signed. The one that sold me off like I was a business deal, not a person.

I stare at it, my throat tightening. "Shahmeer..."

"I've been holding onto this," he says, his voice low, steady, but laced with a quiet fury. "Not because I agreed with it. Not because it meant anything to me. But because I wanted you to see this moment."

His dark eyes meet mine, and for a second, I can't breathe.

He lifts the contract higher, letting the light hit the black ink of our names, my father's signature sitting smugly beside his. Then, without another word, he tears it straight down the middle.

The sound is sharp, loud in the quiet of the room. It's followed by another rip, then another, until the paper is nothing but worthless shreds falling between his fingers and scattering on the carpet.

Something breaks inside me — not in pain, but in release. It's like watching chains dissolve into dust.

"It doesn't own you anymore," Shahmeer says, his voice rougher now. "He doesn't own you. No one does. Not even me. You're mine because you choose to be."

I feel the sting of tears again, but this time I don't fight them.

He leans forward and presses his forehead to mine. "You're free, Mahnoor. Finally."

And I feel it.

Truly, deeply, in my bones — I'm free.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

HEY GUYS! 

Lowkey starting to get emotional because the story is almost finished. I will be publishing the chapter 96 - 100 altogether today so I most definitely will be crying all night.

Chapter 100 will be the last official chapter.

These chapters are going to be super hard to write because I have to remember everything and make sure I don't forget any unfinished problem and stuff. I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter and carry on reading!

Love you ALWAYS!

See you in the next chapter shortly! ;)

Byeee!