Arranged or love?

Chapter 17: The encounter with her past

Ok so this chapter is dedicated to PhoenixMcGarrett for the awesome new cover made for this story, so thank you!!!!!!!

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Chapter 17: The encounter with her past

Adam’s POV

A wall was the only barrier between me and the woman who had hijacked my sleep. I cold hear her tossing and turning, whimpering and sobbing and it took all my self control not to go in there and gather her up in my arms and comfort her. I was wide awake because of her, I blamed her completely for my sleepless state- not only because of the sounds coming from her room but because of what had happened today. The events of today were played in my mind with an automatic repeat button switched on- there wasn’t an end to it. From the morning, to the wedding, to the announcement, the confrontations and Zubaida’s partial confession, they were playing in mind and I couldn’t make head or tails out of it.

What had Rehan done to her? I remember Adnan and Rahim telling me that Zubaida had changed after her trip back from her aunt’s, she was quiet, subdued and jumped at the slightest movement. Thinking back- Rehan was out of the county so what was she talking about, I could tell she wasn’t lying but then again the infuriating woman wasn’t telling me the complete truth.

My thoughts were interrupted once again by Zubaida’s whimpers. I jumped out of my bed as I heard an ear- piercing scream come from her room, and I rushed to see what had happened. My heart was jack hammering in my chest as I rushed through the door the sounds of heavy footsteps warned me I wasn’t the only one who had heard the scream. Adnan and Rahim had also rushed out of their rooms, their faces and body postures were alert, tense, we entered her room as we heard her mumble and whimper.

“Please let me go, please!” she whimpered, Adnan switched on the lamp, and I bit back a swear as I saw the state she was in, the covers were kicked off, she was covered thankfully, but tears streamed down her face. Her forehead was creased with the nightmare her mind was processing and her body was rigid.

We froze at her next words, shocked to the core.

“Rehan please, let me go, please, no no no” she wept, letting out another ear-piercing, heart shattering scream, her body lifted from the bed, her fists clenched tightly in the sheets as it became clear to us she was reliving her past. She was reliving her rape done by my brother Rehan. Rahim growled and his body shook from trying to contain his anger. Adnan closed his eyes her words tormenting him, he had trusted Rehan, loved him like a brother not only had he broken his trust but he had also broken his baby sister.

Her brothers’ winced, their hearts’ torn seeing their baby sister in such a state, part of them wanting to wake her up, to end the nightmare and the other part wanting her to continue, so they could no what had happened to her. Adnan ran a hand through his hair, shock and anger and pain masked his face, his eyes welled up. Rahim was in a state of shock, listening to the words coming out of Zubaida’s mouth, the past she was reliving that she had so carefully kept hidden from everyone.

“Oh my God, no more please Rehan, no more,” she screamed again,  her body lifting off the bed and twisting and then collpasing back on the bed. My feet automatically moved towards her bed but I stopped myself. We heard another set of footsteps, I snapped out of shock and placed my finger on my lips as Lyba rushed through the door. She looked at us and then Zubaida gasping as she saw the state she was in and rushed towards her. Realising what she was about to do I grasped her by the arm and pulled her into my arms. We needed to hear this and then we would wake her up.

“Someone please help me, please save me, please, it hurts so much, get off me!” she gasped and grunted, “Adnan, Rahim, dad, someone please!” she screamed thrashing wildly her body bucking. I winced, tears spilled down Lyba’s face as she watched Zubaida relive her past in her nightmare. The anguish written on her brothers’ face, the guilt they felt tore through my heart, she had called for them to save her but no one answered. she writhed, reliving each and every moment and we could nothing but watch because we needed to learn what had happened.

“Rehan, Rehan no more, it hurts, no more please, no, no- no, no” she whimpered, her arms reaching up as if to push someone off her. Lyba gasped, her mouth a perfect O, then she turned around to look at me as it sunk in- Rehan was the rapist. Her mouth opened and closed, no words left, she trembled and then collapsed, I grabbed her before she collapsed. She knew Zubaida was telling the truth, she didn't know we were witnessing her nightmare, she had no reason to lie. Lyban ow understood everything. She understood now that our lives had changed.

Zubaida whimpered again, her cheeks were now flushed, and her body was covered in a fine sheen, and she was trembling like a leaf.  I wanted to hold her in my arms but I knew if I did she owuld wake up, being a CID officer, it was a habit of mine to learn more. But I  wanted to shake some sense into her- if only she had told someone, any of us she wouldn’t have felt so alone. Her jerky movements caused her top to ride up and expose her stomach. We all gasped. 

“Son of a-“ whispered Rahim as his eyes landed on the vertical scar on her stomach, it stood out- a sharp contrast to her perfect, pale skin and my stomach churned at the sight of it. Not because it was ugly- no it was because my brother had given her that scar and that fact made me want to heave.Lyba let out a sob muffled by her hand on her mouth as her gaze landed on the scar too. She rushed over to cover it, but froze as Zubaida screamed again, clasping her right arm with her left arm.

She sobbed as she clutched it tightly, Lyba looked at us and then at Zubaida, confused. I was too why would she hold her arm like that? I gestured for Lyba to check it out, my heart beat still erratic and my palms sweaty. She cautiously made her way over to the bed, and gently lifted the top up on the sleeve to Zubaida’s PJs, gasping as she saw the scar. The same scar she brushed as an accident. She had been lying. What else had she been lying about?

“She lied when we asked” Adnan whispered, saying what I was thinking, I looked at him and nodded, too shocked to say anything. I couldn’t handle her cries anymore they were shredding my heart and I decided to wake her up.  “She went through all this alone, for so long and even though he confronted her she still kept quiet” Rahim muttered, pacing her room his hands were clenched and his shoulders were tense, “I’m gonna kill the bastard.”

I winced, that bastard was my brother- was as in past tense, I disowned him as soon as the words left her mouth. But still we were related, I couldn’t believe I had grown up with a man who abused women, sexually assaulted them, raped them and then returned to hurt them again. I wanted to throw up.

Lyba watched her with a pained expression, she loved Rehan but she too knew what he had done couldn’t be forgiven and as a woman she could feel Zubaida’s pain.

I sat on the bed and grasped her hand in mine, trying not to swear as I felt how cold they were- like ice. “Shush Zubaida it’s okay, you’re okay now, you’re safe” I whispered to her, and placed my hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. The whimpering and sobbing stopped and after a while, her eyes opened, she looked at me and let out a small whimper.

She launched herself at me, sobbing as she buried her face in my shoulder “he’s going to hurt me again Adam, please stop him, he’s coming back again to hurt me, you can’t let him do that. No, no, he can’t, he can’t” she whispered, she was rambling, her body shook and I put my arms around her, rocking her back and forth trying to sooth her.

“It’s okay, it was a dream, it’s over now” I whispered stroking her back as she sobbed burying her face in my shoulder. Seeing her fragility made my heart clench, she was baring her pain to me, her raw pain, uncovered and I wanted to do nothing more than to end the pain and suffering.

It was then I made a promise to her. To protect her forever and always.