Chapter 1
She was lost in her thoughts sitting on the swing, her silky long hair splayed over her back looked golden from the sunlight. Her eyes were shining with the testimony of her pious and soft heart.
"Shafaq! Shafaq! Come quickly and eat, it's time to leave." Her mother called while putting dinner onto table.
"What happened Amina begum? Why are you in such a hurry?" Shafaq's father spoke while he took a seat at the table.
"Manzur sahib we will reach Islamabad at eight if we leave now. It won't make a good impression if we are late to our nephew's wedding" Amina begum replied.
After dinner, Shafaq moved all the necessary luggage into the car and they left for Islamabad.
"Dad! How much longer till we reach the service area? I'm hungry." Shafaq inquired after removing her headphones.
He turned the car into the service area lot, "Beta, go and buy anything you want, but please don't be late."
"Sure Dad, I'll be out in 10 minutes."
She moved towards a stall and ordered soup, taking a seat near the stall she waited patiently. She felt the unease of someone staring at her, she quickly looked to the left, but she only saw a man reading a newspaper.
A little boy came over to deliver her soup. She was enjoying the hot soup in the cold weather, but again she felt someone's stare on her. Turning to look again, nothing changed, and the man was still reading the newspaper.
I'm overthinking too much, she thought to herself. She finished her soup and returned to the stall to pay. Turning to leave the same man was standing behind her.
He is so dashing; his eyes look so deep. She stared at him lost in her thoughts, until he interrupted her.
"Excuse me?" He waved his hand in front of her dazed face.
"Sorry." She muttered walking away, deciding to go to the bathroom.
As she walks out of bathroom, someone grabs her, pulling a rag over her mouth. All of a sudden everything goes blank, she couldn't see who grabbed her before it went dark.
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"This girl! Shafaq never takes anything seriously, we will absolutely be late!" Amina begum complained to her husband.
"You always complain about my daughter, I will go get her." Manzur sahab went and checked the service area but found no trace of her.
He asked the workers at the stall, but they couldn't help.
I'll call her, he quickly pulled his phone out. The phone answered after one ring.
"Shafaq! Beta, where are you? You have to tell us before you go somewhere, I was so worried!" He rambled on without listening to who was on the other end.
"What? Manzur sahab, what are you saying?" Where is Shafaq?" It was his wife, not his daughter.
"Don't worry, Amina begum. She must be fooling around, thinking this is funny." He ended the call and went around looking for her.
It was getting later, and they still had not found their daughter. Amina begum was crying and praying to God. Manzur sahab was consoling, even though he felt hopeless himself. They decided to call the police.
"Both of you, don't worry. We will find your daughter soon. Officers are checking every car on the interchange. You should return home and rest now." The police officer kindly told them.
