Unshackled

One Month

Asiyah's POV.

A month has passed. A month without seeing my family. A month that I took to prepare the perfect hideout. And today is the day to finally do it. Sleeping at night and trying to let my mind be free from my thoughts is still hard for me. I somehow just can't get used to this place no matter how hard I try.

I keep thinking about my parents. Do they miss me? Do they think of me?

I see Maryam only during breakfast or else I never see her elsewhere. Whenever I do see her though she never seems happy. I'm not either so I understand. I don't know what she has to go through but marrying a stranger is just not it.

Our dreams. I keep thinking about them. They're crushing our dreams. But it will only be for a while because I will no longer be stuck here.

It's currently 8pm. At this time everyone is sleeping and it's completely silent in the whole mansion.

"girls are we ready?" I don't think any of us is. What will be the consequences if we get caught? I'd rather not think about it.

"Wait, I need to use the bathroom first" Zohra said.

"Join us on the second floor then" I said as I stepped out of the room first.

The plan is that we reach the second floor, from there make it to the big balcony and once there—we jump.

We all grabbed a hijab and we are going to tie them together to make a rope. The balcony from the second floor is the only place that is large enough to surpass the fences and it's the only way for us to make it on the other side of the property.

We were forced to be here and we've been stuck and away from our families for a month now. No one can keep us here without a will.

Hopefully, I don't break any bones while executing this plan. And, I didn't tell any other girl from my team but I'm taking Maryam with me. I'm not letting my best friend suffer here alone.

I know where she is because we kept our phones and I can see where her location is. I kept an eye on her location every day for a week until the battery died. There was no way to get a charger but since her location was frequently at the same place, I figured out where it was last time I was out to explore the mansion and I believe I found her room.

I made it to the room where Maryam should be. I took a deep breath before slowly turning the doorknob. I could hear voices and stopped there.

"You like her?"

"Like her? She's the girl of my dreams—I want to marry her" It's definitely two guys.

Why does one of the voices sound familiar?

"What are you waiting for?"

"I'm ready to do anything for her but she...doesn't even look at me"

Who are they talking about? Wait, is this not Maryam's room? If this is her room and there's men in here...oh my Allah.

Without hesitation, I pushed the door open meeting with the two guys. I knew I could recognize the voice. It was Azaan and another man. My eyes searched for Maryam.

"Where is she?!" I exclaimed.

"What brings you here sugar plum?"Azaan asked.

I barged into the room and started looking for her. The bed is empty. The bathroom is empty. I opened a drawer and saw some women's undergarments. I looked through it and found her phone. This is her room.

"Asiyah! " I turned and saw her standing at the door with a mug in her hand.

I ran to her hugging the life out of her. She dropped her cup on the floor as I took her by surprise.