ʀɪꜱᴋ: ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴘᴀɪɴ

#Book-1 in ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʙᴇʏᴏɴᴅ ᴘᴀɪɴ series.

"𝐈-𝐈 𝐝𝐨" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of my own heart pounding in my chest. I kept my gaze steady as the Marriage Officiant slid the nikah papers towards me.

As I lowered the pen to sign, my eyes caught a glimpse of the groom's name written boldly:
ZAIN IMAD KHAN.

No. This can't be true.
It can't be him.

But there was no time to process this shock. My fingers moved almost on their own, signing the papers before I handed them back through the flower partition that separated me from that cruel monster. I felt a numbness spreading through me as my stalker, now my husband on the other side signed, sealing our fate.

The dua for the newlyweds began, the room filled with hands raised in prayer. And then, a voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐉!"

My head snapped towards the entrance, and my breath caught in my throat.
Who is at the other end of the partition if he is standing here?

Before I could understand what was happening, a strong hand grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. I collided against a firm chest, inhaling a scent I had come to know all too well. My heart raced as I realized who it was-Zain Imad Khan, the man who had haunted my thoughts for weeks.

Before I could utter a word, he lifted his arm, a gun gleaming in his hand.
He said in a dangerous tone.
"𝐈'𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞-𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞"

Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the room, and the monster at the entrance staggered back, clutching his chest.

I stood frozen as he shielded me. The room was filled with shocked gasps, but at that moment, everything else faded away. All I could feel was the warmth of his presence, the protection in his touch, and the realization that my love,