"Daniyal, how are you? Are you hurt?! How did you call me?! Daniyal! Are you alright?!" She bombarded.
"Zahra! Zahra! Listen carefully. I'll tell you everything. I'm waiting for you in the car at backside of haveli. Come fast. We've barely any time left." He said breathlessly.
Her eyes widened with surprise, he was waiting for her. But she can't go with him now. She knew Irtaza is very powerful and he will hunt down the whole city in her search and Daniyal's life will also be in danger. She find no use in going with him. She had accepted her fate, though she wanted to, wanted with her whole heart to go with him but she can't.
"Daniyal I can't come"
"Why Zahra? Are you in your senses?"
"Because....its my rukh...sati today-"
"I know, come at the backside fast."
"Daniyal, no I'm sorry. If Irtaza came to know about it he will kill me. He will kill you and I can't take any chance on your life. You run and hide yourself somewhere safe where he can never reach you."
"Zahra there is someone who is trying to help us otherwise I was never able to make it to here. Zahra please come down. Please. Please I beg you."
"Daniyal, what if he finds us? Then he will kill us both and I don't want you to die. For our love's sake, forget me. Your life is more important to me than anything else."
"Zahra, this is what I'm saying, someone is trying to help us, so we could be united. He can't find us. That person had already arranged everything."
"What do you mean?"
"Zahra, I was blindfolded day and night, and they kept beating the shit out of me all the time. Today, someone injected something inside my system and I fainted. When I woke, the blindfold was gone, there was not even a single guard there, my hands were untied. And when I ran out of that warehouse, I found a car, it was unlocked, the GPS already had the way to haveli. There was a note and a phone in the car, the phone had this number saved in and the note said that to call at this number at this time and some cash was placed by along with the tickets to USA and our documents. We're running out of the country. Irtaza can't reach us over there."
"But then what about divorce? I'm still his wife."
"Zahra after a month we will come back and file a divorce case against him. Someone strong and powerful is holding our back, Zahra. He can't catch us this time."
"But-"
"Do you want to leave him Zahra and come with me?" He straightly asked, getting to the point.
"Daniyal, I'm so scared of him. He was about to ra...pe me th...at nig...ht. He told me to be ready to face the punishment for betraying him. I want to come with you. I want to leave him. But I'm really scared Daniyal. Really scared." She cried, her face pouting.
"What?! Zahra don't worry. That person will indeed help us. Everything is settled Zahra. Come out now this instance. We don't have much time."
"But it will taint my family's respect if I ran away, specially my mother. Everyone is present here. I can't come Daniyal."
"You've only one life Zahra. You love me and that Irtaza has forced this marriage upon you. How can you live with a man who was about to rape you? Huh? Tell me. How will you live your rest of life with him? And all people will eventually understand there might be some problem that the bride ran away. And Irtaza will definitely suppress the news, and you know how sharp Irtaza is. And don;t you know how sharp Irtaza is, he will definitely find a solution to save the family reputation. He might find some other girl as his bride to show the world or find another solution. In this way, your family reputation will not be tainted. And when his family will ask from him why you ran away and then he will have to confess every atrocity he inflicted upon you. And then you know what will happen, his family, the haveli members will support your decision of running away from Irtaza. They will understand no sane person can live with him. Nothing will happen Zahra. Please come down now." His manipulation began.
"Daniyal are you saying the truth?" she asked innocently.
"Of course Zahra I'm. You trust me right? Then believe to whatever I'm saying"
"But my mama-"
"Leave a note for her, she is your mother she will definitely understand your stance."
"Daniyal, I'm scared. I'm scared if he finds out again, he will kill you. I dont want to play with your life."
"Zahra it doesn't matter I'll die without you. He will not catch us this time as I told you someone is trying to help us. And if you're not coming down then right now I'm entering the haveli and receiving a straight head shot from Irtaza. Zahra if you will not come with me today then I promise I'll make Irtaza kill me. My life is in your hands now."
"Please no! don't do this! He will kill you!." she answered breathlessly.
"I will not if you come down."
"But Daniyal-"
"Tell me your heart Zahra, do you want to come with me or do you want to go with that Irtaza?"
"I want to come with you but I'm scared, Daniyal. Scared about your life."
"Zahra I already told you I'll die without you. Its a do or die and now or never situation for us. Please I beg you to come down now otherwise if this rukhsati happened God knows what Irtaza will do to me and if I'll not get you today then I'll die. I'll enter the haveli and you know what Irtaza will shoot me on the spot."
"Don't do this. Please! I'm coming."
"Zahra come fast."
"But am I doing the right thing Daniyal."
"Yes Zahra. Yes you're doing the right thing. Following what your heart says isn't wrong. We only live once. You can't spend your whole life with that animal. And moreover, now my life is also in your hands. I'll die without you.."
"Please don't say anything like that. I'm coming."
"Fast."
"Ok." she replied and hung up the call.
Getting out of the room, she find no one in the hallway. It was silent. Just a few minutes ago Dua, Haya and Haseeb were with her in the room but suddenly a maid came in, informing them of something and they left the room instantly. She was confused first but then her mind drifted to Daniyal and then this call happened.
She couldn't believe, God has listened to her calls, pleads and cries at last. After that night, every possibility of giving a chance to this marriage was lost. She was just hoping for a miracle tho she had never planned to escape Irtaza again. She was afraid of him.
How can she live with him? Simply how?
She has to cross the lounge to go the backside but it was next to impossible for her to cross the lounge. It was the main place. She looked around terrified, when her eyes suddenly fell on the window at the end of the hallway, she ran towards it and looked down, she could clearly see the backyard and a car at the door of backyard. She didn't waste a second, and went inside her mother's room, gathering all the clothes from her mothers cupboard and joined them making a rope of it.
Her fingers trembled, her heart shuddered.
She took a long black shawl from the cupboard and wrapped it around herself. The rope was ready, she just had to hung it down from the window and slide down from it.
But before doing that, she took a notepad and pencil from her mothers drawer and begin to write a letter, her hands moving fast. She wanted to tell her mother about everything so atleast her mother can't think of her as a characterless woman. She knew what she'll be called as when everyone will know about her relation despite being in nikkah with someone else.
'My dear mama I know what you'll be thinking of me right now. But please listen to me, I never wanted this marriage. I had always loved Daniyal. Irtaza forcefully married me that day. I never willingly give into this nikkah. It was forced upon me. I know you might be thinking from past few weeks I was looking very happy with Irtaza but it was all due to a reason. I had to gain Irtaza's trust in order to run away with Daniyal. Rest I'll explain you later. I'll be contacting you soon. Please try to understand me mama. I know you'll understand what love make other people do. Moreover, I am so scared of Irtaza then how can I spend my whole life with him. Please mama. Believe your daughter. I'm sorry for dissappointing everyone but I had no other option to get out of this FORCED marriage. I have to run away with Daniyal. I'm sorry mama.
Your Zahra'
She folded the letter and placed it on the dressing table, leaving the room. She opened the window and threw the rope made of clothes down the window.
Her hands were shivering, her heart was trembling, despite the extremely cold weather she felt hot all over.
She binded one end of the rope and then begin to slide down the rope. Her hands tightly gripped the clothes as she slided herself down.
Her feet touch the ground. The backyard of haveli was quite dark. Not observing much, with worried eyes, she ran towards the back door. It was opened.
She looked around and she found eight fainted bodies lying on the ground, they were the guards
She came out of the haveli and her eyes fell on Daniyal.
She felt a sudden happiness and freedom, which made her eyes cry tears of joy.
"Zahra in the car. Be fast." Daniyal said and it didn't take her less than a second to enter into the car.
He seated himself on the drivers seat and roared the engine to life, running the car on the desolated route.
Her breathing was fast and rapid. She couldn't believe she was free. Free from Irtaza and with Daniyal.
She looked towards him, his face was badly bruised and had blue and red marks on it, his shirt had blood spots on it.
"Daniyal," she cried, "I'm sorry. It all happened because of me."
"Zahra it doesn't matter. We have to get out of this area as soon as possible." He said breathlessly, his breathing was ragged and he was running the car rashly on the road, continuously looking around as if he was worried about something.
"Daniyal what will happen now?"
"We'll soon come back to Pakistan soon, then file a divorce case on Irtaza. And then we both will marry."
"Will your Dad accept a divorced woman as his daughter in law?"
"I dont care about Dad now."
"Will you accept a divorced woman Daniyal?"
"Zahra, I accept you regardless of anything. I love you. I don't care about anything."
"I thought I lost you, I thought our love story came to an end, I though I'll never be able to meet you again. I saw a dream two days ago in which Irtaza had killed you. I was losing hope day by day and a night before, Irtaza came drunk at home, his shirt had blood spots, he told me th...at its yo...urs. He was ab...out to ra...pe me that ni...ght" she cried out, her voice broken.
"You're with me and safe now" he tried to assure her.
"I don't know what saved me from him. How was I able to live with him rest of my life? But Daniyal I did wrong, so wrong by betraying him. I shouldn't have done that. I'm so guilty for breaking his trust."
"Zahra, don't show sympathy to a person who was about to rape you don't worry. I'm here now and we both will get out of this situation soon. God has heard my pleads. I don't know who helped me but I'm extremely thankful to that person."
"How did you get here? You were under Irtaza's captivity?"
"Zahra I dont know. My eyes were blindfolded all the time. Today someone injected me with something and I fainted and when I woke up, the blindfold was no more there, I found a note, a phone and a car outside that warehouse. The way to haveli was already installed in the GPS."
'GPS....global positioning system......the tracker.' she thought
Her eyes widened, something snapped inside her.
"Daniyal I've a tracker in my body."
"What?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes, a month ago when I had sneaked out of the haveli to the restaraunt, after that Irtaza had ordered to install trackers in every member of haveli."
"Shit! Where is it?"
"In my ankle."
"We've to do-" Suddenly a sharp light flashed infront of his eyes which came from the headlights of the car stopping right infront of his car, causing him to apply brakes suddenly.
Her head jerked towards the windscreen and she saw a man getting out of that car, moving towards them
Her eyes widened as danger bells begin to ring in her ears. He came towards her window and knocked at it, indicating her to pull it down and she slided it down.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I'm Moosa. Are you Zahra?"