"Main usse bhool jaun yeh ho nahi skta. Aur woh mujhe bhool jaye yeh main hone nahi dunga", the cold words came from his throat. The rage was burning in his red eyes. "Zoya sirf Sahir ki h". He removed his IV drip and got down from the bed.

"Kahan jaa rahe ho Sahir?", Alvira asked him but it was too late.

Without answering her question, Sahir stormed out of the room leaving behind the traces of his blood fallen from his wrist.

That was the last conversation he had with her. She was asking him to stop but he was too consumed in his own emotions to pay attention. Little did he knew he was never gonna hear that voice again.

Sahir stared blankly at the cracks in the wall of his house. Somehow his mind had managed to retain the distasteful events that had followed on that day after he left the hospital building.

FLASHBACK:-

Sahir stopped right outside the grandly decorated Siddiqui Mansion. There was also tight security gathered outside the house including multiple police jeeps. But nothing held the power to stop him that day. He flounced towards the gate in full force determined to break it by his anger itself but was stopped by the man in khakhi uniform.

"Kahan ghusey jaa rahe ho? Ruko yahin. Aaj Sahab ki permission ke bina kisi ko ander jane ki ijazat nhi h", the constable spoke in an authoritative tone.

"Zoya se milne ke liye kisi ki permission ki zaroorat nahi h mujhe", he screeched at him & tried to forced his way in. But the constable came between him & the closed gate.

"Lagta h bahut jldi me ho. Baat ek baar me smjh nahi aati? Ander jana mana h", he shouted & signalled the two guards standing behind Sahir. They moved to him as if catching a prey. And as though they were waiting for him only, one of them grabbed his collar while the other two held his hands.

"Yeh kya kr rahe h aap log? Haath kyun pakda h mera", before Sahir could have analyse his hands were handcuffed by them behind his back.

The constable who stopped him moved to the side to talk over his walkie-talkie. His one eye was on him while he spoke. He nodded a couple of times to whoever he was talking to and a minute later, he walked back finishing his call shoving the device back in his pocket. He stared him up to down for a minute. And the very next moment, Sahir felt his cheeks vibrated as the constable slapped him with a force.

It took a minute of horror for Sahir to absorb what just happened. His lips were bleeding & his cheeks reddened. The constable squeezed his face again in his hands and looked into his eyes, "Kya re ladki stalk krta h? Stalker bann ne ka h tere ko?".

Sahir felt anger rushing up his nerves. "Kya bakwaas kr rahe h aap? Maine aisa kuch bhi nahi kia h. Haath kholo mere", he struggled against the iron cuffs.

‌"Complaint h tere khilaaf. Tu ne kya kia h aur kya nhi.....ab isska jawab thane chl kr dena", he barked with an expression reserved particularly for criminals and slapped him again.

This time it hurted Sahir. He could feel the redness on his face but controlled himself. He knew he was losing time. Every second was precious. He wanted to rebel but his hands were tied.

"Dekhiye aapko koi galatfehmi hui h. Mera iss waqt ander jana bahut zaroori h. Main agar waqt pe nahi gaya to bahut der ho jaegi. Woh mujhse hamesha ke liye door chali jaegi. Please mujhe jane dijiye", his eyes lost focus as he thought of the possibility. Tears started forming in his eyes.

Constable made a face as if he wasn't listening. "Bahut dekhe h tere jaise sar-phire aashiq. Jb tk 2-4 dande nahi padte tum log sudhroge nahi", he scowled.

Just then sound of someone's footsteps approached from inside the Mansion. "Hume nhi pata tha aaj ke din bhi hume yeh manhus chehra dekhna padega", there was a bitter edge to man's tone.

Sahir recognised the voice at once. It was Zoya's father, Waseem Siddiqui! The constable composed his posture seeing him. Sahir once again was face-to-face with the man whose expressions were full of hate and disgust. He glared Waseem with a look of disbelief on his face, "Aap....yahan?".

"To tumhe kya laga Zoya aaengi?", he questioned rhetorically. As angry as he was meeting Sahir again, there was also calm attitude in his posture. He looked more at ease than he did the last time they had met.

Sahir felt his temper loosen. He moved near Waseem and asked with his teeth clenched, "Kahan h Zoya? Aur kya kia h aapne usske saath?". The guards moved along with him.

"Zoya ki fikar krne ki zaroorat nahi h aapko. Woh jahan bhi h....jis ke saath bhi h khush h. Apna rasta chun lia h unhone", Waseem replied glaring back in Sahir's eyes.

"Zoya mere alawa kisi aur se pyaar kr hi nhi skti", Sahir claimed as fury touched his tongue listening to Waseem's reply. "Aapne usske saath jabardasti ki h. Aur yeh main hone nahi dunga", he shouted at Waseem.

It took no time to fuel Waseem's anger too as he pointed finger at Sahir. "Awaaz neeche, Sahir Azeem Chaudhary. Awaaz neeche! Tumhare chillane se sach nahi badalne wala.....aur sach yahi h ki Zoya ne apna jeevan-saathi chun lia h. Woh tumhari shakal bhi nahi dekhna chahti. Zoya ne kisi aur se Nikaah qubool kra h. Hamari beti tumhari pahunch k bahut door jaa chuki h. Unke khwaab dekhna chod do tum".

Sahir could feel the anxiety building in. He replayed Waseem's each word in his mind. A shiver of fear ran through him as he pictured Zoya with someone else. But he was too decided to let anything stop him.

"Main Zoya ko liye bina yahan se kahin nahi jaunga. Woh sirf meri h....sirf meri. Zoyaa....Zoyaaa", he started screaming her name looking at different angles of her house hoping she might come. He turned towards the gate and was about to kick it with his legs but the guard hit him hard with the rod on his head and Sahir fell on the ground.

"Kya krna h Sahab iss aashiq ke saath? Aap hukum karein to yeh zindagi bhar jail ki salakhon ke peeche sadega", the constable pulled Sahir's hairs from the scalp making him scream in pain.

"Nahi", Waseem mouthed in his tough voice at once. "Hum chahte h inhe jail se bhi badtar sazaa mile. Tb hi inhe apni aukaat pata chalegi. Inhe yeh yaad rahe ki insaan ko khwaish ussi cheez ki krni chahiye jise paane ki usski haisiyat ho", he gave Sahir a look of pure loathing as venom spilled from his mouth.

The constable nodded intently & on his command, the guards started beating & kicking Sahir in his stomach with their belts & rod. Meanwhile Waseem walked the constable to side for a private talk. Sahir's screams turned into background as he continued begging for mercy.

"Aap fikar na kare Siddiqui sahab. Hum itni asaani isse nhi chodenge", the man on duty assured.

Waseem who had something else going in his mind came straight to the point. "Havaldaar ji, hume ek madad chahiye thi aapki. Dr. Ojha ko jaante h aap?", he asked while his lips raised to a smirk.

The havaldaar gave him a meaningful look as he tried to grasp the meaning behind Waseem's words. Dr. Ojha was a famous psychiatrist in Regional Mental Hospital in Mumbai known for treating mentally unstable. Waseem's intentions was clear in his eyes. The old havaldaar nodded his head quitely and Waseem's lips curved into a full smile. There was a deal right then!

Sahir laid in the pool of his own blood. He groaned in pain struggling to keep his eyes open. His lips chanted only one name....Zoya. Waseem stopped to give a disgusted look at his half-dead body as he passed by. He wanted to teach him a lesson.

"Hamare ghar ke aas-paas yeh dobaara nazar nahi aana chahiye", he instructed the guards who were still showing their aggression on the weak man and turned to walk back inside his house.

The guards stopped beating and started dragging him by his leg. Sahir who was half-unconscious caught a last glimpse of Zoya standing in her balcony looking beautiful in the golden kurta & sharara before he was consumed by darkness.

(FLASHBACK ENDED)

Everything from that day was still fresh in his memory. He remembered every single detail of that day. It had snatched away everything he was left with, Ammi and Zoya. And the last of his remaining courage was sucked by the monsters of the mental asylum. He had lost control over his mind & body. Waseem's hatred for him had downgraded to such a toxic level. He shivered thinking of the time he had spent there.

Sahir stood from the floor of his room & walked infront of the mirror. The man he saw there wasn't the same he knew. He tried to recognize his features. There was a thirst in his red eyes....a thirst for revenge! Revenge from the one who was indeed responsible for his loss.

He turned and looked at his mother on the wall. "Vaada krta hu Ammi.....jb tk main apna badla nahi leta, aapko apna chehra nahi dikhaunga!", he promised to his mother's smiling portrait.

Then his eyes moved to the next frame hung there and he smashed the glass by his hand, "Aa raha hoon Zoya, tumhari zindagi me tabahi machane!"

~~~~~~~~~~

"Sahir Azeem Chaudhary, humne kabhi tumhe pasand kia hi nhi tha. Kyuki tum hamari beti k layak the hi nhi. Sirf Zoya ki wajah se ab tk tumhe bardasht kr rhe the hum. Unka Nikaah to humne bahut pehle hi tay kr dia tha. Bas intezaar kr rahe the ki kb hume woh mauka mile jb hum tumhe Zoya ki zindagi se kaat kr phenk sake"

Waseem spilled his secrets in the dark room staring Sahir's broken photograph in Zoya's office. His expressions were dangerous & deadly at the same time.

"Humne socha tha ke Pagalkhane bhej kr hum tum pr aur tumhari Ammi pr ek ahsaan kr rahe h tumhari jan ka. Pr tum chote log apni aukaat dikha hi dete ho"

FLASHBACK :-

Waseem was reading inside his Library at home in the evening when he heard a knock on his door. He turned to find his servant Wajid standing there.

"Sahab, bahar koi aurat aayi h. Aur baar baar Zoya baaji ka naam le rahi h"

"Iss waqt?", Waseem looked at the time in his watch wondering who had come to meet Zoya & why she was looking for her at this time. Because it was raining outside. "Theek h tum jao. Hum aate h", he ordered Wajid & he left.

The woman was completely drenched in rain water when Waseem reached the door. She was looking scared as though someone was behind her & she couldn't see who it was.

"Kon h aap? Aur Zoya ko kaise janti h?", he asked her.

The woman turned to look at him with hope. "Ji main Sahir ki Ammi hu. Sahir aur Zoya....."

Waseem raised his palm. "Hum jante h Sahir kon h. Aapki jaankari ke liye Zoya ka Nikaah ho chuka h. Usska ab aapke bete se koi vaasta nhi h. Aap jaa skti h", he curtly said and turned to go back.

Alvira held his feet & started pleading. "Siddiqui sahab Sahir ka ek hafte se koi pata nhi h. Woh Zoya se milne aaya tha. Usske baad se usski koi khabar nahi h. Police wale bhi meri complain nhi sunn rahe h. Main aapke paas bahut ummeed le k aayi hu. Mujhe ek baar Zoya se baat krni h. Aapka yeh ahsaan main zindagi bhar nahi bhulungi", she begged for his child but it didn't affect Waseem.

Instead Waseem moved two steps back. "Aap ek ahsaan kre hum pr aur dafaa ho jaye yahan se. Hume aapke ya aapke uss nalayak bete ke baare me kuch pata nhi. Kise pata woh zinda h bhi yaa nahi", he mouthed the cold and rude words to the old woman crashing her all hopes.

"Yeh kya keh rahe h aap Siddiqui sahab? Mera beta sahi-salamat h. Allah ke liye aise baatein mt kijiye. Zoya janti h Sahir kahan h"

"Behtar hoga Zoya ka naam bhi aap apni zubaan pe naa laye. Allah ke liye hume aur hamari beti ko akela chod dein", he scowled pressing his teeth together.

Tears started flowing from Alvira's eyes while Waseem continued insulting her, "Waise planning kaafi achchi thi dono Maa-Bete ki. Ek achche bade ghar ki ladki ko fansa kr zindagi bhar aish-o-aaram krne ke khwaab dekh rahe the. Aur jb aapka plan kaam nhi kiya to ab masum bann ne ki nautanki kr rahi h"

Alvira felt like she has been slapped. It became hard for her to stand in her feet. "Yeh sach nhi h. Woh dono ek dusre se sachha pyaar krte the. Aap hum pr galat ilzaam laga rhe h"

Waseem clapped sarcastically, "Drama bakhubi kr leti h aap bechari hone ka. Lgta h khandaani parampara h yeh aap k yahan. Aapko to kisi Drama Company me shaamil hona chahiye. Issi bahane aapke ghar me do paise hi aa jayenge. Warna aapke bete ko to hamari beti ki mehnat paiso pe palne me koi sharam nhi thi"

"Ab aap khud yahan se jaengi ya fir hum dhakke maar kr bahar nikalwaye? Yaa itni bhi sharam nahi bachi h aap me?", Waseem was at the peak of his voice as his anger crossed every limit that day.

Alvira who didn't know where else to go kept her hands on her chest which were feeling heavy as the pain rose inside her due to the stress.

Waseem saw her face last time as guard dragged her outside the house.

(FLASHBACK ENDED)

"Tumhari Ammi ne bhi yahi galti ki thi. Hamari baat naa maan ne ki. Woh hum hi the jisne tumhari Ammi ko tumhari maut ki jhoothi khabar pahunchayi thi, taaki woh tum tk pahunchne ki bekaar koshish dobara kabhi naa kare. Pr tum bach nikle. Pr Zoya tk hum tumhe kabhi nahi pahunchne denge", he crashed Sahir's frame beneath his feet.

He then picked the landline receiver in the cabin & dialled a number. "Dr. Sunil Ojha hamari baat kaan khol kr suniye. Woh aadmi agle 24 hours me wapas aap ke Pagalkhane me hona chahiye. Warna aap jante h hamari pahunch kahan tk h"

Waseem threatened Dr. Ojha on phone and cut the call.

**********

Hello peeps! How you doin'?

Sorry for being super late again. And before you say, the next update in on the way because I know this was short for you.

C'ya ;)