She grew worried as Ozhan started coughing. She could tell he couldn't breathe between the coughs. 

"Bring me water", she ordered a man standing at guard. They were having a hard time determining whether they were the ones holding her captive or it was the other way around. But it had been like this since the moment she started Ozhan's treatment which was almost twenty four hours ago.

"You're not getting any for this bastard!"

She sighed in annoyance. Standing up from the floor, she gritted out: "How many more times am i going to go over this point again and again? You are going to get me what i tell you because that bastard of a boss of yours ordered you so. So get me a bottle of water because I didn't spend hours trying to heal him just for him to die of a cough!"

While the guard was being told off by her, another guard had acted wisely and got what she had wanted. Grabbing the bottle of water, she headed towards Ozhan who was tied to a chair again.

It was silly in her sight. The man was literally covered in white gauze and was numb all over. Since she couldn't do anything about the comminuted fractures, she had numbed several parts of his body to reduce the intensity of pain. Did they really expect him to stand up on his feet and fight everyone singlehandedly?

She made the now dry heaving Ozhan drink water, careful not to spill its contents and wet his bandages.

"I'm surprised you haven't choked me yet, Bhabi. I thought you hated me."

Even in this state, he could still pull off that sly smirk.

"I still do and I hope you die. Just not from my hands. Especially not when i almost broke my bones while fixing yours."

"Ooohh. Have you finally acknowledged Yazaan lala as your husband? And accepted his family as yours?"

"Not even in my worst nightmare!"

She should really stop saying things like these in already dire situation, because she had concluded a long while ago that she had a jinxed mouth. It seemed like her nightmare just turned worse.

The first gunshot had her screaming for life. She immediately hunched against the wall, her hands covering her ears trying to keep the sounds at bay but to no avail.

There were numerous shots after that and finally, all nine guards in that room were lying in their own blood. Qasim came and untied Ozhan. Ofcourse, he couldn't stand up, so he didn't even try and tried to make Layeba aware of her surroundings. He called out:

"Bhabhi! Layeba Bhabhi! Its over now! Layeba!"

But she continued rocking back and forth with hands on her ears and lips chanting something he couldn't understand. He gave up and watched as Yazaan's whole army came inside through the small door, no doubt after taking life of each soul outside.  When the last man had taken his place against the wall, in came Yazaan Ibrahim Khan in all his glory.

He immediately rushed towards Ozhan, making him stand up and hugging the life out of him.

"Lala?", he said in Yazaan's ears.

"Hhmm?"

"If you wanted me dead, you could've let Shah do it. Why go through so much trouble?", he joked.

Yazaan broke the hug, holding him by shoulders. "Kya bakwaas kar raha hai tu, kutte!"

(What nonsense are you uttering, dog!)

"You could've killed me by squeezing!"

Yazaan shook his head and grabbed Ozhan by his nape and hugged him again.

"Musa!", Yazaan called.

"Yes?"

"Take him to the hospital."

Musa, Qasim and Taimoor helped Ozhan to leave this wretched place and into a car. They all left for the hospital immediately.

"Shoaib! Asfandyar! Inspect the entire place", he ordered because this place was quite big and he was certain there were more of Shah's men in there hiding like cowards. He gave other men things to do as well until the only man left was him and a guard on front door.

Only after that did his attention went to the slight whimpers of his wife. He went on his knees and grabbed her hands. She screamed and refused to remove her hands.

"Layeba! Open your eyes! Look at me!"

The whimpers intensified and he realized he was holding her hands way to tight. He softened his grip and tone at once and tried again, but she was in trauma. And he had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

He heard two gunshots going off in the upper floor and knew that his cousins had killed off more of Shah's men.

Abdul Wahab appeared from the door on the far end with the only person whom he thought could help her. His mother-in-law.

What is she doing here? Was what he thought but decided that it wasn't worth knowing at this point. This was Shah Zaman he was talking about.

Without a second thought, Shiza sat on the floor and grabbed her daughter in her arms.

No matter how much Shiza herself was scared, she forgot all that on seeing her daughter in this state. She too had to struggle for a while for Layeba to open her eyes but when she did, she started crying again the second her eyes met that of her mother's.

"Shhh. Its alright. Its all over now."

Being in her mother's lap, she felt like a child. It was alot for her to take in. She was a doctor. She was used to seeing heavily injured patients getting treatment. She was used to the sight of blood. She was even used to seeing people breathing their last. But she was not used to seeing people being slaughtered in front of her eyes.

After a while, she calmed down. She could feel her head throbbing and she felt nauseated. She used the end of her hijab to wipe her nose.

"Ammi? Arsal?"

The mention of her son was physically painful for Shiza. How could a child raised with such values stray away like that? She was ashamed to call him her son. No, she didn't doubt her upbringing. Nor did she blame herself now because she knew it wasn't true. But she still was having a hard time believing that her little baby had turned out to be a monster.

Getting no reaction from her mother, Layeba turned to Yazaan with tear-filled eyes.

"Khan, please. My brother."

In that moment, it didn't matter that he was her sworn enemy. None of the things he had done mattered to her. The only thing she knew was that if someone could find her brother, it was Yazaan Ibrahim Khan.

And he could read all that in her eyes.

"Was he here?"

She swallowed and began, her voice rough. "I don't know. I asked Shah Zaman and he said he's somewhere safe."

"Maybe he didn't have him? Maybe he was just bluffing?" He couldn't see his saale sahab anywhere so his thinking like this was pretty normal. If Arsal was here, his men would've found him.

She continued sobbing. If Layeba was able to see herself right now, she would've rebuked herself. "No. He did. When- when Shah's - Shah's men attacked us, he- he came to me. He- said he had come- come to save me. We- we both got in- in a car. But a man at-attacked us and br-brought me here. I know Shah Zaman took him too."

Shiza didn't know whether she was furious at her son or heartbroken for her daughter right now. She didn't have a heart to tell Layeba the truth. She knew it would break her even more.

"Yazaan. Yazaan, please." Layeba grabbed his arms and pleaded him. "Yazaan please, Arsal ko dhoondo. I'm begging you, please!" Her tears soaked his shirt's sleeves and evoked emotions he couldn't understand.

(Find Arsal, please.)

He helped her stand up, all while consoling, "Okay. I promise. If he's taken by Shah Zaman, i'll bring him to you in one piece. I'll find him."

Oh! How he wished anyone had told him then and there that this promise was going to cost him his life and his wife!

He let Shiza take full weight of her daughter with Layeba's head on her shoulder.

"Let me escort you to the car."

Shiza nodded and they both turned around, ready to head out the door and try to forget about this damned place. Hearing footsteps behind him, Yazaan looked back without turning fully.

His eyes couldn't get any bigger, there was no doubt in that. From the far end of the warehouse, two men he was all too familiar with, climbed down the stairs. One he had seen kill many times, other, he had never thought could ever even hold a gun in his hand, let alone point it at someone.

He couldn't move from the shock that pulsed in his veins. Shiza realized Yazaan had stopped and turned as well. Like him, she froze with shock as well.

"Ammi, what happened?" Layeba was about to look back when it happened.

You know those moments when alot happen in only a second but feel like an eternity? The moments when things happen in extra slow motion? It was like that for Yazaan.

Layeba was turning her head when the boy pressed the trigger. The bullet left the barrel, covered the long distance and hit Layeba in her abdomen.

With impact, she fell down, unable to comprehend what had happened. Then the pain registered. And boy, did it hurt! Her scream was muffled by the four bullets that left Yazaan's gun, none of which missed its target.

One bullet went right in between his eyes and other three hitting different points in his chest. With a single shot, Abdul Wahab finished Shahbaz, the son of Shah Zaman, off.

As he watched his brother-in-law fall to the ground, he thought one thing:

This one life is going to cost me dearly, isn't it? She won't ever forgive me now.

He turned to look at Layeba but his eyes clashed with those of his mother-in-law. There was pain, anger, hurt, disappointment_ all in those big brown eyes. Tears were streaming down Shiza's cheeks. But one thing shined bright through all of that and it allowed Yazaan to breathe. 

She doesn't blame him for her son's death. He got what he deserved.

"Ammi!"

Without a thought , Yazaan picked her up in his arms and dashed outside, towards the car. He laid her down in the back seat and sat in the driver's seat himself. Shiza had just sit beside her daughter when Yazaan sped the car, rushing for the hospital.

Layeba's heavy breathing overpowered his senses despite the loud noise of traffic.

"Don't let me sleep, Ammi", Layeba said in a weak voice.

Pressing on her wound to stop the bleeding, Shiza promised. "I won't, mera bacha! I won't. Nothing will happen to you. InshaAllah!"

She started blowing all the prayers she knew, on her.

Allah! Please meri bachi ko zindagi baksh de!

(Please give my daughter life.)

Layeba coughed, splattering blood all over her chin. Her vision was starting to blur and she couldn't focus on the sounds around her.

"Ammi! Its getting really cold."

"It will pass, meri jaan. Sabar. . . Yazaan, beta, please jaldi gaari chalao!", she shrieked at the end.

(My life. Patience. . . Son, please drive faster!)

Her condition worsened, her breathing harshened, her pulse slowed down, and her eyes closed. Putting more force on the accelerator, he changed lanes like mad, until finally he jerked the car to a stop in front of a hospital. He yelled for a stretcher to be brought and took Layeba out.

"Doctor. You can't die, okay? I won't allow you. You're supposed to live, okay? Abhi tum ne mjhe or gaalian deni hain. Or gayaan dene hain. Okay? Don't you dare die on me!", he was muttering in her ear, all while running.

(You have to swear at me and deliver more lectures!)

Nurses took her from him, laying down on a bed and rushing towards the operation theater. Everything was blurry after that. He rubbed his hands on his face and only then he realized, there were tears on his face all along.

Allah! Please let her live!

•~•

Blood squirted out of Shoaib's nose as Yazaan punched him straight in the face. He grabbed him by his collar and Shoaib did nothing to defend himself.

"DIDN'T I FUCKING TELL YOU TO INSPECT THE ENTIRE FUCKING PLACE! HOW DID YOU NOT SEE HIM?"

"Lala! You know the place was huge. We were doing our job. We were yet to look there when it happened", Asfandyar answered from behind.

Yazaan clapped twice, barely restraining his anger. "You didn't even see them running down the stairs. Bravo!" Asfandyar opened his mouth to reply but Yazaan grabbed him from his nape and squeezed harshly. "Shukar manao! Shukar manao ke tum log Yazaan Ibrahim Khan ke khandaan se ho warna tum logon ki haddiya bhi tumhare ghar walon ko na milteen!"

(Thank God that you belong to Yazaan Ibrahim Khan's family. Else, your parents wouldn't have been even able find your bones!)

Dismissing all of them, he went to Ozhan's room for him to give Yazaan some reassurance.

Ozhan laid on his bed, covered in bandages. His surgery had went longer than Layeba's but madam were yet to open her eyes while this madman was sitting with his eyes wide open.

"No progress?"

He shook his head and sat on the chair beside the hospital bed.

"She'll be fine. You know its not because of the bullet. The poor girl was traumatised. Her body needs rest."

"I know."

He went silent. The way his head hung was enough for Ozhan to know that he wanted to say something which he didn't want to admit to himself.

"What happened?"

He banged his head on his fist, repeatedly. "Whatever your stupid plan was, it worked."

"What?"

"You wanted me to fall in love with the Doctor." He looked at Ozhan straight in the eyes and said, "it worked. I love her."

"You're saying like it's a bad thing." Even though it hurt to smile, Ozhan's smile was bigger than that of Cheshire's.

"It's not a good thing either, is it? Don't you see the problem? I love her with all that i have and she fucking hates me!"

"No, she doesn't."

Yazaan scoffed. "Please. She can't tell me that any clearer."

"She doesn't hate you. She doesn't even know you. She hates your ideas. She hates the man you have morphed yourself into. She hates Yazaan Ibrahim Khan. The mafia lord. Not Yazaan. Not my Tai Ammi's son. Not Abeerah's protector. Not my big brother. How can she hate someone she hasn't even met? Even i haven't seen my brother since we killed Dada."

Yazaan swallowed. He knew what Ozhan was saying held value but he also was dead sure that:

"She will."

"She will what?"

"She will hate me. She will hate Yazaan as well. She won't even want to know Yazaan."

"Why do you think so?"

He worked his jaw for a while, struggling to get words out. He licked his lips, and said,

"I killed her brother."

Silence.

Then, "It might be because of all the drugs i have in my system right now, but i can swear i heard you say that you killed her brother?"

He locked his jaw and nodded.

"Why?"

Yazaan told him everything.

"Well, Shit!"

"Exactly."

No words were spoken after that. For once, Ozhan was speechless. He hadn't a clue of what to say. He just looked at his brother with sadness when he said,

"The only thing I know is that i won't be able to live without her anymore, Ozhan."

•~•

Assalam u Alaikum guys! How are y'all? Online classes suck, don't they?

How was the chapter? Did you guys like it? I'm slowly starting to get close to the scene in the prologue. I hope you all are anticipating it as much as i am.

Don't question Yazaan's behavior please. it doesn't even make sense to me😂 but i have to make you guys like my hero, don't i?

Anyway! Shukar hai Arsalan mar gaya! Jab tak wo mara nai tha mjhe lag raha tha k story main drag kar rahi hun.

If you guys find any mistake in it, grammatical or otherwise, please point it out to me, cuz i have no heart to reread it.

Please vote⭐ and comment and follow me and share the story as well.

Thank you so much for bearing my mess and supporting me💕💕💕

Lots of love❤❤❤
Javeria