Startled by the sudden bright glow, I blinked several times and shielded my eyes by closing my lids shut.

Flickering in and out of consciousness, I knew nothing about what had taken place from the time of my blackout, other than the fact that I felt alarmingly scared.

I tried focusing my gaze but felt too dizzy to do so. I could only see a blurred vision of a luxurious room.
I groaned and stretched but I was unable to get myself to sitting position, let alone lift my hands or legs.

There was shuffling of the keys and footsteps of a person entering the room.

I tried listening to their conversation but my clouded brain could register nothing.

"How could you make such a wrong move....."

"I couldn't handle the pressure any longer."

A loud sound of something crashing against the wall, "You fool."

"Stop blaming me. She is going to help us."

I heard various parts of their conversation but all of it seemed meaningless.

"What if that rich brat comes to realise that his cellphone is missing?"

"It was only gone for thirty minutes to be precise, and during which he had been extremely engrossed in workings of his new project."

"Does it mean he will never realise that you used his phone."

"Even if he perceives it, he won't be able to do anything that can help him or harm us."

"Never underestimate your enemies."

All the sentences were foreign to me and I was sure that it wasn't associated with me in any way.

The only feeling that ran through me was of fear, but even that didn't make any sense.

Who was I scared of?

Or moreover who was I?

I tried screaming for help, but no sound would escape my lips. The feeling was numbness was so overpowering that it felt almost impossible to be able to do anything ever again.

"Aaaa---" I only gaped like a dying fish and swallowed a mouthful of oxygen. I felt two clinical hands probing me, examining me.

I struggled for long hours until I felt too exhausted to do it anymore.

I craved the bliss of not knowing or understanding anything. I welcomed the peaceful sleep overwhelm me as a syringe was withdrawn from my hand, slightly wincing at the pain that shot through my body.

My mind tuned out the whispers and irrelevant talks as I sank back to the soft warmth of the cushions and lost myself in a world of forgetfulness.

____________

"Mrs Hussain, Can you hear me?"

I tried opening my lids, but it felt too heavy. I wanted to tell the person that I could hear her but felt too drowsy to do so.

I gave up the struggle and laid still when I realised that it was a waste of time to try to move. I rather began concentrating on the sounds that enveloped me.

"I think the medication he gave her was too high."

Panic welled up inside me.

"But he had no other choice. If he wouldn't have mixed them in the juice then she wouldn't have lost consciousness and it would have been a real nightmare to bring her here."

"I don't think so. She is a softie."

"Believe me she can be a real tigress at times. I have watched her closely and have had the honour of knowing how smart she is. She has a perfect instinct."

"If she is so smart then why didn't she realise that a romantic date would contain a welcoming husband."

She laughed out loud, "Love can make your intelligence turn into jelly. The fool had decided to propose her and had even ordered for a brilliant diamond ring to be immersed in the juice. Won't he be over the moon when he actualises that his darling wife is missing? Isn't it wonderful to get surprised when you are actually thinking that you are the one who is giving surprises,' She went into fits of laughter. "It feels stupendous to laugh so much, it has been ages since I felt so light."

"But, why did you ask him to kidnap her?" He asked, as long fingers tapped my shoulders.

I?

I was kidnapped? Why?

"We have waited long enough to achieve the end of the story. She has played the role of an innocent perfectly well, but she will be at loss of her acting skills when our psychologists hypnotise her."

"My God! What would you achieve by such a feat?"

"She is going to blabber all the truth even before she knows it herself," The lady began laughing and clapping her hands. The laughing got louder and louder, I heard her fall on the hardwood and the laughter only got worse.

"Safa, you have gone insane!"

She let out a loud groan. "Yes I have, and it is making me feel so alive. For the first time in years, I don't need drugs to keep the adrenaline flowing in my system."

"I don't think there was a need to meddle with the juice. He would bring her without any harm."

"Of course, there was. She would have recognised him instantly if she would have seen him in the aircraft."

"I hope that you won't be heartbroken if you fail to please your dad."

A deafening sound of slapping, "Get lost this instance. I hate pessimistic people."

"I'm leaving already. I do not wish to see you brutally murder someone."

She laughed louder. "Do you really think that physical killing your enemy provides satisfaction?"

"I don't know, unlike you I do not possess violent streak."

"Of course, you are a loser. Safa could gain satisfaction only when she destroys people emotionally when she is able to make them a wreck. Suck their happiness and live them bear, just like the world left me."

"Do you know that you are ruined by the bitterness inside you. Instead of using hypnosis on Aleena, you should use it for yourself and try to end the hardness of your heart. I'm sure there will be an angel inside the exterior of the witch, you just need to give yourself a chance."

"I love your philosophy but it would help you if you would use it in the right direction. Why not try and print your intelligence in the rag of yours."

"Safa!"

"What?"

"Don't call it a rag. My work is my passion."

She grunted and laughed harder, "Passion?"

"Stop insulting."

"I don't need to insult you, because you have already done it yourself when you sold yourself to my dad."

"I did it because I badly needed money, but you are doing this because you want revenge."

"Of course, I want my revenge."

"Then why do you claim that you love Aahil?"

"Do you know a secret, Safwan?"

"I don't wanna know."

"It is wonderful to hate a person as much as you love them," She whispered, clapping her hands once again, as she lost herself in the loud volumes of her laughter that echoed through the room and made me dizzy.

By the time I felt my eyes grow heavy again. I had convinced myself that I was only having a bad dream!

____________

Words I couldn't previously decipher, now linked up with recognisable sentences but yet they seemed to hold very little meaning.

I remembered flying on a helicopter, and then the sudden darkness that enveloped me. My last thoughts were of trying to think of a plan to protect someone.

"She is trying to move, it's a positive sign. I guess she is regaining her consciousness, notify them immediately," I heard the disembodied voice.

I tried turning towards the source of the sound but was unable to do so.

Some object was making it difficult for me to speak. I couldn't form words and then I realised that I wanted to breathe but it felt impossible.

A machine was breathing for me, oxygen was supplied directly through a mask.

"Thank you for your service, doctor."

"Don't thank me. I dislike what you make me do."

"When will we be able to hypnotise her?"

"I cannot say the exact day as the patient has been given a high dosage of dangerous drugs, it could take days for her brain to function normally."

"Such a waste of time." He groaned it was obvious that he wasn't the man who was present earlier in this room. This person sounded more arrogant and ruthless.

"And moreover she is carrying, so we need to be extra careful with the medicines that are provided to her."

"What is she carrying?" He grunted loudly, as he kicked nearby furniture with full force, making it stumble with a definite bang.

"Oh, I mean to say she is pregnant."

"Do you realise the importance of the information we have stumbled upon?" The lady mumbled and embraced me with strength, "Congratulations love."

Instinctively the maternal feeling as old as time itself swelled in me and tears began overflowing from my eyes.

A hand rested on my shoulders and whispered in my ears. "We have found the hen that lays the golden egg. Now your darling husband is going to realise how wonderful it is to lose someone who is priceless."

I tried speaking but my breathing mask wouldn't allow me, I couldn't even move my jaw.

I batted my eyelashes furiously to convey my distress.

"Take it easy, princess. Stress is not good for your little one," She poked a painted finger onto my ribcage and laughed until she lost herself completely.

I was incapable of motion, yet inside I was rolling with frustration.

Who was my husband?

All the questions were exhausting me and her shrill laughter was only increasing my anxiety.

Eventually, it was no match for the huge dark void that always remained in the fringes of my consciousness.

I tried overcoming it but in vain.

Finally, I gave myself to the peaceful sleep once again.