Sadia sighed and messaged her temples.

This is not good. She thought to herself in despair.

In front of her sat Anissa Ghulari. She was just sitting there, her body posture relaxed, her legs pulled up and folded. Like always, the young lady was dressed immaculately in a causal yet rich lawn outfit, designed to perfection. Her neck adorned with jewels and her wrists heavy with gold bangles. There were only two single rings present on her left middle and ring fingers which Sadia had inferred as her engagement and wedding rings.

Anissa was staring blankly at Sadia. And it made Sadia feel uncomfortable. She never felt this way with a female patient before. She had seen many patients in her short career but none of those cases seemed as hopeless as this one. Part of the reason being that Sadia didn't have a proper patient history. Shehryaar didn't say anything apart from vague details like he had to discipline her in terms of a little violence and after her miscarriage, she became like this. And Sadia pitied the poor broken woman who was sitting in front of her. She was completely flailed. And Sadia couldn't help but blame the man who called himself Anissa's husband for what happened with Anissa. She usually didn't sympathize too deeply with her patients but something about Anissa Ghulari's condition had Sadia's heart clenching with pity and sadness. What a sorry state the young lady was in, Sadia could only imagine what she might've gone through. Sadia didn't know the proper history but from her observations, she knew that her patient was deeply traumatised. And when Sadia recalled what Shehryaar Ghulari had told her, she felt shudders run down her spine in fear.

'I saw her two years ago. She had saved my life. After that, I wanted her but I couldn't get her due to some circumstances. And I grew obsessive. She became my obsession that I pursued for years. But when my path was cleared, I got to her and forced her to marry me. The forceful means I had to use were hard and somewhat violent. But she didn't give in. She kept on disobeying me. And i hate disobedience. So, I had to use force but she resisted and fought me. She tried to get away from me but I got her back. After that, I just wanted to hurt her back for betraying me. So I had to use some indiscreet means. That resulted in her becoming violent. I didn't know that she was pregnant at that time and the events happened so fast that it led to her miscarriage when she fell from the stairs. She was in a coma for some days and when she woke up, she's been like this. I've had every doctor look at her. Physically she's completely fine and healthy. But if that were the case, then why the hell is she like this?'

Why indeed? Sadia thought, her eyes trained on Anissa's face. what Shehryaar Ghulari had told her was very vague. He didn't go into detail although patient history demanded detail. And Sadia could only ask limited questions which Shehryaar was skeptical of answering. She didn't ask beyond that because she knew that he wouldn't tell her anything else beyond what he already told her because he didn't trust her and her own fear didn't allow her to cross a powerful man like Shehryaar Ghulari who could easily have her licence revoked. But she could easily tell that he had trust issues. And it was alright but still, she needed to know what happened so that she may arrive at a diagnosis. Without a proper history, Sadia couldn't come up with a diagnosis. And it was clear that Anissa herself wasn't in any position to say anything. History is always taken from the patient but because of Anissa's mutism, she couldn't say anything much less give a history.

If Anissa Ghulari had suffered abuse then Sadia needed to know what type of abuse. If she had undergone harsh and violent treatment from her husband then she needed to decipher what type it was.

Sadia sighed and jumped to her feet. "I think that it's enough for today." She smiled defeatedly at Anissa.

And Sadia knew that if she didn't work fast and produce results then this would result in her first failure. Sadia didn't mind making mistakes or losing but she hated feeling disappointment at something that she knew she could accomplish with hard work and effort. That's what she always did. So, she wouldn't give up. She would have to put away her silly fears and ask of Mr. Ghulari what was needed for his wife's wellbeing.

Sadia glanced at Anissa from the corner of her eye as she picked up her bag. She was indeed a beauty. Sadia had never seen a beautiful woman like Anissa Ghulari before.

'If she had undergone so much abuse, then what she's become is the result that you sought. Why do you want her treated?' Sadia had managed to ask this despite her nervousness but she needed to know the motives of the abuser.

'She's mine. I want her normal again. And that's what you are here for. Make her normal again. Make her herself again.' Shehryaar Ghulari had growled at her, his icy tone easily displaying his anger at her inquiry. But it needed to be done. The field of psychiatry was a sensitive field that required inquiries of sensitive and intrusive topics after all.

She could understand why Shehryaar Ghulari was so obsessive and possessive of her. But she also understood that the young Billionaire wasn't normal either. No normal man would treat a woman this way.

'She's been silent. She doesn't speak at all no mater what I do.'

That accounted for elective mutism. That only occurs as a result of severe psychological trauma. And there were a thousand possibilities for the cause of that which Sadia couldn't pinpoint because of the inconclusive history. From what Shehryaar had told her about Anissa's past history, she had already undergone another traumatic incident which he didn't bother clarifying. Sadia knew this much that the past trauma might've caused her to suffer from PTSD. And now with the present abusive circumstances that she might've gone through, her mind couldn't bear it. The most that Sadia could figure out after all this time was that her PTSD had progressed. With dissociative amnesia and repressed memories, the possible diagnoses could be anything.

Sadia looked at Anissa: she was silent and staring into space. She couldn't help but think how pretty she was yet so pitiable.

I need to know more. She thought. She turned to Anissa and smiled.

"I'll be seeing you again on Monday inshaa Allah. Take care till then." She smiled at Anissa and left.

As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she stopped when she saw Shehryaar standing by his desk, his hands dipped into his pant pockets and glared at the young doctor. Sadia swallowed hard and fixed her eyes on the polished floor.

"You are not producing any results doctor." Shehryaar spoke, his tone cold as ice. "It's been two months and you haven't produced any results. My wife is still the same!" He boomed, causing Sadia to cringe.

"Ye-s...... I know," She stammered in trepidation. "I apologise but um," she paused, not knowing what to say. She wasn't the most confident person. But she knew that it was her duty to respond despite feeling Shehryaar's stone cold glare on herself.

Breathing in deeply, she summoned all of her bravery and looked at Shehryaar, only focusing her gaze on his face or neck and not his icy cold eyes. Her heart was beating fast. She was nervous and intimidated at the same time. Shehryaar Ghulari had that type of dark aura around him and he made sure to leave those around him trembling in fear. And Sadia couldn't mistake it for anything else for she was also one of them. But she had some confidence when it came to her job. As a physician, she knew what to do but in the presence of the country's most powerful individual, even the most confident of people wouldn't know how to respond so she hoped that her voice wouldn't betray her and give way to her nervousness.

"The reason I cannot, um, draw a possible conclusion is because," she was surprised that her voice didn't break. It was low but good enough. "I don't have a proper patient history."

"I've already told you what had happened to her." Shehryaar said, his voice hard.

"Yes but it is not enough." Sadia said in monotone. "I need to know more. I cannot treat her if I don't know what she's been through. I need to know each and every detail..... What your wife is suffering from is a very sensitive psychiatric condition. Even the most smallest of detail can help." She said, mentally patting herself on the back for getting the words out.

Shehryaar Ghulari was silent. He looked away from her and sighed.

"What do you suggest?" He asked.

"I would, uh, suggest talking with her family."

"Her family hasn't seen her in months. They don't know how she is or what happened to her."

"Yes but sir, they can at least give me some details about her personality," She stopped and tried to read Shehryaar's expression. "How she used to be and how she had dealt with her previous trauma."

Shehryaar glared at her. "Fine. I'll arrange for her cousins to come here."

Sadia frowned in confusion. Why her cousins? Didn't she have any parents?

"I think that her parents-"

"Her parents are unaware of her condition. As far as I know, she is very close to her cousins. I think that they can help more then her parents." He said, his voice

"Very well."

***********

Sadia sighed deeply to herself. Her finger tapped on the desk continuous as she thought.

'It's been two months and you've produced no results. My wife is still the same!'

Shehryaar Ghualri's booming voice ringed in her ears and Sadia shuddered, sensing his anger even now. And she deserved it. She prided herself in excellence yet here she was, failing miserably.

For two months she used therapy on Anissa Ghulari but to no avail. What was she suppose to do?

Well, hopefully the next session will be somewhat productive. She thought Hopefully.

Sadia heard a knock on her door.

"Doctor?" Her assistant entered.

"What is it? I'm sure that I finished my rounds." Sadia yawned.

"Yes ma'am but another case was just brought in the ER."

"Tell the house officer to deal with it." Sadia got up, feeling exhausted. All she wanted to do now was go home, take a warm bath and sleep.

"But ma'am, it's a rape case." Her assistant relayed. That caught Sadia's attention immediately. She jumps to her feet and went to the ER.

Sadia found rape cases interesting. As a psychiatrist, she was extremely fascinated by it.

One problem with Sadia was that she wasn't able to understand other people's feelings. She could sympathise and empathise but what she really wanted to understand was the feelings and emotions of others. Sometimes, Sadia would be too insensitive and indifferent when dealing with sensitive issues in life. She didn't understand why she couldn't understand other people's feelings. She felt those feelings as well but she didn't understand them or she couldn't connect with them or she didn't know how to properly convey them. Most of the time, her answers would be too logical, so cold and straight that would lead to the disapproval of others around her. She discovered this trait about herself when her grandfather died, she wasn't that attached to her grandfather. And upon his death, she felt sad but that was all. She couldn't bring herself to cry.

'Why are you crying? He's dead.' Sadia said to her weeping cousin. her cousin looked at her in shock.

'All we can do is be respectful now. There's no point in crying.' she had said this when she was fourteen. She was concerned but her cousin perceived Sadia's condolences to be cold and unsympathetic that had her give Sadia a good scolding. And that's what got her curiosity jumping.

She concluded that this was a trait due to her superior intellect and logic. She couldn't be sentimental. She could feel but not understand it. And sometimes understand it but not feel it. The same was when she was working; there were many instances where she would deeply sympathise with her patients, like she did with Anissa Ghulair but then there were some cases where she wouldn't feel anything for the patient. And this trait of her made her an excellent professional and keeping patient confidentiality was easy for her especially when she didn't form any personal opinion about it.

Rape cases were one of them. The incidence of rape was average in Pakistan. Thankfully, she didn't get to see many rape cases but whenever she would see one, she would study it with a passion.

The reason she chose psychiatry as a career was because it was a study of the human behaviour. And for Sadia, she was a very curious person. And she sought knowledge in each and everything that she could get her hands on. That was one of the reasons why her research papers were quickly accepted at the National institute of Psychiatry.

And now, Sadia was seriously considering research on the sensitive issue of rape. She wanted to formulate a proper therapy and treatment for it then the ones that were already in practice. And who knows, Maybe she might succeed and go on to win a Nobel prize.

Sadia shook her head as she smiled, walking down the long corridor and straight to the emergency.

"Sister Nasreem?" Sadia greeted the senior nurse, a stern looking old lady.

"Dr. Sadia."

"Where is the patient who was brought in a few minutes ago."

The nurse looked at her and asked in a low voice. "The rape case?"

Sadia nodded. "Yes."

"She's over there. She's unconscious at the moment. She was brought in that way."

"I see." Sadia headed towards a curtained bed in the corner.

The woman brought in was a teenager. Her appearance was messy but judging from her outfit, of a pale blue sleeveless blouse and Sadia could tell that this was a date rape case. Sadia instructed a nurse to have the patient escorted into a private room.

"When she wakes up, call me. I'll be in my office." She instructed her assistant and went back to her office.

She fished out her phone from her pocket and dialled her father's number. It was almost 8pm so she was sure that he must be home by now.

"Asalam alaikum Sadia." Gen. Abdul Rehman answered.

"Walaikum Asalam baba. I just called to let you know that I'll be late tonight." She relayed.

"Is everything alright?" Her father's tone was laced with heavy concern and it warmed Sadia's heart to feel and sense her father's love for her. She may have lived a sheltered life and her father may have been protective of her but he gave her freedom to do as she wanted as long as she kept her father informed of her activities. Sadia was grateful that she came from an open minded and down to earth family. Not everyone was like that, especially not from the environment that Sadia belonged to.

"Yes yes alhamdulillah everything is alright. It's just that an important case was brought it and I need to stay behind to look after it." She told.

"Alright meray bachay." Her father agreed in understanding. "Just give the driver a text when you're done. He will come and pick you up."

"I will. Allah hafiz."

"Allah hafiz."

Sadia had a lot of time on her hands so she went to her office to take a short nap after which she would take evening rounds.

But as soon as she entered her office, she stopped herself from screaming when she saw Zameer Sheikh standing by her desk.

"Oh my God, Mr. Sheikh!" She exclaimed breathlessly, her hand clutching at her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

Zameer looked at her with a blank face. Sadia was quick to fix her eyes in the floor. Her heart was pounding and her cheeks flared up immediately.

"Um, do you need something?" She stammered, feeling nervous sweat break on her skin.

The room was silent. Sadia could only hear herself breath in and out heavily.

Zameer said nothing. He stood there, his side facing her as he watched her. Sadia didn't dare raise her eyes.

The thick silence in the air was unnerving.

What's he doing here? She thought. She was just brought back from the session three hours ago.

Zameer watched her closely. She was trying to sink herself into the door if it would allow it. He resisted the urge to chuckle. He found it amusing yet disagreeable at the same time.

Why was she so timid? Why didn't she have any confidence to lift up her chin and look him in the eye?

He had to consider though, he had always surrounded himself with bold women. Bold and confident women to warm up his bed and sometimes give him company. He had never been around Normal women. Only the temporary lady with glitz.

But looking at Sadia, he couldn't help but compare her to the one true normally confident and strong woman that he knew: Anissa Ghalib.

He had never seen a woman more strong then Anissa. He had made her his role model. But looking at Sadia, all he wanted was to confront her about her timidness. And because of that, he didn't like her. But he had no say. He was no one to her. She was just another job for him.

Sadia wanted to ask him what he was doing here but she couldn't even if she wanted to. She was just too nervous in his presence.

Zameer started to take steps towards her. His steps were slow, calculative. Sadia's heart hammered as she heard each step that he took her in direction.

"Um," she swallowed, feeling her palms become sweaty and her body shook a little and she tried her hardest not to let him notice and thankfully, she was being successful.

Zameer didn't know why but he wanted to look into the eyes of this shy and incredible timid girl. His hand inched to lift up her chin so that he may look into the eyes of this mysterious girl.

What the hell? He thought in bafflement. She's a little girl for God's sake. He represented himself.

As he neared her, he was careful not to invade the young doctor's personal space. Sadia was about to say something but didn't get the chance as Zameer pulled up her hand bag.

"You forgot this in the car." Zameer said in monotone.

Why didn't he just leave it on the desk and leave? Sadia thought as she took her bag.

"Please check to see if everything is in order. If anything is missing then tell me." Zameer claimed. Sadia nodded. With shaking hands, which she failed to hide but she didn't care. She just wanted him to leave already.

Zameer was wondering why he didn't just leave the bag on her desk and leave? Maybe it was because he wanted to make sure that the bag would safely be returned to its owner since it must've held important things but that wasn't a plausible reason.

Its just a job. Zameer remedies himself. And he always took care of his jobs with perfection.

"Yes, everything is in order." Sadia affirmed. Zameer gave her a stiff nod, his eyes hard and his expression blank.

"Very well, I shall be back again on Monday." Zamerr informed.

Sadia nodded.

She waited for him to leave but he wasn't moving.

She slightly raised her head, clutching her bag tightly in her hands.

"Uh, you were-"

"You're standing at the door." Zameer interjected. Sadia's eyes widened and a small giggle left her mouth. She tried to conceal her smile upon realising her foolishness. "Oh," she walked away from the door.

Zameer was stunned. This was the first time he heard her laugh. It was small yet joyful. He looked upon her face, a sudden grin, against rosy cheeks and hooded eyes, she looked adorable.

Shaking his head, Zameer quickly left before he could chuckle as well.

***********