https://youtu.be/VSatlkph3NE

 "Zara! Zara, ankhein kholo yaar!" 

Panic gripped me as I held her limp body, her blood staining my hands. Every heartbeat felt like an eternity, dragging me deeper into despair. 

"Tum log yahan khade kya ho? Jaao! Pakad lao usko jisne shoot kiya!" I barked at the others, my voice raw with urgency.

 "Fahad bhai, gaadi nikaalo, jaldi!"

As Fahad rushed to bring the car around, I cradled Zara in my arms, my heart racing. 

"Zara, please... aankhein kholo. Tumne promise kiya tha na ke mujhe kabhi akela nahi chhodo gi. Toh aise kaise jaa sakti ho?"

I tapped her cheeks gently, desperately willing her to respond, even as the weight of her stillness pressed down on me.

Finally, we reached the hospital, and the chaos of the emergency room enveloped us. The doctors rushed her inside, and I could only stand there, breathless and torn apart.

"Zara, mujhe chhod kar mat jao... main tumse bahut pyaar karta hoon. Tumhe kuch nahi ho sakta," I muttered, gripping a nearby doctor by the shoulders. 

"Doctor, please... jaldi karo! Inhe kuch nahi hona chahiye, kuch bhi nahi!"

The doctor nodded, his voice calm yet firm. "Don't worry, sir. We're taking her to the emergency room. Aap yahan wait kariye."

I stood by the door, my fingers trembling as I folded my hands together, looking up as if pleading to the heavens.

"Allah, meri Zara ko bacha lo... wo meri zindagi hai. Mere sab kuch... Zara," I whispered, wiping the tears that streamed down my face.

Imaad and Vikram burst into the lobby, their faces etched with concern. 

"Faris! Zara kahan hai? Kahaan le gaye usse?" I barely managed to look up, my throat dry and tight. "Emergency room mein hain. Agar usse kuch hua toh... main mar jaunga." 

My tears flowed freely now, mixing with the fear clawing at my insides. "Humein us admin ko dhoondna hoga jisne yeh sab kiya! Chalna hoga!"

But Imaad gripped my shoulders, shaking me gently but firmly. "Faris, hosh mein aao! Hum sab uske peeche jaake kya karenge? Log gaye hain uske peeche, aur wo jo bhi hoga, bach nahi sakta."

Vikram's voice was steady, though his eyes betrayed the pain he felt. "Abhi Zara ko akela nahi chhod sakte. Yeh jagah uske liye khatarnaak ho sakti hai."

Hours dragged on, each moment heavier than the last. I couldn't eat or move; I just kept praying, begging to whatever power would listen to save her. "Zara, please... tum hi ho meri zindagi. Tumhare bina main kuch bhi nahi," I whispered into the silence, feeling the weight of the world resting on my shoulders.

Finally, the doctor emerged, and the air thickened with anticipation. 

"Surgery successful thi," he announced, relief flooding my veins, "par abhi hosh nahi aayega. Jab aayega, aap log mil sakte hain."

"Shukriya... shukriya aapka, doctor, Allah ka shukriya hai." I replied, my gratitude overwhelming as I shook his hand, the pressure in my chest finally easing, if only slightly.

Inside the dimly lit room, I sat by her bedside, holding her hand tightly. 

"Zara, tum aise nahi ja sakti... tum bilkul thik ho jaogi, main waada karta hoon." 

My voice turned hard, anger and grief boiling beneath the surface. 

"Aur jisne yeh kiya hai... uske anjaam tak pahunchaye bina mujhe chain nahi aayega. Tum jaldi uth jaana, Zara... tumhare bina main nahi reh paunga."

As Imaad and Vikram left to track down her shooter, I was left alone in the quiet room, the beeping of the machines the only sound accompanying my thoughts. I closed my eyes for a moment, imagining her laughter, the light in her eyes that had always drawn me in. Eventually, exhaustion overcame me, and I fell asleep with my head resting beside her hand, clutching it tightly as if my grip could tether her to life and protect her from the darkness that threatened to take her away.

(A/n)Faris jolted awake to a horrific scene: the hospital was engulfed in flames. 

The hospital was chaos, and my heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear anything else. I was numb, my hands trembling as I ran through the smoke and the shouting. 

"Zara!"

I yelled, barely able to breathe as the flames roared louder. I knew she was inside, and every second felt like a knife cutting deeper into me.

Just as I was about to rush into the flames, strong arms held me back. I turned to see Imaad, his face as devastated as mine. 

"Bhai, Zara andar hai! Chhoro mujhe!" 

I fought against him, desperate, wild. She couldn't be gone. She just couldn't. But his grip only tightened, his eyes filled with a pain I'd never seen in him before.

"Faris... woh ab nahi rahi," 

Vikram's voice came from behind, barely audible over the crackling fire. I looked over, and my heart nearly stopped. He held out something—Zara's necklace, half-charred, blackened from the fire.

"No... no, yeh nahi ho sakta..." 

I stumbled back, shaking my head, my whole body trembling. 

"Yeh sapna hai, yeh Zara nahi hai."

But my mind screamed otherwise as I looked past them and saw what was left—a body, wrapped in a scorched sheet, barely recognizable. "Nahi! Yeh Zara nahi ho sakti!"

But Vikram's hand on my shoulder felt like the weight of truth pressing down on me. 

"Bhai, woh humari Zara thi." His voice broke. 

"Aur jisne yeh sab kiya... woh sau guna tadpega."

My knees buckled, and I collapsed right there. The world faded, and all I could see, all I could feel, was the gaping emptiness Zara had left behind. She had been my everything, my anchor. The silence that filled me now was colder than any fire.

I don't remember how we made it to the graveyard. I don't even remember the drive there. All I know is the pain, that searing pain as we lowered her into the earth. My lips whispered the final prayers, barely able to say goodbye. 

"Zara... tumne kaha tha tum mujhe akela nahi chhodo gi," 

I whispered, feeling the last piece of my heart shatter as we laid her to rest.

Walking away, the grief mixed with something darker, something that burned hotter than the flames that had taken her. Whoever did this, whoever had the audacity to take Zara from me, would pay. For every tear shed, for every second of agony, I would make him suffer. This was my promise to her, and I'd carry it out if it took my last breath.

🐣

Five years ago, I woke up to a nightmare that still haunts me. The day I slept through the sirens, the day the hospital burned, echoes in my mind like a relentless drumbeat. 

If only I had been awake, if only I had been there, Zara would still be here with me. I'm certain of it. I've spent the last five years searching for you, and today, even Baba told me not to come to the office. Today, I will find you, Zara.

As the morning light streamed through my window, I got up and went through my daily routine, each movement a mechanical part of my existence. 

I pulled on a black t-shirt and jeans, glancing at the clock that seemed to mock me with its passing time. I grabbed my phone and texted Aftab, my friend and partner in crime. 

"Pick me up. We've got places to go."

Aftab, a complete bad boy with a penchant for trouble, arrived in his sleek car a few minutes later. He was already blasting music as I hopped in, the familiar beats surrounding me like a shield. 

The song was "Rabba Mere" playing through the speakers, and the lyrics hit me hard:

"Rabba Mere, Mujhe Ghar Pe Tere Kadi Bula,
Teri Chaukhat Pe De De Aur Jo Dard Ho Baaqi,
Rula Mujhe Rajj Rajj Ke,
Aaj Mera Jee Karda..."

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the music wash over me. Each note resonated with my longing, my grief, and my determination. The words spoke of a yearning that mirrored my own—an ache for the one I lost.

"Ki Aj Mera Jee Karda,
Ki Aj Mera Jee Karda,
Jee Karda, Jee Karda Ho..."

As the car sped through the streets of Turkey, I felt a flicker of hope igniting within me. I needed to find Zara, to know that she was alive, to finally put the ghosts of the past to rest. 

My heart raced as we drove past familiar places, each one a reminder of our shared moments. I clenched my fists, the resolve in me strengthening with every beat of the song.

"Ik Waari Deedar Ko Ter..."

With every lyric, I remembered her smile, her laughter, and the way her eyes lit up with life. I wouldn't stop until I found her. Today was the day I would confront the shadows of the past and finally uncover the truth about what happened five years ago. Today, I would honor her memory by refusing to let it slip away into the darkness.

"Let's go, Aftab," I said, determination lacing my voice as I turned to him. 

"We have a mission."

As the song continued, the lyrics wrapped around me like a haunting echo of my past:

"Le Loon Balaayein, Balaayein Teri,
De Doon Duaayein, Duaayein...
Le Ja, Le Ja Tu, Ab Ki Baari...
Saansein Ab Hain Haari... Haari... Haari... Haari..."

Memories flooded back, each one sharper than the last. I remembered the desperate search for Zara, my heart aching as I roamed the streets barefoot, calling her name. In the rain, in the summer heat, in the chill of winter snow, I searched every house, every corner of the city, my hope flickering like a candle in the wind.

"Zara, meine apse pyar kiya... mein apko dhundke rhung, Zara," 

I had shouted, kneeling in the middle of the road as rain poured down, blurring the lines between my tears and the downpour. 

"Mujhe bharosa hai mere us khuda pe, wo mujhe aapse zarur milayenge."

The car's interior felt suffocating as I murmured softly, "Zara, mein aa raha hoon... mein aa raha hoon."

Aftab's voice broke through my reverie. "We've arrived at the address. Should I come with you?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"Nahi, Aftab. Aap rho. Mein dekh kar aata hoon," I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. This was my last hope—the final house on the list where I might find someone who knew where she was.

I stepped out of the car and glanced at the other houses nearby. Taking a deep breath, I decided, "Ek baar inse puch kar jata hoon, kya pata kuch info mil jaye."

With determination propelling me forward, I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. Each chime echoed like the ticking clock of my heart, amplifying my anxiety. 

As I rang the doorbell, it felt like an eternity passed. Impatience bubbled inside me; I was about to turn away when the door finally creaked open. My breath caught in my throat.

Standing there, staring back at me, was a girl. The moment felt surreal, a jolt of recognition striking me. But before I could process anything, shock coursed through me.

Could it be?

I stood frozen, the world around me fading away, every question screaming in my mind. The air thick with anticipation and uncertainty, I felt the ground shift beneath me as I prepared to step into the unknown.

And then, everything hung in the balance.

Hey, beauties! 

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

 I apologize for the delay; 

I've been busy with exams and my schedule. 

Thank you to all the readers for your support!

 What do you think of the chapter? 

I'd love to hear your reviews 

and 

Any guesses about who might be at the door!