The Damage

Tomorrow she is going to marry her childhood friend, Zeeshan Zia. But she doesn't hold any kind of feelings for him. She has to agree to this marriage just for the sake of her father's happiness and because her knot with him was tied in their childhood. 

No doubt, Zeeshan is a good man and most importantly, he is her childhood friend who used to pamper her and carry all her tantrums. 

She was staring at the simple henna designs on her hands, thinking something to herself. In the yellow dim light of the table lamp, her beautiful face was glowing like a moon. Her golden short hair coming up to her shoulders, her stainless white color, her innocent face, her red rose petals-like lips, her small nose on which anger is always stay at its peak, and the most beautiful thing intensifying her beauty and look is three black dots engraved on the bottom of her chin. She is the complete epitome of beauty. 

Whoever once looked at her, he/she finds it hard to avert his/her eyes from her. She lives her life without giving a damn to what others say or think about her. Still, she isn't living her life to its fullest. The happiness of her life revolves around only her father. She is the only daughter of Home Minister Hayan Malik. 

In her beauty, she is as beautiful as her mother, who is dead now, but in attitude, she is as arrogant and indifferent as her father. She only listens to her father or her uncle, Jawad Zia, who is her father's childhood friend and father of Zeeshan. Her life revolves around only these three persons, Hayan Malik, Jawad Zia, and her berry (who has been lost). 

In childhood, her mother left her for good. She has no one else and neither does she like to interact that much with someone else. Yes, she has some friends in the university, but she rarely interacts and talks with them.

Meanwhile, the noise of the ringing of her mobile resonated in the silence of the room. With the help of elbows, Raamen got up, looking at the name of Zeeshan blinking on her mobile, she heaved a long breath in irritation. 

Since the time the date of their marriage was fixed, Zeeshan was after her at that very moment. In a strange tone, he was talking in a cheap way which always infuriated Raamen to its peak. After insulting him properly, as always, she switched off her mobile. The very next morning, without taking the effect of insult, being stubborn, he texts her sending romantic messages.

He knows very well that she doesn't approve of such gestures, but still, he was doing this, at last, why? She herself doesn't know an answer to this. This irritates her, she wants to show all his cheap acts to her dad, but in the end, after remembering his answer "I will talk with him", she just ends up reacting patiently. Because she knew in his busy schedule he couldn't find the time to talk with him.

On the other side, the obstinate Zeeshan doesn't refrain from doing cheap acts. In retaliation, Raamen has to block his number. And the very next day, Zeeshan appeared in the Malik mansion. With fake anger, he starts inquiring about her action, and Raamen as always give him just one answer.

"Desperate people like you don't have any place neither in my life nor in my mobile." With that, Zeeshan burst into loud laughter as if he was relieved after listening to all this.

And then the very next moment, he again started staring at her with those mischievous eyes. In reaction, she screamed at the top of her lungs, making her screams echoed throughout the whole mansion. Through guards, she had to kick him out of her house. 

Then on the third day, Mr. Jawad came to her home, assuring her "My daughter, he won't do again this. Unblock his number." Jawad Zia didn't left her home until she unblocked all his numbers. 

So many times Zeeshan told his father that she doesn't like him and whenever he annoys her, she irritates and blocks his number. Helplessly, at the request of Jawad, Raamen has to unblock his number. 

For two days, Zeeshan kept on maintaining the posture of a gentleman and then on the third day, he started complimenting her which soon turned into his mean form. 

Nowadays, Raamen is ignoring him because it's the only way she can do it. Sometimes, she just ended up murmuring a few harsh sentences to herself and sometimes she laughed at his funny message only if her mood wasn't spoiled.

"What's the problem? Why you called me at this time?" She asked him, getting furious. On the other side, Zeeshan laughed.

"To make these moments memorable and to have some love gossip with my soon-to-be-wife." With a sweet voice, he said in a love-filled voice to her. But Raamen wasn't affected a little by it. Now when she was feeling sleepy, she got angry after listening to his nonsense.

"Just shut up Zeeshan, what kind of man you are? We are not married yet that you have started such nonsense talk, understand!" In a low voice, she retorted at him in a furious voice. 

"So what honey, by tomorrow you will be my wife. I wasn't feeling sleepy, and right now you are the only one who can give me peace. So don't waste our time. After a few days, you will be here near me, then why shy of me?" He said leaning back against the crown of the bed, clenching the cushion in his hands.

On the other side, it felt as if the words and tone of Zeeshan erupted fire in Raamen. 

"Honey…" Before she could spell some harsh words or make him realise his position, he again called her in an intoxicated voice. A wave of chill ran down the body of Raamen. She abruptly felt disgusted by Zeeshan.

"You know what Zeeshan, right now I am feeling so much hatred for you that I really want to scratch your mouth or ruin your face by hitting you with my heel, but sadly I am forced not to do this. Don't need to mislead me. I'm Raamen Hayan Malik, not an ordinary girl. The dog like you just waves his tail back and forth to me. It's my bad luckiness that in these dogs, I am letting one enter into my life. Otherwise, let alone marry you, I don't show my face to third-class mean people like you. If I want, by tomorrow morning I will have rejected you right on your face, understand Mr. Zeeshan Jawad Zia!" In anger and hatred, she vented out all the frustration of her heart and disconnected the call.

After straightening the pillow, she lay back, hiding her eyes by putting her arms on top of it. 

"Today, I properly made him realize his position. From now onwards, he won't dare to take such a mean step." Murmuring with herself she tossed to the right side of the bed, shutting her eyes.

After leaving Zeeshan in the fire of anger, hatred, and revenge she slept peacefully. 

"Madam Raamen, show me your ego the way you want. At the end, you are bound to come to me then I will show you your position." Taking dangerous intent, he lightened the cigarette. The insult of Raamen erupted the fire inside of him. 

He also doesn't love her truly. It is just his challenge to possess her and degrade her in any possible way.

"I will teach you such a lesson that you will beg for death, Raamen darling." His voice, which was filled with hatred and poison, was thinking something very far.

***********

In the darkness of the night, after reaching near his destination he stopped his car on the side of the abandoned road. He was wearing a hoodie.  He came out of the car after picking up papers from the dashboard. 

The white bungalows in the surroundings were shadowing each other. He seems a part of this darkness. Taking firm steps on that abandoned road, he was walking ahead.

Suddenly the mobile in his pocket rang. 

"Yes Karim, speak up?" His voice was cold and solemn.

"Are you coming, sir? Everything is taken care of." Karim spoke immediately.

"Hmm, I am here." Saying that he cut the call and put his mobile back in the pocket. Walking forward, he reached near the mansion of home minister Hayan Malik.

His eyes were fixed on the marvellous building standing in front of him. After tapping his pocket in which he put the paper, he climbed on the boundary wall and stepped down on the lawn. Black dogs and guards were guarding the mansion from the four sides of it.

But his men have already handled everything from security forces to cameras. Without getting afraid of anything, he walked forward and climbed on the pipe attached to the balcony of the room in front of him. Like a tiger, very slowly he climbed on it and jumped into the balcony.

Quite easily, he reached her room which his men told him about. Along with white drapes, he saw artificial strawberries were hanging in the strings in the window. 

His beautiful lips turned into a distinct smile. Sliding the curtains, he entered the room. The intermingling scent of her breath and henna hit Jibran Malik's nostrils. In the dim light of the table lamp, he walked ahead coming near her. 

Wearing a pink silk nighty, she was taking sweet and sound sleeping on her king-size bed. Jibran Malik's eyes went to her hands covered with henna. His smiling lips turned into a sharp straight line. With wrathful eyes, he looked at Raamen.

In the yellow light of the lamp, her innocent features were glowing like a fresh flower. She seems like a princess of an empire. His hands were itching to touch her and feel her. 

The anger resting on her small red nose and frown on her forehead made Jibran Malik's lips again turn into a smile. Jerking off his mind to compliment her beauty for some other time, he slowly turned off the lamp and took out the gun.

He was sitting so close to her that only a handful of distance was left between them. In sleep, sensing someone's presence near herself, Raamen suddenly opened her eyes. 

With heavy eyes due to sleep, she was blinking her long thick eyelashes while looking at him with a blank mind.

"Wh….who are you?" She stammered in fear after seeing a shadow in the darkness and the warmth of his breath airing on her skin. 

Jibran Malik raised his eyes at her and in the darkness of the night, he pierced his blue eyes into her big popping eyes filled with drowsiness. Raamen's breath hitched after seeing his eyes sparkling in the darkness. 

"Wh….who are you?" In dread, her hands and feet become numb. In the middle of the night, the presence of some stranger in her room and that too so close to her that she could feel his breathing over her made a wave of chill run down her spine. 

"Your soon-to-be husband." Jibran, leaning over her, whispered in her ear. Raamen was closer to crying. She was trying to suppress the sobbing in her throat. The brave girl was now turned into a scary cat. 

Is it her dream or happening in real? Her mind was so numb that she couldn't comprehend it. The little bit remaining life in her was taken out by his words. Tears were slipping from her beautiful eyes on her cheeks and immersing in her hair. 

Before she could scream, to call everyone, Jibran put his heavy hand on her mouth. 

"Sshhh…. honey, don't make noise," Jibran whispered in her ear. Raamen squirmed in his tight grip. She became stiff after constantly wriggling in his grasp. Jibran put the pistol on her temple. 

"I said, don't make noise." In a cold voice, he whispered in her ear. In fear, Raamen turned white. Caught by the feeling of dread, her body went white and stiff. Though tears were still flowing nonstop in a row. 

"Get up." He ordered her. But Raamen shook her head in no. Jibran glared at her angrily.

"I said, get up." His dead cold voice made Raamen get up in a crying state, without making a voice. Jibran smiled and took out a paper and pen from his pocket. He pointed the torchlight of his mobile at her face while forwarding both things in front of her.

"Sign it, today and now is our nikkah (marriage)." He handed over the pen in the trembling fingers of Raamen. With a dreadful face, Raamen's eyes went to his hands which were covered in gloves.

"I…. I won't do this. You don't know my dad. He will kill you when he knows what are you doing." Hiding her face in both hands, she cried again. 

Tomorrow morning she is going to marry Zeeshan. All the preparations have been done. Her father and uncle are so happy. 

"Honey, I know you and your dad very well. Now, sign the papers." He traced the tip of the gun from her temple down to her tears-soaked cheek. Raamen's hands and feet went cold.

He was sitting so close to her. If she tried doing a little resistance or scream then the next moment, he would attack her. He was already pointing the gun at her. Once he pressed the trigger, she would straightly go up.

"Come on, sign it before I could change my intention…" Placing the gun on her neck, he declared in his cold voice. Raamen wasn't left with any option, but to sign the paper. With shivering fingers, she tightened the grip on the pen.

"Y…. you, wh…who are you, tell me this?" In a heavy voice, she pleaded to him and Jibran smiled at her.

"You will know, honey. You will know when I come to take you." Raising her face with the tip of a gun, he whispered in her ear. Jibran lowered her head to the paper. He held her hand, which was holding the pen and put it in the place of the signature.

"Now sign it, good girl." On his order, in the darkness of night though forcefully she signed the paper tying herself in a pure bond of nikkah with a stranger man. Now her nikkah has happened and she can't do another nikkah on top of it.

He came suddenly and after doing nikkah with her, he left her in a dishevelled and crying state. So does he know tomorrow is her nikkah? Before going, he told her she is his possession and soon he would come to take her with himself.

Who is he? How did this man come to her room despite the tight security her father kept at home? He comfortably came to her room and left her after doing nikkah.

Neither does he tell her who is he, what is his name, and where he lives. He just came, threatened, and intimidated her by forcing her to sign a marriage certificate and then left. 

And she wasn't able to stop him. During all this, she didn't pay heed to whether she truly signed the marriage certificate or if it was a plan to stop her marriage from happening.