The Moon and Her Stars

Ch. 35: Freedom

🎶"Mujhe ghar de, gali de, shehar de ussi ke naam ke. Kadam yeh chalein ya rukein ab ussi ke vaaste. Dil mujhe de agar, dard de uska par. Uski ho woh hansi gunje jo mera ghar."

"Give me a home, a street, a city in her name. Let me take steps or stop for her. If you give me a heart then give me her pain. Let there be her laugh that echoes in my home."🎶

- Uska Hi Banana | Junaid Wasi | Arijit Singh

Yasir's P.O.V.

I drove to Zafar's car repair shop that was actually a front for its hidden warehouse basement that he used for meetings and deals.

Ayaara hadn't taken any of her electronics, including her phone. Her car was still on the driveway. There wasn't any activity from her behalf in our shared bank account. Her workplace told me that her last day was a few days ago when I called to ask if she came in. The men who I appointed to follow her around weren't even aware that she'd left home. Her giving me sleeping pills, her leaving behind belongings that would've helped me to trace her—everything being so calculated led me to conclude that Zafar had a hand in her vanishing into thin air.

My blood boiled with rage as I stormed down the stairs into the basement. He was going over a document with one of his men when I strode over and grabbed him by the collars.

A sinister smile formed on his lips as I seethed, "Where the f*ck is she?"

The man standing behind him immediately drew a gun at me but put it back down after Zafar showed him a hand.

"Ah. So, she's gone. I must give it to her. She stuck with her word."

I studied his eyes with utter confusion and fury.

"You understood my auction scheme, but not this?" he clicked his tongue before his eyes trailed my face with disgust, "I didn't do anything. It was all her."

I gripped his collars even tighter, stretching his neck, "F*ck off with your riddles. Where is my wife?"

He looked at my white knuckles then glared at me, "Baap ko marega? Mar ke dikha. Further disappoint your mother. Aur shayad tujhe teri biwi se dhoka bardasht nahin ho raha. Now you know how it feels. Par yeh bhi sun, teri biwi mere paas khud chal kar aayi thi."

(You will hit your father? Show me. Further disappoint your mother. And perhaps you aren't being able to tolerate betrayal from your wife. Now you know how it feels. But listen to this as well, your wife came to me herself.)

I stared at him with disbelief. My hands had loosened their grip and he'd taken the opportunity to step back and explain.

Ayaara's P.O.V.

As I was sat on my flight, I recounted my meeting with Yasir's father.

After seeing Yasir in his battered state, I couldn't take it. It ingrained a fear in me of something worse happening to him, that maybe the next time I would get a call about him, it would be about- I didn't even want to think about it.

So, I did the only thing I could think of to find a solution, to put an end to all of this.

I grabbed the landline and went into Hoorain Aunty's studio, where I knew no one would disturb me or overhear. I pressed through the call history until I found the not so unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" The masculine voice answered.

My mouth went dry.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Last time he called, he thought he was calling Aunty's number. This time, the incoming call must've been our house number, so he didn't know who was calling.