Damsel In Distress (COMPLETED✓)

CHAPTER: 76 | THE ECLIPSE (PART-1)

Stepping into the shower, she closed her eyes and tilted her chin up, feeling the warm water cascade over her cold face. Steam enveloped the shower walls, and the rhythmic pitter-patter of water hitting the tiled floor reverberated through the room.

Her mind lay numb, her senses switched off, her body moving, relying solely on muscle memory. Her heart mechanically pumped life through her veins, while her soul remained lifeless. No tears, no words, just emptiness. She existed as a living dead, a shell of what once was.

Turning off the shower, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and stepped out of the bathroom, leaving wet footprints on the floor. Water dripped from the ends of her hair as she made her way to the wardrobe. Opening it, she sifted through her belongings and retrieved the pair of clothes she sought—the very ones she wore when she was thrown out of the house.

She put on the plain black Anarkali suit and walked back into the room. She stopped short when her eyes landed on Aariz, sleeping on his stomach, the white sheets only covering him until the waist, revealing his bare back to the gentle morning light filtering through the drapes, the soft pink hues dimly illuminating the room.

She moved with silent grace, her eyes unwavering from his form as she approached the table where she had left the salah mat the previous night. Memories threatened to invade her mind but she pushed them back stubbornly.  Gently covering her head, she engaged in Salatul Fajr, whispering prayers and supplications specially for him.

Finishing her salah, she took tentative steps towards the bed and gingerly knelt on the rug beside him. Resting her face in her hands, she quietly observed him sleeping.

Laiba was memorizing him, trying to commit every detail of his face to memory, her eyes carefully tracing each contour. She envisioned climbing into bed, enveloping him in her arms, and drifting into a cosy sleep together.

And if he woke up as the same Aariz from the previous night, he would welcome her into his arms. He would more than welcome her, in fact.

She knew he would.

But she wasn't sure who he would wake up as and she didn't want to risk the memories they made for another. She believed they were on good terms when they fell asleep in each other's arms last night. She didn't want it to change.

Laiba didn't wake him at all. Instead, she mourned their separation alone, long until it was time for her to go.

With a heavy heart, she left a chaste kiss on his cheek as a goodbye and took her leave.

Leaving him and her life with him, behind her.

★★★

When Aariz woke up, he found an empty bed, an empty room, an empty house, and an empty life waiting for him. Though he knew she wasn't there, he searched the entire apartment in hopes of finding her in one of the rooms, praying or supplicating.

She was nowhere to be found.

Aariz felt his heart sinking as he stood in the centre of the living space, turning in a circle, and surveying his surroundings. The walls, furniture, decoration, electronics, and the house itself, which he had bought for her, now lay lifeless, shrouded in silence and darkness.

He roamed around the house like a madman, from kitchen to living room, from living room to foyer, from foyer to bedroom, from one bedroom to another. Neither could he sit nor could he stand in one place. He was anxious, restless and lowkey freaking out.

Laiba had left all her belongings behind—jewellery, clothes, cellphones, unspent cash, unused cards, and even books.

He grabbed her cell phone and powered it on, running his thumb over its cracked screen as he waited for it to come to life. All the data had been wiped off from the phone—no contacts, no messages, no pictures, nothing. He placed it back in the drawer and grabbed his own, making a quick call to Shah. After giving him some instructions, he hung up and sank onto the bed.