Arshad’s POV

I ran toward the lobby from where I had heard the scream and gunshot. My heart felt like it could burst at any moment. I stopped only a foot away when I saw two masked men holding Isha and a small boy, around eight years old, while other people were forced to surrender in front of them.

I hid behind the corner wall. I couldn’t get caught if I wanted to save Isha and the others.

"If anyone dares to show smartness, the next bullet will be on her head—or this little guy," one of them said, pointing a gun at Isha and the boy.

My heart thumped violently seeing Isha in their hold, the gun pointed at her head. She was trembling, eyes shut, lips quivering, and it made my gut twist painfully. The sight was horrifying.

"No, Arshad, you have to fight. You have to save Isha and those people," I murmured to myself. Everyone except me was a hostage. Only I could save them.

I heard footsteps and turned around to see a masked man approaching my direction, scanning the area. I spotted an open door in front of the wall and swiftly slipped inside. It was a storeroom. I hid behind the food cupboard as the man peeked in.

Waiting a few more minutes until the path seemed clear, I slowly made my way out and stood behind the same wall again. I counted the masked men—five in total. Two were holding Isha and the little boy, while three pointed guns at the remaining customers and restaurant staff.

"I have to do something," I thought. I saw the man holding Isha hand her over to the one holding the little boy, then walk toward the washroom. Isha tried to wiggle, but his glare made her stop struggling. I knew my Isha hated being touched by any other man. I clenched my jaw, thinking hard, when an idea popped into my mind.

---

Author’s POV

Isha was in the washroom when she saw, in the mirror, a masked man hiding behind the door. She turned abruptly and screamed, alerting the other women in the washroom. There were four women including Isha. They asked what had happened, and she told them what she saw.

A middle-aged woman walked toward them and opened the door. The man immediately pointed his gun at them, making them scream, which led him to fire into the air to stop them.

Two more masked men emerged from another washroom door, pointing guns, forcing them to comply. They gestured for the women to leave the washroom, which they did in fear.

Outside, chaos reigned. Many people had already fled after the announcement. Isha and the other women became hostages along with the remaining people who hadn’t escaped in time.

One masked man held a little boy, aiming a gun at his head. Panicking, Isha tried to reach for him, but the masked man holding her grew angry and fired a shot close to her ear, making her scream.

After that, she stood silently, trembling in fear. The man’s grip was harsh against her fragile skin, tears streaming down her cheeks. Only one thought remained in her mind—Arshad, her husband, her protector.

Where was he? She wanted to hide in his arms. Had he left her alone? Maybe he had. He had his mother and Sofia to take out safely. Maybe she wasn’t important enough for him to risk his life. She shut her eyes, heart aching. She might die today, and her only regret would be never seeing him one last time, never hugging him, never telling him how much she loved him.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her arms, and the man holding her and the boy released her. Relief flooded her as her arms were freed from the death grip.

The new grip was soft, familiar. She felt protected. Arshad. Her protector.

Isha blinked, looking around—but he wasn’t there. Everything else remained the same.

The masked man pulled her closer. Her eyes widened—but strangely, she didn’t feel fear or disgust as she had with the other men. The feeling was familiar.

Before she could comprehend it, he started dragging her, making her panic.

"Where are you taking her?" someone asked.

"To teach her a lesson. She is giving me a hard time," he replied in a deep voice. Isha struggled, yelling.

"Leave me! Please leave me!! I won’t struggle again. Please!" she screamed, knowing he could do anything wrong if he took her alone.

He pushed her into the washroom and closed the door. Isha stepped back, crying, "Do… don’t come near me!! Stop there!!"

He abruptly removed his mask. Isha froze in shock and relief.

"Isha," Arshad whispered, staring at her frightened face. In the next second, she ran into his arms, wrapping them tightly around him.

"Aap… mu… mujhe laga aap… chale… chalegaein (I thought you left me)," she sobbed. He held her tightly.

"Tumne socha bhi kaise mai tumhe in darindo ke peeche chhod kar jaunga? (How could you even think I would leave you among these animals?)" he said, cupping her face. "Jab tumhe janta bhi nahi tha, to tumhare liye pure gaon walo se ladgya… To ab to tum mein meri jaan basti hai, socho kis had tak jaa sakta hun tumhare liye (When I didn’t even know you, I fought the whole village for you… Now that my life is in you, just think what I could do for you)."

He didn’t realize what he confessed until he noticed Isha’s wide eyes and open mouth.

"Ky… kya? (Wh… what?)" Isha whispered, still not believing her ears. Arshad blinked, looking away.

"No… nothing," he said, changing the topic. "Tum… tum thik to ho na! (Are you okay?)"

Isha blinked, then nodded.

"Okay… You need to leave from here," he said, scanning for an escape.

"How did you come here? And this attire?" she asked, following him toward the window he had noticed.

"After I sent Amma Jaan and Sofia out of the restaurant, I came to the washroom to get you, but you weren’t here. Then I heard a gunshot and your scream…" He paused, remembering the fear he felt. He cupped her face and murmured, "...you don’t know what I felt, Isha. I thought my world collapsed in a second."

Before she could respond, a bang on the washroom door startled them.

"Open the door, Moiz!" someone yelled.

"Isha, you need to go," he urged, opening the window. "Go!" Arshad nudged her, but she held his hand.

"Saath chalenge (We will leave together)," she said.

"No, we can’t. I need to stop them. If we run together, they’ll harm someone. Only if you leave can I ensure safety," he argued.

"No, I won’t leave without you!" she exclaimed.

"Isha…"

"Moiz!" The door banged again, making him flinch.

"Isha, leave!" he tried to push her, but she stood her ground.

"No! I said I won’t leave you alone here. They’ll harm you if they know I escaped and you can’t stop me!" she said determinedly.

"Isha, why can’t you understand? Mai tumhari zindagi khatre me nahi daal sakta. Ye tumhari jaan bhi le sakte hai. (I can’t put your life at risk. They could kill you.)"

"Meri jaan aap hai. Agar apko kuch hua to mai to waise bhi mar jaungi. (My life is you. If something happens to you, I will die anyway.)"

Arshad’s heart jumped, seeing the truth in her eyes.

"Isha…" he whispered, but she placed her fingers on his lips, stopping him.

"Mujhe aapke saath marna manzur hai. Magar apke bina jeena nahi. (I can die with you, but I won’t live without you.)"

She went to their previous spot and brought his mask.

"Wear it," she handed it to him.

"Isha…"

"Bas ab kuch nahi. Jayenge to saath warna nahi. (Now it’s enough. If we leave, together—or not at all.)"

Just then, the door opened. Arshad quickly wore the mask before they could see him.

"Moiz!" someone yelled.

"Yes," Arshad replied, mimicking the voice of the man whose disguise he had taken.

"What were you doing here? I was searching for you everywhere." The man came with a staff member who might open the door with a key.

"Sorry," Arshad whispered, holding Isha’s hand and dragging her out.

"This man will never change," the man mumbled, shaking his head, staring at the duo he thought was Moiz and Isha.

*********

It had been an hour since they were held captive by the criminals.

Arshad didn’t leave Isha even for a second. He was thinking, planning, analyzing what to do next. He needed to save all of them. Only he could. The police had already arrived and communicated with the criminals. Their demand: 50 million and a helicopter at the restaurant. Arshad was adamant—he would get everyone out before the government had to fulfill their demands.

"Moiz, Hussein, we will go and pack something to eat, as we all are hungry since yesterday. But first, we need to have something," a masked man said, addressing Moiz—Arshad—and another man, Hussein, who stood beside him. Another masked man pointed a gun at the hostages while their leader watched the door and coordinated with the police.

Now only Arshad and Hussein were left, with Hussein holding a gun toward the little boy.

Arshad tugged Isha’s hand and made her look at him.

"We need to do something before the other two come back," he whispered. Isha nodded, confused. He whispered something more, and this time she nodded slightly in understanding.

Suddenly, she fainted, drawing everyone’s attention.

"What happened to her?" Hussein asked. Arshad noticed Hussein was new to the gang and didn’t know Moiz personally, so communicating with him was easier.

"I don’t know," Arshad replied, patting her cheeks. "She might have fainted from stress. Go bring water," he ordered.

"No need. Let her be," Hussein said dismissively.

"What are you saying!? You’re new here—you don’t know anything. If something happens to this girl, we’ll get in trouble, and the boss will be furious. He already said, don’t harm anyone who doesn’t try anything smart," Arshad scolded. Hussein paused, realizing he could trust Arshad—Moiz—who had experience. He nodded.

"Okay, but keep the gun on his head. That’s what stops people from doing anything," he added. Arshad nodded and took the little boy from him.

"Isha, get up," he said after a few seconds. They had only a minute or two to get everyone out before the masked men returned.

Isha stood and turned to the people sitting on the floor, confused.

"Listen, he is my husband. He came here to save us, and we need to leave without making any noise," she almost yelled in a low voice, enough for them to hear.

Arshad moved to the large window he had scoped earlier and opened it. He turned to them.

"Come fast," he whispered. One by one, the hostages climbed out through the window.

Isha stepped out next. As Arshad prepared to follow, a voice froze him in his tracks.

"What the hell??!?! Moiz!" a man shouted.

Isha, still holding his hand outside, pulled him out in panic. But the man fired—a bullet grazed Arshad’s arm, making him scream in pain. Isha screamed in fear but didn’t let go. Together, they managed to escape before the man and his partners could reach the window.

---

"Ya Allah, kitna khoon behraha hai! (Oh God, how much blood is oozing!)" Isha cried, seeing his bleeding arms as the doctor treated him.

"I’m fine, Isha…" Arshad tried to sound reassuring, but the pain in his voice was evident to his wife.

They were now in the ambulance. After escaping, the police had arrested the criminals, and Arshad was brought here for immediate treatment. The people they saved had blessed them from the depth of their hearts.

"Chup rahein aap. Ye sab aap ki waja se hua hai. Kisne kaha tha aapse aane ke liye? (Shut up. This all happened because of you. Who told you to come?)" she glared, but then looked at his arms before closing her eyes as if she were the one in pain.

"Okay, baba, now see—I’m fine. Stop worrying," he said, holding her hand and squeezing it gently.

"He is right. He is fine now. Don’t worry," the doctor said, smiling at the wife who had been worrying herself sick. "Take him home, let him rest, and give him his medicines." He handed Isha the prescription.

"Are you sure? I mean, there’s nothing to worry about? Ye thik to ho jayenge na? (He will be alright, right?)" she asked, still anxious.

"Yes, he is alright. His arms will heal with time," the doctor replied. Isha nodded and looked back at her husband, who stared at her.

"You two are so in love and lucky to have each other. Nowadays, who even cares this much for another person?" the young doctor said, as if he’d only ever met selfish people.

Arshad smiled, held her hand, and kissed her knuckles in acknowledgment without looking at the doctor. The doctor smiled and left, leaving the couple alone.

"Isha…" he began, but she hugged him carefully, avoiding his injured arm.

"Agar aapko kuch ho jata to… mai mar jaati. (I would’ve died if something had happened to you)," she mumbled into his chest. Her tears soaked his shirt. He caressed her hair and kissed the top of her head to calm her.

"Kuch nahi hua, Isha. Khuda ka shukr hai ham dono thik hai. (Nothing happened, Isha. Thank God we are both fine)," he said, holding her tightly, one hand resting on her head.

★★★★★