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Break The Shackles By Nimrah Abbas

(Originally Named as ‘Tor De Qadmo’n Ki Zanjeer’ in Urdu)

Translated By Inky Whisper

Chapter one

“Misunderstanding”

The three friends sat in a beautifully decorated lawn, enjoying themselves as they munched on nuts in the chilly breeze. One of them, with thick black hair, smiled as she looked at her friends, though she had stopped eating.

“Oh, Gulshan, why did you stop? We bought these with your money,” Rida said, nudging her playfully.

“You guys eat. I’m full now.”

“As you wish,” Rida shrugged, stuffing a fistful of nuts into her mouth. “By the way, this time you’ve shocked the whole school. You broke all the records in the Khizar Bashir running competition. Honestly, I think you shouldn’t focus so much on studies, you should make a name for yourself in sports, especially marathon running. Didn’t you hear how Sir Ali was praising you? He said such perfect stamina and timing are rare, especially with such little practice.”

“Hm… I know, Naheed, but…” Gulshan trailed off, her voice uncertain.

“But what?” Rida cut in, her tone growing frustrated. “It’s not like you’re conquering a mountain…it’s just running, and you’re a maestro at it. You run like lightning. Why are you so afraid this time?”

“You both know my uncle and aunt,” Gulshan said quietly. “It was only after a lot of effort that the family managed to convince them to let me study up to eighth grade. They were ready to lock me inside the house after fifth grade.”

A sad smile touched her lips. Her friends fell silent, setting aside the bag of nuts as they looked at her with sympathy.

“Gulshan, if they don’t want you to study, then don’t,” Naheed said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “But this is a blessing from Allah…you can run like lightning. Very few people are gifted with something like this. If you can’t build your future through studies, then at least you can go far in this field. Try to persuade them… at least try.”

“She’s right,” Rida added, scrunching her nose. “What will you even do sitting at home? Eventually, they’ll marry you off to that useless cousin of yours who couldn’t even continue his studies after matric.”

They weren’t wrong. Gulshan’s heart agreed with them, but what could she do? How could she convince people with hearts of stone?

Ugh… my fate. If only Mama and Baba were alive… I would be living freely and happily like other girls.

Lost in memories of a gentler past, she didn’t notice when the present pulled her back. Her aunt’s sharp voice cut through her thoughts as she stood in the doorway, supervising the state of the room, which looked more like a garbage dump. It was Shani’s room.

Shanawaz, also known as Shani…her only cousin, her uncle’s son… and the greatest nightmare of her life.

“Girl! What are you daydreaming about? Get up and clean this room, or I’ll ban today’s newspaper…” Before her aunt could finish, she felt a sudden tug at her trousers.

“Ugh! You idiot, get away from me…what are you doing?!” Aunty almost screamed.

“Oh, Aunty, don’t do that…otherwise I’ll tell Aunty Shakila about your precious son failing matric for the fifth time,” Gulshan shot back, mimicking her tone.

“My God, Gulshan… you’re as cunning as your late mother,” Aunty Noreen snapped, not one to stay silent.

“Look, Aunty, you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead,” Gulshan replied, shaking out her dress before picking up the mop.

“Fine, fine…don’t talk too much. Just clean the room properly. Shani’s friends are coming. I want it spotless, like glass,” she said in her usual rhythm, then walked out.

Gulshan made a face behind her back, her mood souring as she mocked her aunt under her breath. Annoyance flared and in a sudden jerk, she slammed the mop onto the floor.

It struck the dressing table. A glass bottle slipped, hit the ground, and shattered. The sharp scent of men’s perfume quickly filled the room. Her heart skipped.

She glanced left, then right…no one. Quickly, she gathered the broken pieces and hid them, then rushed to finish cleaning. But the lingering fragrance refused to fade… and it threatened to reveal her secret.

“I swear to God, we must have done something terrible to be stuck with you as punishment! You’ve brought nothing but loss to Shani…” Aunty was still speaking, but Gulshan had already bolted. She ran so fast that her aunt couldn’t catch her.

Whenever something like this happened, Gulshan would escape to the rooftop and hide inside the empty water tank. Her aunt would search everywhere, but she never managed to find her. And by the time her anger cooled, Gulshan would come back down, softening her mood with flattery until things settled again. Their relationship was strange.

She couldn’t live happily with them… yet she didn’t truly have a place apart from them either.

She had tried many times to separate herself, to leave, but each time, her aunt and uncle tightened their hold. Eventually, they got her engaged to their useless son, all for the sake of inheritance.

Shani and Gulshan were as different as sky and earth, their temperaments never aligning. But no one cared whether Gulshan lived or died.

What mattered to them was her inheritance. At least, that’s what Gulshan believed.

***************

“Where the hell have you been for the past two days? You know I can’t go out… When you finally showed up, it felt like my heart could breathe again,” Gulshan scolded her neighbor and friend, Rahila, who had been missing.

“Ugh, what should I even tell you? That cursed fiancé of mine…I swear, he’ll be the death of me,” Rahila sighed.

“Ameen,” Gulshan replied without missing a beat.

“He’s made my life hell. I can’t go anywhere without informing him. Sometimes I just feel like swallowing poison and ending it,” Rahila said dramatically, waving her hands as if trying to lighten the weight on her chest.

“Go ahead then…buy two packets, take a little extra, and finish it properly.”

The sharp voice came from a distance. Both girls, who had been sitting comfortably, froze. Gulshan shivered, while Rahila clenched her teeth in frustration.

“Speak softly,” Gulshan whispered urgently. “Aunty’s ears are very sharp.”

To Be Continued…