Chapter 122. Two Weeks of Freedom

The dining hall was grand, with tall chandeliers casting a golden glow over the long oak table, where the Syed family gathered every evening. The flickering candles and the soft clinking of cutlery against porcelain plates filled the air. But for Zahra, the room felt suffocating.

She sat stiffly beside Irtaza, her body tense, her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress. The scent of freshly cooked food filled the air—roasted meat, aromatic rice, warm bread—but she couldn’t bring herself to eat. Her appetite had abandoned her the moment she had stepped into this room, her body still reeling from the events of the day.

The chatter around the table was lighthearted. Haya and Dua were playfully teasing Haseeb, who, despite his bruised face, was putting on a dramatic show of pain. Their grandmother chuckled at their banter, shaking her head. Saif and Shehryaar were engaged in a conversation about business, while Ammara and her mother discussed a family friend’s upcoming w