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Zoraan glanced around the entire room.
"Where is Sultanum?"
At his question, Nawaf and Hakim fell silent.
"She came to you two, didn't she?" Nawaf said.
Shahram stepped forward and threw the bottle in his hand to the floor.
"We left Sultanum with you both!"
Hakim quickly dialed Mehr's number. She didn't pick up.
Once. Twice. Several times.
She wasn't answering his calls.
Mehr was driving when Hakim called. She looked at the screen, pulled her car over, and picked up her phone.
But she didn't want to speak to him.
"Nawaf, you call her," Hakim said.
Nawaf dialed. Mehr didn't pick up at first. On the fifth ring, she did.
The five of them had already left the office.
Mehr had driven far by now. She was angry, so she had pulled the car over.
Then, she started driving again.
Soon, a black car was following her.
She sped up, but the car continued to follow her.
"I called Nawaf," she shouted, choking on her words. "Just leave me alone!"
The black car overtook Mehr's and stopped right in front of her.
"Nawaf, move your car back!" Mehr shouted.
"Where are you? Tell me now!" Nawaf replied.
"Mehr, don't joke with me. Move your car back!"
"What car are you talking about, Mehr?" Nawaf asked.
Mehr's expression changed. Wrinkles formed on her forehead. She was scared.
"There's a black car—right in front of me."
Nawaf turned on speaker.
Hakim spoke up, "Mehr, don't open the door. Just tell us where you are."
Mehr screamed in reply, "Hakim! Hakim! They're coming toward me—"
Then, the sound of glass breaking.
Mehr's scream.
The call ended.
Nawaf tried calling again, but the number was off.
They didn't know where Mehr was.
There were three men. One sat on the car bonnet, and the other two attacked Mehr.
They broke her window, grabbed her by her hair, and dragged her out.
They smashed her phone.
One of the men had grabbed her hair so tightly that when he pulled, it felt like her scalp would rip off.
They brought her to the man sitting on the bonnet.
"So, you're Sultanah?"
Mehr clutched her hair with both hands. Blood ran from her forehead—probably from the shattered glass.
The man was smoking. He blew the smoke in her face and pressed the cigarette against her neck.
As it burned her, she screamed and jumped.
"Shut her up," the man said, returning to the car.
The second man, holding a baseball bat, struck Mehr on her back.
She fell to the ground.
They kicked her repeatedly.
Then, one of them pulled out a dagger and stabbed it through her shoulder.
She had lost consciousness when they were beating her, but the dagger jolted her awake.
The man holding her pulled her up. Blood flowed from her face and shoulder.
Mehr gathered her strength and pushed him away.
She ran with all her might.
But the man struck her between her neck and head with a glass bottle.
Her head spun.
Her vision went dark.
But she didn't stop.
She didn't want to die like this.
Headlights approached from ahead.
She ran toward the car.
The man chasing her paused.
The car stopped.
Zoraan fired his gun at them.
They ran to their car and fled.
Zoraan, Shahram, and Azlaan chased after them.
Mehr stood before Hakim.
Nawaf and Hakim froze when they saw her.
She was soaked in blood.
Seeing them, Mehr took a deep breath.
She was out of the attackers' grip now.
Azlaan had memorized the attackers' license plate.
The three returned.
Mehr stood in front of them.
Behind her were Nawaf and Hakim.
She was in the middle.
They all heard her breathing.
And then—
It stopped.
She collapsed.
Mehr Sultan had no strength left.
She felt her body drown in pain.
She lay on the road, her eyes still open.
Everyone rushed to her.
Mehr was covered in blood.
Her hands were red.
She was barely breathing.
Her eyes were crying.
She opened her lips and looked at Hakim.
"I don't want to cry, Hakim…
But this pain… my eyes can't bear it anymore."
Then she fell silent.
Eyes closed.
Everything ended.
Was this fate?
Was this the death Mehr Sultan deserved?
Nawaf panicked.
"Her breathing—it's fading fast!"
Hakim lifted Mehr and placed her in the car.
Zoraan drove.
They brought Mehr to the hospital.
But she was already gone.
As soon as they entered, all five began shouting,
"Help us! Please!"
Doctors rushed over and took Mehr into the emergency room.
But they were all filled with shame.
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