**Scene 1: The Storm Breaks** *(Location: Outside Maryam's Home – Late Evening, Monsoon Season)*
The sky had been threatening rain all day, the air thick with the scent of wet earth. Haroon stood under the awning of a closed tailor's shop, his uniform clinging to him in the humidity. He had rehearsed the words a hundred times, but now they tangled in his throat like kite strings in a tree.
Maryam's house was a modest two-story structure with a blue door, the paint peeling at the edges. A single lamp glowed in the upstairs window—her room.
Lightning split the sky. Then the rain came—not a drizzle, but a torrent, as if the heavens had overturned a bucket.
Haroon stepped into the downpour.
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**Scene 2: The Confession** *(Location: Maryam's Courtyard – Soaked and Shivering)*
He knocked on the blue door, his knuckles raw from the cold. No answer.
*"Maryam!"* His voice was swallowed by the thunder.
A shadow moved behind the upstairs window. Then, the creak of a latch. Maryam leaned out, her hair loose for once, cascading over her shoulders.
*"Pagal ho gaye ho?"* she shouted over the rain. *Have you gone mad?*
Haroon wiped water from his eyes. *"Haan! Tumhare liye!"* *Yes! For you!*
Maryam stared. Then she disappeared.
A moment later, the door cracked open. She held a faded umbrella, her bare feet peeking beneath the hem of her nightclothes. *"Andar aao,"* she said. *Come inside.*
*"Nahi."* Haroon stood his ground. *"Pehle suno."* *No. Listen first.*
The rain drummed on the umbrella as Maryam stepped fully outside, her toes curling against the wet stone.
Haroon took a breath. *"Main tumse pyar karta hoon."* *I love you.*
Silence. Even the rain seemed to pause.
Maryam's lips twitched. Then she laughed—not mocking, but startled, breathless. *"Itni baarish mein? Yeh sab?"* *In all this rain? This is how you do it?*
Haroon's ears burned. *"Tumhari kitaabon ki tarah… shayad kuch scenes dramatic hone chahiye."* *Like your books… some scenes should be dramatic.*
Maryam shook her head, but her eyes were bright. She reached out, her fingers brushing his sopping sleeve. *"Tumhare kapde barbaad ho gaye."* *Your clothes are ruined.*
*"Koi baat nahi."* Haroon caught her hand. *"Jawab do."* *No matter. Give me an answer.*
Maryam looked at their joined hands. Then, quick as a sparrow, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek.
Before Haroon could react, she pulled back. *"Ab jaao,"* she said, turning toward the door. *Now go.*
*"Maryam—"*
*"Mere Baba se baat karo,"* she called over her shoulder, vanishing inside. *Talk to my father.*
The blue door clicked shut.
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**Scene 3: The Father's Test** *(Location: Al-Rahman Bookbinders – Next Morning)*
Old Rahman didn't look up from his ledger when Haroon entered. *"Uniform pehen ke aaye ho? Dhamki deni hai?"* *You came in uniform? To threaten me?*
Haroon swallowed. *"Nahi, sahab. Izzat se puchna tha."* *No, sir. I came to ask respectfully.*
Rahman's pen scratched across the page. *"Meri beti ko tumhare saath kya kaam?"* *What business does my daughter have with you?*
*"Main use apni zindagi mein khush rakh sakta hoon."* *I can keep her happy in my life.*
*"Khush?"* Rahman finally met his eyes. *"Ek policewala? Jo roz khoon dekhega? Jo kabhi ghar nahi hoga?"* *Happy? A policeman? Who'll see blood every day? Who'll never be home?*
Haroon clenched his fists. *"Main wada karta hoon—"*
*"Wada?"* Rahman stood, his voice low. *"Mera bhai bhi police ke haath se mara. Usey galat ilzaam laga ke."* *My brother was killed by the police. Wrongly accused.*
The shop's clock ticked. Somewhere outside, a bicycle bell rang.
Haroon took off his cap. *"Sahab, agar main aapke bhai ka qatil hota, toh aaj yahan khada nahi hota."* *Sir, if I were your brother's killer, I wouldn't be standing here today.*
Rahman studied him. Then he walked to the back shelf and pulled out a ledger—thick, bound in cracked leather. *"Yeh dekho."* *Look at this.*
Haroon opened it. Page after page of names, dates, amounts owed.
*"Yeh sab log hain jo humse qarz leke bhag gaye,"* Rahman said. *These are people who took loans and ran.* *"Inme se ek ko dhund ke lao. Uska qarz chuka do. Tab main sochunga."* *Find one of them. Repay their debt. Then I'll consider.*
Haroon traced a name at random: *Feroze Ali, 5000 rupees.*
*"Achha,"* he said, snapping the book shut. *"Ek hafta."* *One week.*
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**Scene 4: The Hunt** *(Location: Lahore's Back Alleys – Over the Next Six Days)*
Feroze Ali was a ghost.
The address in the ledger led to a boarded-up butcher shop. Neighbors muttered about a gambling habit, a wife who'd left him. Haroon checked police records—two arrests for petty theft, but no recent sightings.
On the sixth evening, as Haroon sat nursing a bruised knuckle (courtesy of a false lead in a brothel), Rahim—the pickpocket from Chapter 1—slid onto the stool beside him.
*"Sahab, aap kisi ko dhoond rahe hain?"* *Sir, you looking for someone?*
Haroon eyed him. *"Tujhe pata hai?"* *You know?*
Rahim grinned, tapping his temple. *"Bazaar ki sab khabar yahan hai. Par…"* He rubbed his fingers together.
Haroon slapped a 500-rupee note on the counter. *"Bata."* *Tell me.*
*"Feroze bhai kal subah Muridke ja rahe hain. Bus se."* *Feroze is leaving for Muridke tomorrow by bus.*
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**Scene 5: The Debt Paid** *(Location: Lahore Bus Terminal – Dawn)*
Feroze was a gaunt man with nicotine-stained fingers, clutching a tattered suitcase.
Haroon blocked his path. *"Feroze Ali?"*
The man paled. *"Main kuch galat nahi kiya—"* *I didn't do anything—*
*"Rahman sahab ka qarz chukana hai."* *You need to repay Rahman.*
Feroze's shoulders slumped. *"Mere paas paise nahi hain."* *I don't have the money.*
Haroon pulled an envelope from his pocket—his entire savings. *"Yeh lo. 5000. Par ek shart hai."* *Here. 5000. But on one condition.*
*"Kya?"*
*"Kabhi Muridke mat jao."* *Never go to Muridke.*
Feroze stared at the money, then at Haroon's face. Slowly, he took the envelope and walked away, leaving the suitcase behind.
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**Scene 6: The Answer** *(Location: Al-Rahman Bookbinders – Evening)*
Haroon placed the ledger on Rahman's desk. *"Feroze ka qarz chuka diya."* *Feroze's debt is repaid.*
Rahman flipped to the page. A fresh red stamp marked it *PAID*. He exhaled. *"Tumhare paise?"* *Your own money?*
*"Haan."*
The old man closed the book. *"Maryam ne kaha tha tum pagal ho."* *Maryam said you were crazy.*
Haroon's heart pounded. *"Aur aapka faisla?"* *And your decision?*
Rahman stood, walked to the window where Maryam's shadow lingered behind the curtain. *"Kal subah 10 baje, molvi sahab aayenge."* *Tomorrow at 10 AM, the cleric will come.*
Haroon's knees nearly buckled.
As he turned to leave, Rahman added, *"Aur haan… uniform mat pehenna."* *And don't wear the uniform.*
Maryam's laughter floated from the back room.
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