At midnight, Afiya stirred from a deep, exhausted sleep. Her body felt heavy, bruised, and sore in places she hadn’t known could ache. A persistent, rhythmic pressure against her backside pulled her further from the fog of unconsciousness. She squinted her eyes in the dark room, trying to focus. She looked back over her shoulder, her vision clearing to see Saad behind her, his face a mask of intense concentration. He was panting hard, sweat glistening on his temples and forehead in the dim moonlight filtering through the window. His breathing was ragged, labored.

Her voice came out thick and gorged with sleep. "Bhaiya… aap kya kar rahe ho… ahh…" She tried to turn around, but a sharp whimper and hiss escaped her lips as the movement sent fresh waves of pain radiating from her ravaged core and bruised hips. Every muscle protested.