Laboni's eyes were overflowing with tears. She sobbed uncontrollably, crawling on the floor in her chains to reach Henry's feet. Every ounce of her self-respect had become insignificant compared to her brother's life.
"Henry, I beg of you! Don't hit him! He can't take any more!" Laboni wailed. "I will do whatever you say. I will sign those false papers; I will confess that I am a criminal. Just don't hurt Rehan anymore. He will die, Henry, he will die!"
Watching Laboni's breakdown, Henry felt a demonic satisfaction. He moved the whip away from Rehan and gently brushed it against Laboni's tear-stained cheek.
"There it is! This is the weeping I wanted to see, Doctor," Henry said with a cruel laugh. "I love it when your pride and intellect melt into water at my feet."
Rehan groaned in agony. He opened his eyes slightly and said in a broken voice, "No, sister... don't sign... they won't let us live anyway..."
But Laboni was beyond reason. She looked at Henry pleadingly. "Take him away from here right now. Let him have some water, let him be bandaged. I promise, tomorrow morning, I will sign wherever you tell me. I won't run, I won't play any more games. Just save my brother!"
Henry signaled his bodyguard, who dragged Rehan out of the cell. Henry knelt before Laboni, gripping her tear-soaked face. "Spend the night in this darkness. Remember, if your pen trembles even a little tomorrow morning, Rehan's corpse will be found in the prison sewers."
The iron door slammed shut with a thunderous bang, leaving Laboni alone in the pitch-black silence, her cries echoing off the stone walls.
The Breaking Point
The walls of the isolation cell seemed to close in on Laboni. The weight of her helplessness and the image of her brother's bloodied face were driving her to the brink of madness. In her agony, she began to strike her head against the stone wall.
"Why did I do this? Why did I put Rehan in danger?" she cried, her forehead split and bleeding. A profound sense of guilt consumed her.
Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped tightly around her from behind. Laboni shivered—the familiar scent of cigars and the touch of those domineering hands. Henry had returned.
He brought his lips close to her bleeding forehead. His voice was eerily calm. "Don't hurt yourself, Laboni. This beautiful body and mind are now my property. Why be angry at yourself? Instead, let's spend the night in our own way."
Laboni struggled, but she was pinned by the chains and Henry's grip. "The night is long, Laboni. Forget the world outside. Tonight, there is no doctor, no prisoner. Only you and I. If you can please me, perhaps Rehan will see the sunlight tomorrow."
Laboni closed her eyes in disgust, realizing Henry wanted to crush her not just physically, but mentally. She whispered to the darkness, "God, give me strength. Either end me, or show me a way to destroy this devil."
The Discovery of the Wound
Late into the night, Henry took Laboni from the cell to his private, luxurious quarters. The room smelled of expensive perfume and alcohol. Laboni lay huddled in a corner of the bed, sobbing, while Henry eventually fell into a deep sleep beside her, his hand still clamped firmly over her waist.
Suddenly, Henry's smartphone lit up with a notification. Laboni saw the wallpaper—a picture of a happy, innocent little girl.
Driven by curiosity, she carefully took the phone. She found an old message that revealed a shocking truth: Henry was a divorcee. His wife had left him, taking his daughter with her, because of his violent temper and criminal ties. The girl's name was Sara.
Laboni was stunned. This monster, who roared like a lion, carried a deep, festering wound from losing his own child. As Henry mumbled in his sleep, "Sara... don't go...", Laboni's tears dried up. A new resolve took hold. She realized that while Henry was physically invincible, the key to breaking him mentally lay in his love for his daughter.
The Touch of Mercy
A strange conflict arose in Laboni's heart. The man who had brutalized her now looked like a lost, helpless child in his sleep. She reached out—not to attack, but to gently brush the messy hair from his forehead. Her touch was that of a compassionate physician.
Henry stirred but didn't wake; instead, he relaxed under her touch, clinging to her like a frightened child clings to its mother. Laboni noticed a single tear at the corner of his eye.
"Why did you become like this, Henry?" she whispered. "How can a father to a little girl bear to hear another girl cry?"
The Morning of Freedom
Morning light peeked through the heavy curtains. Henry woke up to find Laboni sleeping peacefully beside him. He was stunned to see her hand still near his hair—she had comforted him in his sleep instead of attacking him.
He realized she had discovered his greatest weakness: Sara. Anyone else would have used it to blackmail him, but Laboni had shown him mercy. He looked at her innocent face and thought of his own daughter. If he destroyed Laboni today, would Sara grow up to be the victim of someone else's cruelty?
Henry put on his uniform. As he buckled his belt, Laboni woke up and recoiled in terror. Henry didn't look at her directly. He spoke coldly while fixing his collar:
"Get up, Laboni. It's late. A car is waiting. The guards will escort you and your brother to the main gate."
Laboni couldn't believe her ears. "You... you are letting us go?"
Henry finally looked at her. The cruelty in his eyes was replaced by a hollow emptiness. "I may be a divorcee, but I am still a father. Last night, the way you looked at my daughter's picture... I don't want my daughter's curse upon me. Go. Take your brother. But remember—never let me see you within this city's limits again."
The Final Departure
Laboni sat up, her voice trembling. "I have no words for my gratitude, Mr. Henry. But before I go... I hope your daughter Sara never finds out what her father did to another man's sister. Let her see you only as a hero. For her sake, if not your own, try to live a better life."
Henry didn't answer. He stood with his back to her, gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. Laboni fled the room.
Reunion at the Gate
At the main gate, she found Rehan on a stretcher. He was in bad shape, but alive.
"Sister... are we really going home?" he whispered.
Laboni wiped her tears and smiled. "Yes, Rehan. It's over. We're going home."
As the massive iron gates opened, the fresh morning air hit Laboni's face. From the top of the prison walls, hidden from view, Henry watched them leave. Laboni never looked back. She knew this freedom came with a deep scar, but she had her brother back—and that was her greatest victory.
The Prison of Guilt
As the car carrying Laboni and Rehan disappeared into the distance, the walls Henry had built around his heart finally crumbled. He sat at his desk and began to sob. No one had seen him cry in ten years. He was the cold, ruthless superintendent, yet here he was, weeping like a child in an empty room.
The Guilt: Laboni's parting words rang in his ears—a poison in his blood. He realized that while he was a powerful officer, he had failed as a father.
The Loneliness: He had wealth and power, but he was utterly alone. The moment of peace he felt when Laboni stroked his hair revealed the depth of his isolation.
The Mercy: Laboni's refusal to hurt him, despite having the chance, was now eating the monster inside him alive.
Henry pulled Sara's picture from the drawer. "Sara, your father is a very bad man... a very bad man..." he whimpered, slumped on the floor. His prideful uniform was now soiled in the dust. The man who had made life a hell for thousands was now trapped in the hell of his own conscience.
The sun had risen outside, but for Henry, the darkness had only just begun. He realized that while Laboni and Rehan were free from the prison, he would never be free from the prison of his own guilt.