Seventy years ago
Azaad stares at the woman he loves, pleading her to drop the knife. "Please don't," he pleads hoarsely. "Don't take another step," she yells hysterically as she places the pointed tip of the knife on her womb. She continues, "my God, you are a monster... Oh God I am carrying a monster."
Panicking he wonders what he can do to calm her down, fearing for both, his love and his child, who he had known of much before thanks to his sensitised hearing. He had heard the tiny heartbeat a month ago, but could not share his happiness. He had then decided to slowly tell her his truth, so secure was he in her love that he never thought that she would react any other way, but as he had envisaged.
Raising his hands slightly, a gesture of surrender, he says with regret, defeat and sorrow, "please don't hurt yourself. I promise you shall never see me again" and takes a step backward, turns and leaves.
Reaching the door, Azaad senses a slight disturbance in the air, screaming "no" realising the presence, he races back to the kitchen. Hearing a weak, slow heartbeat makes him realise he is too late. Frozen, he stares at the lifeless body of his love. Slowly he walks up to her lifeless body, crouches on the floor, slowly caressing her womb as the heartbeat slows down to a stop.
Standing up slowly, he stares at his brother Amaad with accusatory eyes. Reading the accusation, Amaad takes a step back, saying, "I didn't. I tried to stop her... But was too late." Azaad stares at him with disbelief then down to the lifeless body, his mind quickly analysing... He freezes as understanding dawns on him.
He looks back at his brother, his gaze filled with pain, her words running on auto in his mind... Monster... Monster... Monster...
