In a huge, dense forest…

She was running nonstop. She didn’t know the way, yet her feet refused to stop. She kept running desperately. Her clothes were torn in several places, and sweat covered her face.

Her hair flew wildly in the wind, but her speed didn’t slow down. She kept running through the darkness of the forest. All she wanted was to get out of this darkness. She was searching for light… but she couldn’t see any light anywhere.

Suddenly, while running, her foot hit a stone, and she fell to the ground. Somehow, she managed to steady herself and stood up again. She was about to run once more when she collided with someone’s broad chest.

Her eyes widened in fear as she stared at that devil in shock… In his eyes, she could see nothing except brutality.

His entire face was smeared with blood, and he was laughing wickedly. Blood was dripping from his mouth as well. This was not a human… this was a wolf, and that wolf was coming toward her to hunt her down.

Though he appeared in human form, the terror on his face was enough for anyone to mistake him for a demon.

Suddenly, the girl felt as if the forest around her was shrinking. It felt like there was no space left for her to run.

She couldn’t see any path around her anymore. She was trapped here. Desperate to escape, she started searching for a way out with her hands. But the very next moment, someone grabbed her by the hair and pulled her forward.

When the girl looked up, she saw that same wolf-like monster standing before her. Staring at her with his red eyes, he said,

“You can never escape from my captivity.”

And with that, a splash of water landed on Ishq’s face as she slept on her bed.

Ishq immediately sat upright on the bed, breathing heavily. Her entire body was wet, and water dripped from her hair. Confused, she looked at her mother standing in front of her, hands on her waist in anger.

“Who are you trying to escape from in your dream? Who is kidnapping you in your dreams?” her mother asked.

Breathing heavily, Ishq looked at her mother and said,

“That wolf came into my dream again.”

Her mother placed a hand on her forehead and said,

“I don’t know what kind of wolf it is that keeps appearing in your dreams again and again. The girl whose own mind isn’t in the right place… I wonder how she treats other people’s minds. Who even made you a psychiatrist? You don’t even realize it’s almost 9 o’clock and you have to go to the hospital.”

The moment Ishq looked at the clock, she screamed,

“Mom! Why didn’t you wake me up? I have to go to the hospital. A new case has arrived. I found out about it only last night. Oh God, I’m going to be late on the very first day for my new case!”

Ishq ran into the bathroom and hurriedly started getting ready. Somehow, after taking a cold shower, she managed to get ready within half an hour because she had to reach the hospital in the next thirty minutes. Her hair was still wet.

With her half-dried hair, she came out to the dining table and started rolling a paratha in her hands. Her mother quickly said,

“At least sit down and eat breakfast properly.”

But Ishq stuffed half the paratha into her mouth and, while chewing, replied,

“No, I’ll get too late.”

Psychiatrist Dr. Ishq Sharma… a beautiful 26-year-old girl who had recently completed her studies in psychiatry. Ever since childhood, she had loved studying, especially understanding people’s minds.

That was why she decided to become a psychiatrist. Since childhood, she had been deeply interested in understanding how people think, what they see, and how what they see affects their minds. If a person feels sad, angry, cries, hates, or loves… how does all of that affect their brain? She had always been fascinated by these things.

She already knew that emotions are the best way to understand any human being. But the mind can either suppress or intensify those emotions.

Some people cry in sorrow, while others smile through it. Some people express anger with rage, while others laugh even when angry. Love, understanding love, violence, hatred… all these things are creations of the human mind.

Because the heart is different from all of this. The heart only feels. But before the mind allows someone to feel something, it analyzes and judges it.

That was the reason Ishq decided to become a psychologist. She had studied even the smallest aspects of it, and during her practice years, she had encountered many fascinating cases in her life.

At present, Dr. Ishq works as a psychiatrist at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Indore, and it had only been two months since she joined there. Before this, during her training period, she used to practice alongside her seniors at a hospital in Delhi. But when she received a job offer from a hospital in her own city, she accepted it.

Stepping out of her car, Ishq walked straight toward the reception area, where the receptionist Neha welcomed her with a smile.

“Good morning, Doctor…”

Reaching the reception counter, Ishq placed her bag on it and wished Neha good morning with a smile. Picking up the pen, she started making today’s entry in the register kept there.

Leaning slightly toward Ishq’s ear, receptionist Neha whispered,

“You’re exactly five minutes late today… so please write 10:05.”

Ishq glared at the receptionist and then burst into laughter. Actually, Neha and Ishq were quite comfortable around each other. One reason for that was that they both lived in the same society, so they talked often. Technically, they weren’t friends… but they weren’t less than friends either.

Placing the pen back on the register, Ishq said,

“To be honest, Neha, today I was sleeping like the dead. No, not just dead… I was sleeping like I had sold an entire stable of horses. I was sleeping so deeply that I completely forgot I had a case this morning.”

“If you’ve sold all the horses from your stable and are now feeling refreshed after waking up,” Neha said with a mischievous smile, “then let me inform you, Dr. Ishq, that your patient has been waiting for you.”

Ishq’s eyes widened instantly, and nervously she asked,

“What? Since when?”

“For about half an hour,” Neha replied carelessly and handed the patient’s file to Ishq.

Ishq smacked her forehead in frustration. Quickly grabbing her bag, she rushed toward the lift. She needed to reach her floor as soon as possible. As a psychiatrist, she couldn’t afford to be late—especially not when the patient had already been waiting for her.