𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐒: Reunited | Part 1

17. Truth?

1.Note: Before reading this chapter, here are a few things you should remember.

Hi everyone! If you're reading this chapter, there are a few key things to keep in your mind..

First, the tension between Driti and Vyaan is deeper than just their present-day rivalry-it ties back to something forgotten from their past which I'll be revealing in upcoming chapters.

Second,Vyaan's unease about Mumbai is more than it seems-it's connected to hidden truths that haven't been revealed yet.

Third,"Vyaan still hasn't fully regained his memories of the past."

These details might seem small now, but they'll make more sense as the story unfolds.

Also, this scene isn't in the publisher's version. The published version will take this chapter in a slightly different direction, with a new plot twist that I'll reveal soon. This chapter is one of those moments where the plot thickens, but it's not the main twist-so keep your eyes peeled for more!

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────



VYAAN:-

10 p.m.

It's sharply 10 p.m., and the air feels electric with the weight of the hour. I'm sitting with Rishi, our shadows slinking across the dimly lit walls of our secret place-the place no one knows except me and him.

This hideaway, tucked so deep beneath the city's surface, feels alive with whispers of danger, secrets we've buried in the dark corners where light dares not reach.

The ceiling is low, the air heavy with an intoxicating mix of dust and decay. The cold stone beneath me anchors me in a way I've always found oddly comforting.

Here, time feels like it doesn't exist-just the rhythmic ticking of a clock somewhere far away, reminding us that the outside world still moves, even though we don't.

Rishi sits across from me, his eyes catching the faintest glimmer from the flickering light overhead, casting shadows across his sharp features.

We don't need to speak. Words are too fragile for a place like this.

Silence, though-silence holds all the weight of what we share. It's here in the stillness that we trust the unspoken to do the heavy lifting.

The walls are thick with history, stories untold, blood spilled, deals sealed. This place is both a sanctuary and a prison, a reminder of who we are beneath the masks we wear outside.

Every crack in the wall holds a memory, every faint echo a secret. It's where I feel both invisible and invincible. No one can touch us here. Not the world, not our past, not our future.

Outside, the city pulses with life, oblivious to the sanctuary we've carved out for ourselves, oblivious to the deals whispered in the dark. But here, in this moment, it's just me and Rishi. The world could burn, and we wouldn't care.

This place is where we usually meet. It's become our unspoken tradition, a space suspended between realities.

Here, I'm not the version of myself the world sees.
I'm not Vyaan.
No.
Here,
I'm known as "Ace."

Ace isn't weighed down by expectations, ties, or the name that carries so much. Ace is ruthless, calculating, a phantom in the night. I shed my identity the moment I step foot in this room.