HIS UNFINISHED OBSESSION

Unveiling the unexpected

The cab ride to Palm Grove Road felt unbearably long.

Every traffic signal.

Every turn.

Every passing second only made the knot in my stomach tighten further.

I sat near the window, fingers twisting nervously around the ring on my hand while the city blurred past outside. Mumbai was alive as always-crowded roads, impatient horns, people rushing toward places that probably felt safer than where I was headed.

But inside the cab-

It felt suffocatingly quiet.

My phone rested on my lap, the last message still open.

254A Palm Grove Road. 11 AM.

I checked the time again.

10:47.

Too close.

Far too close.

My chest tightened.

"Madam AC thoda kam karu?"
(Should I lower the AC a little, ma'am?) the driver asked politely, glancing at me through the mirror.

I realized only then that I was shivering slightly.

"No... it's fine," I murmured softly.

But it wasn't fine.

Nothing about this was fine.

Because for the first time since this entire game started-

We were walking directly toward the enemy.

My gaze shifted subtly toward the side mirror.

A black SUV remained three vehicles behind us.

Steady.

Unmoving.

Following.

Advait.

Even though I couldn't see him clearly from this distance, just knowing he was there made my breathing slightly easier.

His words from earlier echoed again inside my head.

"Don't look back repeatedly."

"Don't acknowledge us."

"And Samaira..."

I remembered the way his voice had softened slightly before I left the hotel room.

"If anything feels wrong, you walk away immediately. Understood?"

I had rolled my eyes at that.

"You say that like I casually walk into abandoned buildings every Tuesday."

A faint smile had appeared on his face then.

"Today you are."

And then-

Before I could say anything sarcastic back-

He had reached forward and fixed the chain around my neck gently.

The simple gesture had completely ruined my ability to think for three whole seconds.

"Advait..."

"Hmm?"

"You're being weirdly nice before sending me into danger."

"I'm always nice."

I had stared at him in disbelief.

He had almost smiled.