you are my destiny

Chapter 51.

~INTO THE DARKNESS~

Ahana's hands trembled as she looked down at her stomach, blood pooling over her uniform. The stage lights had gone dark. The shattered mirror beside her reflected only pain. Her breath hitched.

She bolted upright, gasping, sweat coating her forehead.

"Ahana?" Gauri rushed to her daughter, concern etching deep into her features. "Are you okay?"

Ahana wiped her face and nodded, forcing a shaky smile. "Yeah, mom. Just a bad dream."

Gauri narrowed her eyes but didn’t press further. "I’m going to the hospital."

"Why? Is everything okay?"

"To check on Armaan’s mom. She’s still not well. And you—go sleep in your room, not on the couch."

"Okay… yes, I will. Bye, mom."

"Bye."

As Gauri left, Ahana sat motionless, haunted by her nightmare. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her heartbeat.

Her phone buzzed.

"MY BOOMER ❤️ / HITLER CAPTAIN 😩"

She smiled and picked it up. "Hello? Yeah, I just woke up... What? You're outside my house?"

Abhimaan stood waiting in his car, phone in hand, but his eyes were on the screen. A message from Varun blinked: "I have nothing to say to you." His smile faded.

Just then, Ahana stepped outside and noticed his expression.

"Abhimaan...?"

He blinked, forcing a smile. "Yeah. Oh—Ahana. Let’s go."

---

Somewhere in a darkened room

Aditya sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by printed pictures of Ahana and Abhimaan. On the wall behind him, photos were pinned with red thread connecting them. In the corner, a countdown timer on his phone ticked: 6 days, 23 hours, 12 minutes.

He stood, whispering. "Six days left, my pretty dancer. Then silence."

He traced his finger across a large map of Ahana’s neighborhood. His finger stopped at her house.

"They think they can win. But I control the endgame. Just like Pooja, Varun, krishna and Just like mom and dad."

His eyes were hollow. A sinister smile curved his lips.

---

At the Hospital

"You drank until you passed out, Jiya! What were you thinking?" Gauri scolded.

Armaan's mother sobbed. "He wants a divorce. He said he wants to feel alive again."

Gauri gasped. "What?!"

"He said his life is like dead tree bark. That I made it dead. That it’s my fault. He already hired a lawyer."

Gauri squeezed her hand. "Life can be cruel. But you’re not alone. You’ve got me, my family and Armaan."

---

That Night

Ahana tossed and turned in bed, the dream haunting her still. The fear felt too real. The mirror, the blood, the darkness…

She sat up, deciding to call Abhimaan. Her hands shook as she unlocked her phone.

But before she could dial—

A loud crack echoed from the back of the house.

She froze.

Before she could react, the door burst open. A man dressed in all black, face masked, stormed in. Ahana screamed, but his gloved hand muffled her. A syringe jabbed into her neck.