" I'm sor-"
"DON'T, JUST DON'T SAY IT. YOU DO NOT EVEN DESERVE TO SAY IT AFTER WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! I BEGGED YOU, SCREAMED AND PLEAD, BUT YOU DIDN'T HEED MY WORDS. THEN WHY SHOULD I!"
I yelled with tears streaming down my face when witnessing m...
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The basement was cold, the dim light flickering across the concrete walls, casting eerie shadows that danced like ghosts. My heart pounded, each beat echoing in my ears, drowning out the silence. I stared at the figure stepping out of the car, my breath catching in my throat. It couldn't be her. Not after all this time.
"You?" My voice trembled, barely a whisper, as shock glued my feet to the floor.
Pooja.
Her smile was sharp, a cruel twist of lips that sent a chill through me. "Hello sister," she said, her voice smooth but laced with ice. "Miss me?"
Earlier That Day
The office was a prison of paperwork, each stack a reminder of my exhaustion. My bodyguard and Rafeeq had vanished, leaving me buried under their workload. I didn't understand what was going on between them. They were like puzzle pieces that didn't fit, always trading secret glances and coded words I couldn't crack. They seemed to hate each other, yet they were inseparable, like two sides of a coin that couldn't exist alone. My bodyguard, in particular, was a riddle. His presence was heavy, his eyes always on me, protective one moment, suffocating the next. I couldn't shake the feeling I'd seen him before, his face tugging at some buried memory I couldn't reach.
Their absence left me drained, my head throbbing as I sorted through endless files. I slumped in my chair, dreaming of escape, a quiet beach with waves washing away my stress. But the thought crumbled fast. A vacation was a luxury I couldn't afford. Suhail was out there, waiting for any chance to drag me back into his grip. The idea that I couldn't even take a break without fear made my stomach twist with anger. He'd stolen so much from me, my freedom, my peace, even the small joys others took for granted.
I was lost in my frustration when my phone buzzed, snapping me back to reality. An unknown number flashed on the screen. I frowned, letting it ring, thinking it was a mistake. But it didn't stop, the buzzing relentless, grating on my nerves. Curiosity won, and I swiped to answer.
"Hello, who is this?" I asked, my tone sharp with irritation.
"Your end," a low voice replied, cold and deliberate, like a blade pressed to my skin.
I froze, my grip tightening on the phone. "What?"
"I'm your end, Amaira," the voice said again, each word dripping with menace.
I forced a laugh, trying to mask the unease creeping up my spine. "If this is a prank, it's a bad one. I've dealt with worse."
The caller chuckled, a sound that felt like ice sliding down my back. "Let's see if you still think it's a prank when you check WhatsApp."
My phone pinged. With shaking fingers, I opened the app, and my world tilted. Photos of Adithya and Anjali stared back at me, their faces pale, hands bound, eyes wide with fear. My breath caught, panic clawing at my chest. No. This can't be real. They can't be in danger.
